Nirvana: tumbleweed caught in a twister

The eagerly awaited Nirvana boxset has finally materialised with 3CDs featuring 81 tracks, with 63 of these being previously unreleased recordings of rehearsals, outtakes and Kurt's home demos, and the DVD featuring unreleased band home movies, live and rehearsal footage and 20 full length video performances.

Nirvana were one of the most important bands to ever emerge from the US underground scene and 'With The Lights Out' is an indispensable addition to any collection although it is doubtful it would gain them some more fans. Still, will it ever be Kurt Cobain’s final epitaph? Probably not because this is the compromise following a bitter, lengthy legal dispute between Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, and the surviving band members.

The last legend’s last disc, then? Nope. More like an absurd move to collect all unreleased tracks but the major gaps are evident, in particular most of the group‘s final recording sessions. There are undoubtedly sufficient Cobain diamonds to warrant a solo restrospective sometime in the future. Love has described the rest of the unreleased material as “Rock’n’Roll’s Holly Grail”, more than hinting that there is more interesting stuff to come.

As much as it makes point that - although Krist Novoselic and eventually Dave Grohl are integral part - Nirvana is Cobain‘s vehicle that makes ‘With The Lights Out’ [a phrase used in the era-defining single, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’] a frustrating and an exhilarating experience, in equal measures. The band’s anthemic song appears in three different guises, for instance.

But then, in words of bassist Novoselic [from his book ‘Of Grunge & Government’, p: 20-21], “Nirvana was truly a phenomenon. We virtually came out of nowhere and found ourselves plopped in the middle of popular culture. The album [‘Nevermind’] broke through with the single ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. It turned into an anti-anthem that rallied the disaffected. I’ve always felt that the song was an observation of a culture mired in boredom amidst relative luxury. In other words, many have the means to make their own way but choose not to do so. The lyrics don’t convey a literal message guiding people toward a sense of liberation. It’s simply a comment on a condition.” And the condition turned to be global and unbearable to the singer.

Discs cover two-years periods and the first, 1987-1989, includes some diabolical cuts, such as ‘Heartbreaker’ and ‘Beans’, an exercise in futility during 101 seconds. Disc Two, 1990-1992, covers the pinnacle of Kurt’s creativity and includes versions of ‘Breed’ , Peel-session ‘Dumb’ and ‘Endless Names’, nine-minute of hypnosis! Disc 3 covers 1992-1994 and it maps the descent via harrowing times, although ‘All Apologies’ is in all its demo vulnerability. ‘I Hate Myself and Want To Die’ - Cobain wanted it as the title track for what turned to be ‘In Utero’ album, only to appear on a Beavis and Butthead soundtrack - simply sounds fatalistic.

DVD offers more insights with, for instance, Cobain on drums and vocals and Novoselic and [Dave, now leading Foo Fighters] Grohl on guitars, covering ‘Sessions in the Sun’ in 1993, a Terry Jacks’s version that was the frontman’s first vinyl purchase. It is a story of a dying man’s farewell… Nirvana left a huge legacy and are probably the last big Rock band, ever. They simply meshed rock and punk, nothing revolutionary, with pop-catchy melodies and imagery that was time-reflective, captivating, dark and gloomy.

Kurt is the subject of the same speculation about Jimi Hendrix’ potential - what could he have achieved if he’d lived? The answer’s the same: probably not much more but, at least, we wouldn’t be having this kind of dubious collection of rejects, demos and outtakes. Thus, ‘With The Lights Out’ is for fans, completitists and anyone with £37.99 and nothing better to spend it on.

This is more of a curio than a definitive overview… But then, Nirvana were flawed and that’s what made them truly great! And, Kurt - the last rock legend. After him, the drought cometh…

8/10