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The parallel between Pearl Jam and Nirvana is interesting. People talk now about how Nirvana single handedly made alternative popular, but Pearl Jam sold way more records and had more airplay than Nirvana while Cobain was alive and I think its reasonable to assume that Vedder and Pearl Jam would be just as esteemed as Cobain and Nirvana if the roles were reversed and Vedder offed himself right after recording Vitalogy.
That's not to say Nirvana isn't really good. PJ and Nirvana both had really great "debut" albums (counting Nevermind as their debut even though it obviously wasn't their 1st album because it was the first time 99.9% of their fans heard of them) and a soild overall body of work.
So I guess I'd agree that the people saying they're the most influencial/best band of the 90's are going overboard a bit -- personally i think Radiohead gets that distinction AND Nirvana wasn't that much better than contemporaries like PJ, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, etc. I'd also agree the people saying Nirvana were shit are going overboard a bit. They obviously don't appeal to everyone, but to ignore their contributions is crazy.
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