The Nirvana solo that Krist Novoselic initially hated: “This is terrible”
Kurt Cobain never claimed to be the world’s greatest guitarist. Even though what he played always served the song he wrote, most of his guitar prowess with Nirvana revolved around making abstract noise on the guitar or writing the occasional melodic flourish to segue between the verse and the chorus. Cobain wasn’t a typical guitar hero, but one of his bandmates wasn’t thrilled with his work on one of their classic hits.
By the time Nirvana had released their album Nevermind, they had slowly reached the top of the musical world. In just a few short months, the band had gone from playing the familiar punk rock squalors to displacing Michael Jackson at the top of the album charts, with many fans donning flannel and raging about their miserable home lives just like Cobain.
While Cobain may have been proud of the work that he put into his magnum opus, he thought that the final product was far too slick for his taste. Getting mixer Andy Wallace, thanks to his work with heavier acts like Slayer, Cobain was mortified when he heard the final mixes of his songs, thinking that it sounded closer to a hair metal album than what he heard in his head.
Once the band had time to work on a follow-up, Cobain didn’t like the idea of making a sequel record to Nevermind. Going into the studio with minimalist producer Steve Albini, they sought to create tracks that captured the feeling of the band playing in the room, with Dave Grohl’s drums sounding much more punchy than before.
As such, In Utero is one of the band’s most naked records, with Cobain providing the most uninhibited vocal performances he ever committed to tape. Though the new songs were anything but commercial, ‘Heart Shaped Box’ would become the breakout single for the record, featuring some of the oddest guitar parts in the Nirvana catalogue.
When listening back to the record for the first time, though, Krist Novoselic was initially horrified by what he heard, thinking that Cobain needed to redo the guitar part because of how terrible it was. Talking to Conan O’Brien, Novoselic thought that the final product completely ruined the final mix of the track, saying, “I’m like, ‘Well, you know, this song is a really pretty song. And it’s a sad song in some ways.’ I think I used a term like, ‘This sounds like you just threw this abortion on the floor.’ That’s what I said, ‘All of a sudden, there’s just this abortion on the floor, this is terrible.’”
It’s easy to see where Novoselic is coming from as well. Compared to the crunchy guitar tone in the chorus, the nasty shriek coming out of the solo is piercing from the moment it starts, almost sounding like Cobain was trying to play his part through an amp made for children.
While the bass player had doubts, the track would become a staple of alternative rock radio, featuring the guitar solo in all its glory. Even though it might not have been the most pleasant mixing decision, Cobain’s choice to leave the solo untouched is probably closer to what he heard in his head. Given how frail Cobain’s state of mind was during that time, this was the equivalent of him unleashing that fury on the rest of the world.
