Nirvana - With the Lights out.

The new Nirvana - Box Set

The box set spans Nirvana's entire career, from a recording of Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker" at the band's first show in 1987 to solo acoustic performances from singer-guitarist Kurt Cobain in 1994. With The Lights Out features a 60-page color booklet with rare photos and liner notes by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and writer Neil Strauss. The three CDs, arranged largely chronologically contains home and rehearsal demos, including for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (whose lyric "With the lights out" provides the set's title), "Rape Me," "Heart Shaped Box" and a trio penned by legendary bluesman Leadbelly. Heard in the 12 previously unreleased solo acoustic tracks are such gems as "All Apologies," "Lithium" and "Sliver." Six previously unreleased radio performances range from "Anorexorcist" in 1987 to "Dumb" in 1991 (two years before it was on 1993's In Utero). Along with the remaining debuts are a handful of earlier issued, though rare, b-sides and demos as well as the original Butch Vig mix of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Highlighted on the With The Lights Out DVD is a previously unreleased video of nine songs performed in 1988 at bassist Krist Novoselic's mother's house in Aberdeen, Washington; the rare "In Bloom" Sub Pop music video, and 10 never-before-seen live performances. Noteworthy among them are debut renditions of "Pennyroyal Tea", "Smells Like Teen Spirit" both from early 1991. Also premiering is an unlikely performance of Jacques Brel and Rod McKuen's "Seasons In The Sun" shot at a Rio de Janeiro studio. (quoted from Amazon.com)

Disc: 1
1. Heartbreaker (Live, 1987)
2. Anorexorcist (Radio Performance, 1987)
3. White Lace And Strange (Radio Performance, 1987)
4. Help Me I'm Hungry (Radio Performance, 1987)
5. Mrs. Butterworth
6. If You Must
7. Pen Cap Chew
8. Downer (Live, 1988)
9. Floyd The Barber (Live, 1988)
10. Raunchola/Moby Dick (Live, 1988)
11. Beans (Solo Acoustic, 1988)
12. Don't Want It All
13. Clean Up Before She Comes
14. Polly
15. About A Girl
16. Blandest
17. Dive
18. They Hung Him On A Cross
19. Grey Goose
20. Ain't It A Shame
21. Token Eastern Song
22. Even In His Youth
23. Polly

Disc: 2
1. Opinion
2. Lithium
3. Been A Son
4. Sliver
5. Where Did You Sleep Last Night
6. Pay To Play
7. Here She Comes Now
8. Drain You
9. Aneurysm
10. Smells Like Teen Spirit
11. Breed
12. Verse Chorus Verse
13. Old Age
14. Endless, Nameless
15. Dumb
16. D-7
17. Oh The Guilt
18. Curmudgeon
19. Return Of The Rat
20. Smells Like Teen Spirit

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


My 2 bits,

First Impression, Scratchy sound quality (love it) from the older songs, no digital remsatering, the radio recording sound just the way they should, in fact in some of the songs Cobain sounds surreal in their scratchy quality. There are some songs that are previously unreleased, or demos from their early days, unknown even for compulsive Nirvana fans, and bootleggers. There are some songs which we have heard on cassettes as we grew up.

Do-Re-Mi and You Know You are Right, Solo Acoustic versions on disc 3. Haunting. Cobain at his best. *Shiver*

A must have for every nirvana fan, in fact for ever lover of music.

a more unbiased review of the set is available here