Those 'Lights' Still Burn Bright (With The Lights Out - Nirvana)

Member Name: ManUtdBoi

Product:	With The Lights Out - Nirvana
Date:	27/12/04 (452 review reads)
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I suppose that were I to sum Nirvana up in one word, then that word would have to be defining. They defined the 90’s rock scene, they defined ‘grunge’ and they defined the lives of the millions that hung on Cobain’s every word - also as unfortunate as it is to say, Kurt defined himself when he pulled the trigger on that fateful day in 1994. He was always a desperately unhappy man who had always searched for release when the world around him became to much, and he found that release by freeing himself from the world he loathed so much, whilst unfortunately taking the hopes and dreams of millions with him. Since that day, the legions of Nirvana fans have searched for the appropriate ending to a seminal band - they’ve seen the inspirational ‘MTV Unplugged’, the electric ‘Muddy Banks’ and the rather tedious ‘Greatest Hits’ package - but now, after years of court wrangling and backroom shuffles, Geffen have released what they see as an appropriate ‘final word’ on the Nirvana legacy. Courtney Love, seen as the main culprit in the demise of Cobain, finally came to an agreement with surviving members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic to release a box-set containing 3 discs, majority unheard, and a DVD of previously unseen footage which would be the last word on a career that has given us some of the finest ‘made for radio’ hits ever produced.

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The promise was for a chronological collection of Nirvana tracks and alternate cover versions, a collection that spanned the era known as grunge and encapsulated what Nirvana’s music was about. There are songs present that would turn a bootleggers head, whilst also being tracks that some would struggle to recognise, myself included. From reading magazine reviews, I gage the opinion that the set as a whole delivered it’s fair share of surprises but perhaps ended up giving a little to much to the listener, something that surprised me as it is of belief that you can never have enough of a good thing. Argument will be that Kurt may never have intended some of these tracks to see the light of day, something that was always said of his ‘Journals’, but fact remains that when you become as big as he did, you rarely have the control anymore - something that may have contributed to his untimely death. The DVD footage was always promised to be the holy grail of the set, including early performances from the days of the ‘Bleach’ album, as well as some later recordings just months prior to Kurt’s suicide, making for a poignant viewing. Having praised the band for countless years, all that is left to do is to give my opinion (as unbiased as possible) as to what ‘With The Lights Out’ has to offer……

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THE FIRST REHEARSAL TAPE OF TEEN SPIRIT IS A HAIR-ON-END MOMENT ‘Q magazine’

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As has been stated in many-a-review that I have read recently (I like to fill myself in on the general response to the product for which I am reviewing), this box set is a definite no for anyone that considers themselves to be a casual fan of Nirvana’s music. The recording quality will do more to damage such peoples minds as to elevate their interest in the band - this is solely a package for fans such as myself who love everything to do with Nirvana and especially Cobain. That’s not to say they shouldn’t try it, but with warning that there is a big risk of it not being to your tastes, not meeting the recommendations for which have been passed around regarding the band and their music over the last decade. Kurt had the tendency to record on anything he could find, often resulting in scratchy efforts with weak sound quality that would do little to enhance the band to a new follower, however these recordings become the final word as far as its concerned with the fans that have followed the band since the beginning. Not to pretend that I am, as I wasn’t old enough to know of the band in their heyday, but since 1995 I have followed Nirvana with a passion, purchasing anything and everything that the band have ever produced, resulting in the ‘With The Lights Out‘ box set, or more aptly ‘The Final Word On Nirvana’.

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KURT’S DEMOS FORESHADOW THE BRILLIANCE TO COME ‘KERRANG magazine’

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Arranged in chronological order, with the respective discs encompassing hidden treasures from the varying periods of Nirvana’s music, the box set offers further insight into Cobain’s writing techniques with his urgency to get it right very evident, something supported by the double recordings of various songs. The first disc covers the period that the band had pre-Dave Grohl, including superb radio recordings of tracks such as ‘Mrs. Butterworth’ and ‘Anorexorcist’, as well as home demos of the superb ‘Even In His Youth’ and ’Polly‘. As much as this set is supposedly the ultimate insight into Nirvana’s music, a hilarious version of ’Beans’, containing helium filled vocals, does little to damage the entertainment factor of the set, showing that Cobain was more than a depressive loner. It’s things such as that which make you appreciate what Cobain gave, that in the comfort of his own spaces he was a revelation full of wit and hilarity, and the pleasure that it gives to hear him do so, even ten years on from his sad demise. The repeat versions, however mundane they feel at times, are still a fascinating listen - to hear Cobain perform his best works in whatever form, whether it be acoustically or with his band, always makes for a great listen - and in the instance of the first disc, Polly is the track for which appears twice - and in both forms, utterly superb.

