Nirvana: Live @ Reading

[Tim-Æ]

So I couldn't pass this up. Begin soapbox rant about Nirvana...


Despite what many 80s hair metal enthusiasts say, or even those who believe this band is "overrated" or "wasn't that good," let me state this: Nirvana, to me, was one of the greatest rock bands in history. I'll admit that the obsessed fans take it a bit too far. But Nirvana was amazing. Two of the best records ever recorded in "Nevermind" and "In Utero" (the latter of which is far superior). Iconic. Blistering. Nirvana made history and a lot of the stuff that I listen to, that many of us listen to, were directly influenced by Nirvana. I can't stand that Dave Grohl is in the Foo Fighters, especially since he's an amazing drummer, one of the best in the world, but one of the worst singers at the same time. I don't care what people say about Nirvana, they were one of the greatest rock bands of all time in my opinion. /rant

With that being said, this is worth a watch. Live @ Reading is Nirvana. Their most incredible show in their short careers was captured and remastered in the DVD and a setlist that makes you cry almost at how fucking good it is. I love Nirvana, and this is one more example of why they were so fucking good.

Dunno if I'd put it on the best of 2009 list, b/c I tend to keep that to new material in album format, but this live at Reading show is pretty goddamn incredible.

[Conor]

I remember being sixteen and hearing Nevermind for the first time. It wasn't "Teen Spirit" that got me; it was "In Bloom" because I had literally never heard anything like it before. I grew up on country music and Abba; my idea of rock music was Meat Loaf and Bryan Adams. And then I heard this fucking noise and that was it for me. Without Nirvana, I would never have discovered the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins and about half my CD collection.

I'll always regret never seeing them live. I'm going to have to scrimp up some cash and buy this DVD - I've watched live footage of them and it just looks like the most fun you could have while getting kicked in the back of the head.

[Excaligore]

Eh, for every Heart Shaped Box(which is a gorgeous song) there was three or four throw-away songs and terrible hardcore/punk imitations. Nirvana was good not great not amazing. I LIKE Nirvana but would be one of the first people in the universe to verify my beliefs that Kurt Cobain is one of the most , if not the most, overrated songwriters of all time, and that Nirvana is one of the most overrated bands of all time.

If it weren't for MTV music videos and the aesthetic element and luck of hitting the right mood right at the turn of a decade(IE. Pretty music videos), Nirvana wouldn't have gone anywhere. Beyond that, I think Kurt Cobain was lucky to be in a large group of samey yet talented bands that could be accessed easily(Like Pearl Jam which was even more commercially viable/popular at the time) willing to sell their soul to make fame.

They relied way too much on tonality and too little on innovation in structure to be considered the all time recreators of music, and the magic prism in which all the "crap from the 80s" went into to create "alternative" music which was so insanely drastically different to some people, I guess...

I mean almost every Nirvana song seemed the same: Opening Riff - Incoherent mumble - incoherent scream - riff continued - rinse, repeat, SONG DONE! Have the ability to mumble then scream and alternate between two riffs(one soft and clean, one heavy and distorted), and you pretty much can write a Nirvana song.

I am all for Nirvana getting their day in the sun because they deserved fame for being a talented/influential band. Just think that the attention that they have gotten and still get is way unjustified. They are over-accredited, and overrated. Not that they are bad but there's a lot of other things that are just plain better that get no recognition, and if it weren't for this beautiful thing called the internet I would have never found them, and be just your average Alice in Chains worshiping people who think that Viacom's retelling of music history is the full story, and that just because the only time when MTV was decently respectable they were playing anything and everything that imitated Nirvana. (Which is massively ironic since I find myself listening to AIC(which really REALLY imitated a lot of Nirvana's aesthetic/music elements) but not as primary or ad nausea, and time has taught me how to look at them for what they are. To be taken with a grain of salt.)

However, with that said, there's nothing wrong with listening to a bit of Nirvana here and there for nostalgia value. I can't however let the viewpoint that there is a lot out of their in the music world that doesn't fit the Anglo-American rock/pop paradigm that I only wish people would look more into.

