[vikingcaffiene]

I'm not sure a lot people know that Albini ended up washing his hands of his work with Nirvana. After the recordings were wrapped and the mixes were done, Kurt was really unhappy with some of the sounds. If memory serves it was the vocals and the bass. They ended up doing some overdubs and sharpening things up in the low end in mastering. The very thing Albini specifically said he didn't want them to do. I personally think the results speak for themselves. In Utero is a FANTASTIC rock record. I can't help but wonder what the original would have sounded like though...

[daydream]

In addition to bootlegs of the rough mixes you can also check out the official 20th anniversary vinyl reissue, remixed by Albini from the original masters. https://www.nirvana.com/album/in-utero-2013-mix-2lp/

[bwoodward]

You can find his mixes on Nirvana's youtube channel --- Heart Shaped Box [1]

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9pwGlgQz2E

[MrScruff]

Oh that's cool! I remember hearing about this mix at the time and wondering how it would sound. I much prefer it, way more in keeping with the indie 'live' vibe of the rest of the album and it feels darker/more menacing because of the greater contrast between the verses and chorus.

I actually always felt the original track stood out (in a bad way) on the album and it's interesting to hear how much of that was introduced by the remix.

The recording style Albini uses here was also in evidence with another classic rock album he references here, PJ Harvey's 'Rid of Me'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVeP-AHFk-s

Some people (eg. Elvis Costello) hate this 'naturalistic' style, but I think the overproduced style that dominates radio often strips tracks of their personality.

[jhap]

Can someone with more experience help me recognize the differences between this version and the released version? I'm having trouble hearing them.

[agumonkey]

Impressive, it's a lot heavier and ~indie. Strange to revisit these times.

[ch4s3]

I can’t put my finger on it but that just sounds wrong to me.

[raverbashing]

Interesting. There are definitely interesting aspects but the volume gating(?) on the start of the chorus are a No-no for me

It definitely feel more "indie" but not 100% in a good way for me.

[keeglin]

Thank you for this! That just brightened my evening. It's sounding _incredible_.

[StopTheWorld]

Pixies Nirvana

[strunz]

Not surprising considering Nevermind is one of the best sounding albums of all time. I personally give Butch Vig a large part of the. refit for getting the best out of the band and really making an incredible album. Hard to believe it's the same band as Bleach.

[Optimal_Persona]

As the mixer of "Nevermind", Andy Wallace deserves a lot of credit for the finished sound. Both Vig and the band weren't crazy about Vig's initial mixes. Between Nevermind and producing/engineering/mixing Jeff Buckley's "Grace", Andy Wallace did as much to define of '90s rock as anyone else, and has done phenomenal work before and since.

[dylan604]

Butch Vig had such a large influence in my life as a teenager. For those that never paid attention to the liner notes/credits on their music, Butch was a producer on so so many bands.

[ilamont]

I think Bleach was amazing. I remember exactly where I was when I heard it first, Newbury Comics in Harvard Square in 1989, and I had to ask the staff what was playing in the store PA because it was so visceral. What was the recording budget, $600 or something?

[prionassembly]

> of all time

This is a little extreme. "Teen spirit", "Come as you are", "Lithium" are great, but "On a plain" and other heavier numbers are jarringly plasticky.

[vlunkr]

He worked on the 2013 remaster. Doesn't really seem like he washed his hands of it.

[discordance]

Funny that... "I do not like remixing other engineer's recordings, and I do not like recording things for somebody else to remix. I have never been satisfied with either version of that methodology. Remixing is for talentless pussies who don't know how to tune a drum or point a microphone."

[salmo]

They remixed the singles, really making them more “radio friendly”. Compressed, polished, and out of whack with the un-remixed “lesser” tracks.

The punk folks around Nirvana were surprised with how pliable they were with Geffen. Albini was pissed and wanted his name off of it.

He wasn’t easy to work with. Abrasive, rude, rigidly principled. He’s mellowed out with age, but really hasn’t touched much major label stuff since the 90s, if any.

If you listen to the original mixes on the reissue you hear how much more consistent it feels as an album. And I won’t lie. I have a bias. I love the quality of Albini’s work. Crisp and raw and uses the whole spectrum. And those drums…

Jesus Lizard, early Pixies, this album, PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me are more well known work he’s done that is great. Bush was awful. His band Shellac w/ the mentioned Bob Weston is f’n incredible.

These days, he works a super reasonable flat rate and will record anyone. Had friends who recorded at his Chicago studio. Brilliant guy.

[toyg]

> In Utero is a FANTASTIC rock record

Mh. As a teenager at the time, I always thought Nevermind was the real deal. Then the whole media phenomenon took over, so In Utero could have been shite and still sell bazillions - it was promoted massively. That's not to say it was shite, but IMHO it wasn't as perfect as Nevermind.

[lastdong]

I recommend Incesticide as one of the hidden raw gems. The whole Nirvana discography is strong (maybe the mellow MTV Unplugged hits a different tone).

[vba616]

>Kurt was really unhappy with some of the sounds

I think I read somewhere that P.J. Harvey wasn't happy with the way "Rid of Me" came out - but I thought it was incredible and nothing afterwards really compares.

[MrScruff]

Hmm, I've read the opposite.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rid_of_Me#Recording

[Exmoor]

There are Albini rough mixes out there. Not sure where to suggest looking for them (phone posting), but I no imagine they're not too hard to find.

[pipeline_peak]

You ask for Mr Slint to record your lp, you get a lo fi lp.

I know Kurt liked the Pixies, but after something as high end as Nevermind, who knows what he was looking for.

[rdiddly]

The irony of your calling him Mr. Slint is that the GOOD Slint album was done by someone else.

[jollybean]

I don't like In Untero compared to Nevermind, it feels a smidge too overproduced and less raw. I really wonder what it would have sounded like were it to have been the same producer.

[jghn]

Huh. It's funny as I always had the opposite thought. To me Nevermind sounds too polished and clean. When In Utero came out I remember being excited that it brought out a more raw sound that I felt they had lost. Different strokes and all that.