Nirvana
With the Lights Out
Geffen

It's been called the holy grail of rock n' roll. The lost tapes of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, relics of an era when fashion was bland and the music was raw. "With the Lights Out" is that treasure.

At first glance, the collection is a bit too raw. The first disc finds a very juvenile version of Nirvana cranking out punk/metal that recalls Cobain's heroes, The Melvins. Not surprisingly, members of said band appear on a few of the tracks. Most of the tapes are distorted, the band is out of tune and the tape hiss is brutal. But just to be able to hear one of the first demos of "Polly" is pretty damn cool.

The second disc is 10 times better musically, with quality b-sides that should have made it to a final mix. "Opinion" is an all-out rocker, "D-7" tows the line between ballad and distorted hell, and "Curmudgeon" is one great B-side.

The final disc is all about "In Utero." It consists mostly of demos and solo outtakes of the group's latter work, most of which has been heard before. The band's last hit "You Know You're Right" is on here in demo form with alternate lyrics and some initial instrumentation. I'm glad that one finally made it to the final recording, because this version pales in comparison to the one released on the greatest hits collection.

With the addition of a DVD chronicling various moments in Nirvana's career, this box set is truly complete, and a must for fans of the grunge era and musical genius. "With the Light Out" is a far better look into Cobain's mind than any journal he could possibly have written.

Reviewed by: George Koroneos
Reviewed on: December 7, 2004