NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS AND BUTCH VIG – A REUNION!

 

For the angst-ridden generation of kids who had been searching for music they could claim as their own, Nevermind was a milestone album. In many ways it was their “chosen” record, an album that became as much a part of the journey from adolescence to adulthood as Clearasil, electronic games (such as Nintendo 64 at the time), or tattoos.  But more than just a rite of passage—which is the role a lightweight pop song would have (are you listening California Gurls fans?)—Nirvana’s Nevermind album was a rallying cry, a single explosion of anger that spoke to the emotions of millions worldwide. Only a record as emotional and as honest as Nevermind with its lead off single Smells Like Teen Spirit could have touched the nerve of Generation X.  

In the years preceding Nevermind’s release, the most successful musical genre had been big-hair heavy metal. Thus, it was no small irony that Nirvana followed the group Warrant into Sound City Studios to record their new album with Butch Vig at the production helm.  

By the time Nevermind was finished, Warrant’s career was over. But even though metal bands like Warrant and Guns N’ Roses sold millions of albums, their records never served as “generational glue” in the manner that Nevermind did. 

The social phenomenon that followed the  release of Nevermind brought to mind the pivotal works of Led Zeppelin 1, The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, and Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols —albums that, each in their own way, captured a single movement in the collective pop-culture consciousness.  For one brief moment in the fall of 1991 into winter of 1992, an entire generation of youths had gathered to listen to one piece of music, one message, by one band… Nirvana. 

In the opinion of the Rock And Roll Detective, this moment in time for a generation—created by 

WTF?

Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl and produced by Butch Vig—has not reoccurred. And it won’t likely be coming soon from Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas or Justin Bieber.  

For a great historical read on the making of  the Nevermind album you may want to check out my book Nirvana: Nevermind (Classic Rock Albums) co-written with Charles Cross. 

The inside story of the greatest album of the Nineties.

 

We can never repeat history. We cannot reunite The Beatles. We can't regroup the 1969 Cubs for another go at the Mets. And sadly we cannot bring back Kurt Cobain to play again with Dave and Krist. However, sometimes we can get artists and friends back together in the studio to create a little bit of magic and new history. And that is what happened this past fall...

Dave Grohl was ready to make a new Foo Fighters album and he decided to ask Butch Vig to produce the new album. They both realized they had not worked together in almost two decades. Vig has produced some of the greatest rock and roll of the last two decades including: Nevermind,  Siamese Dreamby Smashing Pumpkins, Dirty by Sonic Youth, 12 Point Buck by Killdozer, Bricks Are Heavy by L7, This Perfect World by Freedy Johnston, Let Your Dim Light Shine by Soul Asylum, Garbage, Version 2.0, Beautiful Garbage, Bleed Like Me, Absolute Garbage, New Wave by Against Me, and 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day, to name but a few. 

 

He has also created some of rock’s coolest remixes for the likes of U2, Beck, The Cult, Depeche Mode, House of Pain, Korn, Limp Bizket, Nine Inch Nails, Garbage and many more.

 

The Foo Fighters and Vig set up to record the new album in Dave Grohl’s garage in Los Angeles using old school analog equipment. The Pro Tools equipment collected dust in a corner. Grohl decided to call in his old friend and band mate to play bass on one Foo song. Two thirds of Nirvana would be in the same studio again after twenty years. Krist Novoselic flew his own plane to LA for the session. Butch Vig described the event to the Rock And Roll Detective, “Krist came in and played bass on one of the new (Foo Fighters) songs, ‘I Should Have Known’.” The historic recording session went quite smoothly, according to Vig, and is due on the forthcoming Foo Fighters album in 2011.

“It was great seeing him,” recalls Vig. “And it was the first time we’ve been in a room together since we finished Nevermind.” Once the track was in the can, these old friends got to hang out and talk. “We sat around for a couple hours and told stories… lots of memories!”

And now a new memory has been created for fans of Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Butch Vig. 

Courtesy of Butch Vig:  Butch, Krist & Dave together again!

The Rock And Roll Detective predicts this new Foo Fighters album will be one of the two best albums of 2011. What’s the other one you ask? Why the next album by Garbage, of course. More on that one later! Until then, stay tuned to Rock And Roll Detective as we keep diggin’ into the music.