1. Heartbreaker (live, 1987, Nirvana's first ever show)
2. Anorexcorcist (radio performance, 1987)
3. White Lace And Strange (radio performance, 1987)
4. Help Me I'm Hungry (radio performance, 1987)
5. Mrs. Butterworth (rehearsal recording, 1988)
6. If You Must (demo, 1988)
7. Pen Cap Chew (demo, 1988)
8. Downer (live, 1988)
9. Floyd The Barber (live, 1988)
10. Raunchola / Moby Dick (live, 1988)
11. Beans (solo acoustic, undated)
12. Don't Want It All (solo acoustic, undated)
13. Clean Up Before She Comes (solo acoustic, undated)
14. Polly (solo acoustic, 1988)
15. About A Girl (solo acoustic, 1988)
16. Blandest (demo, 1988)
17. Dive (demo, 1988)
18. They Hung Him On A Cross (demo, 1989)
19. Grey Goose (demo, 1989)
20. Ain't It A Shame (demo, 1989)
21. Token Eastern Song (demo, 1989)
22. Even In His Youth (demo, 1989)
23. Polly (demo, 1989)

To pick one moment, the moment which stands out above all others, is something that is truly hard to do under these circumstances. Every moment is as special as the previous and just as meaningful as the next, but were I to name one then it would be the incredible ‘Even In His Youth’, a song that many-a-fan, myself included, would have struggled to recognise prior to the release of this package. Raw and unadulterated, just the way Nirvana did things, this is the pinnacle of the bands early work, well from what this disc covers at least. The fact that the production has been done so to catch the conversations that went along with various recordings, gives further relevance to the music and the musicians around it - the passion in Cobain’s voice gives you the sense that he always knew he and his band would make it big, even prior to the release of the bands debut record. Other notable recordings would be the acoustic ‘Clean Up Before She Comes’ and the early demo of ‘They Hung Him On A Cross’, giving both sides of Kurt’s recording process in the shape of two songs that influenced him hugely.

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SWATHES OF ‘WITH THE LIGHTS OUT’ ARE SO PERSONAL, IT’S LIKE PEERING INTO KURT’S PRIVATE JOURNALS AND SELFISHLY RIPPING OUT A PAGE FOR YOURSELF ‘NME magazine’

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The second disc in this ‘anthology’ as such, is the rather catchy ‘Opinion’, a track that contains the instantly memorable “congratulations you have won, it’s a years subscription of bad puns” line. Cobain’s writing process was that if it didn’t work first time, then try again. It’s a process that brought us some of the most lyrically gifted tracks the rock world has ever seen, and a process that stands out more on disc two than either of the other audio discs. By this period in the bands career, Cobain was just beginning to hone his writing techniques, the very technique that bought us ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and ‘Heart Shaped Box’, as well as any number of other tracks that Kurt wrote. With this disc comes the formulation of the eleven songs that were eventually to make up ‘Nevermind’, including the likes of ‘Lithium’, ‘Drain You’ and of course ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. There is also a glimpse into Cobain’s adulation for other musicians, with an acoustic solo of the Leadbelly classic ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’, a track that would later form the basis for the bands 1993 recording of ‘MTV Unplugged In New York’.

1. Opinion (solo acoustic, 1990)
2. Lithium (solo acoustic, 1990)
3. Been A Son (solo acoustic, 1990)
4. Sliver (solo acoustic, 1989)
5. Where Did You Sleep Last Night (solo acoustic, 1989)
6. Pay To Play (demo, 1990)
7. Here She Comes (demo, 1990)
8. Drain You (demo, 1989)
9. Aneurysm (demo, 1990)
10. Smells Like Teen Spirit (rehearsal demo, 1991)
11. Breed (rough mix, 1991)
12. Verse Chorus Verse (outtake, 1991)
13. Old Age (outtake, 1991)
14. Endless, Nameless (radio performance, 1991)
15. Dumb (radio performance, 1991)
16. D-7 (radio performance, 1991)
17. Oh The Guilt (b-side, 1992)
18. Curmudgeon (b-side, 1992)
19. Return Of The Rat (outtake, 1992)
20. Smells Like Teen Spirit (butch vig remix, 1991)

Nirvana always were hard to categorise - whether it be grunge, punk, punk-rock - they stood as the landmark of 90’s rock and to this day, are one of the most respected bands in living memory, and this is a more than fitting tribute to their legacy. A horrendously scratchy recording of a home demo version of ‘Teen Spirit’ is undoubtedly the stand point of the second disc, purely because it is the birth of the bands biggest weapon, a track that still gets as much attention today as it did 10 years ago, and shows the formulation of the lyrics and the sound that Cobain wished for. By this point the band had brought in Dave Grohl as drummer, and his harder influence was nothing but beneficial to Kurt and the bands music, taking the music more in the direction that Cobain wanted, and away from conforming with the bands that were infiltrating the airwaves at the time.

