Nirvana
And now for some more reviews...it's time to check in with another one of my favorite bands: Nirvana.
Nirvana changed the world of rock 'n' roll in the early '90s, but for some reason, they aren't too hip today, which I don't really understand. I mean sure, bands and styles always go in and out of fashion, but come on - we're talking about Nirvana, for goodness sake. These guys were awesome!!
Unfortunately I never saw them in concert, but I played the heck out of their CDs back in high school, and I still listen to them a decent amount today. And just like with Weezer, their best songs always seem to sound fresh, even after listening to them hundreds of times. So, without futher ado, let's take a nostalgic trip back to the grunged out '90s and examine their music.
Bleach (1989)
Nirvana's first album is unquestionably their worst. A harsh way to start a review? Absolutely. But that's not to say Bleach is bad. It's just that the rest of Nirvana's output is so good that Bleach inevitably pales in comparison. Bleach is Nirvana's only pre-fame album, coming out two years before Nevermind, and at this point in his career, Kurt Cobain had not quite perfected the songwriting skills that he so mastered soon afterward. The album does feature a couple great songs, "About a Girl" and "Love Buzz" (which was a Shocking Blue cover), which are so good they make the entire thing worth buying. Meanwhile, "Blew" and "School", while not Nirvana classics, aren't half bad either. But the rest of the album, I hate to say, is pretty forgettable; these other songs suffer from weak melodies, barely intelligible lyrics, and grinding guitar sounds that quickly get old without the melodies to support them. I don't listen to Bleach too often, but it is good for the occasional spin. Rating: 2.5/5
Nevermind (1991)
So much has been said about this album, and so legendary has it become, that you may be asking why bother to even write. But believe it or not, many people today, especially kids, are no longer aware of Nirvana. I was a camp counselor in the summer of 1999, and none of the then 9- and 10-year olds in my cabin had ever heard of the band. (I discovered this when I wore a Nevermind T-shirt one day, and they all asked me who the baby on the cover was.) And this was six years ago - the situation is probably even worse today. But enough about non-Nirvana listeners; time to cut to the chase and talk rock 'n' roll.
Nevermind is one of the rare albums where the hype is actually true. This record is just that good. Nirvana always played great punk music, but here they add the songwriting to match the sound, and turn out some of the best pop-punk of all time. This music completely rocks out (new drummer Dave Grohl is responsible for much of the added muscle) yet is as poppy and hummable as it gets. Cobain, meanwhile, nails the perfect mix of quiet singing on the verses and loud screaming on the choruses, while Krist Novoselic plays twisting, melodic basslines that hold the songs together very well. As for the songs themselves, everyone knows "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Lithium", "Come As You Are", "In Bloom" and "Polly." But the rest of the album is just as fantastic, from the knockout "Drain You" (I can't believe they didn't make it a single) to the sly pop of "Lounge Act" and "Stay Away" to the hardcore punk of "Breed" and "Territorial Pissings". Don't dismiss all those people who say this is the greatest album of all time; Nevermind is definitely worth a listen, and once you hear it, believe me - you'll be hooked. Just get it. Rating: 5/5
Hormoaning (1992)
This is a six-song Japanese import EP, with which most Americans (at least those who aren't Nirvana fantatics) may be unfamiliar. Hormoaning features the two B-sides from the Smells Like Teen Spirit single, "Even In His Youth" and "Aneurysm", plus four covers: "Turnaround" (originally by Devo), "D-7" (The Wipers), "Son Of A Gun" and "Molly's Lips" (both by the Vaselines). This EP is short, but very sweet - the B-sides are easily as good as the album tracks on Nevermind, and both "Molly's Lips" and "Turnaround" are of similar quality. The other two songs aren't quite as good, but sound decent as played in the Nirvana style. Rating: 3.5/5
Incesticide (1992)
