Live Power

I have been on the fence about Nirvana since Cobain’s death back in 1994.  I was a freshman in high school when Kurt Cobain committed suicide.  At the time I was a big time Nirvana fan.  Nirvana’s music, along with Pearl Jam’s and countless other bands at the time, were very influential on me, helping shape the music I listen to and play.  I lived and breathed that music—not necessarily wanting to endure any emotional or physical pains, but I somehow related to it, got some energy from it.

But when Cobain died and the way he died, my attitude shifted.  I already knew about the drug addictions, the crazy wife, and other issues that had littered his life, but the fact that he took the cowardly way out has always bothered me.  Here was someone on top of the world but having a difficult time coping with it, and he could have just walked away or gone into hiding.  That I recall he never sought out any type of addiction rehabilitation or medical treatment for his physical woes.  Why not?  I guess that’s something we’ll never know.

I could go on for a while about this, but I’ll spare you all in this blog.  Since then, DGC Records has released a few compilations of live and studio material.  Some of that has been stalled due to legal battles between Courtney Love and the surviving members of the band, but fortunately some stuff has at least trickled out.  One of the best of the bunch is on my list to hear.

# 7 – Nirvana, Live at Reading (Metascore = 93)

I will say right off the bat that of all of the albums I have heard since starting this blog, this is one of my favorites and one of the best.  Part of this is personal bias (see above).  But really the recording is in great shape and contains some of the best known material of the band’s career.  You have crowd noise throughout, but it doesn’t impede the overall feel.  Speaking of the crowd, this recording comes from Nirvana’s performance at the 1992 Reading Festival in Reading, England, United Kingdom.  This would be at the height of Nevermind and the b-sides release Incesticide.

Musically, the band sounds unbelievable.  I cannot mention enough how great David Grohl is as a drummer.  Sometimes I’m disappointed he plays primarily guitars on the Foo Fighters’ records, because he is a ridiculous drummer!  I have always thought this and will continue to think this.  Krist Novoselic thumps the bass guitar with authority, providing Cobain with the necessary support to fuel the songs.  Cobain’s guitar work is also very strong here, though at times his solos meander and frequently seem off kilter.  And his voice at this point is scratchy and harsh, but you never have a problem really understanding him.  The wear and tear of the road has certainly taken its toll on him.

As I mentioned earlier, this album pulls together some of their best known songs in their live form.  Super hits such as “In Bloom”, “Come As You Are”, “Aneurysm” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” are all here.  They also include a few album sides here—“Drain You”, “Been a Son”, and “Lounge Act”, to name a few.  The listener also gets early live takes on songs that would come out with their release In Utero—“tourette’s”, “All Apologies”, and “Dumb”.  Of all of the songs here, my personal favorites were “Aneurysm”, “School”, “Lithium”, and “On a Plain”.  But the focus of this set is primarily Nevermind (I failed to mention that songs from Bleach are also here).

For diehard fans of Nirvana, this record is right up your alley.  The recording is so clear for a live album and really presents the band in an amazing light.  For newer listeners, the album presents many of their best known songs in one place.  For someone like me, this is a reminder of how powerful this band was in its heyday.