In Utero is the third and final studio album by American rock band Nirvana, first released on September 13, 1993 in the UK and Europe, and internationally on 21 September by DGC Records. Displeased with the polished production of their previous album Nevermind (1991), Nirvana hired Steve Albini to give In Utero a more abrasive tone.
In Utero was recorded in February 1993 at Pachyderm Studios. Upon completion, rumors circulated that DGC may refuse to release Albini's mix of the album. It was mastered by Bob Ludwig to achieve a more radio-friendly result, while Scott Litt was hired to remix the singles "All Apologies", "Heart-Shaped Box" and "Pennyroyal Tea".
In Utero was a major critical and commercial success and is frequently cited as one of the greatest albums of all time. Critics praised the album's lyrics and raw, unconventional sound. It reached number one on the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart; "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The album is certified 6× platinum in the US for 6 million sales and has sold 15 million copies worldwide. It is the final studio album to be released before Cobain's death.
Background
Nirvana broke into the mainstream with their second album, Nevermind, in 1991. Despite modest sales estimates,Cross, 2001. p. 193 Nevermind was a major commercial success, popularizing the grunge movement and alternative rock.Olsen, Eric. "10 years later, Cobain lives on in his music ". MSNBC. April 9, 2004. Retrieved July 5, 2007. Nirvana expressed dissatisfaction with the sound of the album, citing its production as too polished.Gaar, 2006. p. 70 Early in 1992, the singer, Kurt Cobain, told Rolling Stone that the next album would showcase "both of the extremes" of their sound, saying: "It'll be more raw with some songs and more candy pop on some of the others. It won't be as one-dimensional." The producer of Nevermind, Butch Vig, said later that Cobain had needed to work with a different producer to "reclaim his punk ethics or cred".
Cobain wanted to start work in mid-1992, but his bandmates lived in different cities, and Cobain and his wife, Courtney Love, were expecting the birth of their daughter, Frances Bean.Azerrad, 1994. p. 312 Nirvana's record label, DGC Records, had hoped to release a new Nirvana album for the 1992 holiday season; instead, they released the compilation album Incesticide.Gaar, Gillian G. "Verse Chorus Verse: The Recording History of Nirvana". Goldmine. February 14, 1997.
In a Melody Maker interview published in July 1992, Cobain said he was interested in recording with Jack Endino, who had produced Nirvana's 1989 debut album Bleach, and Steve Albini, the former frontman of the noise rock band Big Black, who had produced various independent releases.True, Everett. "Nirvana: Crucified By Success?" Melody Maker. July 25, 1992. In Seattle in October 1992, Nirvana recorded several demos with Endino, mainly as instrumentals, including songs later rerecorded for In Utero.Gaar, 2006. p. 17 Endino recalled that they did not ask him to produce their next record, and that they constantly debated working with Albini.Gaar, 2006. p. 21–22
Nirvana recorded another set of demos while on tour in Brazil in January 1993.Gaar, 2006. p. 23 "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" was recorded by Craig Montgomery at BMG Ariola Ltda in Rio de Janeiro, during the three-day demo session. It was originally titled "I'll Take You Down to the Pavement", a reference to an argument between Cobain and the Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.
Nirvana chose Albini to record their third album. Cobain said he chose Albini because he had produced two of his favorite records, Surfer Rosa by the Pixies and Pod by the Breeders. Cobain wanted to use Albini's technique of capturing the natural ambience of a room via the placement of several microphones, something previous Nirvana producers had been averse to trying.
Albini was known in the American independent music scene for his criticism of the mainstream music industry and had a strict preference for analog recording rather than digital.DeRogatis, 2003. p. 5–6 He sent a disclaimer to the British music press denying rumors of his involvement with Nirvana, only to receive a call from Nirvana's management a few days later.Azerrad, 1994. p. 313 Albini dismissed Nirvana as "R.E.M. with a fuzzbox" and "an unremarkable version of the Seattle sound". However, he accepted the job because he felt sorry for them, perceiving them as "the same sort of people as all the small-fry bands I deal with," at the mercy of their record company.Azerrad, 1994. p. 314
Before recording began, Nirvana sent Albini a tape of the demos they had made in Brazil. In return, Albini sent Cobain a copy of the then-unreleased PJ Harvey album Rid of Me to give him an idea of the acoustics at the studio where they would record.Gaar, 2006. p. 39 Albini said that Cobain was impressed with the sound of Harvey's vocals on the album, "He really liked the way her singing came across. He was a fan."
Recording Nirvana and Albini set a two-week deadline for recording. At the suggestion of Albini, who was wary of interference from DGC, Nirvana paid for the sessions with their own money. Studio fees totaled $24,000, while Albini took a flat fee of $100,000. Though he stood to earn about $500,000 from royalties, Albini refused to accept them,Cameron, Keith. "This Is Pop". Mojo. May 2001. as he considered taking royalties immoral and "an insult to the artist".
