Recording Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit (w/ Butch Vig)

[@brandonclifton2027]

Hearing Kurt’s voice isolated gives me goosebumps.

[@robertcox7504]

Type in "Classic albums documentary nirvana nevermind"

[@smokesgtp]

Vig is super humble, but even he can't hide his pride in this masterpiece. I can't blame him.

[@jlevix]

i can see the pleasure in his eyes while he's talkings about the recording, such a great vibe and memories to relive

[@FrenchOZ99]

You have no idea what you re talking about guys

[@Jimmy-es8bc]

@@FrenchOZ99 Neither do you.

[@buttplug2162]

Let's be clear, he had the good pride. He humbly admits that he just doubled and quadrupled the vox and guitar tracks on every song. Thank goodness he did. He was kind of like the fourth member of that album.

[@MikeO-p8l]

8 blame Courtney

[@MidniteSon]

Butch is an incredible producer and musician. Love all his work.

[@JimmyStrummer]

Dude, for the last "A denial," I absolutely LOVE how the one vocal drops out and leaves the other to ring out a bit more! It's like, for the whole song, the vocals sound so mysterious and trippy, but when that one vocal drops out, it's like the illusion is broken and you're left with this raw in-your-face attack that sounds just so amazing!

[@JustAMoky]

Such a perfect description Even 10 years later

[@jessebeckwith3446]

Yes! Such an interesting and provocative point.

[@TheDelzShow]

man these videos are priceless, thank you

[@xelarion8629]

Whty are they priceless? i think its worth a lot

[@irotinmyskin]

dont kill the vibe dude.

[@ratatouillesrevenge3352]

priceless means worth a lot

[@NagyonNagy]

anyone know where is this originally released? Is this some dvd extra?

[@SomeDuuude]

@@pinkeye00 your mom jokes. what are you like fucking 11?

[@michaela.webermann4141]

Leaving that guitar feedback out of the mix was criminal. It's so chilling and beautiful.

[@michaela.webermann4141]

Yammark Cardenas wow thank you!!! This is so great to hear from start to finish this way. This is the only version I will ever want to listen to now

[@JBrooksNYS]

It is in the final mix.

[@BruceSwane]

@@JBrooksNYS It's really clear as well. Not sure how others can't hear it.

[@floydgraveling1910]

it is in the mix dipshit

[@michaela.webermann4141]

Floyd Graveling 1) no it's not really. Yes there is a bit of feedback but it sounds like a single note and is pulled back when it swells. The Vig mix showcases a night and day difference where you can hear the really thick harmonics of it. It's just not even close: open.spotify.com/track/68jFw2d3SaS0SVcCNrcna2?si=tSkj21ddT_SRKiNtxMCxng I didn't mean "leaving all guitar feedback out was criminal" I meant "leaving the interesting guitar feedback out was criminal" and I think that's pretty obvious 2) no need to call someone a dipshit over this, dipshit

[@HuddyJoe]

Hearing Cobain singing "A denial" without any instruments just stopped my heart!

[@vilimbubas1302]

Bipolar disorder dares you to not give fuk about etics and such, pure feeling of angry normality on phoneys

[@martinignaciodefeo9235]

This is how you record History in an album. Thanks a lot Butch... You`ve made a whole generation of teenagers really happy and addicted to real authentic music!!!!

[@eliasmalam]

yeah, he is an awesome recorder he should have done in utero but both sounded good. I like the snare on this album

[@Anzac1]

Yes

[@VitruvianVictor]

but andy wallace mixed it and made it sound perfect. listen to bitch vig’s mix of teen spirit vs andy wallace mix

[@silkmoon3533]

Several generations. That's part of the beauty of this track, it perfectly incapsulates a certain rebellious teen/young adult energy in such a timeless way that it can still be enjoyed by people who grew up with it and generations of teenagers since. The album Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by Smashing Pumpkins is simular in that way, but with a completely different vibe.

[@ProdbyKing.]

@@eliasmalamengineer is the word not recorder

[@jesusguerra1093]

that guitar feedback at the third verse is one of the greatest thing caught on tape musically speaking, a simple thing sounding so creepy beautifully.

[@John2009R]

Yes! I always supposed it would have been dubbed in after experimenting for a while. To learn it was just the continuation of the same take is kind of mind blowing.

[@shadow31213]

It's incredible to hear Kurt's raw voice... what a powerful sound, to hear him almost literally rending his vocal chords for the sake of belting his soul to the world.

[@abdelkaderelbrazi]

0:54 I always enjoyed that moment in this song. Kurt comes in with another verse and the guitar in the background would still be howling from the solo. Great idea!

