Complete selected discography of NIRVANA

Nirvana Essentially a greatest-hits collection with one previously unreleased song, "You Know You're Right," and producer Scott Litt's 1994 remix of "Pennyroyal Tea," Nirvana the album is nevertheless a welcome addition to the band's canon. Crisp, elegant liner notes by Rolling Stone writer David Fricke put us squarely in Kurt Cobain's mindset as he entered a Seattle studio in January 1994--a full two days later than expected--to record what would be his final session with Nirvana. The resulting "You Know You're Right" locates Cobain at the apogee of his disenfranchisement with tongue nevertheless planted firmly in cheek. Bawdy, raucous, and venomous, "You Know You're Right" could have been lifted from Nevermind. A mix of tracks from that album ("Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Come as You Are," "Lithium," and "In Bloom") sits opposite stuff from early EPs and the Bleach disc ("About a Girl," "Been a Son," and "Sliver"), plus two from the MTV Unplugged sessions and several more from In Utero. Not the Nirvana treasure chest we hoped for, but solid nonetheless.

MTV Unplugged in New York The last Nirvana collection recorded before the untimely death of Kurt Cobain, Unplugged caught many by surprise with its stripped down, neo-acoustic offerings with a bridled fury. When Cobain sings, "I swear I don't have a gun, I don't have a gun" with clenched teeth (instead of an open howl) and when the haunting strains of "About a Girl"--from their earliest LP--chills even with quieted guitars, you discover a new appreciation for the nuances of one of the greatest bands of recent times. Highlights include covers of three Meat Puppets tracks (featuring special guests Curt and Kris Kirkwood of that influential "college rock" band), the weepy cello on the Vaselines' "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam," and their cover of David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World."

Nevermind If Nevermind's sound is familiar now, it's only because thousands of rock records that followed it were trying very hard to cop its style. It tears out of the speakers like a cannonball, from the punk-turbo-charged riff of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" onward, magnifying and distilling the wounded rage of 15 years of the rock underground into a single impassioned roar. Few albums have occupied the cultural consciousness like this one; of its 12 songs, roughly 10 are now standards. The record's historical weight can make it hard to hear now with fresh ears, but the monumental urgency of Kurt Cobain's screams is still shocking.

Incesticide Originally intended as a stopgap record following the massive success of Nirvana's Nevermind, the archival Incesticide album has taken on an added significance in light of subsequent events. Consisting of outtakes, demos, non-album singles, and live BBC sessions, it's a fascinating if less-than-truly essential listening experience. Highlights include the rip-roaring childhood memoir "Sliver" and its caustic companion (from a pre-Nevermind single) "Dive." There's also a brilliant cover of the Vaselines' "Molly's Lips." Particularly harrowing, however, are Kurt Cobain's liner notes, which at times sound eerily like his suicide note, deriding the fame and money that came upon him like a tsunami, and ultimately wiped him out.

Bleach When it first appeared, Bleach seemed like a tuneful approximation of what grunge rock in the Northwest United States was supposed to sound like--gruff, enraged, sometimes tuneful, sometimes silly. Singer Kurt Cobain had the pipes to belt out such power trash as "Mr. Moustache" and the Shocking Blue's "Love Buzz," but considering the sheer volume of frustrated tuneage coming out of Seattle in 1989, it was easy to miss Bleach's subtler textures. In retrospect, "Negative Creep" and "About a Girl" are the obvious standouts that point toward the strum and bang attack that would catapult Nevermind to the top of the charts. But this is also a band without drummer Dave Grohl; his predecessor, Chad Channing (and also the Melvins' Dale Crover), while competent, is no Grohl. Producer Jack Endino gave this album the best sound $600 could buy.

In Utero Overwhelmed by sudden success, Nirvana promised to take a harsher, more abrasive route on their second major-label release. Enlisting Chicago-based noise maven Steve Albini (of Big Black fame), Kurt Cobain and company succeeded in producing a record that was violent, disillusioned, and deeply moving. Every song reads like a commentary on the cost of fame ("Serve the Servants") and the unhealthy relationship between performer and fan ("Milk It"). Of course, they might all simply be about Courtney Love. Gossip aside, there is no denying the sheer power of Cobain's songwriting, his singing, and the band's amazing, visceral power. Cobain even manages a John Lennon-like mantra at the end of the heart-wrenching "All Apologies." "All in all is all we are," he intones repeatedly, only for Cobain that's no consolation.

From the Muddy Banks of Wishka Kurt Cobain's former bandmates Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl clearly had an agenda in compiling From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah, the second of what will no doubt be a long line of posthumous Nirvana albums. Because of its somber, intense nature, the first post-Cobain release, MTV Unplugged in New York, was largely perceived as music for a wake--an impression reinforced by MTV's constant airings of the special in the days following Cobain's suicide. But that acoustic detour aside, the Nirvana live experience was always about displaying a lust for life--not a death wish--with all the energy the musicians could muster. Wishkah offers 16 songs spanning the band's career, all delivered in the loudest, most frenzied, and sometimes the sloppiest versions imaginable. In the opening "Intro," a snippet of pre-show noise, Cobain screams his heart out in joyful contrast to the haunted screams on "Where Did You Sleep Last Night." Then the group launches into "School," which ends with the spirited chorus "Don't be sad." Indeed, it's impossible to dwell on the maudlin when listening to these renditions of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Sliver," "Heart-Shaped Box," and "Negative Creep"--they're too loud and too full of life. But while it should be applauded, Wishkah isn't the great lost Nirvana album--there are no unheard gems to add to the catalog--and in the end, it isn't nearly as essential as any of the band's studio albums--or even the downbeat but revelatory Unplugged.

Singles Box (6 CD5) 1995 release featuring all six of their CD singles for the label, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', 'Come As You Are', 'In Bloom', 'Lithium', 'All Apologies' and 'Heart-Shaped Box'. 11 of the 19 tracks found here are non-album cuts, including live versions of 'School', 'Drain You', 'Sliver', 'Polly' and 'Been A Son'. Each CD comes in a separate slimline jewel case & together are housed within a full color2 inch x 5 inch x 6 inch full color CD-sized slipcase box.