“I was really fortunate that I got to work with Kurt. He had a real ear for a hook – playing bass with him was super-easy”: Krist Novoselic achieved harmony through Kurt Cobain’s chaos –and was the making of this Nirvana classic

Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic of Nirvana.

Back in 1991, just before Nirvana suddenly broke huge on MTV, rock fans and musicians alike were in a bit of a holding pattern – mainstream '80s hard rockers (see Guns N' Roses) and muso shredders were hanging on for dear life, and more aggressive funk-rockers (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fishbone, Faith No More) were going along for the ride.

So when grunge first hit it big, in the name of Nirvana, I did what many others did: I scoffed, ignorantly, and looked away. If I'd been paying closer attention, I would have noticed a genre that was redefining rock, and the hidden gem of a melody-driven trio in which influences as disparate as the Beatles and Black Flag somehow coexisted to create songs every bit as classic as Led Zeppelin's finest.