Nevermind [30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]

Nirvana: Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar); Chris Novoselic (vocals, bass); David Grohl (vocals, drums).
Additional personnel: Kirk Canning (cello).
Recorded at Sound City, Van Nuys, California.
Nevermind was never meant to change the world, but you can never predict when the zeitgeist will hit, and Nirvana's second album turned out to be the place where alternative rock crashed into the mainstream. This wasn't entirely an accident, since Nirvana did release a record with a shiny surface, no matter how humongous the guitars sounded. For all the anguish on Nevermind, it's bracing because Kurt Cobain exorcizes his demons through evocative wordplay and mangled screams, and because the band has a tremendous, unbridled power that turns pain into pure catharsis. In retrospect, Nevermind may seem too unassuming for its mythic status -- it's simply a great modern punk record -- but though it may no longer seem life-changing, it is certainly life-affirming, which may just be better. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine