I didn’t go wild for Nirvana at the time. They seemed to personify something of a back to basics approach to rock music, which was welcome, and I liked the sound, I just didn’t see them as the saviours of rock’n’roll. Kurt Cobain’s image of a time bomb waiting to explode didn’t appeal, and his sad end came as no surprise.
This live, unplugged album (recorded six months before Cobain’s death, and released six months after) features a varied mix - originals, mostly from Nevermind and In Utero, alongside several covers. And it’s a mixed bag. Some of the originals, such as Come As You Are, Polly, still sound great as does the version of Bowie's The Man Who SOld The World,, others (Pennyroyal Tea, Dumb, On A Plain) show the state of Cobain’s health. Something In The Way works well (although I’m not sure how unplugged it is), but Cobain’s destruction of the three Meat Puppets songs is painful, and the final two tracks are leaden.
And frankly, listening to this album became something of a chore. I very much doubt that the format suited the band, and wonder if it would have been released had Cobain lived.
2* - a great disappointment. It doesn’t show Nirvana off at all well.
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