Album-wise, Nirvana followed Nevermind with this compilation of B-sides, outtakes, covers, and other stray songs. Naturally it's not quite as good as Nevermind, but for something thrown together, Incesticide is pretty decent. The first half the album, in fact, is absolutely fantastic; "Sliver" is one of the best pop songs ever written (seriously), "Been A Son" is practically just as good, and many of the Hormoaning tracks also reappear here. Apart from the last song, "Aneurysm" (which sounds like a different take than the version on Hormoaning), however, the second half of Incesticide sounds very similar to the crappier songs on Bleach. This is no surprise given that they were written around the same time as the Bleach material, but as Nirvana's box set With The Lights Out later demonstrated, the band had much stronger material in the vaults at the time, and I have no idea why they didn't include those songs instead. But even so, what we're left with certainly isn't half bad, and should be a must-own for any Nirvana fan. Rating: 3.5/5
In Utero (1993)
Nirvana hit the artistic jackpot again with In Utero, the proper follow-up to Nevemind. It may not have sold as well, because topping Nevermind in that manner would have been just about impossible, but still went multiplatinum and generated some great singles in "Heart Shaped Box" and "All Apologies". As great as it is, though, In Utero is at its core a very bleak, morose album. Of course, at the time of its release, no one knew that Cobain would take his own life only months later. Albums with downbeat themes and depressing lyrics were in vogue in the early '90s, but sadly, this one reflected its writer's life far more closely than many people may have assumed. (I had no idea whatsoever, and was quite shocked when I heard about his passing.) Yet, if you can get past the lyrical themes, the music on In Utero is quite fantastic and the better songs are certainly on a par with Nevermind. In addition to the singles, album tracks such as "Serve The Servants", "Dumb", "Rape Me" (which, for the record, is an anti-rape song), and "Pennyroyal Tea" are all standouts. I particularly love the sparse production on In Utero as well; if Nevermind has a flaw, it's that it sounds a bit overproduced, but In Utero fully remedies this with a raw and powerful sound that brings out some of the band's best playing. In sum, melodic songs + great production = awesome album. Rating: 5/5
MTV Unplugged In New York (1994)
I'm not the biggest fan of MTV's unplugged series, but Nirvana's entry has got to be one of the best of the bunch. In fact, apart from Paul McCartney and perhaps Eric Clapton, I can't think of a single Unplugged episode that even comes close to this one. Of course, the record is completely overshadowed by Cobain's suicide, and must be viewed as such; like In Utero, these songs are often somber and quite haunting given the context. But that's not to say the songs are unpleasant; this all-acoustic set is far and away one of Nirvana's best performances. The album consists of eight songs from the band's back catalog, one of which, "About A Girl", became a huge hit in its Unplugged version, plus six covers, including "The Man Who Sold The World" (originally by David Bowie) which also topped the charts. (Other covers inlcude songs by the Vaselines, Leadbelly, and the Meat Puppets.) What's more, for a band so influenced by punk, metal, and hardcore, Nirvana clearly demonstrates that they can toss out their amps, lick their chops, strip their songs down to their emotional cores, and still sound just as great. Not many bands can pull this off (try imagining, say, Limp Bizkit doing an Unplugged), and it only testifies to what a tragedy it is that Nirvana no longer exists. But this album is what they left behind, and it's one of their best. Rating: 5/5
From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah (1996)
The yin to Unplugged In New York's yang, From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah is Nirvana's second live album. But there are no acoustic guitars here; this is is raw, plugged-in, knock your socks off Nirvana. Wishkah showcases the band's more "typical" live experience, being culled from numerous shows throughout the band's career. The tracklist mixes huge hits ("Smells Like Teen Spirit" "Heart Shaped Box") with album tracks ("Drain You, "Polly"), rarities ("School", "Been A Son") and more, and it all sounds great. At its heart, Nirvana was a fantastic live band (gosh, why didn't I see them when I had the chance), and Wishkah captures them in all their glory back when they they ruled the world. Rating 4.5/5
Nirvana (2002)
Despite already owning 95% of its contents, I eagerly anticipated this greatest hits album for many months in advance of its release. Why? Because the one previously unreleased song, "You Know You're Right", is a stone-cold Nirvana classic. Sadly, of course, it is likely Nirvana's final single. But this song sure puts some real meaning into the term "saving the best for last." The singing, guitars, melody, and dynamics are simply astounding, and you've got to hear it to believe it. This song alone clearly makes this album worth the price of admission. The other songs on the CD, meanwhile, are Nirvana's greatest hits in chronological order, from the original version of "About A Girl" on Bleach, through "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and the other Nevermind standouts, to the renditions of "All Apologies" and "The Man Who Sold The World" on MTV Unplugged. When you have all of Nirvana's hits, you certainly can't go wrong, although the band also had many great non-hits that could have been added to the CD as well. Rating: 4.5/5
