Kurt's heart-Shaped Box: An Abridged Introduction to 'Nirvana"
Written: Nov 05 '02
Product Rating:
Pros: Even those sonically opposed to loud rock will love the melodies on here.
Cons: None really. I wouldn't have minded the studio version of "All Apologies".
The Bottom Line: Controversy aside, Kurt Cobain was a great songwriter & melodist, and Nirvana was a great BAND. This compilation is definitely a must-have, as are "Nevermind" & "In Utero".
speeddemon531's Full Review: Nirvana by Nirvana (US)
In the eight years since his death in 1994, the question of the legend of Kurt Cobain has been debated many times over. Fact of the matter is, the guy was a first-rate songwriter and bandleader who, in his short career, created much classic material. This compilation of Nirvana’s work is an essential item for fans of pop & rock music.
“Nirvana” collects the most popular tracks from Nirvana’s two major label albums, plus tracks from their indie debut, a few remixes, live tracks, and singles. It also includes the previously unreleased track “You Know You’re Right”, the last official track recorded by Cobain. This aggressive track, which begins with Kurt mumbling under a rumbling bass guitar, then goes on to feature Kurt’s tortured wail, mountains of guitar and some serious drumming by Dave Grohl, sounds fresh and contemporary eight years later, standing as a true testament to Nirvana’s groundbreaking marriage of pop melodies and anguished singing to punk-inspired rock music.
Kurt, above anything, stands out as an excellent songwriter. The music may have been loud and aggressive, but unlike many of today’s hard rock musicians, Kurt knew the value of a melody. You can rattle off the chorus of most of Nirvana’s popular songs instantly. Try doing that with, Korn, for example. From the repeated “I do’s” running through the verses and chorus of “About a Girl” to the “Hey! Wait!” chorus of “Heart-Shaped Box”, the melodies of the songs Kurt wrote were as poppy as anything else on the radio in the early 90’s. Kurt, however, offset that with tortured (and occasionally incomprehensible) lyrics and a talented instrumental attack.
Kurt also FELT his music. His vocals went from whisper to mumble to scream and often included all three within the same song. “Rape Me” is a prime example. The song begins with Kurt practically mumbling the title words. He gets a little more aggressive (and multi-tracked) for the first chorus of “I’m the only one”’s and is in full-throated roar by song’s end.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is an instant classic and probably one of the 10 best songs ever recorded, and it manages to be so with a primarily unintelligible lyric. However, two seconds into that song, there’s no way you won’t be playing air guitar or bopping your head to Grohl’s powerful drumming (one of my lifelong dreams has been to learn how to play the drums so I can either emulate the drumming on this song or Led Zeppelin’s “When The Levee Breaks”)
This album is a great listen all the way through, but several tracks stand out. “About A Girl” is probably the closest Kurt ever came to writing a traditional love song, and it’s excellently written and performed. The sing-along melody and the gentle(r) guitar parts give the track kind of a Beatles feel, which was made even more obvious when Nirvana performed the song on MTV Unplugged in 1993.
“Sliver” is notable for it’s bizarre ‘gramma take me home” chorus and was the beginning of Nirvana’s patented quiet verse/loud chorus formula.
“Heart-Shaped Box” and “Pennyroyal Tea” are both glossed up somewhat due to the participation of REM producer Scott Litt, who remixed both tracks for single release. They don’t deviate much from the original tracks as performed on “In Utero”, but they do have a slightly poppier sheen, which gives the songs more focus on the singing and melodies as opposed to the loudness.
The album ends with two outstanding performances from the Unplugged special. Kurt led the band through a shuffling version of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World”, and there’s also a haunting, slowed-down version of “All Apologies”.
Kurt, as we all know, was a bit overtaken by his sudden fame (not to mention a debilitating addiction to heroin) and took his own life at the age of 27. Many folks have elevated Kurt to martyr status. Truth is, Kurt (and Dave & Krist) did much for rock music. No, he didn’t rid the world of fluffy pop music (have a cursory look at the top artists in the year after “Nevermind” hit #1 and you’ll still find the likes of Color Me Badd, Boyz II Men and the like), but he did rid the world of hair metal (except for Bon Jovi & Def Leppard), and played a huge part of bringing the aggressive, tortured spirit of punk rock back into music.
Um…what else is there to say? Great songs, great band, great album. “Nirvana” is a must-have compilation from one of the most important bands of the 90’s.
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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