Steve Albini Memorial Playlist

                                                      Steve Albini  (July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) 

Steve Albini Memorial Playlist:

The Pixies. Surfer Rosa. (March 21, 1988). (Producer: Steve Albini)

PJ Harvey. Rid Of Me. (April 26, 1993). (Producer: Steve Albini)

Nirvana. In Utero. (September 21, 1993). (Producer: Steve Albini)

Shellac. To All Trains. (May 17, 2024). (Guitar/Vocals: Steve Albini)

NOTE: Substitute the original 1993 Steve Albini mixes from Nirvana's In Utero (30th anniversary Super Deluxe version, 2023) of "Heart Shaped Box", "Pennyroyal Tea", and "All Apologies" for the Scott Litt-produced remixes the suits insisted on for the album's radio-friendly singles.

Obviously, by no means comprehensive, just a sample and overview of his work... 

...but also a great playlist if you're in one of those Albini moods...

It's astonishing how well these songs go together, considering the first ones are from 1988 and the final ones are from 2024.

Shellac hadn't released a new album in ten years and there was a high amount of anticipation to see what Albini had been up to and if he still had the goods.

When I first heard Steve had passed, I immediately thought "this new album is probably, tragically, great..." and it is. It's a shame he's not here to enjoy its success, promoting it in interviews and touring it in a live show. We don't know if he had been ill, if the stress of the up-coming release contributed to what happened, or if was just one of those things.

I thought of David Berman of The Silver Jews. In July 2019 he released the excellent "Purple Mountains" album, which was instantly hailed as a major triumph. Berman tragically died a few weeks later, never getting to tour the album and feel the love.

Maybe David Berman and Steve Albini are together now, bouncing around on a cloud, singing songs all day. Or maybe not.