Nirvana | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Prior to Nirvana, alternative music was consigned to specialty sections of record stores, and major labels considered it to be, at the very most, a tax write-off. After the bands second album, 1991s Nevermind, nothing was ever quite the same, for better and for worse. Nirvana popularized punk, post-punk, and indie rock, unintentionally bringing them into the American mainstream like no other band to date. While their sound was equal parts Black Sabbath (as learned by fellow Washington underground rockers the Melvins) and Cheap Trick, Nirvanas aesthetics were strictly indie rock. They covered Vaselines songs, they revived new wave cuts by Devo, and leader Kurt Cobain relentlessly pushed his favorite bands -- whether it was the art punk of the Raincoats or the country-fried hardcore of the Meat Puppets -- as if his favorite records were always more important than his own music. While Nirvanas ideology was indie rock and their melodies were pop, the sonic rush of their records and live shows merged post-industrial white noise with heavy metal grind. And thats what made the group an unprecedented multi-platinum sensation. Janes Addiction and Soundgarden may have proven to the vast American heavy metal audience that alternative could rock, and the Pixies may have merged pop sensibilities with indie rock white noise, but Nirvana pulled it all together, creating a sound that was both fiery and melodic. Since Nirvana were rooted in the indie aesthetic but loved pop music, they fought their stardom while courting it, becoming some of the most notorious anti-rock stars in history. The result was a conscious attempt to shed their audience with the abrasive In Utero, which only partially fulfilled the bands goal. But by that point, the fate of the band and Kurt Cobain had been sealed. Suffering from drug addiction and manic depression, Cobain had become destructive and suicidal, though his management and label were able to hide the extent of his problems from the public until April 8, 1994, when he was found dead of a self-inflicted shotgun wound. Cobain may not have been able to weather Nirvanas success, but the bands legacy stands as one of the most influential in rock & roll history. Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar) met Chris Novoselic (born Krist Novoselic) (bass) in 1985 in Aberdeen, Washington, a small logging town 100 miles away from Seattle. While Novoselic came from a relatively stable background, Cobains childhood had been thrown into turmoil when his parents divorced when he was eight. Following the divorce, he lived at the homes of various relatives, developing a love for the Beatles and then heavy metal in the process. Eventually, American hardcore punk worked its way into dominating his listening habits and he met the Melvins, an Olympia-based underground heavy punk band. Cobain began playing in punk bands like Fecal Matter, often with the Melvins bassist, Dale Crover. Through the Melvins leader, Buzz Osborne, Cobain met Novoselic, who also had an intense interest in punk, which meant that he, like Cobain, felt alienated from the macho, redneck population of Aberdeen. The duo decided to form a band called the Stiff Woodies, with Cobain on drums, Novoselic on bass, and a rotating cast of guitarists and vocalists. The group went through name changes as quickly as guitarists, before deciding that Cobain would play guitar and sing. Renamed Skid Row, the new trio featured drummer Aaron Burkhart, who left the band by the end of 1986 and was replaced by Chad Channing. By 1987, the band was called Nirvana. Nirvana began playing parties in Olympia, gaining a cult following. During 1987, the band made ten demos with producer Jack Endino, who played the recordings to Jonathan Poneman, one of the founders of the Seattle-based indie label Sub Pop. Poneman signed Nirvana, and in December of 1988, the band released its first single, a cover of Shocking Blues "Love Buzz." Sub Pop orchestrated an effective marketing scheme, which painted the band as backwoods, logging-town hicks, which irritated Cobain and Novoselic. While "Love Buzz" was fairly well-received, the bands debut album, Bleach, was what got the ball rolling. Recorded for just over $600 and released in the spring of 1989, Bleach slowly became a hit on college radio, due to the groups consistent touring. Though Jason Everman was credited as a second guitarist on the sleeve of Bleach, he didnt appear on the record; he only toured in support of the album before leaving the band at the end of the year to join Soundgarden and then Mindfunk. Bleach sold 35,000 copies and Nirvana became favorites of college radio, the British weekly music press, and Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, and Dinosaur Jr., which was enough to attract the attention of major labels. During the summer of 1990, Nirvana released "Sliver"/"Dive," which was recorded with Mudhoneys Dan Peters on drums and produced by Butch Vig. The band also made a six-song demo with Vig, which was shopped to major labels, who soon began competing to sign the group. In August, they hit the road with Sonic Youths Goo tour (including Crover on drums). By the end of the summer, Dave Grohl, formerly of the D.C.-based hardcore band Scream, had become Nirvanas drummer and the band signed with DGC for $287,000. Nirvana recorded their second album with Vig, completing the record in June of 1991. Nevermind was released in September, supported by a quick American tour. While DGC was expecting a moderately successful release, in the neighborhood of 100,000 copies, Nevermind immediately became a smash hit, quickly selling out its initial shipment of 50,000 copies and creating a shortage across America. What helped the record become a success was "Smells Like Teen Spirit," a blistering four-chord rocker that was accompanied by a video that shot into heavy MTV rotation. By the beginning of 1992, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" had climbed into the American Top Ten and Nevermind bumped Michael Jacksons much-touted comeback album Dangerous off the top of the album charts; it reached the British Top Ten shortly afterward. By February, the album had been certified triple platinum. Nirvanas success took the music industry by surprise, Nirvana included. It soon become apparent that the band wasnt quite sure how to handle its success. Around the time of Neverminds release, the band was into baiting its audience -- Cobain appeared on MTVs Headbangers Ball in drag, the group mocked the tradition of miming on the BBCs Top of the Pops by Novoselic constantly throwing his bass into the air and Cobain singing his live vocals in the style of Ian Curtis, and their traditional live destruction of instruments was immortalized on a Saturday Night Live performance that ended with Novoselic and Grohl sharing a kiss -- but by the spring, questions had begun to arise about the bands stability. Cobain married Courtney Love, the leader of the indie rock/foxcore band Hole, in February of 1992, announcing that the couple was expecting a child in the fall. Shortly after the marriage, rumors that Cobain and Love were heavy heroin users began to circulate and the strength of the rumors only increased when Nirvana canceled several summer concerts and refused to mount a full-scale American tour during the summer. Cobain complained that he was suffering from chronic stomach troubles, which seemed to be confirmed when he was admitted to a Belfast hospital after a June concert. But heroin rumors continued to surface, especially in the form of a late-summer Vanity Fair article implying that Love was using during her pregnancy. Both Love and Cobain denied the articles allegations, and publicly harassed and threatened the articles author. Love delivered Frances Bean Cobain, a healthy baby girl, on August 18, 1992, but the couple soon battled with Los Angeles childrens services, who claimed they were unfit parents on the basis of the Vanity Fair article. The couple was granted custody of the child by the beginning of 1993. Since Cobain was going through such well-documented personal problems, Nirvana were unable to record a follow-up to Nevermind until the spring of 1993. In the meantime, DGC released the odds-and-ends compilation Incesticide late in 1992; the album reached number 39 in the U.S. and number 14 U.K. As Nirvana prepared to make their third album, they released "Oh, the Guilt" as a split single with the Jesus Lizard on Touch & Go Records. Choosing Steve Albini (Pixies, the Breeders, Big Black, the Jesus Lizard) as their producer, they recorded their third album, In Utero, in two weeks during the spring of 1993. Following its completion, controversy began to surround Nirvana again. Cobain suffered a heroin overdose on May 2, but the event was hidden from the press. The following month, Love called police to their Seattle home after Cobain locked himself in the bathroom, threatening suicide. Prior to debuting In Utero material during the New Music Seminar at New Yorks Roseland Ballroom in July, Cobain had another covered-up overdose. By that time, reports began to circulate, including an article in Newsweek, that DGC was unhappy with the forthcoming album, and making accusations that the band deliberately made an uncommercial record. Both the band and the label denied such allegations. Deciding that Albinis production was too flat, Nirvana decided to remaster the album with R.E.M.s producer, Scott Litt. In Utero was released