[@aaroncoal28]

No one makes music like this anymore. No one. It hit me like a ton of bricks when I was in the 8th grade. There are no other recordings where I can tell you where I was, and what I was wearing when I heard it for the first time. I went home THAT day and told my parents I was going to buy a guitar. It changed everything.

[@DJURBANBG]

this man is a genius...

[@jankierzkowski]

The best producers job ever

[@DJURBANBG]

true artist

[@fabethmorrissey5989]

+DJ_URBAN_BG Amazing!

[@Seashelldub]

All these years later, and this song still gives me chills. It has to be one of the best songs ever recorded. Just brilliant.

[@PhilipDrakeMusic]

Butch Vig has so much love for his work, you can tell he really gives it his all when he records.

[@futureshock7425]

His production took the record to a whole other level

[@MrFishBlood]

That guitar solo was the first I ever learned to play... I will forever love this song for that.

[@MrHardy457]

I could listen to"A Denial" for hours

[@deadroses19]

what a weird ass kink to have

[@irotinmyskin]

dat feedback thou....

[@sixstringfretter]

That harmonic feedback at the end of the solo that carries over the next two bars is what makes the song. I never knew it was feedback from Kirks guitar. I figured it was some synth that kicked in at the end. So cool to know the real deal

[@vilimbubas1302]

I knew it instantly and dont even know anything about guitar really

[@Anzac1]

I’m not sure how he got the feedback for it

[@MrClarkio]

@@Anzac1 usual way, play loud, hold a chord and turn to face/lean in to the amp then move around to get the different overtones.

[@5150forevermore]

@@Anzac1 Amp was likely set really loud. Easy to get feedback

[@mysticalsnail7611]

Ah yes Kirk Hammond from nirvana

[@johnh4132]

I loved how Kurt let that Guitar go through the whole third verse sounds amazing

[@Ifritsdotnet]

The ending bit of just Cobain's voice gives me chills.

[@gregknight5141]

The drums sound so much better in this clip of him mixing than they did in the final mastered version (which you can hear briefly from 1:31)

[@bigsnack]

On their own I agree, but I think all of the extra sizzle on the cymbals takes up a lot of space and makes the vocal sound weaker. A lot of Andy Wallace's mixes are like this, where the cymbals aren't overly bright to make room for the vocal.

[@mikesgarage18]

Andy Wallace compressed the drums a bit much I agree... But overall the mix still is good. Too bad the masters are gone.

[@Glixity]

@@mikesgarage18 what do you mean they're gone?

[@EE-wu7kz]

@@Glixity They were destroyed in the 2008 Universal studios fire.

[@User-jk8wq]

@@mikesgarage18 They still have digitised versions of the master tapes, but I agree it’s a real shame the originals were lost

[@rome8180]

Kurt had such a great screaming voice. Besides his melody writing, this was probably his greatest talent.

[@mashburnofficial]

This song contains the hardest hitting chorus of any rock song ever made. Tell me I’m wrong. In terms of sheer momentum, power, and feeling, and just how it’s built up to with the pre-chorus. No other chorus hits like this.

[@xdwwxd]

@anti-islam9569so what is

[@junimaband]

​@anti-islam9569don't be negative

[@billybassman21]

This whole CD has excellent dynamic range, something that music today lacks due to production companies trying to make the music as loud as possible. Great job Butch!

[@Texturas75]

That's mainly the job of the mastering engineer.

[@harrisontownsend910]

Yeah they compress the music to try and make it "Louder" which takes detail out of an already bland song. This record is what happens when you mix everything properly and try to level everything correctly instead of trying to make it as loud as possible.

[@charlyman699]

What amazing band, I am so lucky I could witnessed this one in one hundred years phenomenon

[@miftahulislam2010]

kurt's voice is just amazing.

[@kevn99]

That long feedback has always been my favorite part of the song. Brilliant.

[@mojopin70]

That feedback always gave the song something extra going into the 3rd verse .....

[@bobabubbletea393]

And that kids, is how you master record a classic.

[@satisfiction]

"It's pretty powerful-sounding." Yes.. Yes, it is.

[@RastafariPoet]

The way Kurt always dragged his voice in the certain key of which ever song they played always sounded godly.

[@TheRubberStudiosASMR]

I always thought the feedback from the solo was the best part of the song. It gave it such a haunting/ doomed feeling.

[@mertbalbal4624]

this song is amazing; Nirvana is amazing, Butch is amazing.

[@drummer0916]

wow when he gets to a denial its extremely haunting,and gives me shivers and it sounds so sad and depressing but strong and powerful....Rip Kurt

[@19Nirvana89]

Pure talent, Vig and Kurt.