With The Lights Out (2004)
In addition to their albums, Nirvana recorded a great many demos, outtakes, alternate takes, B-sides, compilation tracks and the like. Assembling all these tracks from their numerous sources used to be a complete nightmare, but now the box set With The Lights Out completely saves the day. Consisting of 61 songs (many previously unreleased) spread over three CDs, plus a 20-song DVD featuring music videos, home footage and the like, With The Lights Out is a fantastic behind-the-scenes look at Nirvana that features some truly wonderful music as well. Is the box set as good as Nevermind and In Utero? No, it's not. After all, most of these songs didn't make the albums for a reason. But as it turns out, the band's quality control wasn't 100% precise, as a number of these tracks actually rank with their very best music. "Sappy", which was released as a hidden track on the No Alternative compilation under the name "Verse Chorus Verse" (Nirvana does have a track titled "Verse Chorus Verse" on the box set, but it's a completely different song altogether), is easily one of the best things they ever wrote (and features one of Kurt's best guitar solos too), and I'm astounded that it wasn't a single. "I Hate Myself And I Want To Die", meanwhile, taken from the Beavis And Butthead Experience album (although the box set version sounds like a different take), is almost as good, despite its all too real title. Other standout tracks include the rare single "Oh, The Guilt", the Dave Grohl-written B-side "Marigold", a cover of "White Lace And Strange", and unreleased songs "Old Age", "Do Re Mi" and "Clean Up Before She Comes". Overall, With The Lights Out won't make you forget about Nirvana's big hits and classic albums, but it's a welcome addition to their catalog, and a great way to hear the band as they progressed from a high school garage outfit to the leaders of alternative rock. Rating: 4/5
Nirvana changed the world of rock 'n' roll in the early '90s, but for some reason, they aren't too hip today, which I don't really understand. I mean sure, bands and styles always go in and out of fashion, but come on - we're talking about Nirvana, for goodness sake. These guys were awesome!!
Unfortunately I never saw them in concert, but I played the heck out of their CDs back in high school, and I still listen to them a decent amount today. And just like with Weezer, their best songs always seem to sound fresh, even after listening to them hundreds of times. So, without futher ado, let's take a nostalgic trip back to the grunged out '90s and examine their music.
Bleach (1989)
Nirvana's first album is unquestionably their worst. A harsh way to start a review? Absolutely. But that's not to say Bleach is bad. It's just that the rest of Nirvana's output is so good that Bleach inevitably pales in comparison. Bleach is Nirvana's only pre-fame album, coming out two years before Nevermind, and at this point in his career, Kurt Cobain had not quite perfected the songwriting skills that he so mastered soon afterward. The album does feature a couple great songs, "About a Girl" and "Love Buzz" (which was a Shocking Blue cover), which are so good they make the entire thing worth buying. Meanwhile, "Blew" and "School", while not Nirvana classics, aren't half bad either. But the rest of the album, I hate to say, is pretty forgettable; these other songs suffer from weak melodies, barely intelligible lyrics, and grinding guitar sounds that quickly get old without the melodies to support them. I don't listen to Bleach too often, but it is good for the occasional spin. Rating: 2.5/5
Nevermind (1991)
So much has been said about this album, and so legendary has it become, that you may be asking why bother to even write. But believe it or not, many people today, especially kids, are no longer aware of Nirvana. I was a camp counselor in the summer of 1999, and none of the then 9- and 10-year olds in my cabin had ever heard of the band. (I discovered this when I wore a Nevermind T-shirt one day, and they all asked me who the baby on the cover was.) And this was six years ago - the situation is probably even worse today. But enough about non-Nirvana listeners; time to cut to the chase and talk rock 'n' roll.
