Alternative rock was permanently changed when Nirvana stepped onto the scene in 1987. With their debut album, Bleach, the band helped establish grunge, although their popularity skyrocketed when they released ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ in 1991.
The song, taken from their second album, Nevermind, was penned by Kurt Cobain as an attempt at writing the “ultimate pop song”. With its loud/quiet contrast, the track became a phenomenon, helping to bring alternative rock to the mainstream. Cobain, much to his reluctance, became the voice of a generation, defining the disillusionment felt by teenagers and young people across the world.
Although Nirvana only released three albums in their time together, rounding out their discography with In Utero, the band remain one of the most influential artists of all time. Blending punk, noise rock, hardcore and pop sensibilities, Nirvana created a sound that many bands have attempted to replicate since, although few have achieved such greatness.
Cobain’s deep love for punk was a significant contributor to the band’s output, with the genre’s emphasis on raw and urgent instrumentation informing the early direction of Nirvana. The musician once defined what punk meant to him, stating, “Punk rock should mean freedom, liking and accepting anything that you like. Playing whatever you want. As sloppy as you want. As long as it’s good and it has passion.”
The frontman had a number of favourite punk bands and albums, many of which shaped his approach to songwriting. From hardcore punk bands like Black Flag and Tales of Terror to classic punk acts like Sex Pistols and The Clash, Cobain was well-versed in every facet of the genre. One of his favourite punk bands was The Wipers, citing three of their albums as his all-time favourites, including Youth of America.
Discussing his love for the Oregon-based band, he said: “The Wipers released maybe four or five albums. The first two were totally classic and influenced The Melvins and all the other punk rock bands. They’re one of the bands I tried to assimilate. Their songs were so good. Greg Sage was pretty much the romantic, quiet, visionary kind of guy. What more can I say about them? They started Seattle grunge rock in Portland, 1977.”
Cobain also dubbed the Sex Pistols’ first and only record, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, as possessing “the best production of any rock record I’ve ever heard”.
He added: “It’s totally in-your-face and compressed. All the hype The Sex Pistols had was totally deserved … they deserved everything that they got. Johnny Rotten was the one I identified with, he was the sensitive one.”
Check out his complete list of favourite punk albums below.
Kurt Cobain’s favourite punk albums:
Wipers – Over the Edge
Wipers – Youth of America
Wipers – Is This Real?
Fear – The Record
Black Flag – Damaged
Black Flag – My War
Tales of Terror – Tales of Terror
Rites of Spring – Rites of Spring
The Faith/Void – The Faith/Void
The Clash – Combat Rock
The Slits – Cut
Shonen Knife – Burning Farm
Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols
Bad Brains – Rock for Light
Saccharine Trust – Paganicons
MDC – Millions of Dead Cops
Fang – Landshark!
Iggy & The Stooges – Raw Power [proto-punk]
