Nirvana's in Utero: Reviewing a Classic Album

The 1993 Nirvana album In Utero has been examined by music critics, academics, journalists, and musicians alike since lead singer Kurt Cobain's 1994 suicide. The album, the last for Nirvana, is largely recognized as a work of musical genius by Cobain despite his own depression and personal tumult. Others who enjoyed the more mainstream tendencies of Nevermind and Smells like Teen Spirit were frustrated that Cobain and Company tried to go back to their indie rock roots. With debate still raging about In Utero's role, the new DVD In Utero: A Classic Album Under Review offers a compendium of arguments about the album. The DVD is a good purchase for Nirvana fans and for those who are interested in learning about the story behind classic albums though there are a few small problems that caught my attention.

This DVD looks at every song on In Utero, with a combination of live performances and audio sound bites playing over analysis of these songs. The focus of this documentary is such that Nirvana fans will learn in depth information about each song, watching an idea evolve into a rock performance. Along with a discussion of the context for each song, a group of Nirvana and music observers offer their analysis to In Utero as a whole. These guest analysts, ranging from original band drummer Chad Channing to reporter Pete Blecha, offer insights into Cobain's dark psyche and the fluidity in which the band developed the album.

While the DVD offers an excellent dissection of the music on In Utero, I found a few things on the documentary to be lacking. The DVD begins with a biography of Kurt Cobain, which seems strangely out of place from the rest of the DVD's razor sharp focus on the album. It seems that any documentary, article, or book on Nirvana or their individual albums devolves into a biography of Cobain. In Utero: A Classic Album Under Review falls into this common trap just like it fails to navigate around positive gushing about Nirvana in lieu of musical criticism. The analysts on the DVD are informative but there is very little criticism given to the album, which was much darker and rougher than the previous three studio albums. It seems that a DVD subtitled A Classic Album Under Review should offer different perspectives to create an adequate review.

All in all, the DVD In Utero: A Classic Album Under Review is an interesting contribution to the Nirvana catalog. While I found some of the analysts too conciliatory to the legend of Kurt Cobain, I think most people can look past this toward the excellent song-by-song analysis of In Utero. Music fans, critics, and those who want to learn more about In Utero should consider this DVD an important part of their documentary collection.