Nirvana's final chapter
937320
Big ups to MTV for arranging this most memorable Unplugged performance. Everything about it seemed to spell doom, [from the obscure covers chosen to the lack of hits played], but Nirvana turned in a brilliant if not haunting performance. Admist a backdrop of lily's and lit candles that resembled a funeral the songs selected seemed to take a life of their own, pulling even the most cynical listener in. Stripped of their trademark dropped D tuned distorted guitars the result was magnificent. The set consisted of no Teen Spirit or Lithium, only the hits Come As You Are and All Apologies were played that night along with six covers including the show finale Where Did You Sleep Last Night which Kurt seemed to run out of breath at the end. A true masterpiece.
183971
In a review for The B-52's "Cosmic Thing" (released in 1989), the star reviewer wrote that Nirvana's "Nevermind" made alot of things "irrelevant" upon its release in 1991.  I feel that sums up the impact of this album quite nicely.

Very few albums come along and make such a cultural and musical impact to the point where music industry execs trip over themselves to find copycats to spread the magic (and money) and "Nevermind" was one of those albums.

For today's teenagers who *might* watch VH1's "I Love the 90's" (and laugh at those early-90's hair and clothes), they would have a hard time grasping exactly how "Nevermind" (and the Sound of Seattle - including Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains) turned the music scene inside out in the early-90's.  Until then, so-called "hair metal" bands ruled the charts and even the late Kurt Cobain himself stated that people wanted something different than Warrant (although I never stopped loving bands such as Warrant, Winger, Poison, etc.  At least they could write songs dealing with topics other than being angry 24/7 and they could sing some great ballads).

Nevertheless, I was excited to see the change this album brought to popular music (it was time for change) and the results (for me) were 50/50: It inspired some good ones and a whole lot of bad ones (but blame music company execs for that!).

As for all this talk about The Beatles vs. Nirvana: People are simply comparing apples to oranges and it's outright dumb (ignorant, really) to compare two very different groups from two very different time periods (although it's worth mentioning that the first song Cobain played on the guitar was a Beatles tune and they were one of his main musical inspirations).  As much of an impact as Nirvana had in the early-90's, it was nowhere near the scale of The Beatles.  Period.

For me, "Nevermind" is a classic and, 15 years after its release, you can still feel the change it generated within the music industry. Listening to this never fails to put a smile on my face. - Donna Di Giacomo
3113749
I really wasn't a big Nirvana fan in the early to mid-nineties. I thought there were much better 'alternative' bands than Nirvana. Nevertheless, Nirvanan was a breathe of fresh air on the radio. They helped usher out the hair metal bands that were polluting the radio airwaves. The silliness of the '80s were wearing out its welcome. Who would have thought that a virtually unknown Seattle band would unseat the (former) king of pop Michael Jackson on the Billboard #200 charts with an album chockful of nihilism, angst, and distorted guitar?

As overrated as "Nevermind" is, I still think it was a pretty good rock album. The music was a definite contrast from the overindulgence of the hair metal scene . I definitely preferred the band's last studio album "In Utero" over "Nevermind" but "Nevermind" had its charms. I love the bassline for "Come As You Are". That is my personal favorite song off "Nevermind". I liked the melodies a lot more than "Smells Like Teen Spirit". "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was and is a good rock song but unfortunately it fell victim to radio overkill. Still I can't deny of the hookiness of the opening guitar riffs. My favorite non-single off the cd is "Territorial Pissings". I thought that song really represented Nirvana as a band than "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

As a whole "Nevermind" was a good rock album which I cannot deny.

