Sgt Pepper Must Die

Various artists (Franz Ferdinand, The Hold Steady, The Kooks etc.) recently spoke to The Guardian about the supposedly "classic" albums that they think actually aren't all that great.

Nirvana, Nevermind
Nominated by Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips

It's better to be overrated than underrated. Besides, it's not the musicians' fault Nevermind is overrated - it's the publics, or the critics. But you don't find yourself ever longing to listen to it, because there were - still are, in fact - so many mediocre bands that sound like it, that you're constantly experiencing it. I never get out Nevermind and think: what great production, what great songs. Nevermind had a poisonous, pernicious influence. It legitimized suffering. The sainthood of Kurt Cobain overshadows the album: Kurt's lyrics, his attitudinizing and navel-gazing, were hard to separate from the band's image. You can never just hear the record. For me, Bleach and In Utero are superior. Even the album cover seems cheap: that stupid dollar bill just seems to have been airbrushed in there. If Alice in Chains had done it, we'd have thought it was a joke, but because it was Nirvana we thought it was oh-so-clever. If you think you're going to hear an utterly original, powerful and freaky record when you put on Nevermind, as a young kid might, Christ you're going to be disappointed. You're going to think, "Who is this band that sounds just like Nickelback? What are these drug addicts going on about?"

Comments

[Dr. Dre]

Thank you Wayne! I finally have someone that agrees with me! Next time someone tries to tell me Nevermind was the most influential thing since the advent of electricity, I can take comfort in your words!