10 Classic Albums That Were Originally Considered Failures
4. In Utero - Nirvana
Every rock fan knows exactly where they were the first time they heard Nirvana's Nevermind. In one fell swoop, Kurt Cobain turned in a record that ignited the alternative rock revolution and stomped out all of the pretentiousness of the late '80s. However, when you have a record as strong as that, the next offering is bound for failure by design.
Coming out just a few years afterward, fans were perplexed at how raw In Utero was on first listen. As opposed to the pop-flavored headbangers of Nevermind, these songs were much more subdued and clinical in their construction, with songs like Rape Me and Milk It turning people off almost immediately. It was certainly a change of pace, but you had to look a bit deeper to see the whole picture.
Though songs like All Apologies and Heart Shaped Box became decent hits, the album picked up much more meaning after Kurt Cobain's death in 1994. Looking back, In Utero is Cobain's artistic suicide note, with songs that come from the back of his psyche. One listen to something like Scentless Apprentice or Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge... shows the image of a broken man desperately trying to hold himself together. Nevermind may have been the album that skyrocketed the band to superstardom, but In Utero may be the most raw artistic statement they ever made.