“Kurt was still trying to figure out how to sing and play at the same time” Nirvana producer shares why the band’s live shows were “not as good” early on
Successful as they eventually became, Nirvana’s live shows were “not as good” early in their career according to producer Jack Endino, who worked on the band’s debut album Bleach.
In a new interview with Ultimate Guitar, Endino looks back on his time working with the grunge icons, noting the way he’d “believed in the band” early on.
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Asked if he sensed Nirvana’s ‘potential for success’ during his time with them, Endino replies: “Absolutely”.
“I wasn’t deluded enough to think that there was any possible chance that it could happen because part of my job is falling in love with the band that I’m working with at any given moment,” he explains. “Whatever band I’m working with, it’s always the greatest thing I’ve heard this week or this month or even this year. And I always think, ‘Well, in a just and well-ordered universe, this band would be huge.’ So I always try and do my best.”
“And in this case, I really, truly did like the band,” says Endino. “I liked them enough that it occurred to me that if they ever needed a second guitar player, I should probably, like, raise my hand. I suppose Jason Everman got there first, and Pat [Smear]. But that was only a whim, actually.”
The producer says that while he has actually ended up in bands he’s recorded — even been asked to contribute to solos at times, with Nirvana, he never brought that up because “they didn’t really need my help. They sounded amazing exactly the way they were.”
That said, Endino concedes that the band’s “live shows were not as good at the time because Kurt was still trying to figure out how to sing and play at the same time.”
“But in the studio, his voice was outstanding because he was not playing guitar while he was singing. So, the potential was there. It just was like, ‘Okay, let’s see what kind of songs they write. Let’s see how good they become as performers.’”
“And they went off and toured for a year doing the Sub Pop circuit, opening for Tad, went to Europe. I mean, they spent some time on the road, and clearly, they got better. That was what needed to happen.”
The post “Kurt was still trying to figure out how to sing and play at the same time” Nirvana producer shares why the band’s live shows were “not as good” early on appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