As good as "Nevermind" is, it definitely wasn't the masterpiece that a lot of people made it out to be. I thought that albums by L7, The Rollins Band, Fugazi, The Gits, 7 Year B***h, Social Distortion, and Babes in Toyland that came out around "Nevermind" represented the alternative counter-culture and punk music much better. Nevertheless, "Nevermind" did help change the landscape of the music scene even if for three short years.
3122924
Nirvana are an excellent band. Their sound was a mix of classic,punk, and blues rock that was very original. Of course, this sound has been imitated countless times since then, but Nirvana did it best. Now look what we have. Bands like Kid Rock and Nsync dominate our airwaves. No album of the 90's is as good as this (or In Utero for that matter). Ignore criticism towards this album, it is truly magnificent. The only albums in my collection to rival this are "Master of Puppets" by Metallica and "Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd. Buy this along with the rest of Nirvana's albums and prepare to be amazed by the musical and lyrical talent of one of the best bands of our time.
3699407
Like most hardcore Nirvana fans, I have a love/hate relationship with NEVERMIND. On the one hand, this is, from start to finish, a fantastic album and one of the most influential of all time (certainly the most influential of the 90s). Melodic, catchy, quiet tunes like COME AS YOU ARE and SOMETHING IN THE WAY coexist with classic punk rock songs like BREED, STAY AWAY and the legendary SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT. There are few albums that are more catchy and fun to listen to than this is.

But that's the thing-as fun as it is to listen to, it just doesn't feel like Nirvana at times. Nirvana isn't always about singing along at parties; it's about listening to screaming guitar feedback and Kurt's haunting voice, being hypnotized. Kurt sounds great here, but he and the band in general feel "neutered," so to speak-everything feels a little *too* perfect, and I personally feel that this album is the least of Nirvana's three studio offerings.

But that isn't to say this is a bad album-even without the stripped down, unpolished feeling of BLEACH, the energy still pervades this album, and you can still "feel" the emotion on songs like LITHIUM and DRAIN YOU. Overall, this album is great, even if it does overshadow Nirvana's other work (which, in my opinion, is far superior).
4260989
Maybe Kurt was just at the right place at the right time. Maybe he was a sloppy guitar player. But he was a good song writer and he was honest. Call it Nirvana. That's what it is.

I was 12, maybe 13 when I was first truly starting to love this band. Something spoke to me. After seeing the Unplugged performance on Much Music I had to own it on video. Finally today, 13 years later, I am.

Nirvana unplugged was to me then what it is to me now. An honest performance of a band at its best that spoke to a generation and more.

Call Cobain what you will. He is the Elvis and The Beatles of a later generation.

And just so you know, there hasn't been an artist in rock as big since.

To finally see the entire concert uncut in the pleasure of my own home is a blessing. As a bonus, you can view the original aired version. The rehearsals offer insight into how the night was played out. See why Kurt was worried about screwing up 'The Man Who Sold The World', and why 'PennyRoyal Tea' was a solo performance. See for yourself why Nirvana Unplugged is a testament of time.
4026393
Get me if I'm wrong, but when Kurt Cobain died you remember they played this on MTV like twenty trillion times?

It didn't make me happy because at the time I didn't like Nirvana. I had once before but abandoned them for earlier rock that was really peaking my interest at the time. like, The Doors.

Over time, I've rediscovered that Nirvana truly was a great band of my time, (and there really wasn't many of those) this album being no exception.

Unplugged is an excellent disc and a great departure from NEVERMIND and IN UTERO and can easily be considered the bands third classic release in a row.

The cover songs are all amazing and are so well done that these days are considered by most as NIRVANA songs. Even the old time LEADBELLY track IN THE PINES has now been rehailed a NIRVANA. David Bowie, The Vaselines, Meat Puppets.... All done NIRVANA style ACOUSTIC.

They even breathe new life into lost cuts like ABOUT A GIRL. And they pull off the loud songs too!

IF I EVER SAID OTHERWISE, FORGET IT. THIS IS THE BEST NIRVANA ALBUM!
1303153
Of course, we all know that Nevermind was THE Nirvana album that broke them into the mainstream audience, yet the true feel of the album wasn't all about what grunge was about - more melodic pop catchy hooks and a clean production quality. Don't get me wrong, I thought this album was pretty good but it just didn't capture Kurt Cobain's real feel for Nirvana and what he wanted to make as this CD was highly accessible of a release, but there are some very memorable songs on here such as "Come As You Are" and "Lithium" as well as the well known "Smells Like Teen Spirit." This CD is a good start for new Nirvana fans, but if you want what Kurt Cobain really felt for get "In Utero" or their debut "Bleach."
1862642
Some people decry sir Pauls affiliation with the remaining members of nirvana as sacrilege,  but speaking as a former apathetic youth that loved nirvana and dedicated poems to Kurt after his death, I can honestly say that this song is really good.  Believe it or not the music of nirvana had something to do with their immense popularity, and that is on full display here.  And so is Paul's chops on whatever kind of guitar he used on this track.  If you want to see this song performed live(as well as Paul's craazy guitar), look up the snl performance around Christmas time 2013.  The only thing I still can't condone is they're allowing it to be used for a commercial.
3438348
Nirvana is my favorite band and when i got this cd (about a year ago) i was blown away by its awesome tunes. Kurt Cobain is a genius in his songwriting. I would totally recommend this albulm for anyone that is into grunge or any type of rock.