Nevermind is one of the rare albums where the hype is actually true. This record is just that good. Nirvana always played great punk music, but here they add the songwriting to match the sound, and turn out some of the best pop-punk of all time. This music completely rocks out (new drummer Dave Grohl is responsible for much of the added muscle) yet is as poppy and hummable as it gets. Cobain, meanwhile, nails the perfect mix of quiet singing on the verses and loud screaming on the choruses, while Krist Novoselic plays twisting, melodic basslines that hold the songs together very well. As for the songs themselves, everyone knows "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Lithium", "Come As You Are", "In Bloom" and "Polly." But the rest of the album is just as fantastic, from the knockout "Drain You" (I can't believe they didn't make it a single) to the sly pop of "Lounge Act" and "Stay Away" to the hardcore punk of "Breed" and "Territorial Pissings". Don't dismiss all those people who say this is the greatest album of all time; Nevermind is definitely worth a listen, and once you hear it, believe me - you'll be hooked. Just get it. Rating: 5/5
Hormoaning (1992)
This is a six-song Japanese import EP, with which most Americans (at least those who aren't Nirvana fantatics) may be unfamiliar. Hormoaning features the two B-sides from the Smells Like Teen Spirit single, "Even In His Youth" and "Aneurysm", plus four covers: "Turnaround" (originally by Devo), "D-7" (The Wipers), "Son Of A Gun" and "Molly's Lips" (both by the Vaselines). This EP is short, but very sweet - the B-sides are easily as good as the album tracks on Nevermind, and both "Molly's Lips" and "Turnaround" are of similar quality. The other two songs aren't quite as good, but sound decent as played in the Nirvana style. Rating: 3.5/5
Incesticide (1992)
Album-wise, Nirvana followed Nevermind with this compilation of B-sides, outtakes, covers, and other stray songs. Naturally it's not quite as good as Nevermind, but for something thrown together, Incesticide is pretty decent. The first half the album, in fact, is absolutely fantastic; "Sliver" is one of the best pop songs ever written (seriously), "Been A Son" is practically just as good, and many of the Hormoaning tracks also reappear here. Apart from the last song, "Aneurysm" (which sounds like a different take than the version on Hormoaning), however, the second half of Incesticide sounds very similar to the crappier songs on Bleach. This is no surprise given that they were written around the same time as the Bleach material, but as Nirvana's box set With The Lights Out later demonstrated, the band had much stronger material in the vaults at the time, and I have no idea why they didn't include those songs instead. But even so, what we're left with certainly isn't half bad, and should be a must-own for any Nirvana fan. Rating: 3.5/5
In Utero (1993)
Nirvana hit the artistic jackpot again with In Utero, the proper follow-up to Nevemind. It may not have sold as well, because topping Nevermind in that manner would have been just about impossible, but still went multiplatinum and generated some great singles in "Heart Shaped Box" and "All Apologies". As great as it is, though, In Utero is at its core a very bleak, morose album. Of course, at the time of its release, no one knew that Cobain would take his own life only months later. Albums with downbeat themes and depressing lyrics were in vogue in the early '90s, but sadly, this one reflected its writer's life far more closely than many people may have assumed. (I had no idea whatsoever, and was quite shocked when I heard about his passing.) Yet, if you can get past the lyrical themes, the music on In Utero is quite fantastic and the better songs are certainly on a par with Nevermind. In addition to the singles, album tracks such as "Serve The Servants", "Dumb", "Rape Me" (which, for the record, is an anti-rape song), and "Pennyroyal Tea" are all standouts. I particularly love the sparse production on In Utero as well; if Nevermind has a flaw, it's that it sounds a bit overproduced, but In Utero fully remedies this with a raw and powerful sound that brings out some of the band's best playing. In sum, melodic songs + great production = awesome album. Rating: 5/5
MTV Unplugged In New York (1994)