P.S. No, I don't feel a world of sympathy for the fact Kurt Cobain was a pussy junkie(and seriously a massive emo pretentious punk poser) who blew his own brains out.

[Adam Wrong]

Eh, for every Heart Shaped Box(which is a gorgeous song) there was three or four throw-away songs and terrible hardcore/punk imitations. Nirvana was good not great not amazing. I LIKE Nirvana but would be one of the first people in the universe to verify my beliefs that Kurt Cobain is one of the most , if not the most, overrated songwriters of all time, and that Nirvana is one of the most overrated bands of all time.

If it weren't for MTV music videos and the aesthetic element and luck of hitting the right mood right at the turn of a decade(IE. Pretty music videos), Nirvana wouldn't have gone anywhere. Beyond that, I think Kurt Cobain was lucky to be in a large group of samey yet talented bands that could be accessed easily(Like Pearl Jam which was even more commercially viable/popular at the time) willing to sell their soul to make fame.

They relied way too much on tonality and too little on innovation in structure to be considered the all time recreators of music, and the magic prism in which all the "crap from the 80s" went into to create "alternative" music which was so insanely drastically different to some people, I guess...

I mean almost every Nirvana song seemed the same: Opening Riff - Incoherent mumble - incoherent scream - riff continued - rinse, repeat, SONG DONE! Have the ability to mumble then scream and alternate between two riffs(one soft and clean, one heavy and distorted), and you pretty much can write a Nirvana song.

I am all for Nirvana getting their day in the sun because they deserved fame for being a talented/influential band. Just think that the attention that they have gotten and still get is way unjustified. They are over-accredited, and overrated. Not that they are bad but there's a lot of other things that are just plain better that get no recognition, and if it weren't for this beautiful thing called the internet I would have never found them, and be just your average Alice in Chains worshiping people who think that Viacom's retelling of music history is the full story, and that just because the only time when MTV was decently respectable they were playing anything and everything that imitated Nirvana. (Which is massively ironic since I find myself listening to AIC(which really REALLY imitated a lot of Nirvana's aesthetic/music elements) but not as primary or ad nausea, and time has taught me how to look at them for what they are. To be taken with a grain of salt.)

However, with that said, there's nothing wrong with listening to a bit of Nirvana here and there for nostalgia value. I can't however let the viewpoint that there is a lot out of their in the music world that doesn't fit the Anglo-American rock/pop paradigm that I only wish people would look more into.

P.S. No, I don't feel a world of sympathy for the fact Kurt Cobain was a pussy junkie(and seriously a massive emo pretentious punk poser) who blew his own brains out.

Qfmft

I read tim's article and immediatly wanted to counter rant. Then i read cliff's and see that somebody already did it and worded it perfectly. Good, but most certainly overrated.

[Tim-Æ]

hating Nirvana is also overrated.

[! JDM The Professional !]

hating Nirvana is also overrated.

I hate to love them

Nah, Nirvana really opened my mind when I first picked up my guitar, and gave me that extra push to continue with my singing and guitar.

They were great musical innovators!

Regards,

JDM

[Excaligore]

*realizes he put their instead of there at one point to donate location. Slaps head*

[Adam Wrong]

and donate instead of denote? And i don't hate them. I just don't think they are as good as is implied?

[Duckman]

hating Nirvana is also overrated.

QFT.

Peace

Duckman

[Rob]

Meh, I am indifferent towards Nirvana... Surprising because I'm a huge Pearl Jam and Sonic Youth fan

[Tim-Æ]

Sonic Youth > Nirvana but Nirvana > Pearl Jam.

and just so we're all clear Nirvana > Metallica.

[Alex Smiley]

I thought Nirvana was really good, though I was never a HUGE fan. I'll be sure to look for this DVD.

[Rob]

I don't think I ever really gave them a chance, but in the UK they're huge (not so much for the other two I listed) and because they were so big, I didn't want to listen. I went through a period of hating stuff everyone loved...