![12) 'Love Buzz': Unbeknownst to many, Nirvana's debut single was actually a cover of the 60s Dutch rock band Shocking Blue. Kurt's voice sounds less caustic, but still commands the same reverence and attention as it did throughout Nirvana's career. Novoselic's bass line is rudimentary and the volume control is barely existent but even on their debut single, Nirvana were breaking all the rules and conquering with it.]()
12) 'Love Buzz': Unbeknownst to many, Nirvana's debut single was actually a cover of the 60s Dutch rock band Shocking Blue. Kurt's voice sounds less caustic, but still commands the same reverence and attention as it did throughout Nirvana's career. Novoselic's bass line is rudimentary and the volume control is barely existent but even on their debut single, Nirvana were breaking all the rules and conquering with it.
![11) 'Territorial Pissings': The over-compressed and searing guitars on this track are as unforgiving and brutal as Nirvana got, and that's not to mention Kurt's vocal performance. Clocking in at under two and a half minutes, 'Territorial Pissings' erupts and doesn't hold back. Cobain plugged his guitar into the mixing desk and recorded it in one take with zero thought or fucks given - and you can definitely hear it.]()
11) 'Territorial Pissings': The over-compressed and searing guitars on this track are as unforgiving and brutal as Nirvana got, and that's not to mention Kurt's vocal performance. Clocking in at under two and a half minutes, 'Territorial Pissings' erupts and doesn't hold back. Cobain plugged his guitar into the mixing desk and recorded it in one take with zero thought or fucks given - and you can definitely hear it.
![10) 'Sliver': For all the acidic spitting and violent commentary, some of Nirvana's greatest moments come from their youthful situations, both on record and off. Kurt himself deemed 'Sliver']()
10) 'Sliver': For all the acidic spitting and violent commentary, some of Nirvana's greatest moments come from their youthful situations, both on record and off. Kurt himself deemed 'Sliver' "the most ridiculous pop song" he'd ever written - but it is a genuinely great pop song. It provokes memories, it's catchy and has bags of attitude. Nirvana; the only grunge band that could have been a pop band.
![9) 'Pennyroyal Tea': One of the darker, more sinister tracks that came out of the In Utero phase.]()
9) 'Pennyroyal Tea': One of the darker, more sinister tracks that came out of the In Utero phase. "It doesn't work, you hippie", Kurt wrote in a diary about the drink, which is supposedly used as an alternative abortifacient. The song was writing therapy for Kurt who was trying to get over his own depression and hopelessness, a raw sentiment that translates powerfully in the recording.
![8) 'Polly': A song inspired by a serial rapist who was outsmarted by his victim, 'Polly' highlights the duality between Kurt's pop songwriting sensibilities and his passion for the taboo and macabre. You have to read deeper into Kurt's lyrics to find that he's not always writing autobiographically, he often delves into the recesses of humanity and temporarily takes their form as to back commentary his conviction.]()
8) 'Polly': A song inspired by a serial rapist who was outsmarted by his victim, 'Polly' highlights the duality between Kurt's pop songwriting sensibilities and his passion for the taboo and macabre. You have to read deeper into Kurt's lyrics to find that he's not always writing autobiographically, he often delves into the recesses of humanity and temporarily takes their form as to back commentary his conviction.
![7) 'Heart Shaped Box': One of the most tragically cool things about the Nirvana discography is being able to track Kurt's descent into the depths of his own mind. 'Heart Shaped Box' is telling of Cobain reaching the end of his tether. The imagery is similar to that you'd find in a travel brochure for the River Styx. Disturbing stuff.]()
7) 'Heart Shaped Box': One of the most tragically cool things about the Nirvana discography is being able to track Kurt's descent into the depths of his own mind. 'Heart Shaped Box' is telling of Cobain reaching the end of his tether. The imagery is similar to that you'd find in a travel brochure for the River Styx. Disturbing stuff.
![6) 'In Bloom': Dave Grohl's drum pattern, which ignites this track, is an iconic trophy in the Nirvana moments cabinet. Bar the band's hit single-that-must-not-be-named, 'In Bloom' was the track that lifted Nirvana up to the pantheon and status as alternative rock messiahs of the early 90s.]()
6) 'In Bloom': Dave Grohl's drum pattern, which ignites this track, is an iconic trophy in the Nirvana moments cabinet. Bar the band's hit single-that-must-not-be-named, 'In Bloom' was the track that lifted Nirvana up to the pantheon and status as alternative rock messiahs of the early 90s.
