Though fans will endlessly argue about the selection of tracks (what, no "Breed"?), there's no denying that the songs on "Nirvana" are all classics. Nirvana were the most influential band of their generation, galvanising the then-underground indie scene and bringing their music to the masses. Though their career was cut short by the suicide of singer and songwriter Kurt Cobain, they left in their wake a massive shift in popular music and popular culture, much like punk a generation earlier (or the Beatles before that).
The 14 tracks on "Nirvana" chart their career, from the first album on Sub Pop ("About a Girl") to the song ("Smells Like Teen Spirit") and album ("Nevermind") that changed everything, and the subsequent rarities collection ("Incesticide"'s "Sliver", "Been a Son"), the superb follow-up album ("In Utero"'s "Rape Me", "Heart-Shaped Box", "Pennyroyal Tea") and their classic "MTV Unplugged" session ("The Man Who Sold the World"). For fans and completists, there's even a previously unreleased track, "You Know You're Right". Of course, it's a superb collection, but at 14 tracks it seems a bit short. Here's hoping there's a double-CD version just around the corner. Maybe even a box set…--"Robert Burrow"