Here we have another milking of the cash cow that is Teen Spirit. Grunge is gone, but teen angst is always going strong, and it needs a soundtrack to match it’s ever-present intensity. Nirvana will be one of the staple bands generation after generation, therefore this greatest hits album is a perfect starting point for the post-90s grunger looking to lick their wounds.
Nirvana broke into the mainstream in the early 90s after a short period of underground success and punk rock credibility. When ‘it’ happened, there was equal outrage and celebration. The underground reeled the loss of one of it’s flagship bands, and spat at them for ‘selling out.’ For the rest of the world, finding Nirvana was a life changing experience. Nirvana’s radio-friendly rock turned the pop world of it’s head. Soon after the success of their most famous single “Smells Like Teen Sprit” more and more grunge and alternative acts were storming the charts. Things were changing. Factors contributed to this change in musical climate are various, though it was mostly down to the dire need for something new. Nineties teens were disillusioned by governments they couldn’t trust and wars that made them feel so disastrously helpless. More kids were on anti-depressants than ever before. So somehow singing along to Mariah Carey didn’t make anybody happy anymore. Believe it or not, Nirvana lifted these kids, gave them something to be passionate about, and gave the music industry a real kick up the backside.
What’s so special, then, about this band? What did they have that made such an impact? Well, fate and timing helped, but musically Nirvana were,
and are, second to none. This album is a chronological look at their contribution to the alt-music phenomenon, showcasing the cream of their commercially successful songs and proving exactly why they won over an entire generation of music fans.
The first track is the latest single release, nearly nine years after the demise of the band, “You Know You’re Right.” It certainly brings back a lot of mixed feelings for most Nirvana fans. The song is Nirvana at their best - dark, heavy verses, long screaming euphoric choruses, why did this ever have to stop?! A sense of wastefulness is underlying, and a great sense of loss, but still, over-riding all that is pure original and amazing rock.
The next 3 songs come from Nirvana’s early recordings. “About A Girl”, originally from Nirvana’s debut album BLEACH is a great example of Cobain’s ability to create a simple yet stunning pop song in the vein of the Beatles or similar, yet with his own Grunge stamp. However, being the only song lifted from BLEACH it belies the feel of the album as the track is radically different from all the other BLEACH tracks. Anybody serious about exploring Nirvana’s back catalogue should definitely check out BLEACH.
Following are “Been A Son” - a clever little song about the cultural preference for boys over girls; and “Sliver” - another short but sweet display of Cobain’s all round song writing skills. He described it as “the most ridiculous pop song I ever wrote” but it’s pure fun and an early favourite.
Come track 5 we’re on home ground. EVERYBODY knows “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and if you don’t then you really need to get out from under your rock and get this album. Turn it up, get your air guitar out, it still sounds good, and you know it always will. There’s more where that came from. All from the seminal and timeless NEVERMIND album, “Teen Spirit” and it’s following singles helped break Nirvana in the mainstream. “Come As You Are” is a lyrical invitation for misfits everywhere to get together and be a part of this beautiful thing. “Lithium” allows them all to raise up their voices and get out their lighters, a real gem of a song, and the peak of Nirvana’s career. “In Bloom” is a bitter-sweet Cobain indictment of those that ‘know not what it means’ ... leading the way into some of his most meaningful and gorgeously symbolic work, as lifted from the IN UTERO album are “Heart-Shaped Box”, “Pennyroyal Tea”, “Rape Me”, and “Dumb”. All of these songs are a testiment to Cobain’s lyrical mastery. “Heart-Shaped Box” and “Dumb” can be interpreted as a unique brand of love song, tender, beautiful and so deep. “Pennyroyal Tea” is just sublime, and probably shows Cobain’s talent in it’s most raw and astounding. “Rape Me” is nothing as controversial as you may have been told once you hear it. Another biting and emphatic dig at the world surrounding success and celebrity.
IN UTERO is a must for anyone who likes what they hear from this offering. Cobain’s lyrics at this point in time were more complex and just as fascinating. Set to the emphatic music provided by Cobain’s stunning guitar talent, Krist Novoselic’s flawless bass and Dave Grohl’s vibrant drumming, the words take on a life of their own, being so emotive and gripping that it’s hard to accept this was their last original outing as a band.
There was, of course, the superb Unplugged performance for MTV. Whoever arranged this album made a wise decision when picking tracks from this session, as this is the only showcasing of Nirvana’s live material on this album, so only the best is good enough. The Unplugged show really highlighted for the first time Nirvana’s great diversity. Far from being all noise and broken guitars, these guys were freakin’ talented. The songs here prove that beyond question. “All Apologies” is a stunning Cobain composition, made all the more poignant in the wake of his death and given a haunting new edge in this toned down performance. Equally stunning are the bands’ cover of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World” (done justice here) and the Leadbelly cover “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” - a performance I will never tire of, which Cobain so blatantly puts his all into, it’s pure soul shaking stuff, and the perfect end.
All things considered, this album shows off Nirvana in the best light, but it lets them down in focusing only on the commercial stuff. Yes, it’s a greatest HITS, but for hardcore fans it barely skims the surface of what Nirvana were about or what they could do. Yet we’re inclined to buy it in order to own “You Know You’re Right”. Cynicism makes me want to hate this, but once you turn it on the music makes you forget all the corporate crap. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Ultimately, it’s the music that’s the most important, or so we keep saying ‘eh? Well, putting my money where my mouth is, I decided I’d write about the music and I’ll leave shaking my fist at the Fat Cats for another time. When all’s said and done, it’s probably worth the money just for the memories, and if it helps hook new generations of music fans onto Nirvana, it ain’t a bad thing.
- Track Listing -
1) You Know You’re Right 2) About A Girl 3) Been A Son 4) Sliver 5) Smells Like Teen Spirit 6) Come As You Are 7) Lithium 8) In Bloom 9) Heart-Shaped Box 10) Pennyroyal Tea 11) Rape Me 12) Dumb 13) All Apologies 14) The Man Who Sold The World 15) Where Did You Sleep Last Night
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: The digitally-remastered sound of Cobain's Grunge-Coda Is pure Nirvana Disadvantages: The Demons Cobain Left Behind Maintain His Estate, But Not His Vision.
29th_Candidate 06.01.2003 (07.01.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Nirvana
Advantages: To suggest that "advantages" or "disadvantages" can exist for a particular band is inappropriate Disadvantages: To suggest that "advantages" or "disadvantages" can exist for a particular band is inappropriate
Ragnarok96 18.08.2004 (18.08.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Nirvana
Advantages: From Savage Garden, to nirvana, a look at some of the most difinative work of our times. Somthing for everyoe here. From powerfull meaning to blaitent comedy, if you don't like at least one of these albums, then what can i do?! Disadvantages: Dispite the difinity of the work, many of the bands have had little recognition, i guess they are destined for the closet, either that or commit suicide like Nirvana's Curt Cobain.
Desolate_Cash 10.10.2002 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Top 10 Albums
Aug 17th, 2003
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