Nirvana has paid tribute to Steve Albini by sharing the four-page letter he sent to the band before agreeing to record their beloved final studio album. in the womb. Albini passed away yesterday (May 8) at the age of 61.
The letter was posted on Nirvana's official Twitter account, accompanied simply by the legend “Steve Albini.” In the doc, Albini outlines his firm philosophies, both in regards to his approach to recording and his approach to business. Indeed, Albini responds to Kurt Cobain's request to produce the album by saying: “Only if we do it right.”
“I think the best thing you can do right now is exactly what you're talking about: put out a record in a couple of days, with high quality but minimal 'production' and no interference from front office bosses. If that is really what you want to do, I would love to participate,” she wrote. “If, on the other hand, you find yourself in the position of being temporarily coddled by the record company, only to have them pull the chain at some point (bugging you to rework songs/sequences/production, calling in hired gunmen to “sweeten” you) . “your record, handing everything over to some remix jockey, whatever…) then you're in for a hassle and I don't want any part of it.”
He goes on to write that he is “only interested in working on records that legitimately reflect the band's own perception of their music and existence” and that “if a record takes more than a week to make, someone is screwing.”
Although Nirvana agreed to his stipulations before recording, Albini's prediction that the studio would pressure the band to rework subsequent recordings ultimately came true. Nirvana's label, Geffen, remixed the singles “Heart-Shaped Box” and “All Apologies” and gave the rest of the album a remaster that Albini didn't really like.
Elsewhere in the letter, Albini mentions his famous business practice of refusing royalties and instead accepting only a single up-front fee for his services. “I would like to be paid like a plumber,” he wrote.
“I do not want nor will I accept royalties for any album I record. Without points. Period. I believe that paying royalties to a producer or engineer is ethically indefensible. The band writes the songs. The band plays the music. It is the fans of the band who buy the records. The band is responsible for whether it is a great album or a horrible album. The royalties belong to the band.”
In October 2023, Albini reconnected with Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic on the Conan O'Brien needs a friend podcast to celebrate the 30th anniversary of in the womb. In particular, Albini expands on the letter and his intentions behind it.
Read the full letter below. You can also see how artists like Pixies, Cloud Nothings, Jarvis Cocker and more paid tribute to Albini here.
Steve Albini. pic.twitter.com/DzYjvJykdx
— Nirvana (@Nirvana) May 9, 2024
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