u/nkosijer

I know this comes up every few days, but sometimes I just keep thinking about the question "what would Nirvana have sounded like if April 5th never happened?"

A lot of people agreed that Kurt was clearly moving toward a quieter, more acoustic direction. The Unplugged performance is always cited, along with the planned collaboration with Michael Stipe, and the idea that Kurt may have wanted to do solo material.

But I'm not convinced Nirvana would have immediately abandoned the heavier side of their sound. I actually think they had at least one more proper "Nirvana" album in them (if they stayed together of course).

A few things make me think that:

• YKYR was recorded in January '94, and written months earlier. It doesn't sound like someone trying to leave intensity behind. It's one of the most explosive songs they ever recorded.
• The jam from that same studio session also doesn't suggest a band heading into softer territory. Not sure how they felt when they jammed that, but I like to believe they were enjoying.
• There's also that unknown song played live on the In Utero tour (11/12/1993 and again 12/29/1993). To me it sounds very much like classic grunge-era Nirvana, and honestly I hear real potential there. It feels like it could have developed into something substantial.
• I also don't think Geffen Records would have let them drift too far, commercially or artistically. One piece of evidence for me is the unreleased Verse Chorus Verse compilation. Aside from Rape Me, it wasn't exactly packed with quieter material. That eventually became From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah, which in my opinion has the best opening of any live album ever. And that says something, because that was essentially how Geffen saw the band and wanted to present them. And honestly... I'll never forget the look on my family's faces when I first played that CD almost 30 years ago.

My theory is maybe the next album would have expanded the sound rather than abandoned it. Maybe you get another raw, aggressive Nirvana record, with a couple acoustic detours, and maybe Kurt doing side collaborations outside the band.

Obviously we'll never know what was actually in Kurt's head, and this is all speculation. But I like thinking Nirvana would have stayed true to their core sound longer than people assume.