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‘WITH THE LIGHTS OUT’ IS A PLEASANT RIDE, BUT THAT PLEASENTNESS , THAT PREDICTABLITY, IS EXACTLY WHATS WRONG WITH IT ‘Mojo magazine’

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Were I to have a favourite of the three discs, then without question it would be the final audio disc. It encapsulates what Nirvana were about, hot and in their prime, it also shows what the band may have been like had Kurt not sadly ended it all in 1994. Two haunting versions of ‘Rape Me’, showing again the two respective sides of Cobain, give indication that he was a man very much dedicated to his profession, ensuring that everything was spot on before going to recording stage. With both recordings done in 1992, there is little change to Cobain’s vocals, nor the lyrics (something which he occasionally fiddled with throughout his demos), but it’s the little things that touch you the most about Kurt. One such little thing would be the eerie sound of baby Frances Bean Cobain, crying throughout the band version of ‘Rape Me’, as if she were right there by Cobain’s side during the recording. It adds the feel of genuine emotion to the recording, the very fact that his daughter was such a close part of his life that he would have her in such close proximity to his music.

1. Rape Me (solo acoustic, 1992)
2. Rape Me (demo, 1992)
3. Scentless Apprentice (rehearsal demo, 1992)
4. Heart Shaped Box (demo, 1993)
5. I Hate Myself And I Want To Die (b-side, 1993)
6. Milk It (demo, 1993)
7. M. V (demo, 1993)
8. Gallons Of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through The Strip (b-side, 1993)
9. The Other Improv (demo, 1993)
10. Serve The Servants (solo acoustic, 1993)
11. Very Ape (solo acoustic, 1993)
12. Pennyroyal Tea (solo acoustic, 1993)
13. Marigold (b-side, 1993)
14. Sappy (b-side, 1993)
15. Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam (rehearsal demo, 1993)
16. Do Re Mi (solo acoustic, 1994)
17. You Know You're Right (solo acoustic, 1994)
18. All Apologies (solo acoustic, undated)

For anyone who had witnessed the trailer that was in circulation prior to release, you will have heard a track titled ‘Old Age’, another fantastic home demo that is another of the strong points of the box set in general, making you feel such a close part of Cobain’s recording process. ‘Do Re Mi’ is another of the songs here with which were not originally Nirvana’s own. Covers were a big part of Nirvana’s early life together, hence recordings of such tracks being vital to a collection of this magnitude, as much if not more so than their own work. The final studio song to ever be recorded by the band, ‘You Know You’re Right’, finds its way onto the disc in the shape of a haunting solo acoustic, whilst being of a poor quality, it’s great to hear this wonderful track in another form. It’s one of the final recordings when considered the chronological order - along with ‘Jesus Doesn’t Want Me For A Sunbeam’, it becomes the most recent Cobain recording, done just weeks prior to his untimely death at the age of 27. Demo versions of ‘Heart Shaped Box’ and a subtle acoustic performance of ‘Pennyroyal Tea’ lend to making this the best of the three discs in my opinion, the most recent work of on of the most important frontmen in rock history.

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NIRVANA’S ‘WITH THE LIGHTS OUT’ SHINES WHERE THE SPOTLIGHT ON KURT COBAIN COULDN’T REACH ‘LA Times Newspaper’

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The DVD encapsulates everything that made Nirvana the phenomenon that they were, and still are. Ranging from the first ever live performance of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and the first ever Nirvana show to contain Dave Grohl, all the way to the final studio sessions that the band ever had, it is a fans dream as far as Nirvana go. It captures the pinnacle moments in the bands short but sweet career, and there is nothing more that could have been asked of this box-set in my eyes. The majority of recordings were done at Krist Novoselic’s mothers house, also allowing you to see into the bands lives, at what things were like for them at such an early stage in their career. Highlights, were there to be any, would be the first performance of ‘Teen Spirit’ and the recording of ‘Seasons In The Sun’, a true tear jerker if ever there were one. The ‘Seasons In The Sun’ cover was filmed from the secret studio sessions that the band had in late 1993, with Kurt on drums, it becomes a picture of emotion when considered what has since happened to the band, and in particular, Kurt.

1. Love Buzz
2. Scoff
3. About A Girl
4. Big Long Now
5. Immigrant Song
6. Spank Thru
7. Hairspray Queen
8. School
9. Mr Moustache (1988 rehearsal)
10. Big Cheese (1989 concert performance)
11. In Bloom (sub pop video)
12. Sappy (1990 concert performance)
13. School (1990 concert performance)
14. Love Buzz (1990 concert performance)
15. Pennyroyal Tea
16. Smells Like Teen Spirit
17. Territorial Pissings (1991 concert performance)
18. Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam (1991 concert performance)
19. Talk To Me (1992 concert performance)
20. Seasons In The Sun (1993 Rio studio sessions)

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To quote ‘Q magazine’ ……

The ending - the band in a studio in Rio, Cobain on drums, doing a straight version of cheesy ballad Seasons In The Sun - will bring tears to your eyes. Or make you buy a guitar.

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Don’t let me have the final say, I’ll leave that to Kurt …….

Thank You

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