10 Hard Rock Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
2. Nevermind - Nirvana
Even though Van Halen's debut was a breath of fresh air at the end of the '70s, hair metal's whiff had completely rotted over at the turn of the decade. As one band after another tried to copy and paste the same type of glam rock look onto themselves, the tides were slowly turning away from the Sunset Strip and up to the rainy city of Seattle. Change was definitely in the air, and it only took a baby in a swimming pool to stomp out the rest of the competition.
Once Nevermind arrived onto the scene, the entire landscape of rock music switched gears to alternative rock, with Nirvana becoming some of the biggest stars in the world. While trends change all the time, fans weren't so much reacting to this album like a new trend but rather a social movement, as if songs like Smells Like Teen Spirit and Come As You Are were going to usher in a new flow of authentic artists.
It's not like that claim was unfounded either, with acts like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam gaining major exposure for their more down to earth looks and fantastic songs off of the strength of this one album. There's pretty much no way anyone could have called this, but change doesn't necessarily come to you on a silver platter. It happens when you have something so full of life that everyone ends up following you.