Nirvana - With the Lights Out (Box Set)
let's get this section started off with a big one/bang, eh?
This is a boxed set that I (as well as many others) have been waiting for for a very long time. I
think I heard about it before that “Muddy Banks...” album came out, but then it was only
rumours. I was kinda worried about the actual release, as the management of the Nirvana
material has been kinda crappy of late (pretty much since Courtney got it... actually did she get
it? I don’t actually know, but I think she did... damn crazy cracker) but this set did nothing but
impress. The career spanning audio discs do a great justice to showing the evolution of the band,
beginning pre-Bleach and ending at post-InUtero. Here’s a brief review of each disc.
Disc One: Nirvana in the 80s? Alright. This is a representation of the band’s beginnings with
their original drummers (whose names - while being in the book that comes with the set right in
front of me - I am too lazy to look up) and original sound. Much closer to the metal-side of
grunge. Highlights include some demos of classic stuff (About a Girl, Polly, etc.) and “They
Hung Him on a Cross” - a bluesy type song that seems kinda odd, but oh well.
Disc Two: The “Hey! Nirvana made it to the big-time!” disc. Mostly incorporating the
sessions/live shows set around “Nevermind”, this disc is interesting because of the fact that most
of the songs on it (that we all know as they’ve been burned into our heads - like “smells like teen
spirit”) are different on it. Zuh? Makes it hard to sing along when Kurt’s singing the wrong
damn words! But, it’s quite interesting to realize that whatever he happened to sing during a
song sounded just fine. There’s a big difference in the drumming, which is quite good, as it’s a
great improvement. Go Dave. Kris was there too.
Disc Three: My personal favorite of the set is Disc Three. Set in the later years of the band to
it’s demise (1992- 1994), it’s got some of the band’s best songs (Rape me, Scentless Apprentice,
Serve the Servants, etc.) I really liked “In Utero.” Again, most of the songs sound quite a bit
different, with different words and whatnot. Scentless Apprentice is an 8 minute instrumental
jam, which is good and bad. Good because it’s quite neat to hear the difference, but bad cuz I
loved the album version lots. However, the overall sound that goes with this album is what I
knew as Nirvana, so it stands out as the clear winner in the mix. Yes, the CDs were competing
with one another. They’re weird like that - competitive bastards.
DVD: Yes, there’s a DVD included as well. With live concert/jamming/recording footage, this
DVD also spans the whole career of the band. I particularly enjoy watching the evolution of
Kris’ haircut. It’s a gradual process, but it’s there. The ending of the DVD was very
unexpected, but oh so wonderful. Kinda like when yer drinking hot chocolate that was pretty
good at best, but then the bottom has a crap-load of tasty chocolate. Only, the whole thing was
quite good... so, I guess multiply my simile by 4. Yes.
All in all, this is probably one of the best CDs I’ve gotten all year (mostly the fact that it’s
literally hours and hours of entertainment). My only complaint is this: What the hell happened
to “Incesticide”? The last several ventures to release Nirvana stuff leaves it out for the most
part, which is saddening, as it was another of my favorites. Stupid Courtney.