With Nirvana being known as one of the best rock n’ grunge bands of all time, putting together a collection of the band’s top hits was a no-brainer. On Nirvana, that’s exactly what you get, a “greatest hits” album if you will. From the obvious ”Smells Like Teen Spirit” to the unreleased ”You Know You’re Right,”Nirvana is an album that provides the quintessential tracks for a beginning listener of this now defunct group. And while newer fans (like me) will probably like this CD, Nirvana junkies will find nothing new.
From Kurt Cobain’s poetic lyrics and smoky vocals, to the spine-chilling guitar riffs, it’s no wonder that Nirvana is known as one of the best band’s of our time. Kurt Cobain (Vocals, Guitar), Chris Novoselic (Bass, Back-Up Vocals), and Dave Grohl (Drums) created a band known for its dark, “teenage angst” tunes. They released numerous albums, including Bleach - 1989, Nevermind - 1991, Incesticide - 1992, In Utero - 1993, Unplugged in New York - 1994, to name a few. It’s unfortunate that all of this success had to come to an abrupt hault on April 8, 1994, when Cobain was found dead from a self-inflicted shotgun wound in his Seattle home.
Starting off with ”You Know You’re Right,” the previously unreleased track, a sense of melancholy and death overtakes you… but in a good way, if that’s possible. The production in the song is picture perfect, with the guitars never overtaking Cobain’s gritty vocals; the lugubrious song became an instant hit upon my first listen. ”About a Girl” and “Been a Son” totally contrast each other in every category—vocals, lyrics, and production. In the prior, Cobain’s vocals are high (for him, anyway), the lyrics are fairly light-hearted compared to most other songs, and the song rides upon a soft, electric-guitar rhythm; everything in ”Been a Son” is the exact opposite. ”Sliver” starts out fairly good (it even sounds slightly old-fashioned), but about twenty seconds into the song it turns one big mess, with poor guitar playing, and the repetitive line “Gramma take me home,” which gets old, without a doubt.
Tracks five threw eight were taken from the band’s most highly acclaimed, yet overrated album, Nevermind. ”Smells Like Teen Spirit” was obviously gonna be on this album, as it is the Nirvana song. The somber and self-explanatory ”Come As You Are,” the catchy “I don’t give a f*ck song” “Lithium,” and the riff heavy ”In Bloom” were also obvious choices for this compilation, as they were also some of Nirvana’s most well-known tracks.
”Heart Shaped Box” is a personal favorite of mine because of its poetic lyrics and the ultra-catchy chorus—“Hey! Wait! I got a new complaint!” ”Pennyroyal Tea" is a song I find to be mediocre. The chorus is kinda catchy, but the guitars almost overpower the vocals, not to mention I really don’t understand what the meaning of the song is. ”Rape Me” is a song about “giving in” and “giving up;” the way Cobain screams “Rape me!” at the end of the song will be sure to send chills down your spine. ”Dumb” is a bitter song about assuring one’s self of what they believe, and not going with the crowd—”I’m not like them / But I can pretend / The sun is gone / But I have a light / The day is done / But I’m having fun / I think I’m dumb / Or maybe just happy”
The last two tracks were taken from Unplugged in New York. The vocals are wonderfully clear and well-displayed because of the acoustic guitar playing, but I find the songs to be overall boring compared to the rest of the album. I can’t really find many differences between ”All Apologies” and ”The Man Who Sold the World” besides the fact that I find the prior to be more interesting and overall better than the latter. Both tracks are very slow and are unable to hold my interest for very long.
Final Thoughts
Overall I think Nirvana is a decent album displaying Nirvana’s most recognizable tunes. As a fairly new listener/fan of this group, I’m not sure if this CD lacks any of the true “greatest hits,” but I recognize most of the songs featured on this album, excluding the last three tracks. The guitars are pretty good, especially on gloomy songs like ”Come As You Are” and ”In Bloom.” Most of the lyrics are fairly creative and poetic; listen to the verses of ”Heart Shaped Box” and you’ll know what I mean. Vocals can vary from track to track—they can vary in both depth (can go from high to low) and skill.
I’d recommend Nirvana to newer fans of Nirvana. It’s very likely that hardcore fans have heard every track on this record (minus the awesome "You Know You’re Right”), so I do not see the real purpose of purchasing this album. But in the end, this CD would be good for teenagers and adults alike just getting into the departed yet memorable rock band known as Nirvana.
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Track Listing:
01. You Know You're Right (new, previously unreleased song)
02. About a Girl (Bleach - 1989)
03. Been a Son (Incesticide - 1992)
04. Sliver (Incesticide - 1992)
05. Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nevermind - 1991)
06. Come as You Are (Nevermind - 1991)
07. Lithium (Nevermind - 1991)
08. In Bloom (Nevermind - 1991)
09. Heart Shaped Box (In Utero - 1993)
10. Pennyroyal Tea (In Utero - 1993)
11. Rape Me (In Utero - 1993)
12. Dumb (In Utero - 1993)
13. All Apologies (Unplugged in New York - 1994)
14. The Man Who Sold the World (Unplugged in New York - 1994)
14 songs newly remastered featuring the previously unreleased You Know You re Right , the last song written and recorded by Kurt Cobain before his dea...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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