Producer Butch Vig has looked back on the sessions which produced Nirvana’s iconic album ‘Nevermind’.
Released in 1991, ‘Nevermind’ marked the puncture point for alt rock’s intersection with the mainstream. Taking an underground scene into popular culture, Nirvana became one of the most important American rock groups of all time.
20 years on, ‘Nevermind’ remains a thrilling album. An almost ubiquitous cultural object, it’s enormous fame has not diminished the power of the music hidden underneath the famous cover.
However the final sound of the album was not without its trials. Producer Butch Vig helped steer the group, although Nirvana had a very distinct idea of how they wanted the music to sound.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, the producer reminisced about some of the disputes in the studio. “I’d be balancing the drums and the guitar and Kurt would come and say ‘Turn all the treble off. I want it to sound more like Black Sabbath.’ It was kind of a pain in the ass.”
Continuing, Butch Vig explained that Kurt Cobain was often subject to severe mood swings in the studio. “Kurt was charming and witty, but he would go through these mood swings” he said.
“He would be totally engaged, then all of a sudden a light switch would go off and he’d go sit in the corner and completely disappear into himself. I didn’t really know how to deal with that.”
Butch Vig has been involved in the compiling of the forthcoming ‘Nevermind’ box set. The producer also worked with Dave Grohl on the last Foo Fighters album and admitted that the pair took a stroll down memory lane.
“We started pulling stories out of each other” the producer remembered. “It was a special night.”
The expanded edition of ‘Nevermind’ is set to be released on September 19th.
