Jul 192011
 

As we mentioned yesterday, SPIN magazine celebrates the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s Nevermind this year with a special issue featuring interviews, recollections, and, best of all, a full-album tribute. Dare we say it, it’s even better than the one we did.

The disc mixes covers by up-and-comers like Surfer Blood and Titus Andronicus with a few tunes by bands that influenced Kurt and the gang. Two bands Nirvana covered in their MTV Unplugged set, the Meat Puppets and the Vaselines, pay it back with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Lithium,” respectively. As is often the case on these things, the best tracks take the songs furthest afield. Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band give a gritty soul take on “Stay Away,” Amanda Palmer does a twee-cabaret “Polly,” and Midnight Juggernauts do something that sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks doing techno on “Come As You Are.”

We’ve got two of our favorite tracks below. Download the full ‘Newermind’ set at SPIN’s Facebook page.

MP3: The Vaselines – Lithium (Nirvana cover)
[audio: News0711/19Lithium.mp3]


MP3
: Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band – Stay Away (Nirvana cover)
[audio: News0711/19StayAway.mp3]


Newermind
Tracklist:
01. “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” by Meat Puppets
02. “In Bloom,” by Butch Walker and the Black Widows
03. “Come As You Are,” by Midnight Juggernauts
04. “Breed,” by Titus Andronicus
05. “Lithium,” by The Vaselines
06. “Polly,” by Amanda Palmer
07. “Territorial Pissings,” by Surfer Blood
08. “Drain You,” by Foxy Shazam
09. “Lounge Act,” by Jessica Lea Mayfield
10. “Stay Away,” by Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band
11. “On A Plain,” by Telekinesis
12. “Something In The Way,” by JEFF the Brotherhood
13. “Endless, Nameless,” by EMA

Cover Me is now on Patreon! If you love cover songs, we hope you will consider supporting us there with a small monthly subscription. There are a bunch of exclusive perks only for patrons: playlists, newsletters, downloads, discussions, polls - hell, tell us what song you would like to hear covered and we will make it happen. Learn more at Patreon.

  2 Responses to “Download SPIN’s Tribute to Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’”

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  1. Charles Bradley’s “Stay Away” is amazing! Talk about reinventing a song and making it your own– you would never in a million years pick out the original if you didn’t know it was a cover. One of the best covers of the year for sure!

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