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Actually, that reminds me, I always thought In Utero reminded me of a band with writer's block, for the most part. Kurt's an interesting guitar player, but the songs that people really liked, like the stuff on Nevermind, were mostly power chord fests, with guitar solos that played the vocal melody exactly. I think he was trying to write half an album that would appeal to the Nevermind crowd (the dull stuff, like Rape Me, Pennyroyal Tea, All Apologies), and then he was writing some more interesting stuff too (Dumb, Very Ape). That album's just never sat well with me because it feels like Kurt wanted it to be one way, and something or someone (or a group of someones) decided he needed to go in a different direction.
Kurt really was a master of great riffs though, so that makes the dull songs a damn shame. Negative Creep is so awesome!!!
By the way, for Nirvana fans, anyone remember that Killing Joke album a few years back, that had Dave Grohl playing drums on it? Was that part of the lawsuit they won where they sued Nirvana for the Come As You Are riff?
I really love Nirvana, I know many years ago I made some Kurt Cobain jokes that pissed people off, but I think Nirvana were an excellent band... even though Kurt was a very flawed person, he was inspiring and intelligent. We have absolutely no one to look up to nowadays, as far as a mainstream rock hero. No one could write such ugly melodies that somehow worked... seriously, some of those melodies sound so wrong on paper, but they get caught in your head ("About a Girl" is achingly beautiful and tragically ugly at the same time -- but it works!). He was also a great guitar player... unconventional at times.. "Lithium" has always been weird to me, in the verses.. I love how sloppy he was, listen to "Aneurysm".. but it worked. They were never completely controlled, but never so ugly they couldn't play. Just a great little band.
I really wish the Pat-Smear-on-guitar 4-piece configuration of the band had made an album, his playing totally ruled (I mean, the Germs do have some of the best riffs ever written under their belt), and I think it would have made their following album more experimental and awesome, if he was allowed creative control.
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