If Nirvana was the flagship band of a generation, then "Nevermind" was their manifesto...

"Nevermind" was Nirvana's stepping stone into the world spotlight, an album that didn't take the Nirvana to the mainstream; it brought the mainstream to Nirvana, with its distorted grinding electric guitars, the pounding drums and Kurt Cobain's distinctive, sometimes indistinguishable voice coupled with lyrics which had the ability to mean whatever you wanted them to mean, constructed by Cobain, master of the ironic contradiction.

"Nevermind" was never meant to change the world, but the beauty of "Nevermind" was its raw simplicity, and with this simplicity it opened up the door for grunge to become a dominant force in music in the early nineties, but was also responsible for bringing alternative rock, not just grunge, to a large mainstream audience, exposing what could be labeled at the time “underground music” establishing its commercial and cultural viability.

"Nevermind" is perhaps best known for the anthem, that had so many of the ingredients of teen rebellion, "Smells Like Teen Spirit". "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was the most influential track released, serving as the foundations with which Nirvana would build their success on, and lead onto "Nevermind" becoming one of the most significant albums in history. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was the "anthem for apathetic kids" of Generation X that Nirvana supposedly represented, a call to all alienated teenagers to revolt and show their angst, to rebel against the rules which held them in. From the moment you heard the stuttering guitar chords and the thundering intrusion from the drums Rock was never the same again as Alternative Rock was catapulted into the mainstream almost overnight, and nothing was ever the same again from that point forward.

Despite the huge success of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" "Nevermind" was so much more than a one song album.

The album was there at the right time in the right place, because in the previous year before "Nevermind's" release there had been little in the way of quality Rock to hit the US charts. There was quality and depth throughout this album, something of a contradiction considering the album was designed to be based around simple rhythms and simple patterns, with the music stripped down to the bear bones.

"In Bloom" was Nirvana at their acidic and sarcastic best, mocking the mainstream, showing their somewhat overlooked sense of humour, but also shooting down those who listened to Nirvanas music because they thought it was "cool" to do so, those who didn't understand the bands message. "Come As You Are", the second single released from "Nevermind", was great for its watery, murky-sounding bass introduction with heavy chorus effects and breaking into the now classic heavy bridge which when placed alongside the simple vocal arrangement, was truly astounding, "Come As You Are" created a sound of its own.

While these may have been released as singles each track present on "Nevermind" was distinct in its own possible way, going along with the theme of rebellion throughout. With "Breed" being the epitome of the word loud, and the song "Lounge Act" dragging along slowly in a creepy sleazy way to  name but two of the tracks that are available on the manifesto that is "Nevermind".

The quality throughout "Nevermind" is such that it is nigh impossible to pick the standout tracks from "Nevermind", it would pain anyone to do so, the only way to really judge the difference between these tracks would be the influences and effects these tracks had on a generation.

When "Nevermind" leaped over supposedly more illustrious bands albums such as U2's "Achtung Baby", Guns'n'Roses "Use You Illusions" and Michael Jackson's "Dangerous", to top the American album charts. It was clear that there had been something of a change in the landscape of the music scene. "Nevermind" had left its mark.

Nevermind was an album more addictive than any drug, yet with no horrible come-down, an album that came along at exactly the right time, displaying the rebellion and anger of a young generation, overlooked and ignored by the establishment. It showed that Rock had to take a step backwards to take one forward.Nevermind is a flawed classic, but a classic all the same, a classic that still stands as a landmark for not only Rock, but for music in general.

Written by Alex Curran.