Wednesday 9 November 2011

Nirvana ~ Nevermind 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition.







Spring is here again, tender age in bloom, he knows not what it means, sell the kids for food, we can have some more • The water is so yellow, I'm a healthy student, you're my vitamins • Take your time, hurry up, the choice is yours, don't be late • And just maybe I'm to blame for all I've heard but I'm not sure, I'm so excited I can't wait to meet you there but I don't care • I don't care if it's old, I don't mind if I don't have a mind, get away from your home • Have to have poison skin, give an inch take a smile • Never met a wise man, if so it's a woman, gotta find a way to find a way, I had better wait • One more special message to go, as defense I'm neutered and spayed, what the hell am I trying to say? I got so high that I scratched till I bled • The second coming came in last and out of the closet • At the end of the rainbow and your rope • Don't hurt yourself, I want some help to help myself, she's just as bored as me • I've got this friend you see, who makes me feel, I don't regret a thing • And the animals I've trapped have all become my pets • Our little group has always been and always will until the end, with the lights out it's less dangerous, here we are now, entertain us, I feel stupid and contagious, here we are now entertain us, a mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido, yay, yay, a denial, I'm worse at what I do best and for this gift I feel blessed, I found it hard, it was hard to find, oh well, whatever, nevermind.


"Punk is musical freedom," says Nirvana's guitarist-singer Kurt Cobain. "It's saying, doing and playing what you want. In Webster's terms, nirvana means freedom from pain, suffering and the external world, and that's pretty close to my defination of punk rock."


As for Nirvana's music, it can be described as hard rock riffing with punk rock energy - all within a pop sensibility. "By defination pop is extremely catchy, whether you like it or not," Cobain says. "There are some pop songs I hate but I can't get them out of my head. Our songs also have the standard pop format: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, bad solo. All in all, I think we sound like The Knack and the Bay City Rollers being molested by Black Flag and Black Sabbath."


Drummer Dave Grohl agrees: "Yeah, I can see an inverted cross draped with plaid scarves drawn by Raymond Pettibon while he's whistling 'My Sharona." Adds bass guitarist Chris Novoselic: "Pop is the strongest of our sensibilities 'cause god knows we don't have any common sense."


Says Cobain, "People have opened up to an appreciation of hard rock in punk and it's great that they've fused together. Now it's time to appreciate the pop side. Attitude is one thing but a good song is the most important thing, it's the only way to really touch someone."


Therein lies the rationale behind the title Nevermind. "No one, escpecially people our own age, wants to address important issues," Cobain continues. "They'd rather say, 'Nevermind, forget it.' On one hand we're not a political band -- we're just some guys playing music -- but we're not just another mindless band asking people to forget either. There's no rebellion in rock 'n' roll anymore. I hope underground music can influence the mainstream and shake up the kids. Maybe we can change some kid's life and stop him from becoming a welder or a sleazy lawyer. Maybe what we need is a generation gap."


Maybe what we need is Nirvana.

~ extracted from The History passages contain within the box set.


......................................................................................................


The set arrived. My first CD box set. Did not expect it to be coffee table book size set. Comes with the original album and b-sides from the singles, several alternative mixes, the abandoned Devonshire mix by Butch Vig, the live at Paramount concert and the DVD. Honestly, for hardcore fans only. Most fans would probably got most versions from previous and various releases anyway. I didn't (except for the singles box set). Budget conscious fans should probably settle for the 2-CD Deluxe version, which should be fine. And if wanna save even more, forget about the whole releases. Just stick to the original album. Now where's Achtung Baby...

No comments: