First off...holy hell, "In Utero" is 20 years old? Gah! where does the time go!
Okay, so to the point, "In Utero" is indeed 20, and to celebrate the occasion it has been given the 'ol reissue treatment. This was also done with "Nevermind," you may recall, with very mixed results. The extras in that set were solid (worth the price of admission for "Curmudgeon" alone if you ask me...) but the remaster itself was pretty wretched, classic volume war mastering that made the recording sound modern only in the way that most albums recorded today tend to sound like they are always about to make your speakers cry and beg to quit being gouged. The remaster is almost exhausting to listen to. Being that the songs on "In Utero" are among my favorites, I had grave misgivings about being set up for a similar letdown with this set.
No need to worry though, this is a totally different animal. The remastering job done here is absolutely textbook and should be required listening for any engineer out there. The original mix has been cleaned up and the different parts of the sonic field separated to create an experience that is intimate and immersive. "In Utero" has suddenly become a headphone album...it's easy to close the eyes and imagine being in the room with the band. This is largely due to the strengths of the original production, replacing "Nevermind"'s big shiny multitracking with slimmed down performances. It's a subtle yet huge improvement over the original mastering, and a clear picture of the occasional brilliance of one Steve Albini. The big winner here is the bass/guitar separation - they both occupy their own spaces and sound full without trampling each other, allowing Novolesevic's bass work to really shine without running rampant over the band.
Speaking of Albini, the original mixes of "Heart Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" are on here. "All Apologies" is fine, but really the mix of "Heart-Shaped Box" is not great, his treatment of the guitar parts especially is just odd. However, he gets to make up for it with the remixed album he and Novolesevic prepared for this release. It is a stunning job and a joy to listen to although not a replacement for the original mixes. "Serve the Servants" gets a cool dose of what sounds like a cello, and in the meantime "Dumb" loses it's cello part in the chorus...so not all the choices are the best. But to hear some different takes, different solos, different vocal arrangements after all these years is a ton of fun. "Scentless Apprentice" is just vicious here. And the remix here of "All Apologies" adds a dark droning undercurrent that makes it the absolute highlight of the set.
As far as extras, it's a mixed bag. "Gallons of rubbing alcohol..." is a boring mess, "Moist Vagina" and "I Hate Myself and I Want to Die" are solid b-sides but nothing to write home about. "Marigold" and especially "Sappy" are the best of the leftovers, and both are solid. Surprisingly it's the demos that prove most interesting...The tracks are mostly instrumental and show a band at their peak, Kurt leading the charge as one of rock's finest rhythm sections shapes the tracks behind him. It is really these songs that highlight what a tragic loss the music world took at the "suicide" of Kurt Cobain.
Bottom line, this is a reissue that is worth the time and money. Enjoy.
p.s. Courtney did it....
