Nirvana
Nirvana
Geffen

I remember the fall/winter of 1989/1990, partying with good friends listening to Bleach (among other records). I remember some other friends recapturing their trip to the Reading Festival in August 1991, where Nirvana blew everybody else off stage, off the entire festival ground. I remember hearing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for the first time, leaving me numb and speechless. I recall "Teen Spirit" being the peak of every party at the time. Every party. And soon everybody else's party. I remember seing Nirvana the following summer, live at the Roskilde Festival, first and last time for me (and I almost missed it due to Mrs. Cobain's pregnancy). I remember early April 1994 when the news cracked; the tragic death of Kurt Cobain. And the end of Nirvana.

"Things have never been so swell / And I have never felt this well" (from "You Know You're Right"). I wonder when Kurt Cobain wrote those words. At the same time as: Never speak a word again / I will crawl away for good"

I don't like Best Of/Greatest Hits collections. Put together for the purpose of making more money all over again; mugging fans, making them pay once more (I come to think of a Nirvana song called "Milk It"). Nirvana is one such Best Of thing. But I like Nirvana.

The pick of songs is another problem with collections. You can disagree or disagree. Be angry or happy with the chosen songs. Well, Nirvana is not scandalous.

"You Know You're Right" is the rare piece here. Previously unreleased, being one of the last (complete) songs that Nirvana recorded (late January 1994). And it's a good song, quite typical Nirvana in style, with its calm start before diving into the raw, with Cobain's trademark 'yeahs'.

So why bother spend money on this album for one track (I guess you've got all their records)? Try finding it online, download it, make your own fave Nirvana collection. Mine will definitely hold "Scentless Apprentice" cranked up to eleven.

Don't rush for this one. Make sure you've got their three studio albums instead. And, yes, the two live albums as well. Get Unplugged In New York - holding one of those nights; a brittle Cobain very close to cracking up, but performing as it was his last performance ever (resulting in an oustanding "Pennyroyal Tea" and an awesome version of Bowie's "The Man Who Sold The World") - to get to the nerve of Nirvana. And, get From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (compiled posthumously by Grohl and Novoselic) to understand the energy of the band.

Copyright © 2002 Håvard Oppøyen