Song of The Day: 26/09/2011

Drum roll please... In at number one on The Soul Kitchen's Nevermind 20th anniversary Song of The Day countdown is the final single from the album, 'In Bloom'. A perfect example of the loud-quiet technique Nirvana used on Nevermind, the song takes aim at those who didn't understand Nirvana or their music, with the lyrics...

"He’s the one
Who likes all our pretty songs
And he likes to sing along
And he likes to shoot his gun
But he knows not what it means
Knows not what it means
when I say"

Equally as anthemic as 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' if not as culturally significant, 'In Bloom' is a song in possession of everything that made Nirvana the greatest American band of their generation. There's the anger, the humour, the chaos, the 'fuck you' attitude to their detractors and the gloriously insane Butch Vig produced raw power of it all.

So, without further adieu, here are three fine young men from Seattle. They're thoroughly alright and decent fellas with their hit single 'In Bloom'. Here they are.... Nirvana!

Nirvana - In Bloom

Until next time,

Keep on Keepin' on,

Baia

X

Song of The Day: 25/09/2011

From one legendary live performance to another. In at number two on The Soul Kitchen's Nevermind anniversary countdown is the charmingly titled 'Territorial Pissings'. Not neccessarily the definitive second best Nevermind song in terms of quality, but in terms of encapturing the anger, energy and wreckless abandon of Generation X, no other song on Nevermind can top this. Dave Grohl's immense machine gun drums pave the way for two minutes of unadulterated guttural punk destruction. Captured for you here in all it's 1992 Reading Festival glory.


Nirvana - Territorial Pissings

Be sure to to return tomorrow to find out which Nevermind classic has topped the list. Your own lists are more than welcome at thesoulkitchen@hotmail.co.uk .

Keep on Keepin' on,

Baia

X

Song of The Day: 23/09/2011

Another day, another landmark in modern American songwriting. From the underwater guitar tones to the tragically grave meaning the chorus would take on a few years later, 'Come As You Are' is Nirvana's most hauntingly melodic piece of work. And nowhere is the song done more justice than on their spellbinding MTV Unplugged in New York performance.

Nirvana - Come As You Are

Until tomorrow,

Keep on Keepin' on,

Baia

X

Song of The Day: 22/09/2011

Continuing with the Nirvana Nevermind countdown, song number four on the list is perhaps Kurt Cobain's earliest foray into pop song writing. Originally intended for their debut Bleach, 'Polly' is an entirely acoustic number which was originally held back before making the grade two years later on Nevermind.

'Polly' is the sound of Seattle not just evolving, but being ripped to pieces and rewritten. With R.E.M and The Pixies serving as Cobain's playlist at the time, Superfuzz Bigmuff this certainly wasn't.


Nirvana - Polly

Until tomorrow,

Keep on Keepin' on,

Baia

X

Song of The Day: "Ain't got no how watchamacallit"

In the Spring of 1990, Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic entered Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin  with producer Butch Vig and set about recording the follow up to their 1989 debut Bleach, tentatively titled Sheep. One year, Dave Grohl and a naked baby swimming after a Dollar bill later and the entire American musical landscape was changed forever.

Nevermind (eventually recorded at Sound City Studios, North Hollywood) saw Nirvana evolve from merely another grunge band into the leaders of the MTV Generation. It wasn't just an evolution in sound either, but for grunge as a whole in the eyes of mainstream America. The scene was no longer restricted to being the Seattle sound, but the sound for, what was described at the time as being "a sea-change in rock music".

Dethroning Michael Jackson's Dangerous from the top of the US album charts, Nevermind paved the way for an influx of other grunge bands to enjoy mainstream success as the major labels signed them up by the barrelful. Come 1992, and Nirvana were performing at the MTV VMA awards, despite Cobain's wishes that "famous is the last thing I wanted to be". Two decades on and the effects of Nevermind are still being felt.

It is with this in mind that The Soul Kitchen presents to you five days of tracks from Nirvana's finest hour. Between tonight and Sunday the top five songs from this era defining record will be chronicled. Starting with, perhaps the most obvious, yet nevertheless most important song of their career;

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Keep on Keepin' on,

Baia

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Song of The Day: 19/09/2011

Released today, Kasabian's Cretaceous new LP Velociraptor! offers up today's Song of The Day. 'Let's Roll Just Like We Used To' sees the band channeling Forever Changes era Love (specifically 'Alone Again Or') through Morricone brass sections. Enjoy...


Kasabian - Let's Roll Just Like We Used To

Keep on Keepin' on,

Baia

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Song of The Day: 18/09/2011

Mick Jagger announced this week that the Stones 1978 LP Some Girls would be getting the Exile on Main Street remastered reissue treatment later this year, so here's a reminder of the finest track off the album and also a reminder that, contrary to what that dickhead from Maroon 5 may think, no one has moves like Jagger;

P.S. Check out Charlie Watts' energetic drumming.

The Rolling Stones - Miss You

Keep on Keepin' on,

Baia

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Song Of The Day: 16/09/2011

Today marks the 34th anniversary of the death of Rock and Roll's most glamorous son, Marc Bolan. Almost four decades on and there's still not many better ways to kick start a Friday night than this;

T Rex - Metal Guru

Keep on Keepin' on,

Baia,

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Soul Kitchen Song of The Day: Wednesday 7th September, 2011

Coming to a boutique festival near you on Friday 16th of this month. Booker T & the MG's guitarist Steve Cropper will be bringing his Memphis soul to Ramsbottom Festival, so expect plenty of 'Tic-tac-toe', 'Jellybread', 'Chinese Checkers' and most importantly, a whole heap of 'Green Onions'...

Booker T & The MG's - Green Onions

Keep on keepin' on,

Baia

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