![The Melvins:]()
The Melvins: "I'm tired of people saying The Melvins don't get the recognition they deserve the loving when they finally get the recognition they deserve they can look forward to un punk rock adoration from late fans waiting outside the venue for autographs. The true adoration that matters is one they have already by the small amount of fanatics who are into them already," says Cobain in Journals. Kurt was one of those fanatics, and used to hang around at their rehearsals and he got a lot of inspiration for Nirvana from them.
![Beat Happening: Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening and founder of K Records was so influential to Cobain that he even had a K Records tattoo on his arm. Johnson had an appreciation for punk rock and a disdain for the corporate packaging of it as much as Cobain did. Cobain also played guitar on a K Records release, Bikini Twilight, with Johnson, released as The Go Team. The Beat Happening album Jamboree made his list of 50 favourite albums in his journal.]()
Beat Happening: Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening and founder of K Records was so influential to Cobain that he even had a K Records tattoo on his arm. Johnson had an appreciation for punk rock and a disdain for the corporate packaging of it as much as Cobain did. Cobain also played guitar on a K Records release, Bikini Twilight, with Johnson, released as The Go Team. The Beat Happening album Jamboree made his list of 50 favourite albums in his journal.
![Butthole Surfers: Cobain listed the album Pee Pee the Sailor by Butthole Surfers in his top 50. Cobain also met Courtney Love of Hole, at a Butthole Surfers/L7 concert in 1991.]()
Butthole Surfers: Cobain listed the album Pee Pee the Sailor by Butthole Surfers in his top 50. Cobain also met Courtney Love of Hole, at a Butthole Surfers/L7 concert in 1991.
![Breeders:]()
Breeders: "Breeders - Pod , An epic that will never let you forget your ex girlfriend," wrote Cobain. Kurt's reaction is understandable - the lo-fi rock of Kim Deal's side project is certainly hard hitting.
![Mudhoney: The fellow Seattle band had an important bearing on Nirvana's sound and Cobain reveled in his journal in 1993 that Superfuzz Bigmuff was the album that was most influential to Nirvana's sound.]()
Mudhoney: The fellow Seattle band had an important bearing on Nirvana's sound and Cobain reveled in his journal in 1993 that Superfuzz Bigmuff was the album that was most influential to Nirvana's sound.
![Daniel Johnston:]()
Daniel Johnston: "Please send me all Daniel Johnston cassettes" says Cobain in his journal. He also put the album Yip/Jump Music in his top 50. Further emphasising his fandom is that and one of the most famous images of Cobain is him wearing the Daniel Johnston T Shirt, Hi, How Are You.
![The Stooges: He cites Raw Power, Funhouse and the self-titled as some his favourite records of in his journal. Raw Power though is the one that makes his top 50. With 'Gimme Danger' and 'Search and Destroy' among other incredible hits, it's no wonder he was so enamored with it. Cobain idolised Iggy Pop but managed to keep his cool when he met him and not ask for an autograph.]()
The Stooges: He cites Raw Power, Funhouse and the self-titled as some his favourite records of in his journal. Raw Power though is the one that makes his top 50. With 'Gimme Danger' and 'Search and Destroy' among other incredible hits, it's no wonder he was so enamored with it. Cobain idolised Iggy Pop but managed to keep his cool when he met him and not ask for an autograph.
![Pixies:]()
Pixies: "Pixies Surfer Rosa - A dis-cast metal fossil from a spacecraft with or without the fucking production," wrote Cobain. Moreover, Cobain said in an interview with Rolling Stone: "I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it [smiles]. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily I should have been in that band, or at least in a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard."
![Aerosmith: He cites Rocks as a great album. It's hard to argue. it's easily their best album and one of the greatest classic rock albums of all time. Also, in an interview with Brazilian MTV in 1993 he says:]()
Aerosmith: He cites Rocks as a great album. It's hard to argue. it's easily their best album and one of the greatest classic rock albums of all time. Also, in an interview with Brazilian MTV in 1993 he says: "I've hardly enjoyed an arena rock show. I really liked Aerosmith when I saw them ten years ago and that's only because I liked the band so much. I was really familiar with their songs and everything but I would have rather seen them in a club or a theatre for a few thousand people for sure."
![The Beatles: In journals, Cobain wrote,]()
The Beatles: In journals, Cobain wrote, "John Lennon has been my idol all my life but he's dead wrong about revolution... find a representative of gluttony or oppression and blow the motherfuckers [sic] head off." Despite not seeing eye to eye politically, Cobain evidently saw value in The Beatles and as well as putting Meet The Beatles - a truly great Beatles album - in his top 50, he covered their music. A home recording of Cobain performing 'And I Love Her' was released online last year.
