Nirvana (Nirvana album)

Nirvana
Greatest hits album by Nirvana
Released	October 29, 2002
Recorded	1988–1994
Genre	Grunge, alternative rock
Length	49:38
Label	DGC
Producer	Steve Albini Jack Endino Steve Fisk Scott Litt Butch Vig
Nirvana chronology
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (1996) Nirvana (2002) With the Lights Out (2004)
Singles from Nirvana
"You Know You're Right" Released: October 8, 2002

Nirvana is a "best-of" compilation album by the American rock band Nirvana. It was released in October 2002.

Background

Nirvana was released following the settlement of a long-standing legal dispute between Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, and surviving Nirvana members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl. Much of the dispute centered around the song "You Know You're Right" which was recorded during the band's final studio session, in January 1994. Novoselic and Grohl had wanted to release it on a long-delayed Nirvana rarities box set. However, Love blocked the song's release, and sued Novoselic and Grohl over control of Nirvana's legacy. Love's lawsuit maintained that "You Know You're Right" was a "potential 'hit' of extraordinary artistic and commercial value."^[1] She believed that "You Know You're Right" would be "wasted" on a box set, and instead belonged on a single-disc compilation similar to The Beatles' 1.^[2] In September 2002, it was announced by the Nirvana camp that the lawsuit had been settled, and that "You Know You're Right" would be released on "Nirvana, a one-CD history of the band."^[3]

Release

Nirvana was the third Nirvana album to be released following the death of singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain in April 1994, and the first to feature studio material. The first track on the album is "You Know You're Right" which was also released as a downloadable single. The only song to appear from Nirvana's 1989 debut album Bleach is "About a Girl". Bleach producer Jack Endino saw "About a Girl" as a potential single and the song was later released as a single from the MTV Unplugged in New York album in 1994. The song "Been a Son" was originally a B-side from Nirvana's 1989 Blew EP, which itself was only a limited release in the United Kingdom, making the song a rarity. Nirvana's 1990 non-album single "Sliver" which was their last Nirvana only release on the Sub Pop label is the fourth track on the album.

The four commercially released singles from 1991's Nevermind album ("Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Come as You Are", "Lithium" and "In Bloom") are all included, as are three singles from 1993's In Utero album ("Heart-Shaped Box", "Pennyroyal Tea" and "Rape Me"). The version of "Pennyroyal Tea" that is included is a remixed version which was planned as a single in March 1994 from the In Utero album, however due to Cobain's death the single was recalled shortly after its release making this remixed version rare and hard to find until its inclusion on Nirvana. Also included is "Dumb" which was an album track from In Utero.

Two tracks from Nirvana's 1994 MTV Unplugged in New York album ("All Apologies" and "The Man Who Sold the World") are included, both of which had been released as promotional singles from the Unplugged album. The 2002 European vinyl and Japanese CD versions of the album include two bonus tracks both from the MTV Unplugged in New York album; "Something in the Way", which had been a B-side to the "About a Girl" single and "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" which had been released as a promotional single from the Unplugged album. On CD versions of the album released outside of the US and Japan, "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" is the only bonus track.^[4]

The album opened at number 3 on the Billboard 200 with 234,000 copies sold. It has sold one million copies in the United States,^[5] and has sold 2 million copies in Europe as of 2007.^[6]

The album contains liner notes by music journalist David Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine.

2015 Vinyl Re-release

On June 23, 2015 Universal Music Enterprises announced that Nirvana was being re-released on 45rpm double LP, pressed on 200-gram heavy weight vinyl and packaged in a furnace black gatefold sleeve with liner notes and a digital download card for 96 kHz 24-bit HD Audio; as well as a 33 RPM single LP 150-gram standard weight vinyl edition which will feature a download card for 320kbit/s MP4 audio.^[7] It will also be released as a Blu-Ray Pure Audio in high resolution 96 kHz 24-bit, available in three stereo audio formats: PCM, DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD stereo.^[7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Blender	[9]
Pitchfork	7.0/10.0[10]
Rolling Stone	[11]

Several critics believed that Nirvana was too brief, and omitted key tracks. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that "the presence of a few more tracks, along with placing "You Know You're Right" at the end where it belongs, would have made this collection not just stronger, but possibly definitive. As it stands, it feels like a bit of a cheap compromise and a wasted opportunity."^[12] Will Bryant of Pitchfork praised the album as "an artful selection of the band's most seminal material," but also dismissed it as "a party mix for parents who want to appreciate Cobain's Lennon-esque knack for great melodies without having to click past "Scentless Apprentice" or "Territorial Pissings"...utterly inoffensive: an impulse buy from Columbia House, perhaps, with no more artistic value than The Eagles' Greatest Hits or the Beatles' 1."^[10]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Kurt Cobain unless otherwise noted. 

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Album	Length
1.	"You Know You're Right"		Previously unreleased	3:38
2.	"About a Girl"		Bleach	2:49
3.	"Been a Son"		Blew	2:23
4.	"Sliver"		Incesticide	2:14
5.	"Smells Like Teen Spirit"	Kurt Cobain Dave Grohl Krist Novoselic	Nevermind	5:01
6.	"Come as You Are"		Nevermind	3:39
7.	"Lithium"		Nevermind	4:17
8.	"In Bloom"		Nevermind	4:15
9.	"Heart-Shaped Box"		In Utero	4:41
10.	"Pennyroyal Tea" (Single remix)		In Utero	3:38
11.	"Rape Me"		In Utero	2:51
12.	"Dumb"		In Utero	2:34
13.	"All Apologies"		MTV Unplugged in New York	3:51
14.	"The Man Who Sold the World"	David Bowie	MTV Unplugged in New York	3:47

