Nirvana

Well, no introduction necessary here. Nirvana EXPLODED on the scene back in 1991--it seemed like I had just heard of the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit", and a week later, EVERYONE knew about them! They put out a few great albums and then went out with a bang...literally! Okay, okay, I know I shouldn't make fun of Kurt Cobain blowing his head off with a shotgun, but if that's the case, why is it that every since Nirvana page out there has a copy of Kurt Cobain's suicide note?

In the wake of Cobain's brain-splattering, drummer Dave Grohl continued his musical career with the band Foo Fighters. I have no idea what Chris Novoselik (sp?) is doing these days.

"Bleach"

  1. "Blew" (2:53)
  2. "Floyd the Barber" (2:15)
  3. "About a Girl" (2:46)
  4. "School" (2:40)
  5. "Love Buzz" (3:33)
  6. "Paper Cuts" (4:04)
  7. "Negative Creep" (2:52)
  8. "Scoff" (4:07)
  9. "Swap Meet" (3:00)
  10. "Mr. Moustache" (3:21)
  11. "Sifting" (5:21)
  12. "Big Cheese" (3:39)
  13. "Downer" (1:42)

I'm not as familiar with the songs here as I should be, but it does contain some pretty good music.

"Nevermind"

  1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (5:00)
  2. "In Bloom" (4:14)
  3. "Come As You Are" (3:38)
  4. "Breed" (3:02)
  5. "Lithium" (2:54)
  6. "Polly" (2:54)
  7. "Territorial Pissings" (2:22)
  8. "Drain You" (3:43)
  9. "Lounge Act" (2:36)
  10. "Stay Away" (3:31)
  11. "On a Plain" (3:14)
  12. "Something in the Way" (3:50)
  13. "Endless, Nameless"--unlisted track after 10 minutes of silence (6:45)

A mega-popular classic, of course...this album set the standard for grunge rock. A few of the slower songs ("Come As You Are", "Lithium") get on my nerves because they got overplayed so much--I prefer the heavier, faster stuff, especially "Territorial Pissings" and "On a Plain".

Oh yeah...one thing I will never forgive this band for is starting the trend of tacking on TEN MINUTES of silence to the final track, followed by a hidden song. Now EVERYONE is doing it, obviously just to piss us all off. Yeah, just MAKE me get up from my couch to hit fast-forward! (And all you remote-control-operated CD player owners can just suck me...)

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" (CD single)

  1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit"--edit (4:30)
  2. "Even in His Youth" (4:20)
  3. "Aneurysm" (4:44)

Just a CD single with a few unreleased tracks.

"In Utero"

  1. "Serve the Servants" (3:34)
  2. "Scentless Apprentice" (3:47)
  3. "Heart-Shaped Box" (4:39)
  4. "Rape Me" (2:49)
  5. "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle" (4:07)
  6. "Dumb" (2:29)
  7. "Very Ape" (1:55)
  8. "Milk It" (3:52)
  9. "Pennyroyal Tea" (3:36)
  10. "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" (4:49)
  11. "tourette's" (1:33)
  12. "All Apologies" (3:50)

Before this CD came out, the rumor was that it was so experimental, it was unlistenable. But it turned out pretty good, I think. I'm not fond of how "Rape Me" rips off the riff from "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (although it's not as shameless as the countless other bands, such as Bush, which have ripped off Nirvana's music!) but I like the lyrics for "All Apologies": "What else can I say/Everyone is gay..." Hey, can anyone guess the name of the last song Nirvana ever recorded? It's pretty funny when you think about it!

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