in September of 1993 to positive reviews and strong initial sales, debuting at the top of the U.S. and U.K. charts. Nirvana supported it with a fall American tour, hiring former Germs member Pat Smear as an auxiliary guitarist. While the album and the tour were both successful, sales werent quite as strong as expected, with several shows not selling out until the week of the concert. As a result, the group agreed to play MTVs acoustic Unplugged show at the end of the year, and sales of In Utero picked up after its December airing. After wrapping up the U.S. tour on January 8, 1994, with a show at Center Arena in Seattle, Nirvana embarked on a European tour in February. Following a concert in Munich on February 29, Cobain stayed in Rome to vacation with Love. On March 4, she awakened to find that Cobain had attempted suicide by overdosing on the tranquilizer Rohypnol and drinking champagne. While the attempt was initially reported as an accidental overdose, it was known within the Nirvana camp that the vocalist had left behind a suicide note. Cobain returned to Seattle within a week of his hospitalization and his mental illness began to grow. On March 18, the police had to again talk the singer out of suicide after he locked himself in a room threatening to kill himself. Love and Nirvanas management organized an intervention program that resulted in Cobains admission to the Exodus Recovery Center in L.A. on March 30, but he escaped from the clinic on April 1, returning to Seattle. His mother filed a missing persons report on April 4. The following day, Cobain shot himself in the head at his Seattle home. His body wasnt discovered until April 8, when an electrician contracted to install an alarm system at the Cobain house stumbled upon the body. After his death, Kurt Cobain was quickly anointed as a spokesman for Generation X, as well as a symbol of its tortured angst. Novoselic and Grohl planned to release a double-disc live album at the end of 1994, but sorting through the tapes proved to be too painful, so MTV Unplugged in New York appeared in its place. The album debuted at the top of the British and American charts, as a home video comprised of live performances and interviews from the bands Nevermind era, titled Live! Tonight! Sold Out!, was issued at the same time (the project began prior to Cobains passing and was completed by surviving bandmembers). In 1996, MTV Unplugged in New Yorks electric counterpart, From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah, was released, debuting at the top of the U.S. charts. Following Cobains death, Grohl formed the Foo Fighters (early rumors that Novoselic would also be a member of the band ultimately proved to be false), releasing their self-titled debut album in 1995, followed by The Colour and the Shape in 1997 and There Is Nothing Left to Lose in 1999. Novoselic formed the trio Sweet 75, releasing their debut in the spring of 1997, and also appeared along with former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra and former Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil on the 2000 live set Live from the Battle in Seattle under the name the No W.T.O. Combo. By the late 90s, Novoselic began research for a proposed box set of previously unreleased songs from throughout Nirvanas career. The project was supposed to surface in the fall of 2001 (to coincide with the tenth anniversary release of Nevermind), but legal issues delayed its release. Finally, the Nirvana LLC partnership -- which included Grohl and Novoselic plus Courtney Love, who manages Cobains estate -- came to an agreement and the album-length compilation Nirvana was released in October of 2002. Although that release included only one unreleased song, the long-awaited box set, titled With the Lights Out, appeared in late 2004, including three discs of rare and unreleased material plus a live DVD that featured material filmed as early as 1988. The bands 1992 set at the Reading Festival was released in 2009 as Live at Reading. The same year, Sub Pop began a Nirvana studio album reissue campaign with Bleach; special 20th-anniversary editions of Nevermind and In Utero followed in 2011 and 2013, respectively. In 2014, Nirvana was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by R.E.M.s Michael Stipe. Cobains place in the induction performance was taken by several vocalists, including Joan Jett and Kim Gordon. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 9 Title: Bleach Released: 1989-06-01 Tracks: 13 Duration: 42:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Blew (02:54) 2 Floyd the Barber (02:18) 3 About a Girl (02:48) 4 School (02:42) 5 Love Buzz (03:35) 6 Paper Cuts (04:05) 7 Negative Creep (02:55) 8 Scoff (04:10) 9 Swap Meet (03:02) 10 Mr. Moustache (03:23) 11 Sifting (05:22) 12 Big Cheese (03:42) 13 Downer (01:43) |