[@TomasHoffman]

Yeah, this doc is so good. You can just tell that Butch's soul is in this album too, and for him to share the studio process like this is a gift to the world.

[@jasonroberts2049]

So crazy I was born in 88', this young man's music was my childhood, it is creepy hearing the raw track out of it's mixed form, hearing Kurt give it his all, it sure would of been nice to have him around a little bit longer. Miss ya bud

[@MaartenvanRossemLezingen]

i just realised that butch vig was very important in making that album and nirvana so famous

[@julialight2612]

Butch Vig is one of the best music producers and sound engineers of 90s. His understanding of music as a sophisticated arrangement of various musical elements and samples also is ideally embodied in the first two albums of his own band Garbage.

[@bobby16may]

The version of the song released on the compilation album "Nirvana" seems to have the solo feeding back into the final verse like butch wanted to keep in the original.

[@30AndHatingIt]

Any chance it's on KZbin somewhere? I'd love to hear it, I prefer the way Butch wanted it as well, it sounds better that way.

[@omgwtfusernamelol]

love feedback effects like that, that was really cool

[@manhuntruler2]

The man who worked with the legends to create one of the best albums in music history...

[@fastandloosesir]

Couldn't tell you how many times I've returned to this video just to hear the "a denial" part isolated, nearly brings me to tears every time

[@yesterdaysview]

wow i really love this song. thats why im in a band right now.

[@charmainestephens]

Omg i love these. Wish there was more.

[@casmik32]

to think that song has been around for 18 years now, and yet here's a video that will make you see it in a whole new light. awesome.

[@si_quest]

This is the coolest fu king shit I’ve seen ... as a musician myself seeing this is everything

[@mountainangel1]

God, I love just listening to the Guitar Solo~ AMAZING!

[@tomes55moon]

it's amazing, about fourteen years ago i hear this song when i was ten and it changed my life so drastically and permanently, (like millions of other peoples) and it's just very interesting to see how it was all put together and created, I love Nirvana, although i rarely listen to them now, i still re-visit now and again and they'll always be my favourite band x

[@NativeDrummer_]

Imagine being the guy who has the original recording if this iconic song!

[@idontevenknow66j]

Right at the end. Right there, 1:57. Those scene of Kurt, and the sad look on Butch's face. Like most comments, broke my heart.

[@arealOpia1991]

this just made me fucking cry ... just hearing his voice like that .....x'(... just resonated within me and came out in a flurry of tears and emphatic emotion ... kurts voice is something i cant express but its like it just exemplified everything he was felt within.. it just overwhelms me with what he was ...... :'(....... *

[@rocioaguirre1695]

Fuck bro, amazing talent...gave me chills...

[@tigervlad4954]

1:23 - Oh myyyyyy. This feedback is amazing!!

[@lawnmowerman7]

I really like how they edit the last 30 seconds or so, with different angles of Butch Vig, and then Kurt, all of a sudden. It seems to show how much it meant to Butch to be a part of this. But then when Kurt appears it seems to imply the tragic element of the whole situation. It's touching.

[@Texturas75]

I love that part too. That's great storytelling.

[@limsniff]

Amazing sharp voice Kurt had.

[@vsmith6892]

dam kurt was a bit of a genius songwriter without even knowing it or trying

[@MidniteSon]

V smith Yes sir. He would literally just write a song and riff in a few minutes and would create an awesome catchy song. Not easy to do!

[@Nacled123]

keithrig SO true.. He was such a genius!

[@elvicare35]

DJ D He was just blessed with that natural ability to write song's, I can't think up a song, as far as I know, but he could make a song sometimes in 5 minutes when it just came to him!!!!!

[@elvicare35]

V smith He was blessed with it coming to him naturally, and from some thing's that just recently he had experienced, and he was able to make it into a song!!!!!

[@Marius-vw9hp]

what makes you think he only spent 5 minutes on smells like teen spirit?

[@senordd]

Wow, the song is over 20 years old and I never knew they doubled up the vocals on it.

[@pqnomedejaponerlokquierodiosss]

Wtf

[@vilimbubas1302]

Are you deaf

[@davidferron9457]

Are you christian?

[@TitaniumTurbine]

I remember watching this on TV like 20 years ago. It stuck with me for years. Smells Like Teen Spirit itself is a truly haunting song, but if you isolate any one particular instrument/vocals, it gets even more haunting. The way it all lines up in a melodic volcano of sparks and ash is truly incredible work. Just listen at how great Dave is at keeping the rhythm and wrestling it on the drums, it’s almost like there is a huge battle going on.