I'm not the biggest fan of MTV's unplugged series, but Nirvana's entry has got to be one of the best of the bunch. In fact, apart from Paul McCartney and perhaps Eric Clapton, I can't think of a single Unplugged episode that even comes close to this one. Of course, the record is completely overshadowed by Cobain's suicide, and must be viewed as such; like In Utero, these songs are often somber and quite haunting given the context. But that's not to say the songs are unpleasant; this all-acoustic set is far and away one of Nirvana's best performances. The album consists of eight songs from the band's back catalog, one of which, "About A Girl", became a huge hit in its Unplugged version, plus six covers, including "The Man Who Sold The World" (originally by David Bowie) which also topped the charts. (Other covers inlcude songs by the Vaselines, Leadbelly, and the Meat Puppets.) What's more, for a band so influenced by punk, metal, and hardcore, Nirvana clearly demonstrates that they can toss out their amps, lick their chops, strip their songs down to their emotional cores, and still sound just as great. Not many bands can pull this off (try imagining, say, Limp Bizkit doing an Unplugged), and it only testifies to what a tragedy it is that Nirvana no longer exists. But this album is what they left behind, and it's one of their best. Rating: 5/5
From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah (1996)
The yin to Unplugged In New York's yang, From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah is Nirvana's second live album. But there are no acoustic guitars here; this is is raw, plugged-in, knock your socks off Nirvana. Wishkah showcases the band's more "typical" live experience, being culled from numerous shows throughout the band's career. The tracklist mixes huge hits ("Smells Like Teen Spirit" "Heart Shaped Box") with album tracks ("Drain You, "Polly"), rarities ("School", "Been A Son") and more, and it all sounds great. At its heart, Nirvana was a fantastic live band (gosh, why didn't I see them when I had the chance), and Wishkah captures them in all their glory back when they they ruled the world. Rating 4.5/5
Nirvana (2002)
Despite already owning 95% of its contents, I eagerly anticipated this greatest hits album for many months in advance of its release. Why? Because the one previously unreleased song, "You Know You're Right", is a stone-cold Nirvana classic. Sadly, of course, it is likely Nirvana's final single. But this song sure puts some real meaning into the term "saving the best for last." The singing, guitars, melody, and dynamics are simply astounding, and you've got to hear it to believe it. This song alone clearly makes this album worth the price of admission. The other songs on the CD, meanwhile, are Nirvana's greatest hits in chronological order, from the original version of "About A Girl" on Bleach, through "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and the other Nevermind standouts, to the renditions of "All Apologies" and "The Man Who Sold The World" on MTV Unplugged. When you have all of Nirvana's hits, you certainly can't go wrong, although the band also had many great non-hits that could have been added to the CD as well. Rating: 4.5/5
With The Lights Out (2004)
In addition to their albums, Nirvana recorded a great many demos, outtakes, alternate takes, B-sides, compilation tracks and the like. Assembling all these tracks from their numerous sources used to be a complete nightmare, but now the box set With The Lights Out completely saves the day. Consisting of 61 songs (many previously unreleased) spread over three CDs, plus a 20-song DVD featuring music videos, home footage and the like, With The Lights Out is a fantastic behind-the-scenes look at Nirvana that features some truly wonderful music as well. Is the box set as good as Nevermind and In Utero? No, it's not. After all, most of these songs didn't make the albums for a reason. But as it turns out, the band's quality control wasn't 100% precise, as a number of these tracks actually rank with their very best music. "Sappy", which was released as a hidden track on the No Alternative compilation under the name "Verse Chorus Verse" (Nirvana does have a track titled "Verse Chorus Verse" on the box set, but it's a completely different song altogether), is easily one of the best things they ever wrote (and features one of Kurt's best guitar solos too), and I'm astounded that it wasn't a single. "I Hate Myself And I Want To Die", meanwhile, taken from the Beavis And Butthead Experience album (although the box set version sounds like a different take), is almost as good, despite its all too real title. Other standout tracks include the rare single "Oh, The Guilt", the Dave Grohl-written B-side "Marigold", a cover of "White Lace And Strange", and unreleased songs "Old Age", "Do Re Mi" and "Clean Up Before She Comes". Overall, With The Lights Out won't make you forget about Nirvana's big hits and classic albums, but it's a welcome addition to their catalog, and a great way to hear the band as they progressed from a high school garage outfit to the leaders of alternative rock. Rating: 4/5
posted by Shane at 8:37 PM
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