| Bleach : Allmusic album Review : This is one case where the legend really precedes the record itself. Cut for about 600 dollars in Jack Endinos studio over just a matter of days, this captures Nirvana at a formative stage, still indebted to the murk that became known as grunge, yet not quite finding their voice as songwriters. Which isnt to say that they were devoid of original material, since even at this stage Kurt Cobain illustrated signs of his considerable songcraft, particularly on the minor-key ballad "About a Girl" and the dense churn of "Blew." A few songs come close to that level, but thats more a triumph of sound than structure, as "Negative Creep" and "School" get by on attitude and churn, while the cover of "Love Buzz" winds up being one of the highlights because this gives a true menace to their sound, thanks to its menacing melody. The rest of it sinks into the sludge, as the group itself winds up succumbing to grinding sub-metallic riffing that has little power, due to lack of riffs and lack of a good drummer. Bleach is more than a historical curiosity since it does have its share of great songs, but it isnt a lost classic -- its a debut from a band that shows potential but havent yet achieved it. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 9 Title: Nevermind Released: 1991-09-23 Tracks: 13 Duration: 49:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Smells Like Teen Spirit (05:01) 2 In Bloom (04:15) 3 Come as You Are (03:39) 4 Breed (03:03) 5 Lithium (04:17) 6 Polly (02:57) 7 Territorial Pissings (02:23) 8 Drain You (03:43) 9 Lounge Act (02:36) 10 Stay Away (03:32) 11 On a Plain (03:16) 12 Something in the Way (03:50) 13 Endless, Nameless (06:45) |
| Nevermind : Allmusic album Review : Nevermind was never meant to change the world, but you can never predict when the Zeitgeist will hit, and Nirvanas second album turned out to be the place where alternative rock crashed into the mainstream. This wasnt entirely an accident, either, since Nirvana did sign with a major label, and they did release a record with a shiny surface, no matter how humongous the guitars sounded. And, yes, Nevermind is probably a little shinier than it should be, positively glistening with echo and fuzzbox distortion, especially when compared with the black-and-white murk of Bleach. This doesnt discount the record, since its not only much harder than any mainstream rock of 1991, its character isnt on the surface, its in the exhilaratingly raw music and haunting songs. Kurt Cobains personal problems and subsequent suicide naturally deepen the dark undercurrents, but no matter how much anguish there is on Nevermind, its bracing because he exorcizes those demons through his evocative wordplay and mangled screams -- and because the band has a tremendous, unbridled power that transcends the pain, turning into pure catharsis. And thats as key to the records success as Cobains songwriting, since Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl help turn this into music that is gripping, powerful, and even fun (and, really, theres no other way to characterize "Territorial Pissings" or the surging "Breed"). In retrospect, Nevermind may seem a little too unassuming for its mythic status -- its simply a great modern punk record -- but even though it may no longer seem life-changing, it is certainly life-affirming, which may just be better. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 9 Title: Incesticide Released: 1992-12-14 Tracks: 15 Duration: 44:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dive (03:55) 2 Sliver (02:14) 3 Stain (02:40) 4 Been a Son (01:55) 5 Turnaround (02:19) 6 Molly’s Lips (01:54) 7 Son of a Gun (02:48) 8 (New Wave) Polly (01:48) 9 Beeswax (02:50) 10 Downer (01:43) 11 Mexican Seafood (01:55) 12 Hairspray Queen (04:13) 13 Aero Zeppelin (04:41) 14 Big Long Now (05:03) 15 Aneurysm (04:35) |
| Incesticide : Allmusic album Review : Buying time and thwarting bootleggers, Nirvana and DGC released the rarities compilation Incesticide toward the end of 1992. Like any oddsnsods collection, this is uneven, but thats its charm since it captures Nirvanas character better than any official album. After all, this was a band that was born equally from 70s sludge metal, bubblegum pop, post-punk artiness, and indie rock inclusiveness, each of which are apparent on this collection. There are some non-entities here, particularly on the second side, but the plodding sub-metallic grind was part of their identity, one part of their multi-faceted character. Nirvana meant everything to everyone, from the jangle pop veterans to the garage rock ravers that worshipped the Stooges to stoner metal fetishes and indie rock bed-sits that adopted Sebadoh just as they outgrew Morrissey -- everybody loved Nirvana, and theres something for every kind fan here, thanks to murky sludge, Devo and Vaseline covers, BBC sessions, instrumentals, and limited-edition singles, plus sub-Melvins goop, everything visceral where Bleach was tame. Nevermind doesnt capture this freewheeling indie spirit but Incesticide does, piling on some essentials in the meantime -- the pummeling "Dive," the childhood snapshot "Sliver," the terrific forgotten indie pop tune "Been a Son," and "Aneurysm," perhaps the greatest single song the group ever recorded. Yeah, theres some filler here, but this is the sound of what Nirvana was actually like. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 9 Title: In Utero Released: 1993-09-21 Tracks: 12 Duration: 41:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Serve the Servants (03:36) 2 Scentless Apprentice (03:47) 3 Heart‐Shaped Box (04:41) 4 Rape Me (02:50) 5 Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle (04:09) 6 Dumb (02:32) 7 Very Ape (01:55) 8 Milk It (03:54) 9 Pennyroyal Tea (03:37) 10 Radio Friendly Unit Shifter (04:51) 11 tourette’s (01:35) 12 All Apologies (03:50) |
| In Utero : Allmusic album Review : Nirvana probably hired Steve Albini to produce In Utero with the hopes of creating their own Surfer Rosa, or at least shoring up their indie cred after becoming a pop phenomenon with a glossy punk record. In Utero, of course, turned out to be their last record, and its hard not to hear it as Kurt Cobains suicide note, since Albinis stark, uncompromising sound provides the perfect setting for Cobains bleak, even nihilistic, lyrics. Even if the album wasnt a literal suicide note, it was certainly a conscious attempt to shed their audience -- an attempt that worked, by the way, since the record had lost its momentum when Cobain died in the spring of 1994. Even though the band tempered some of Albinis extreme tactics in a remix, the record remains a deliberately alienating experience, front-loaded with many of its strongest songs, then descending into a series of brief, dissonant squalls before concluding with "All Apologies," which only gets sadder with each passing year. Throughout it all, Cobains songwriting is typically haunting, and its best moments rank among his finest work, but the over-amped dynamicism of the recording seems like a way to camouflage his dispiritedness -- as does the fact that he consigned such great songs as "Verse Chorus Verse" and "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" to compilations, when they would have fit, even illuminated the themes of In Utero. Even without those songs, In Utero remains a shattering listen, whether its viewed as Cobains farewell letter or self-styled audience alienation. Few other records are as willfully difficult as this. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 9 Title: Nirvana Released: 2002-10-28 Tracks: 14 Duration: 49:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You Know You’re Right (03:38) 2 About a Girl (02:48) 3 Been a Son (02:23) 4 Sliver (02:14) 5 Smells Like Teen Spirit (05:01) 6 Come as You Are (03:39) 7 Lithium (04:17) 8 In Bloom (04:15) 9 Heart‐Shaped Box (04:41) 10 Pennyroyal Tea (03:36) 11 Rape Me (02:50) 12 Dumb (02:32) 13 All Apologies (03:47) 14 The Man Who Sold the World (03:49) |
| Nirvana : Allmusic album Review : Ignore the legal wrangling, bad blood, feuds, even Kurt Cobains suicide, behind the release of this long-awaited single-disc anthology of Nirvanas work, simply titled Nirvana, and focus on one simple thing: does it do its job well? Does it capture the essence of the most influential band of the 90s, the most storied band since the Beatles? Does it have all their best songs on one disc? The answer: kinda. The inherent problem with the disc is that its difficult to compile Nirvanas best material by any chart-based yardstick, the way that the Beatles 1 -- Cobains widow made no bones about the fact that she wanted this collection patterned after that hit, and to be as successful a catalog item -- did, since they didnt have that many singles, nor did their career need to be condensed like the Rolling Stones Forty Licks since they only recorded for five years. Nirvanas best tracks -- not necessarily the same thing as Cobains best songs, although they frequently overlapped -- were buried on album tracks, B-sides, stray singles, so theres no good criteria for why, say, "Dumb" makes the cut and "Aneurysm" doesnt. Even more problematic, Nirvanas three proper albums, along with the rarities compilation Incesticide and the acoustic MTV Unplugged, all have different personalities and sonic characteristics that dont necessarily fit well together, whether its the gleaming Nevermind, the ragged indie pop