VH1 to examine greatest album covers
Bruce Springsteen, the Who, the Police, Nirvana, Fleetwood Mac, and the Rolling Stones are among the acts featured in the TV special 50 Greatest Album Covers.
The special will present the stories behind some of the greatest album covers in music history. It will also provide a preview of some upcoming album covers from major acts. The special will feature interviews with the Dixie Chicks, Gene Simmons of KISS, rapper Chuck D, Marilyn Manson, and many more artists.
"Teen Spirit" greatest song according to VH1 Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" has been named the greatest song of the past quarter century, for the upcoming VH1 special 100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 Years. Others in the top ten included Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine," U2's "One," Run-DMC's "Walk This Way," Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," Eminem's "Lose Yourself," Madonna's "Like A Virgin," Prince's "When Doves Cry," Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," and The Police's "Every Breath You Take."
Former Nirvana bass player Krist Novoselic said that the song and video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was a harbinger of things to come. "Well, it was a phenomenon. I think a lot of it was timing as what was going on in the music business. And a lot of the Sunset Strip hair bands were past their prime and people were ready for something new. And I think Nirvana always tried to be sincere."
Studio where Nirvana worked on Nevermind wrecked
Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, where Nirvana recorded part of their ground-breaking 1991 album Nevermind, was demolished earlier this week when a truck crashed into it. The studio, which is owned by Nevermind producer and Garbage drummer Butch Vig, was destroyed when the truck hit a car on the road outside and veered into the building. Damages were estimated at ,000. No one was in the studio at the time, although Garbage, who were recording their new album there, had just left the facility an hour before the accident.
Vig told NME.com, "I got woken up at three in the morning by a call from the security guard there who said, 'Man, you better get down (here)--a truck's just gone into your studio.' ...if it had been three days earlier, there would have been a band called Paris, Texas in the downstairs studio and Garbage would have been upstairs. It would have killed them."
Nirvana recorded at Smart Studios for a week in April of 1990 during the sessions for Nevermind, emerging with the song "Polly." Other acts who have recorded at Smart include Beck, the Smashing Pumpkins, and U2.
Ironically, Smart has been the site of catastrophes before. Several vehicles have smashed into the studio over the last ten years, including a boat trailer and cars driven by drunk drivers. Vig told NME.com that he arrived at work one day to find the basement flooded with eight feet of water.
Nevermind baby on new cover
The kid from the cover of Nevermind has scored another rock modeling gig. Spencer Elden was only four months old when he appeared on the Nirvana classic. Now in the sixth grade, Rolling Stone reports that he'll be featured on a new CD called The Dragon Experience, the third solo CD from Skinny Puppy's Cevin Key. Key's girlfriend, who babysat for Elden, recommended him for the gig and shot the photo.
Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic says he's getting out of the music business because his latest band, Eyes Adrift, wasn't successful.
Novoselic recently posted a letter on Eyes Adrift's website,in which he railed against the group's lack of commercial success. He noted that attendance at the group's concerts varied widely and was often sporadic. The uncertain turnout prevented the band from touring in Europe.
And, according to Novoselic, the group's 2002 album didn't sell well. He said, "I recall too many stories of people simply not being able to find the CD in stores. I know of many who just downloaded. Mixed reviews didn't help the fact that we really didn't sell many CD's. I can't honestly tell you how many we've sold but I can't imagine it's over 20 thousand units...The overwhelming majority of people don't even know that there is an Eyes Adrift."
So Novoselic says he's quitting the music business and plans to turn his attention to other projects. He's long been politically active and, he writes, quote, "I'm relatively young (38) and I want to follow my compulsions. I have big plans for 2004. Next year will be a pivotal year politically for every one of us in the USA and for myself, even more so. I've come off of nine years of political success and see some real opportunities to make change. You'll all hear about my plans soon enough. If you've been following my politics, you know that I will continue to work for inclusion, fairness and freedom.
