• Rating:
Perhaps the most beautiful live album in the history of music (and certainly one of the band's most famous, even if I personally prefer Nevermind and In Utero). A delicate, tender album: no matter how low the volume, Cobain's voice is always at the forefront, especially in the final masterpiece ("Where Did You Sleep Last Night"), played masterfully like all the other tracks.
It begins with the pop song "About A Girl" from the first album "Bleach"; cheerful, a great start. It continues with the classic "Come As You Are": initially the band was afraid to perform an acoustic version of the song, and indeed there were many other titles to consider, but in the end, they chose this one, resulting in a relaxing and perfectly executed piece. "Jesus Doesn’t Want Me For A Sunbeam" is a song by the Vaselines about death with Novoselic on accordion. Nirvana then covers the song by David Bowie, "The Man Who Sold The World", which later also came out as a single. Next is "Pennyroyal Tea", a calm and contained track, probably dedicated to Cobain's daughter due to the numerous references to pregnancy (also present on "In Utero" and in the "Best of" in remix version). "Dumb", even sadder and more introspective, highlights the singer's alienation, further emphasized by a well-executed cello accompaniment by Lori Goldston. Following this is one of the group's oldest and most beloved tracks, the famous "Polly", the story of a girl smartly escaping her rapist (whom Cobain embodies). The carefree "On A Plain" (also a great pop track) introduces the dramatic "Something In The Way"; the theme of the song is Cobain's experience of spending a whole night under a bridge with some vagrants, supported by excellent cello work. A particularly noteworthy, not very positive note, is that the album is full of covers, especially the next three "Plateau", "Oh, Me", and "Lake Of Fire" by the Meat Puppets, played by the Kirkwood brothers themselves who allowed the group to perform them. After the Meat Puppets, we return to the true Nirvana with a classic: "All Apologies", dedicated to his wife Courtney Love (who truthfully might not deserve anything). Here too, Lori Goldston is of great help; and then, yes, a cover, but a perfect ending, a true gem, "Where Did You Sleep Last Night"; by Huddie Leadbelly originally called "In The Pines".
It might have been due to the unusual, dark atmospheres created by the flowers on stage, as if the audience had gone to a funeral, Cobain's funeral of course; perhaps because of the exceptional tracks played by the whole band and other members, or the humorous moments that occurred between the band and the audience, but the album is one of the most beautiful pieces of modern music.
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