Icon: Nirvana

Nirvana | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Geffen Records
• ASIN: B003WO4UD4
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,078 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. You Know You're Right

2. Smells Like Teen Spirit

3. Come As You Are

4. Lithium

5. In Bloom

6. Heart-Shaped Box

7. Pennyroyal Tea

8. Rape Me

9. Dumb

10. About A Girl (acoustic)

11. All Apologies (acoustic)

Editorial Reviews

Nirvana re-defined music in the early 90's, eventually being honored as the soundtrack for Generation X. Collected here are the band's best songs including the iconic "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Come As You Are," "Rape Me," and "All Apologies," the latter track from the critically acclaimed performance on MTV Unplugged.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid if predictable collection, August 31, 2010

By 

M. E. Taylor "M.E. Taylor" (Upstate NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Icon: Nirvana (Audio CD)

You can't object to any of the songs selected for this greatest hits package as iconic Nirvana songs, with the possible exception of "Rape Me," a track that always came across as a slighter remake of "Teen Spirit," and "You Know You're Right," a fine enough song but such a latecomer (coming out nearly a decade after the band's end) that it's hardly a track to capture what made the band iconic in the early nineties. I could drop these two and add "Frances Farmer" or "Tourette's" or any of half a dozen of the other heavy tracks on In Utero. (The tracks here would lead one to believe that In Utero is a mellower album than Nevermind, which is hardly the case. The band never rocked harder than on "Scentless Apprentice," "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter," "Milk It," etc.)

Still, the songs here are all outstanding and nicely exhibit Nirvana's penchant at somehow creating heavy, dirty, ugly noises that are also insanely catchy and melodic. The collection opens with the aforementioned "You Know You're Right," a smoldering slow burn of a track that pivots nicely between Kurt's trademark growl and an almost disaffected talk-sing voice he uses on a handful of tracks. From here, one encounters the landmark "Teen Spirit," a track I well recall that seemed to open up the sky and bring down about a hundred other bands onto the scene all at once in '91-'92. Suddenly radio was playing Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins. No track has probably had more cultural impact during the past 25 years. Oh, and it's a great song, with Nirvana's classic Pixies-style dynamic move from soft to loud to soft to loud.

The next three tracks are the heart of Nevermind, though for whatever reason the collection emphasizes the slower, the midtempo, or what you might call the less punk tracks. "Breed," "Territorial Pissings," "Stay Away," "Drain You"--all a lot heavier, while still very melodic--than the tracks selected here. Still, I've always thought "Come As You Are" was perhaps Kurt's best song: it has a beautifully architectural guitar line that creates the structure for Kurt's dangerous invitation. From Nevermind, we move to the four mellowest tracks from In Utero.

"Heart Shaped Box" is a marvelous example of how Kurt was able to develop what made Nevermind great: it's somehow prettier and uglier at the same time. "Dumb" is a standout track for how very different it sounds compared to anything else the band had done. Rumor at the time was that Kurt would be collaborating with Michael Stipe, and you can hear in a track like "Dumb" the possibilities of Cobain's writing turning in that direction.

The acoustic tracks from the Unplugged session are outstanding, though it's worth noting these aren't really the standout tracks from that recording. (The cover songs are what make that collection so eye-opening and wonderful.) Is it possible that "About a Girl" is the only song from Bleach worth adding to this collection? "School" or "Love Buzz" belong here as well. And there are half a dozen tracks from Incesticide, too, that surely qualify for a collection of iconic Nirvana songs--tracks like "Aneurysm," "Dive," "Sliver," "Been a Son."

Still, it's pointless to complain about great songs that didn't make a greatest hits collection, since the nature of the beast is to frustrate fans who already know the band's oeuvre. As an introduction to Nirvana, this collection is good but not great. A great collection would celebrate as well Nirvana's capacity to rattle the walls with hard, fast, heavy punk.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars skip it, September 2, 2010

By 

parlormobisawesome "paul_jam" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Icon: Nirvana (Audio CD)

i gave it four stars cuz its nirvana and i love them. but heres a tip: skip this cd, just buy all of nirvana's stuff, and thank me later.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Nirvana :-), August 27, 2011

By 

Michal Kleslo - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Icon: Nirvana (Audio CD)

This album is great for those who are 18 or 20 and want to learn basics about Nirvana music. For me, aged 31, it's nothing special, but greatest hits collection, which I love to play while driving my car. I think it is the same as Nirvana hits collection released during last decade, but I am not sure if the tracklist is exactly the same.