![5) 'Something In The Way':]()
5) 'Something In The Way': "I was living under the bridge and I was dying of A.I.D.S. If I was sick and I couldn't move and I was a total street person. That was kind of the fantasy of it," said Cobain of the lyrics behind the Nevermind closer. Recorded on a clapped-out 12 string guitar, the string sections were added later but are only a finishing touch on one of Nirvana's most gruelling and emotionally disarming tracks of all time.
![4) 'About A Girl': In the same vein as 'Sliver', 'About A Girl' represents an era of Cobain's songwriting that was pure in intention but reeked of punk potential. The seemingly too-quick chord changes and jangly tones suggest that it was recorded the way 'About A Girl' was probably written, sweaty and fuelled by an adolescent rush. It's Nirvana's 'Jessie's Girl' if you can believe it and should be celebrated for that reason alone.]()
4) 'About A Girl': In the same vein as 'Sliver', 'About A Girl' represents an era of Cobain's songwriting that was pure in intention but reeked of punk potential. The seemingly too-quick chord changes and jangly tones suggest that it was recorded the way 'About A Girl' was probably written, sweaty and fuelled by an adolescent rush. It's Nirvana's 'Jessie's Girl' if you can believe it and should be celebrated for that reason alone.
![3) 'All Apologies': One of the best things Nirvana did for their third, most depressing album was bringing in super-punk producer Steve Albini. He understood their morphed vision and recorded according to an almost impossible ratio of accessibility and dissonance. 'All Apologies' is the result of that perfect balance. Kurt's vocals and guitars blur in and out of focus creating a haze of what could almost be interpreted as warm content -]()
3) 'All Apologies': One of the best things Nirvana did for their third, most depressing album was bringing in super-punk producer Steve Albini. He understood their morphed vision and recorded according to an almost impossible ratio of accessibility and dissonance. 'All Apologies' is the result of that perfect balance. Kurt's vocals and guitars blur in and out of focus creating a haze of what could almost be interpreted as warm content - "All we know is all we are"
![2) 'Smells Like Teen Spirit': Okay, so it's not first in the ranking, but you knew that going in. 'Teen Spirit' has influenced American culture since the first guitar scratches premiered 24 years ago. The lyrics are inaudible but the attitude is viciously present, it's the amalgam of punk's progression up until that point in history. It blends pop with noise, raw sensitivity and commentary. Without 'Teen Spirit', music wouldn't sound the way that we know it now, like Coca-Cola and overeating, it might be America's greatest export.]()
2) 'Smells Like Teen Spirit': Okay, so it's not first in the ranking, but you knew that going in. 'Teen Spirit' has influenced American culture since the first guitar scratches premiered 24 years ago. The lyrics are inaudible but the attitude is viciously present, it's the amalgam of punk's progression up until that point in history. It blends pop with noise, raw sensitivity and commentary. Without 'Teen Spirit', music wouldn't sound the way that we know it now, like Coca-Cola and overeating, it might be America's greatest export.
![1) 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night': A rework of an old Lead Belly track, 'In The Pines', the unplugged rendition is the quintessential Nirvana track wrapped up in all the facets of humanity that made the band the ground-breaking phenomenon they were - and still are. Simple guitar chords and calculated rhythm sections part the airspace to let Kurt Cobain's irreplaceable personality and voice fill the void with vocal cracks, shrieks and snarls that have echoed through the halls of musical time since. There's a climactic moment during the final chorus where Cobain stops to inhale leaving just a second of silence and in that moment, listen hard, you can hear Nirvana's legacy becoming realised.]()
1) 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night': A rework of an old Lead Belly track, 'In The Pines', the unplugged rendition is the quintessential Nirvana track wrapped up in all the facets of humanity that made the band the ground-breaking phenomenon they were - and still are. Simple guitar chords and calculated rhythm sections part the airspace to let Kurt Cobain's irreplaceable personality and voice fill the void with vocal cracks, shrieks and snarls that have echoed through the halls of musical time since. There's a climactic moment during the final chorus where Cobain stops to inhale leaving just a second of silence and in that moment, listen hard, you can hear Nirvana's legacy becoming realised.