Steve Albini allays fan fears over Nirvana “In Utero” remaster

In a fascinating interview with Vish Khanna at Kreative Kontrol In Utero producer Steve Albini talks about working with Nirvana on the record, and his involvement in the remastering process for the 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition and Vinyl reissues.

Many fans were not happy with the compressed remastering on the Nevermind reissue, but Albini assures fans that “the new CD master is going to be a better transfer than was done in 93” and talks in detail about efforts that were made to create a first class vinyl version, using the original half inch analogue master tapes, “No digital transfer was done prior to the analogue cut”, he says. He also details the cutting process for the new vinyl record:

“The new version was mastered with an ear towards sound quality as the primary concern. Trying to make sure the sound quality is as good as it is possible to make [on] a record. This version was cut into copper, which is a more hi-fi mastering method [than lacquer]. It has fewer limitations. You can get longer sides with wider stereo, with more bass response and wider dynamic range”. It was done as a double twelve-inch 45 [actually 3LP] , rather than a single LP, so that takes all the constraints about the length of the sides away.”

Albini also reflects back on the 12-14 days he spent recording and mixing In Utero with Nirvana, describing the band as “cordial, funny and friendly” and rubbishes suggestions that the In Utero commercially released was somehow not the ‘real’ version that the band wanted to put out: “The real version, is the one you’ve been listening to all this time. The band were involved in all the decisions with that” he says.

When asked if it was true that the sessions soured when Courtney Love turned up, Albini responds with a curt “I don’t have anything to say about that woman.”

The Super Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Editions of In Utero contain a new 2013 mix of the album, created by primarily by Albini and Krist Novoselic, which the producer describes as “an effort to investigate all of the roads not taken”, adding, “this version of the record has performance differences from the original one. It’s an alternate perspective on it.”

The 20th Anniversary Editions of In Utero are released on 24 September 2013.

Listen to the podcast interview in full here.

Super Deluxe Edition

• • UK Pre-order: In Utero [3CD+DVD]
• • USA Pre-order: In Utero [3CD+DVD]
• • CANADA Pre-order: In Utero [3CD+DVD]
• • GERMANY Pre-order: In Utero [3CD+DVD]

3LP Vinyl Edition

• • UK Pre-order: In Utero [3LP Vinyl]
• • USA Pre-order: In Utero (3LP Vinyl)
• • CANADA Pre-order: In Utero (3LP Vinyl)
• • GERMANY Pre-order: In Utero [3LP Vinyl]

• • UK Pre-order: In Utero [2CD Deluxe]
• • USA Pre-order: In Utero (2CD Deluxe)
• • GERMANY Pre-order: In Utero [2CD Deluxe]