It's punk, it's pop, it's loud, it's quiet, it's chaos and it's art. Nirvana's "Nevermind" sucked us all in when "Smells Like Teen Spirit" slammed into us with its intro of twisted power chords and popping drums. "Nevermind" so defined a generation that some can recall exactly where they were when they first heard it. And, when asked how they got into rock 'n' roll, some musicians simply say "Nirvana."

But what if we're not talking about your generation? No matter. You should pay mind to "Nevermind," and Kurt Cobain, the genius behind it, say music journalists and historians, pop-culture watchers and academics alike.

It has influenced nearly every piece of popular music released in the last two decades. Along with countless other bands, The Flaming Lips and The Black Keys — both with recent top 10 albums — say they wouldn't exist without Nirvana. Even Miley Cyrus (who was not yet born when the album debuted) has covered "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in concert.

"Kurt Cobain's guitar sound on Nirvana's 'Nevermind' set the tone for '90s rock music," read a 2001 retrospective in Guitar World.

That's not an overstatement. When Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden burst onto the national scene, hair bands and pop were out.

"I think what 'Nevermind' did was brilliant and that Cobain was brilliant . It was a melding of what Neil Young had done and what punk had done," said Scott Anderson, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor who teaches rock history. "I read an interesting interview with (Talking Heads frontman) David Byrne who said ('Nevermind') is finally where punk got its due," long after it began in the late '70s and early '80s.

The best evidence? "Nevermind" unseated Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, from the top spot on the Billboard albums chart.

From the Jan. 11, 1992, issue of Billboard: The Seattle-area alternative band's 'Nevermind' surges from No. 6 to No. 1; Jackson's 'Dangerous' drops from No. 1 to No. 5."

We asked local and national musicians, readers and others one question: How did "Nevermind" affect you? Read on for their impressions.

"The first time I heard Nirvana rip into the opening chords of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' I felt like it was an explosion in my frontal lobe. Everything changed. A few years later, 311 recorded a lot of our 'From Chaos' album at Sound City, which is the same place 'Nevermind' was recorded. That was really cool for us."

— Nick Hexum, 311

" 'Bleach' was the coolest album ever when it came out. So, we (me and my super-cool friends) all bought 'Nevermind' soon after its release. The huge sonic step forward wasn't a detraction from the raw band we all loved. Their success was no surprise; they bled honesty, pain, and sacrifice through their words and instruments. Brilliance is the word, I do believe."

— P-Nut, 311


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