International CD (released outside of the US and Japan) bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Album	Length
15.	"Where Did You Sleep Last Night"	Traditional	MTV Unplugged in New York	5:08

European 2002 vinyl and Japanese CD bonus tracks
No.	Title	Album	Length
15.	"Something in the Way"	MTV Unplugged in New York	4:01
16.	"Where Did You Sleep Last Night"		5:08

Charts and certifications

Peak positions Chart (2002) Peak position Australian Albums Chart[13] 1 Austrian Albums Chart[14] 1 Belgium (NL) Albums Chart[15] 2 Canadian Albums Chart[16] 2 Danish Albums Chart[17] 6 Finnish Albums Chart[18] 9 French Albums Chart[19] 2 Holland Albums Chart[20] 12 Italian Albums Chart[21] 6 Japanese Albums Chart[22] 6 New Zealand Albums Chart[23] 2 Norwegian Albums Chart[24] 5 Spanish Albums Chart[25] 11 Swedish Albums Chart[26] 10 Swiss Albums Chart[27] 2 UK Albums Chart[28] 3 US Billboard 200[29] 3 Year-end charts Chart (2002) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[30] 60 Chart (2003) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[31] 70

Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Australia (ARIA)[32] 5× Platinum 350,000 Austria (IFPI Austria)[33] Platinum 70,000 Belgium (BEA)[34] Platinum 50,000 Brazil (ABPD)[35] Platinum 125,000 Europe (IFPI)[36] 2× Platinum 2,000,000 Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[37] Gold 10,000[37] France (SNEP)[38] Gold 100,000 Italy (FIMI)[39] Gold 50,000 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[40] Gold 50,000 Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[41] Platinum 40,000 United Kingdom (BPI)[42] 3× Platinum 900,000 United States (RIAA)[7] 2× Platinum 2,000,000 ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Personnel

• Kurt Cobain – guitar and vocals
• Krist Novoselic – bass guitar
• Dave Grohl – drums and backing vocals (except on tracks 2, 3 and 4)
• Chad Channing – drums on "About a Girl" and "Been a Son"
• Dan Peters – drums on "Sliver"
• Pat Smear – guitar on unplugged tracks
• Lori Goldston – cello on unplugged tracks
• Kera Schaley  - cello on "Dumb"

Production

• Nirvana – production
• Butch Vig – production, engineering
• Steve Albini – engineering, mixing
• Jack Endino – engineering, mixing
• Steve Fisk – engineering, mixing
• Adam Kasper – engineering, mixing
• Andy Wallace – mixing
• Scott Litt – production, mixing
• Bob Ludwig – mastering
• Robert Fisher – art direction
• David Fricke – liner notes
• Michael Meisel - project director
• James Barber - project director
• John Silva – project director
• Corbis Bettman - photography
• Frank Micelotta - photography
• Frank Ockenfels - photography
• Charles Peterson - photography
• Redferns – photography

References

1. Teri vanHorn (2001-06-29). "Love Blocks Nirvana Release - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News". Mtv.com. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
2. "A piece of Kurt Cobain". Jimdero.com. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
3. Rasmus Holmen. "[NFC: The Internet Nirvana Fan Club]". Nirvanaclub.com. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
4. Enrico Vincenzi. "Nirvana discography in sections "Official releases and related promos" and "Promo only"". www.sliver.it. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
5. RIAA Database - Nirvana riaa.com. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
6. IFPI Platinum Europe Awards - 2007 archive.org. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
7. NIRVANA’S SELF-TITLED COLLECTION DEBUTS ON VINYL AND BLU-RAY PURE AUDIO universalmusicenterprises.com. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
8. http://www.allmusic.com/album/nirvana-r613880/review
10. Bryant, Will (2002-11-14). "Nirvana: Nirvana | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
11. "Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
12. Thomas, Stephen (2002-10-29). "Nirvana - Nirvana". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
13. australian charts.com. "Australian Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
14. austriancharts.at. "Austrian Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
15. ultratop.be. "Belgium NL Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
16. AllMusicGuide.com. "Canadian Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
17. danishcharts.com. "Denmark Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
18. finnishcharts.com. "Finland Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
19. (The user has to select "Nirvana" from the drop down list) "InfoDisc : Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste" Check |url= value (help). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
20. dutchcharts.nl. "Holland Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
21. italiancharts.com. "Italian Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
22. "Oricon Weekly Album Charts for the third week of November 2002" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
23. charts.org.nz. "New ZealandL Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
24. norwegiancharts.com. "Norway Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
25. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
26. swedishcharts.com. "Sweden Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
27. hitparade.ch. "Switzerland Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
28. www.everyhit.co.uk. "UK Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
29. AllMusicGuide.com. "USA Chart Archives". Retrieved 26 June 2010.
30. "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Albums 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
31. "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Albums 2003". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
32. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
33. "Austrian album certifications – Nirvana – Nirvana" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Nirvana in the field Interpret. Enter Nirvana in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
34. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2007". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
35. "Brazilian album certifications – Nirvana – Nirvana" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos.
36. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2007". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
37. "Nirvana" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
38. "French album certifications – Nirvana – Nirvana" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
39. "Italian album certifications – Nirvana – Nirvana" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved January 21, 2014. Select Album e Compilation in the field Sezione. Enter Nirvana in the field Filtra. Select 2013 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
40. "Spanish album certifications – Nirvana – Nirvana" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select the "Chart", enter 2007 in the field "Year". Select '' in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts"
41. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Nirvana; 'Nirvana')". Hung Medien.
42. "British album certifications – Nirvana – Nirvana". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Nirvana in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search

• Courtney Love Sues Grohl And Novoselic, Blocks Nirvana Rarity by Teri van Horn, MTV News, June 29, 2001
• A piece of Kurt Cobain by Jim DeRogatis, March 10, 2002

External links

• Nirvana at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)