band on Incesticide, or the stark despair of In Utero. So, what you wind up with is a record that has all the hits and many of the radio favorites, plus the very good previously unreleased final recording, "You Know Youre Right," in a collection that is less than the sum of its parts. At 50 minutes, its all too easy to concentrate on whats missing: "Something in the Way," "Polly," "Serve the Servants," "Verse Chorus Verse," "Dive," "Negative Creep," "Love Buzz," "Territorial Pissings," "Drain You," "School," "Lake of Fire," "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?," and, most egregiously, the aforementioned "Aneurysm" are all prime candidates to fill out the remainder of the disc. Not all could have fit, but the presence of a few more tracks, along with placing "You Know Youre Right" at the end where it belongs, would have made this collection not just stronger, but possibly definitive. As it stands, it feels like a bit of a cheap compromise and a wasted opportunity. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 9 Title: With the Lights Out Released: 2004-11-23 Tracks: 61 Duration: 3:36:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Heartbreaker (02:59) 2 Anorexorcist (radio performance, 1987) (02:45) 3 White Lace and Strange (radio performance, 1987) (02:09) 4 Help Me I’m Hungry (radio performance, 1987) (02:42) 5 Mrs. Butterworth (rehearsal recording, 1988) (04:05) 6 If You Must (demo, 1988) (04:01) 7 Pen Cap Chew (demo, 1988) (03:02) 8 Downer (01:43) 9 Floyd the Barber (02:33) 10 Raunchola / Moby Dick (06:25) 11 Beans (solo acoustic, undated) (01:33) 12 Don’t Want It All (solo acoustic, undated) (02:26) 13 Clean Up Before She Comes (solo acoustic, undated) (03:13) 14 Polly (solo acoustic, 1988) (02:30) 15 About a Girl (solo acoustic, 1988) (02:45) 16 Blandest (demo, 1988) (03:56) 17 Dive (demo, 1988) (04:51) 18 They Hung Him on a Cross (demo, 1989) (01:57) 19 Grey Goose (demo, 1989) (04:36) 20 Ain’t It a Shame (demo, 1989) (02:02) 21 Token Eastern Song (demo, 1989) (03:21) 22 Even in His Youth (demo, 1989) (03:13) 23 Polly (demo, 1989) (02:37) 1 Opinion (solo acoustic, 1990) (01:34) 2 Lithium (solo acoustic, 1990) (01:49) 3 Been a Son (solo acoustic, 1990) (01:13) 4 Sliver (solo acoustic, 1989) (02:10) 5 Where Did You Sleep Last Night? (solo acoustic, 1989) (02:32) 6 Pay to Play (demo, 1990) (03:29) 7 Here She Comes Now (demo, 1990) (05:02) 8 Drain You (demo, 1990) (02:38) 9 Aneurysm (demo, 1990) (04:48) 10 Smells Like Teen Spirit (rehearsal demo, 1991) (05:41) 11 Breed (rough mix, 1991) (03:08) 12 Verse Chorus Verse (outtake, 1991) (03:18) 13 Old Age (outtake, 1991) (04:20) 14 Endless, Nameless (radio appearance, 1991) (08:48) 15 Dumb (radio appearance, 1991) (02:35) 16 D‐7 (radio appearance, 1990) (03:47) 17 Oh, the Guilt (B‐side, 1992) (03:26) 18 Curmudgeon (B‐side, 1992) (03:04) 19 Return of the Rat (outtake, 1992) (03:09) 20 Smells Like Teen Spirit (Butch Vig mix) (04:59) 1 Rape Me (solo acoustic, 1992) (03:23) 2 Rape Me (demo, 1992) (03:02) 3 Scentless Apprentice (rehearsal demo, 1992) (09:33) 4 Heart‐Shaped Box (demo, 1993) (05:32) 5 I Hate Myself and I Want to Die (B‐side, 1993) (04:03) 6 Milk It (demo, 1993) (04:35) 7 Moist Vagina (01:57) 8 Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip (B‐side, 1993) (07:34) 9 The Other Improv (demo, 1993) (06:24) 10 Serve the Servants (solo acoustic, 1993) (01:36) 11 Very Ape (solo acoustic, 1993) (01:53) 12 Pennyroyal Tea (solo acoustic, 1993) (03:30) 13 Marigold (02:34) 14 Sappy (B‐side, 1993) (03:27) 15 Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam (rehearsal demo, 1994) (03:58) 16 Do Re Mi (solo acoustic, 1994) (04:25) 17 You Know You’re Right (home demo) (02:30) 18 All Apologies (solo acoustic, undated) (03:33) |
| With the Lights Out : Allmusic album Review : Within a matter of months after Kurt Cobains suicide in April of 1994, fans started asking for the official release of all the demos, stray songs, alternate takes, and rarities in Nirvanas vaults. Due to various legal disputes between the surviving bandmembers and the Cobain estate, this long-awaited set of unreleased material did not appear until late 2004, when the three-disc, one-DVD box With the Lights Out finally appeared. Not counting the 20-song DVD, the box contains 61 tracks, with nearly two-thirds of this material seeing its first official release on this set (the remaining songs are B-sides, one-off singles, and compilation contributions that didnt make it to the compilation Incesticide, or appeared after its 1992 release). Much of this unreleased material has circulated frequently on bootlegs over the past ten years -- most notably on the 1995 box set Into the Black and the multi-volume Outcesticide series -- but the fidelity here is