Nirvana - In Utero (180g) (LP)

Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rated 173/500

Nirvana's third (and ultimately final) studio album, In Utero, was 1993's most polarizing rock record. The unadorned sonic rawness laid bare every primal nuance of Nirvana's confrontational, yet vulnerable material. Featuring the singles "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies," it has sold over 15 million copies worldwide.

After Nevermind went megaplatinum, Kurt Cobain detested how the band had drawn frat boys and homophobe fans - 'plankton,' he called them, adding, 'Don't come to our shows and don't buy our records.' Nirvana hired indie-rock producer Steve Albini to record their new album, resulting in a record sonically forbidding enough that Geffen Records asked them to clean it up. In 'Scentless Apprentice,' he screams, 'Go away!' at no one and everyone, summarizing this powerfully unsettling third album. Melodies peak through the clouds of his wrath, especially on 'All Apologies,' 'Dumb,' and 'Pennyroyal Tea,' but the prevailing mood is queasy, like a visit to the inside of Cobain's aching stomach.