![Black Flag: Along with Flipper, Fans, MDC, Black Flag were one of the first punk rock bands that Cobain was introduced to. Buzz Osbourne from The Melvins did the honour as he handed him a mix tape. According to Paul Brannigan's Dave Grohl biography, the first track on the first tape Osbourne handed to Cobain was Black Flag's 'Damaged II', from their 1981 debut album. The raw energy was inspirational to Cobain.]()
Black Flag: Along with Flipper, Fans, MDC, Black Flag were one of the first punk rock bands that Cobain was introduced to. Buzz Osbourne from The Melvins did the honour as he handed him a mix tape. According to Paul Brannigan's Dave Grohl biography, the first track on the first tape Osbourne handed to Cobain was Black Flag's 'Damaged II', from their 1981 debut album. The raw energy was inspirational to Cobain.
![David Bowie:]()
David Bowie: "n his journals, Kurt Cobain ranked the album The Man Who Sold the World at in his top 50 favourite albums. A live rendition of the song was recorded by the band in 1993 during their MTV Unplugged appearance. Bowie was honoured to have had them cover it and spoke fondly of the version on the album.
![Leadbelly: In a 1993 interview, Cobain told a reporter that he had been introduced to Leadbelly from reading William S. Burroughs.]()
Leadbelly: In a 1993 interview, Cobain told a reporter that he had been introduced to Leadbelly from reading William S. Burroughs. "I'd never heard about Leadbelly before so I bought a couple of records, and now he turns out to be my absolute favorite of all time in music," he said. "I absolutely love it more than any rock 'n roll I ever heard." Cobain famously covered 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night' on his MTV unplugged performance. Leadbelly's Last Sessions Vol.1 is in his top 50.
![Sonic Youth: Nirvana toured with Sonic Youth extensively and they also had a key bearing on their sound. Cobain writes of his love for their album Daydream Nation in his journal. Also, Kim Gordon helped Nirvana sign to DGC after repeated recommendations.]()
Sonic Youth: Nirvana toured with Sonic Youth extensively and they also had a key bearing on their sound. Cobain writes of his love for their album Daydream Nation in his journal. Also, Kim Gordon helped Nirvana sign to DGC after repeated recommendations.
![R.E.M:]()
R.E.M: "I don' know how that band [R.E.M.] does what they do," Cobain said in a 1994 Rolling Stone magazine interview. "God, they're the greatest. They've dealt with their success like saints, and they keep delivering great music."
![The Sex Pistols:]()
The Sex Pistols: "Sex Pistols - Nevermind the Bollocks - one million times more important than The Clash," wrote Cobain. That settles that then.
![Swans: Michael Cera's Swans are easily one of the greatest heavy bands ever and they're still going strong. Cobain included their 1984 Young God EP in his top 50. He called it Raping a Slave as that is what the record is also known as.]()
Swans: Michael Cera's Swans are easily one of the greatest heavy bands ever and they're still going strong. Cobain included their 1984 Young God EP in his top 50. He called it Raping a Slave as that is what the record is also known as.
![Teenage Fanclub: The classic album Bandwagonesque was admired by Cobain and they got to know him through their common K Records connection. Teenage Fanclub toured with Nirvana on their Nevermind tour.]()
Teenage Fanclub: The classic album Bandwagonesque was admired by Cobain and they got to know him through their common K Records connection. Teenage Fanclub toured with Nirvana on their Nevermind tour.
![Television Personalities: Cobain traipsed across London to beg this band to support Nirvana at The Astoria in 1991, which they did. He found their naive, amaterish DIY approach that was influenced by punk rock's attitude that anyone could make records appealing. Alan McGee is another famous fan who championed them as one of the most truly independent bands of the last 30 years.]()
Television Personalities: Cobain traipsed across London to beg this band to support Nirvana at The Astoria in 1991, which they did. He found their naive, amaterish DIY approach that was influenced by punk rock's attitude that anyone could make records appealing. Alan McGee is another famous fan who championed them as one of the most truly independent bands of the last 30 years.
![The Knack:]()
The Knack: "In 1988, Kurt summoned his friend Damon Romero to his apartment by telling him, 'There's this great record that I've discovered that you HAVE to hear.' When Romero arrived, Kurt pulled out Get the Knack. Romero thought Kurt was being sarcastic, and inquired, 'Are you serious?' 'You've got to listen to this, it's an awesome pop album,' was Kurt's deadpan reply"( Heavier Than Heaven, p. 118). Meanwhile, Nirvana's cover of The Knack song 'My Sharona' is an adrenalised punk rock re-imagining that stands tall next to their greatest hits.
![The Vaselines:]()
The Vaselines: "Vaselines - pink & Green EP's - Eugene frances = documented love," notes Cobain. He's refering to their 1987 Son of a Gun Ep and 1988 Dying for It Ep. The Nirvana cover of Molly's Lips is Cobain's most famous expression of his love for The Vaselines' music.