[@griftingnightmares]

I love producing music, it is so much fun.

[@si_quest]

I know absolutely nothing about it but I wish I got into it. I would absolutely love it I know. As a musician who dissects songs in my head constantly I should perhaps look into this because maybe this is what’s missing in my life

[@QuickLern818]

"What songs have you worked on?" "Oh you know...indie stuff."

[@JeffreyIngle]

There are 36 dislikes on this video. Seriously, who clicks on this particular video, or others of Butch mixing Nevermind, watches the content and thinks it's shit?

[@RonRS2]

Stupid cocksuckers for sure..

[@Saintcosser]

Total fuck nuts

[@AAAZ2A]

I like the video for what it is, but I dislike that it's 2½ minutes long, which is not nearly long enough to break down a 5 minute song.

[@tural7355]

Trolls

[@coffeecomics3583]

Seriously stupid cocksuckers, lol.

[@SeedyL]

My dad bought me this DVD and the WTLO box set when I was 15!

[@meganknightmusic]

[@davidlennox6242]

That feedback is amazing, wish that that was kept in, has an almost mystical property

[@iamkabukii]

Butch Vig is such a legend

[@OskarTBrand]

how the fuck did I not know this exists!!! dear god this dude created the history of music

[@sagebuzz]

Wow! The feedback of the guitar is amzing after the guitar solo

[@MrStaticrocker]

Love the feedback! It adds a lot to the song! The double vocals sound great!

[@HaohanH7BranDy]

I love that crappy part. It’s a very important part.

[@vilimbubas1302]

Creepy

[@cheeseheadwife]

This is my first time seeing this!Wow!Wow! and Wow!Blows my mind that it's been twenty years since Nevermind was released.

[@ceejaecee1528]

“It’s pretty powerful sounding “ - Dude I know

[@rightcoast7049]

Bitch Vig is incredibly talented. Nevermind will always be my favorite Nirvana album.

[@SpookMrsSpooky]

Butch Vig is a genious.

[@hugobznr1]

His voice is amazing

[@eivdb]

aah his voice is so emotinal and good, its everything, its like a peace of heaven idk how to explain it, and without the music instruments you can hear it so gooood. Saw this documantairy, every fan: go watch it, its go awsum

[@TheCrownMaster]

That was the BEST thing I've ever heard. I can't even compare it to movies in 3D

[@BaelGervonta47]

I denial pega muy duro, se escucha toda la ira, desesperación producto de mucha tristeza. 😢

[@ajevans4802]

Man that ending is haunting as fuck. Like butch said, pretty powerful without any instruments

[@fadodshi]

Fantastic ! R.I.P !

[@LS-ti1rz]

this guys mix wasn't the version used for the album...look it up you see...Andy Wallace's version was what was used and thank God it was.

[@marceltiel7919]

Its a cliche....but this was our anthem back then for a load of teenagers.... as a 15 year old kid growing up with this excellent music was just an awesome musical experience....thanks Butch!

[@throoming]

thank you so much for uploading these

[@RVguy94]

These videos are amazing Butch vig is top notch! (Y)

[@noahbones1221]

i wish he talked more about the guitars and amps on slts..

[@fict.ion-atx]

when you put two tracks (it can be voices, guitar, bass, even drums) together, it sounds like two guys are singing the same part...sort of...it can make a huge difference in a song...like this one.

[@SloJoFonik]

Thank you for putting this up. Thank you so much.

[@godis4sale]

The idea is to add texture to the sound, so the slight difference in the second track would actually enhance the recording. If you used the same track twice there would be a slight echo and it would be more obvious that it was overdubbed (strangely enough).

[@iseeu1980]

the most powerful song ever written.

[@bajusz994]

I imagine Butch Vig sitting in the studio on certain nights loading old records and breaking them down to vocals, guitars, bass and drums, and recalling recording sessions...

[@zazzyzzz]

More Than A Feeling

[@JORDANPERALTA2026]

today 22 years of this single !

[@picklemun9770]

Who else was surprised when he showed the vocals only

[@drummerboy231434]

Nirvana + Butch: An album that couldn't help but take over the world.

[@waterglas21]

Hearing Kurk's voice so clearly its like if a ghost was locked up in that recording machine.

[@fict.ion-atx]

man, i love screwing with a song, like taking out the drums to hear a different version, and doing all that with nirvana...OH MAN...pleasure to my ears. That "denial"part hurt my throat though...

[@demolisher1980]

need to make the whole acapella =] would be nice to hear kurts voice in all of the song

[@BioShockisAWESOME]

0:31 i love it