CORPORATE LINE: The box set contains 81 tracks, 68 which were previously unreleased. The box set spans Nirvana’s entire career, from a recording of Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker” at the band’s first show in 1987 to solo acoustic performances from singer-guitarist Kurt Cobain in 1994. With The Lights Out features a 60-page color booklet with rare photos and liner notes by Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and writer Neil Strauss.
The three CDs, arranged largely chronologically contains home and rehearsal demos, including for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (whose lyric “With the lights out” provides the set’s title), “Rape Me,” “Heart Shaped Box” and a trio penned by legendary bluesman Leadbelly.
Heard in the 12 previously unreleased solo acoustic tracks are such gems as “All Apologies,” “Lithium” and “Sliver.” Six previously unreleased radio performances range from “Anorexorcist” in 1987 to “Dumb” in 1991 (two years before it was on 1993’s In Utero). Along with the remaining debuts are a handful of earlier issued, though rare, b-sides and demos as well as the original Butch Vig mix of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Highlighted on the With The Lights Out DVD is a previously unreleased video of nine songs performed in 1988 at bassist Krist Novoselic’s mother’s house in Aberdeen, Washington; the rare “In Bloom” Sub Pop music video, and 10 never-before-seen live performances. Noteworthy among them are debut renditions of “Pennyroyal Tea”, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” both from early 1991. Also premiering is an unlikely performance of Jacques Brel and Rod McKuen’s “Seasons In The Sun” shot at a Rio de Janeiro studio.
Nirvana debuted on album with 1989’s Bleach (years later going platinum), followed by the EP Blew, each on Seattle-based Sub Pop. Drummer Dave Grohl joined in fall 1990 and soon after the band signed to Geffen Records. Nevermind (1991), propelled by the platinum Top 10 anthem “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and its landmark music video, hit #1 and is now 10 times platinum. Up next were the Top 40, platinum Incesticide (1992) and the #1, quintuple platinum In Utero (1993). In April 1994, Cobain committed suicide. Issued posthumously have been 1994’s MTV Unplugged In New York (#1, quintuple platinum), 1996’s live compilation From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah (#1, platinum) and 2002’s “best of” Nirvana (#3, platinum).
THE SONGS: You can’t deny that Kurt Cobain was a great songwriter. His songs were the reason Cobain became a legend, yet With The Lights Out has a lot of songs that were never released formally for a reason—they weren’t very good. We get those demos here in all of their non-glory. That’s not to say “About A Girl” wasn’t great—the version we get isn’t—its all tremolo guitar with Cobain’s singing as if he were being suffocated by a pillow.
It is extraordinary to hear “Polly” and other demo recordings from 1988 to realize how far ahead of everyone else Cobain was. A demo of Leadbelly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” doesn’t capture the masterpiece from the Unplugged session.
Some versions of the demos are interesting if for no other reason than witnessing greatness being created. “Lithium” and “Even In His Youth” bleed emotion. The “Rape Me” demo wasn’t hashed out and yet you know it was going to be great.
FRANKLY: Any diehard Nirvana fan has already found these songs on bootlegs, B-Sides, etc.—and for these fans it might not be worth the effort of buying this boxset. To be frank, this could have been one solid album and not three. I’ve been a huge fan of Nirvana and have waited for years for this to be released and only to be disappointed. The DVD has footage of Cobain singing, screaming, “The Immigrant Song” in a basement at a wall. It’s quite bizarre and yet for whatever reason you are drawn in.
Geffen wanted to make a few bucks off of their golden child Kurt Cobain and what fans got is With The Lights Out. Perhaps as fans we’d never be happy no matter what was released and maybe we should be happy we get whatever bits Nirvana has on a record. Yet one has to wonder what Kurt would have thought of an overpriced box set featuring songs that obviously weren’t ready for prime time.
+ Rae Gun
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