much, much better, and there are several items here that have never been bootlegged, including early alternate versions of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Heart Shaped Box." Just as importantly, no major item that appeared on the bootlegs does not appear here (with the arguable exception of the Kiss cover "Do You Love Me"), which makes this the definitive collection of Nirvana studio rarities and outtakes. As the sessionography in the liner notes indicates, this hardly contains all of the unreleased material, but it certainly contains all of the noteworthy unreleased material. All of which covers what With the Lights Out is, but it doesnt cover whether the set is worthwhile, either as music or as a history lesson. For Nirvana fanatics, it certainly is. While the packaging is slightly irritating -- it opens lengthwise, making it a little difficult to navigate -- it is lovingly, carefully prepared, expertly sequenced and selected (each disc roughly corresponds to each of their three official albums, all following in chronological order), terrifically remastered, and given a book with plenty of rare photos, posters, and memorabilia replicated in the liner notes, along with a touching essay from Sonic Youths Thurston Moore and a DVD filled with rare video, including a selection of songs filmed at a 1988 rehearsal at Krist Novoselics moms house, the public debut of "Teen Spirit," and a version of "Seasons in the Sun" recorded in a studio in Brazil. However, for listeners who are less dedicated, this set may not be quite as compelling as it initially seems. Listening to archival material like this, whether its on an official release or a bootleg, is a bit of a chore, since it not only doesnt have the flow of a proper album, but the selections are chosen for historical reasons and therefore are interesting as curiosities as much as they are as full-fledged pieces of music. And thats the case here -- while there is much good music here, there isnt much that adds to Nirvanas legacy, nor is there much thats revelatory. To be sure, the demos are interesting, particularly when Cobain is testing different words to such well-known songs as "Teen Spirit" and "Rape Me," or performing such crushing, metallic rockers as "Serve the Servants" and "Very Ape" as acoustic numbers, but these are ultimately subtle differences that dont alter our understanding of the songs. Similarly, to hear the early, pre-Bleach band run through Led Zeppelin covers and formless but promising heavy rockers during the first portion of the set is worthwhile, if only to hear a great band in its embryonic stage, but it doesnt result in a disc thats likely to be played more than once or twice; its for the historical record, but its not necessarily musically significant, since it captures a band finding its voice, not immediately delivering undeniable music. A handful of songs on With the Lights Out do qualify as both historically interesting and significant music, and these are mainly the songs that were completed and saw official release, or were heavily bootlegged because they were close to release. They include: the Nevermind outtakes "Verse Chorus Verse" and "Old Age"; the 1992 non-LP single "Oh the Guilt" and the "Lithium" B-side "Curmudgeon"; the compilation tracks "I Hate Myself and I Want to Die" (originally released on The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience) and "Sappy" (originally released on No Alternative, where it was titled "Verse Chorus Verse"); the solo acoustic demos of the unreleased songs "Do Re Mi" and "You Know Youre Right" (the electric version, initially released on the hits compilation Nirvana, is not present here). Thats eight songs. Thats not to say that the rest of the box set is filler, since it isnt -- as far as unreleased demos and alternate takes from a major band go, its interesting stuff. Its just that Nirvanas outtakes -- unlike Bob Dylans, the Velvet Undergrounds, or the Beatles -- are footnotes to their story, not part of their main narrative. As long as this is understood, nobody who gets this box set should be disappointed, since it is as good as it could possibly be. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 9 Title: Sliver: The Best of the Box Released: 2005-10-31 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:14:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Spank Thru (1985 Fecal Matter demo) (03:45) 2 Heartbreaker (02:59) 3 Mrs. Butterworth (rehearsal demo) (04:04) 4 Floyd the Barber (02:33) 5 Clean Up Before She Comes (home demo) (03:12) 6 About a Girl (home demo) (02:44) 7 Blandest (studio demo) (03:56) 8 Ain’t It a Shame (studio demo) (02:03) 9 Sappy (1990 studio demo) (03:33) 10 Opinion (solo acoustic radio appearance) (01:35) 11 Lithium (solo acoustic radio appearance) (01:49) 12 Sliver (home demo) (02:10) 13 Smells Like Teen Spirit (boom box version) (05:40) 14 Come as You Are (boom box version) (04:10) 15 Old Age (Nevermind outtake) (04:21) 16 Oh, the Guilt (03:25) 17 Rape Me (home demo) (03:23) 18 Rape Me (band demo) (03:03) 19 Heart Shaped Box (band demo) (05:33) 20 Do Re Mi (home demo) (04:24) 21 You Know You’re Right (home demo) (02:30) 22 All Apologies (home demo) (03:33) |