  ~R.I.P.-kurt cobain~
3039668
This is by far Nirvana's greatest album.  From the beginning to the end, Kurt's genious can be heard and felt through the entire CD.  This is one of the few albums with no bad songs on it.  It contains some of Nirvana's biggest hits as well as some of their best less-known songs as well.  Grunge music is shaped after this CD.  The quality of Kurt's songwriting beats any musician writing today, and this is the highlight of rock music.  After hearing this album, I had to continue to listen to different Nirvana CDs because this CD shows their talent and genious.  If you are a rock fan, you must have this CD.
614430
Heavier Than Heaven is the best of the Kurt Cobain biographies that I have read, and I've read quite a few of them.  It tells what Kurt's life was like before Nirvana made it big and after.  It is an incredibly detailed account of his life.  For those of us who idolize him, it shows us how human he actually was.  A must read for any Nirvana, rock or punk fan.
2876814
First of all.  Nirvana probably wouldn't be much of an issue today if Kurt didn't blow his brains out.  I think that if Pearl Jam's frontman killed himself instead of Kurt then you would see a million Eddie Vedar shirts and Nirva would be where Pearl Jam is at right now. (Not all that great)

But I'm not trying to take anything away from Nirvana.  They were good.  But just because Kurt wimped out and killed himself doesn't mean we have to hear their songs 11 years later every second of the day.  Their not that great.  No one would care about them if he was still alive.  So lets drop this whole worship the dead thing and move on with our lives.

P.S.  I'd probably kill myself if I were married to Courtney Love too.
4392666
I already love Nirvana, and this just had to enter my collection! This is a must have piece! Buy Now!!!
331446
Nirvana has to be one of the greatest bands along with Foreigner, Dire Straits, Guns N' Roses, and Aerosmith. Some of their greatest songs are in 'IN BLOOM', and 'COme As YOU ARE'.

The classic 'SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT' is great but those 2 are

even better. How come people like The Beatles as they suck. Nirvana was great!!!

A letter to KURT COBAIN,

I hope you're happy that you're in heaven. I bet you didn't like it that you killed yourself in 1994. I feel very sad. I wish you

could come back and have a great time with NIRVANA again.

Thanks and enjoy,

Whirligig.
4265769
one of the best performance of the best grunge band in the world.

three of my favorite songs in this episode of unplugged are:

All apologies - Kurt's rusty voice made this stellar rendition a classic. Dave did a good job in minimizing the sound of the drum tracks to give way to Krist's sick bass lines.

Dumb - better than the rock version (original). not the best song in this 40 minute performance but it should be in every Nirvana fan's playlist.

Where did you sleep last night -  a cover of a Lead Belly's hit. Kurt's anguish towards Courtney's affair with Corgan was unleashed in this song. the scream in the latter part of the cover says it all.

Bonus:

Lake of Fire - another cover from the Vasolines. Kurt's showmanship became evident in this cover.
2748814
Nirvana unfortunaltely had to die out in the heart of their prime (R.I.P - Kurt Cobain), but their legacy will live on.  The trio made some of the finest alternaitve songs ever made and they're on here as well as a good unreleased song.  It's a shme they didn't get to put out more albums or at least record some more songs that we'd all love to hear.  A must have for fans.

#1 - 9.5 (previously unreleased)

#2 - 9

#3 - 7

#4 - 6.5

#5 - 10 (classic & their personal best)

#6 - 10 (Classic)

#7 - 10  (Another classic)

#8 - 10 (one more classic)

#9 - 8

#10 - 5

#11 - 8.5

#12 - 4

#13 - 8

#14 - 7

R.I.P. --- Kurt Cobain  d. 1994

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