28 Years Ago Today Nirvana Unleashed a Masterpiece

September 24, 1991 was a pretty big day for rock/alternative music. Not only did that day see the release of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, but also Nevermind, the second album from Seattle's Nirvana.

Nirvana's first album, Bleach, released in 1989, didn't attract a whole lot of attention nationwide, but was a local success. After original drummer Chad Channing left the group, singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic were actually contacted by Dave Grohl after his band(Scream) disbanded. According to Novoselic, once Grohl became their drummer, all the pieces fell into place.

Nevermind's lead single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was like a wake-up call to radio listeners and MTV viewers. As a matter of fact, "Weird Al" Yankovic did such a great job parodying the original Nirvana video, that at times you can hardly tell the difference. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" made it as high as #6 on the Billboard chart. The album itself made it to #1, knocking Michael Jackson's Dangerous out of the top spot.

Three other successful singles were released: "Come As You Are"; "Lithium"; and "In Bloom". Nevermind was voted Album of the Year in many music polls and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was voted Single of the Year and Video of the Year in many polls, as well.  Nevermind is just a great rock and roll record and for many of us who were there for the birth of "grunge", it was a moment in music history never to be forgotten.