A year ago Geffen/UMe released the jam packed, ultimate Nirvana box set With the Lights Out. This was a 3-CD/1-DVD box that was one of the best selling box sets of all time. With the Lights Out included rare never before heard tracks recorded in bedrooms and studios all over the world. Sliver: The Best of the Box is some highlights of this box as well as 3 previously unreleased tracks. If for some bizarre reason you do not own With the Lights Out this CD will give you a taste of what you are missing thus urging you to go purchase said box. Sliver is swollen with 22 tracks, 18 from said box, 3 previously unreleased and a fun colorful little booklet.
Now be prepared the majority of these tracks are not big name studio produced songs with all the bells and whistles. These are raw, painfully hilarious recordings that further prove that Kurt was a genius lyrically, comically and musically. This CD is a musical version of the Journals, snippets taken from 1985-1993. Kurt sings, talks, cracks jokes, mixes words and notes backwards and forwards.
Sliver includes the familiar songs “Smells Like Teen Spirit” recorded at a rehearsal with Kurt ad-libbing words and “Heart Shaped Box” recorded in a Rio de Janeiro studio. Previously unreleased tracks include “Come As You Are” another rehearsal recording, a demo of “Spank Thru” and a studio recording of “Sappy” all excellent additions. Rare, raw home demos of “You Know You’re Right”, “All Apologies”, as well as, cover versions of Led Zep’s “Heartbreaker” and Leadbelly’s “Ain’t It a Shame”. Two versions of “Rape Me” that prove Kurt could pull off acoustic or electric or whatever he wanted for that matter. A home version of “Sliver” proves to be a good choice for the namesake of this CD; I always thought it was one of the best Nirvana songs. The progression of songs also highlights the different players in the band with Dale Crover from The Melvins on the first track playing bass and drums. Other drummers include Aaron Burckhard, Dave Foster, Chad Channing and the amazingly talented Dave Grohl. Second guitar players Jason Everman and Pat Smear lend their talents and Krist Novoselic completes the set.
Another nice addition is the booklet with liner notes, timelines and quotes from band members, friends and producers adding insight to what was happening at the time of each recording. Pictures of posters, album covers and photo shoots complete the booklet.
If you are a hard core Nirvana fan or a music collector this is a must have. If you have never heard of Nirvana (then you have been living on a planet in another solar system) and want to know what the all the buzz was and still is about this band then Sliver is a great place to start. It chronicles Kurt and the bands progression through the world that was his art. If you are an up and coming band you must go get this CD. Live it, learn it, feel it and enjoy. This is musical art 101. Kurt lived and breathed his passion; this is obvious from the first note. |