Nirvana - Nirvana (US) > Reviews > Nirvana

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Previously unreleased song, selection of some of the bands greatest songs .
Disadvantages:	Few great songs missing .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Despite the band being tragically cut down in their prime due to lead Kurt Cobain's suicide (debatable), Nirvana were the biggest band of their generation and one of the most influential of all time. They changed music forever and the release of this greatest hits album, including an insight as to what was to come from this great band in "You Know You're Right", is a great tribute to these legendary musicians. Despite the omission of some great songs ("Drain You", "Breed" and "Polly") this album encapsulates hits from every Nirvana record, from the early days of Bleach, through to what proved to be the bands finale In Utero. But the record starts with the last song to be released by Nirvana "You Know You're Right" which apart from a couple of vocal and guitar overdubs was recorded in one take. "Things have never been so swell, I have never felt this well" provides an ironic insight as to how Cobain was feeling a few short months before his untimely death.
A re-mastered version of "About a Girl" is the only song from the bands first album "Bleach" followed by "Been a Son" and "Sliver" from the B- side album "Incesticide". Then come the hits from the legendary "Nevermind" which saw the bands rise to fame, knocking Michael Jackson's "Dangerous" from the top of the billboard charts. A Nirvana greatest hits collection wouldn't be complete without the bands greatest hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit". The song which launched alternative music into the mainstream is followed by "Come As You Are," "Lithium" and "In Bloom" which completes the songs from "Nevermind." These are followed by "In Utero" tracks; the beautiful "Heart Shaped Box," "Pennyroyal Tea," the brilliant "Rape Me" and "Dumb." The album ends with songs from their legendary MTV Unplugged session including a cover of Bowie's "Man Who Sold the World."
This is a must have for all Nirvana fans old and new. It is the perfect record to get if you are only just getting into Nirvana as it contains a majority of their best songs. For the older fans, it gives us something to remember one of the greatest bands of our time. As bassist Krist Novoselic put it, "use your guitar as a drum; just catch a groove and let it flow out of your heart. That's the level Kurt spoke to us on, in our hearts. And that's where he and the music will always be, forever."