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Album Review
by Scott Sterling-Wilder
24-10-2002
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| Nirvana's 'Nirvana', man - rock, like! |
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Nirvana: 'Nirvana'
(Geffen)
Nirvana’s long-delayed compilation finally rocks
The sale of Kurt Cobain continues – after a prolonged period during which legal battles were sorted out – with this collection, including an unreleased song, plus his ‘Journals’ next month. In the future we’ll have a boxed set, DVDs and more unreleased material, methinks, and the some. This is as much a cynical move on the industry’s part as an attempt to undermine Foo Fighters’ new album, ‘One By One’, with only a week between the respective release dates.
Dunno whether Dave Grohl could have done something about the schedules – he’s supposed to be one of the administrators/co-owners of the Nirvana legacy after all – but, as every former member of a legendary band knows, it is always a career in the shadow of the great band (and it is bound to affect the FF’s sale figures). Nirvana couldn’t have been bigger, much adored and ending mythically sized by arriving at the time when rock was going through one of its periodical doldrums. This ‘grunge’ trio mutated it forever.
Not calling this album ‘Best of’ or ‘Greatest Hits’, which it actually is, the compilers can’t be blamed for certain omissions. What we are denied are tracks like ‘Breed’, ‘Polly’ and ‘Negative Creep’, or ‘Here She Comes Now’ from the 1991’s shared single with the Melvins or ‘Oh, The Guilt’ from the 1993’s joint single with Jesus Lizard… Thus, this is not only an incomplete review of the band’s career but even as a beginner’s guide it fails and full albums – ‘Bleach’, ‘Nevermind’, ‘In Utero’, ‘Incesticide’ and ‘From The Muddy Waters of Wishkah’ – should be consumed in detail at the earliest opportunity.
The band’s other greatest moments are present in a newly mastered form (if that’s what you are into although how much this is Rock’n’Roll is open to discussion): ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, ‘In Bloom’, ‘Lithium’, ‘Come As You Are’ (from ‘Nevermind’), ‘Heart-Shaped Box’, ‘Pennyroyal Tea’, ‘All Apologies’ (‘In Utero’) and even ‘Silver’, the A-side of a stop-gap single between the first two albums. There is also a version of David Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ the band performed for the ‘MTV Unplugged’ series. And, each track reconfirms the genius of Cobain’s songwriting: all catchy, rocking, melodious and intelligent compositions.
Then, the ‘new’ track; ‘You Know You’re Right’ is a good Nirvana song but it is not much than a demo; a very good demo – grant you, containing all the Nirvana trademarks but it sounds unfinished, it needs some polishing to be really a great track. Still, it is good to have something new form such a band. Despite of the industry’s cynicism, this is a collection of great rock songs by a great band. If you were to buy one compilation this year, this certainly is it.
It would be sad if we never have a band of this calibre and importance but the way the industry is going, it looks like a great unlikelihood…
9/10
Scott Sterling-Wilder
24-10-2002
Nirvana album ‘Nirvana’ is released 28 October 2002 on Geffen/Universal
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