In February 1993, Nirvana traveled to Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.Gaar, 2006. p. 40 Albini did not meet them until the first day of recording, though he had spoken to them beforehand about the type of album they wanted to make; he observed that "they wanted to make precisely the sort of record that I'm comfortable doing".Gaar, 2006. p. 36–37 The group stayed in a house on the studio grounds. Novoselic compared the isolated conditions to a gulag; he said, "There was snow outside, we couldn't go anywhere. We just worked." For most of the sessions, only the band, Albini, and the technician Bob Weston were present.Azerrad credits Weston as "assistant engineer", but the album liner notes list him as "technician". Nirvana made it clear to DGC and their management company Gold Mountain that they wanted no intrusion, and did not play their work in progress for their A&R representative.Azerrad, 1994. p. 315 Albini instituted a policy of ignoring everyone except for the band members; he said that everyone associated with Nirvana were "the biggest pieces of shit I ever met".DeRogatis, 2003. p. 16–17
Nirvana arrived at Pachyderm Studios without their equipment and spent much of the first three days waiting for it to arrive by mail. Once recording began, on February 13, work moved quickly. On most days, the group began work around midday, took breaks for lunch and dinner, and worked until midnight. For most songs, Cobain, Novoselic, and Grohl recorded their basic instrumental tracks together as a band. For faster songs, such as "Very Ape" and "Tourette's", the drums were recorded separately in a kitchen for its natural reverb. Albini surrounded Grohl's drum kit with about 30 microphones. Cobain added additional guitar tracks to about half of the songs, then guitar solos, and finally vocals. The band did not discard takes and kept virtually everything they recorded.
Albini saw himself more as an engineer than a producer; despite his personal opinions, he let the band choose takes.Azerrad, 1994. p. 316 He said, "Generally speaking, [Cobain] knows what he thinks is acceptable and what isn't acceptable [...] He can make concrete steps to improve things that he doesn't think are acceptable."Azerrad, 1994. p. 317 Cobain reportedly recorded all his vocal tracks in six hours.Gaar, 2006. p. 61 Albini said that Cobain, who had struggled with drug addiction, was focused and sober in the studio.
Recording was completed in six days; Cobain had anticipated disagreements with Albini, whom he had heard "was supposedly this sexist jerk", but called the process "the easiest recording we've ever done, hands down". The only disruption occurred a week into the sessions, when Love arrived because she missed Cobain. Weston's girlfriend, the studio's chef, said that Love created tension by criticizing Cobain's work and was confrontational with everyone present.
The initial mix of In Utero took five days. This was quick by Nirvana's standards, but not for Albini, who was used to mixing albums in a day or two. When work on a mix was not producing desired results, the band and Albini took the rest of the day off to watch nature videos, set things on fire and make prank calls.Azerrad, 1994. p. 318–19 The sessions were completed on February 26.Gaar, 2006. p. 64 "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" was omitted from the album as Cobain felt it already contained too many "noise" songs.DeRogatis, 2003. p. 6
Production and mixing dispute After the recording sessions ended, Nirvana sent unmastered tapes of the album to several individuals, including Gold Mountain and Ed Rosenblatt, the president of DGC's parent company, Geffen Records. When asked about the feedback he received, Cobain told Michael Azerrad, "The grown-ups don't like it." He said he was told his songwriting was "not up to par", the sound was "unlistenable", and that there was uncertainty that mainstream radio would accept Albini's production.Azerrad, 1994. p. 331 Few at Geffen or Gold Mountain had wanted Nirvana to record with Albini, and Cobain felt he was receiving an unstated message to scrap the sessions and start again.
Cobain was upset and said to Azerrad, "I should just re-record this record and do the same thing we did last year because we sold out last year—there's no reason to try and redeem ourselves as artists at this point. I can't help myself—I'm just putting out a record I would like to listen to at home." However, a number of Nirvana's friends liked the album, and by April, Nirvana was intent on releasing In Utero as it was. According to Cobain, "Of course, they want another Nevermind, but I'd rather die than do that. This is exactly the kind of record I would buy as a fan, that I would enjoy owning."Azerrad, 1994. p. 332
The band began to have doubts about the record. Cobain said, "The first time I played it at home, I knew there was something wrong. The whole first week I wasn't really interested in listening to it at all, and that usually doesn't happen. I got no emotion from it, I was just numb."Mothersole, Ben. "Nirvana's Kurt Cobain: Getting to Know Utero". Circus. November 30, 1993. The group concluded that the bass and lyrics were inaudible and asked Albini to remix the album. He declined; as he recalled, "[Cobain] wanted to make a record that he could slam down on the table and say, 'Listen, I know this is good, and I know your concerns about it are meaningless, so go with it.' And I don't think he felt he had that yet ... My problem was that I feared a slippery slope."Gaar, 2006. p. 69 The band attempted to address their concerns during the mastering process with Bob Ludwig at his studio in Portland, Maine. Novoselic was pleased with the results, but Cobain still did not feel it was perfect.Azerrad, 1994. p. 336