Nirvana ● Local Anaesthetic

This album cover gives me the creeps. Actually, the music itself kind of freaks me out as well. Before I go any further, however, perhaps a brief history is in order: The UK-based Nirvana—not the Kurt Cobain-led grunge outfit of the early ‘90s—was an early ‘70s progressive rock band led by Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Alex Spyropoulos. The group recorded a handful of records, although Local Anaesthetic, first released in 1971, was the only lp to appear on the Vertigo label. There are exactly two songs on this record. If that raises the hair on the back of your neck, well, you’re not alone. Side one was originally devoted to a psychedelic rock suite called “Modus Operandi (Method of Work)” while “Home: Salutation/Construction/Deconstruction/Reconstruction/Fanfare,” a five-part mini-epic, took up the record’s second half. Not surprisingly, Local Anaesthetic is hard to digest. With its long, complex musical arrangements, constantly shifting time changes and obscure lyrical references (“Comb your hair with a harp?” Really?), the album proves a challenging listening experience. These aren’t songs that you are going to sing along with or snap your fingers to, but the record’s accessibility is ultimately irrelevant. The fact that bands once made records like this shines light on a bold and daring period of musical experimentation. Love it or hate it, Local Anaesthetic helped push the boundaries of contemporary rock and roll.

Notes: Use of the Nirvana name ended in a lawsuit. Wikepedia describes it this way: “The original band had filed a lawsuit in California against the Seattle grunge band in 1992. The matter was settled out of court on undisclosed terms that apparently allowed both bands to continue using the Nirvana name and issuing new recordings without any packaging disclaimers or caveats to distinguish one Nirvana from the other.”