| Sliver: The Best of the Box : Allmusic album Review : Appearing a year after the long-awaited three-disc With the Lights Out, which was supposed to be a clearinghouse for all existing Nirvana demos and rarities, Sliver: The Best of the Box is a single-disc compilation of highlights from that set. Of course, a comp like this needs to have collector bait in order to guarantee interest from the die-hard fans, so in addition to 19 previously released cuts, this has three previously unreleased tracks, most noteworthy being the 1985 demo of "Spank Thru," recorded when Kurt Cobains band was called Fecal Matter. The other two songs are a 1990 studio demo of "Sappy," the song first released under the title "Verse Chorus Verse" on the No Alternative various-artists album, and a "Boom Box Version" of "Come as You Are," which is a taped rehearsal take of the song recorded before Nevermind. All three of these would have fit nicely on the box (and arguably should have been there, especially "Spank Thru," which is the best of the earliest Nirvana-related recordings), and for obsessives, theyre enough to warrant a grudging, hesitant purchase. The real question is, whether Sliver is worthwhile for serious fans who nevertheless for whatever reason dont want three discs of demos and outtakes. The answer is: kinda. Most of the major songs from With the Lights Out are here, but not all of them. Whats missing are outtakes like "Verse Chorus Verse" (a different song than "Sappy"), B-sides like "Curmudgeon," and non-LP cuts like "I Hate Myself and I Want to Die." While its understandable that a weird novelty like "Beans" wouldnt make the cut, the absence of these three cuts mean this comp does fall short of its billing as being "The Best of the Box," and it also makes it of less interest to fans who just want all the truly noteworthy cuts from the box. That said, this does have such great items as the outtake "Old Age," the non-LP single "Oh the Guilt," and a demo of Leadbellys "Aint It a Shame," plus acoustic demos of Cobains last two songs, "Do Re Mi" and "You Know Youre Right," which is enough to satisfy the curiosity of most listeners. But it has to be said that due to its source material of home recordings and lo-fi tapes, Sliver, like With the Lights Out, is not easy listening and demands listeners utmost attention -- and if listeners are willing to concentrate that hard on Nirvana rarities, theyd probably be better off getting three discs of the stuff instead of just one. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 9 Title: ICON Released: 2010-08-31 Tracks: 11 Duration: 41:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You Know You’re Right (03:38) 2 Smells Like Teen Spirit (05:01) 3 Come as You Are (03:39) 4 Lithium (04:17) 5 In Bloom (04:15) 6 Heart‐Shaped Box (04:41) 7 Pennyroyal Tea (03:37) 8 Rape Me (02:50) 9 Dumb (02:32) 10 About a Girl (acoustic) (03:09) 11 All Apologies (acoustic) (03:45) |
| ICON : Allmusic album Review : Universal’s 2010 collection Icon is an 11-track collection of Nirvana’s hit singles, containing the group’s alternative radio standards -- “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Come as You Are,” “In Bloom,” “Lithium,” “Heart-Shaped Box,” “Pennyroyal Tea,” “About A Girl,” an acoustic “All Apologies,” plus the posthumous “You Know You’re Right” - in a concise, enjoyable collection that doesn’t dig deep but does give casual fans what they want. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 9 Title: 2 for 1: Incesticide / In Utero Released: 2011 Tracks: 27 Duration: 1:53:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dive (03:55) 2 Sliver (02:14) 3 Stain (02:40) 4 Been a Son (01:55) 5 Turnaround (02:19) 6 Molly’s Lips (01:54) 7 Son of a Gun (02:48) 8 (New Wave) Polly (01:48) 9 Beeswax (02:50) 10 Downer (01:43) 11 Mexican Seafood (01:55) 12 Hairspray Queen (04:13) 13 Aero Zeppelin (04:41) 14 Big Long Now (05:03) 15 Aneurysm (04:35) 1 Serve the Servants (03:36) 2 Scentless Apprentice (03:47) 3 Heart‐Shaped Box (04:41) 4 Rape Me (02:50) 5 Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle (04:09) 6 Dumb (02:32) 7 Very Ape (01:55) 8 Milk It (03:54) 9 Pennyroyal Tea (03:37) 10 Radio Friendly Unit Shifter (04:51) 11 tourette’s (01:35) 12 All Apologies / Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip (31:32) |