NIRVANA'S IN UTERO

Here’s another in the "33 & 1/3" series of books, in which a music-obsessed author reveals every painstaking detail about the making of his or her favorite album, along with enough behind-the-scenes minutiae to please any music junkie. In this case, Gillian Gear makes a case for Nirvana's ill-fated third LP, IN UTERO, which was released shortly before Nirvana main man Kurt Cobain took his own life. Gear explains how the band, at the height of their immense popularity and influence, dealt with the contradictions inherent in being an "underground" band that is recording for a major label. Unfortunately, Ben Rameaka sinks into self-parody when portraying record producer Steve Albini. However, this unfortunate lapse in taste does not in any way diminish the book, or the album on which it was based. J.S.H. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2009]