Nirvana (Nirvana album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the American rock band, see Nirvana (band).
Nirvana
"Nirvana" in silver on a black background
Greatest hits album by
Nirvana
ReleasedOctober 29, 2002
Recorded1988–1994
Genre
Length49:38 (US and Japanese CD)
54:46 (International CD)
LabelDGC
Producer
Nirvana chronology
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
(1996) 		Nirvana
(2002) 		With the Lights Out
(2004)
Singles from Nirvana
  1. "You Know You're Right"
    Released: October 8, 2002

Nirvana is a greatest hits album by the American rock band Nirvana, released in October 2002. It was the third Nirvana album released following the suicide of vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain in 1994.

The album includes songs from Nirvana's three studio albums and the live album MTV Unplugged in New York, plus the previously unreleased "You Know You're Right", recorded in 1994 during Nirvana's final studio session, a version of "Been a Son", previously only available on a UK limited release, and the Scott Litt remix of "Pennyroyal Tea".

Nirvana opened at number three on the Billboard 200 with 234,000 copies sold. It has sold one million copies in the United States,[1] and two million copies in Europe as of 2007.[2]

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.

The dispute was largely centered around "You Know You're Right," which Novoselic and Grohl had wanted to release 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."[3] She believed the song would be "wasted" on a box set, and instead belonged on a single-disc compilation similar to The Beatles' 1.[4]

In September 2002, it was officially announced 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," in November, with the box set to follow in 2004.[5]

Release[]

The first song on the album's otherwise chronological track listing is "You Know You're Right", which was also released as a downloadable single. It is followed by "About a Girl", the only inclusion from Nirvana's 1989 debut album, Bleach. The album's producer, Jack Endino, originally saw the song as a potential single, and a live version, from Nirvana's 1993 MTV Unplugged performance, was released as a commercial single to promote the band's 1994 album MTV Unplugged in New York. "Been a Son" was previously only available on Nirvana's 1989 Blew EP, a limited UK release.[6] The fourth song on the compilation is "Sliver", which was released as a non-album single in 1990, the band's final release on Sub Pop (the same version appears on Incesticide).

The next four songs, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Come as You Are", "Lithium" and "In Bloom", are the commercially released singles from the band's second album and major label debut, Nevermind, released in 1991. These are followed by "Heart-Shaped Box", "Pennyroyal Tea" and "Rape Me", three singles from the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released in 1993. The version of "Pennyroyal Tea" included is the remix by Scott Litt, which was prepared for the song's single, but the single was recalled after Cobain's death in April 1994. Prior to the release of Nirvana, this remix was only commercially available on the censored Wal-Mart and Kmart versions of In Utero, released in March 1994. The final studio track is the In Utero song "Dumb", which was never released as a single, but has become a popular song on alternative rock radio stations.[7]

The Northern American version of the album closes with two songs from MTV Unplugged in New York, "All Apologies" and "The Man Who Sold the World", both of which were released as promotional singles from the album (the studio version of "All Apologies", which appears on In Utero, was released as that album's second single in 1993, as a double A-side with "Rape Me"). All non-US and Canadian versions of the album end with "Where Did You Sleep Last Night", another song from MTV Unplugged in New York, from which it was also released as a promotional single. The Japanese version includes the Unplugged version of "Something in the Way", which was released as a B-side to the "About a Girl" single in 1994, as the second-to-last track.

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

One month after the album was released, Cobain's published Journals were released.[8][9] The book debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list (non-fiction),[10][11] and it's publishers stated that the simultaneous release of the Nirvana hits set helped fire cross-promotion at retail and that the album release was providence.[8]

Vinyl versions[]

The original vinyl release of Nirvana, in 2002, was a rare 16-track European double LP that included the MTV Unplugged versions "Something in the Way" and "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" as the final two tracks, similar to the Japanese CD version.

In 2015, the Northern American 14-track edition was released on vinyl for the first time, world-wide, as a double LP on 200-gram vinyl, packaged with a digital download card for 96 kHz 24-bit HD Audio, and as a single LP on 150-gram vinyl, with a download card for the album on 320 kbit MP4 audio.[12] It was also 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.[12]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic2.5/5 stars[13]
Drowned in Sound10/10[14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music4/5 stars[15]
Entertainment WeeklyA[16]
NME9/10[17]
Pitchfork7.0/10[18]
Punknews2/5 stars[19]
Rolling Stone4/5 stars[20]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide3/5 stars[21]
Spin10/10[22]

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."[23] Will Bryant of Pitchfork called the album "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."[18]

In 2019, the NME ranked Nirvana at number 24 on their 28 Best Greatest Hits albums list.[24]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)AlbumLength
1."You Know You're Right" Previously unreleased3:38
2."About a Girl" Bleach (1989)2:49
3."Been a Son" Blew (1989)2:23
4."Sliver" non-album single (1990)2:14
5."Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Nevermind (1991)5:01
6."Come as You Are" Nevermind3:39
7."Lithium" Nevermind4:17
8."In Bloom" Nevermind4:15
9."Heart-Shaped Box" In Utero (1993)4:41
10."Pennyroyal Tea" (Scott Litt remix) In Utero (censored version; 1994)3:38
11."Rape Me" In Utero2:51
12."Dumb" In Utero2:34
13."All Apologies" MTV Unplugged in New York (1994)3:51
14."The Man Who Sold the World"David BowieMTV Unplugged in New York3:47
International CD (released outside of the US, Canada, and Japan) bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)AlbumLength
15."Where Did You Sleep Last Night"TraditionalMTV Unplugged in New York5:08
European 2002 vinyl and Japanese CD bonus tracks
No.TitleAlbumLength
15."Something in the Way"MTV Unplugged in New York4:01
16."Where Did You Sleep Last Night"MTV Unplugged in New York5:08

Personnel[]

Musicians

Production

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[79] Gold 20,000^
Australia (ARIA)[80] 5× Platinum 350,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[81] Platinum 30,000*
Belgium (BEA)[82] Platinum 50,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[83] Platinum 125,000*
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[84] Gold 17,128[84]
France (SNEP)[85] Gold 100,000*
Italy (FIMI)[86]
sales since 2009 		Platinum 50,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[87] Platinum 200,000^
Mexico (AMPROFON)[88] Gold 75,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[89] Platinum 15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[90] Platinum 40,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[91] Gold 10,000double-dagger
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[92] Gold 50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[93] Gold 30,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[94] Platinum 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[95] 3× Platinum 900,000*
United States (RIAA)[97] Platinum 2,000,000[96]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[98] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ RIAA Database – Nirvana Archived 2015-10-17 at the Wayback Machine riaa.com. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  2. ^ IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2007 archive.org. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  3. ^ Teri vanHorn (2001-06-29). "Love Blocks Nirvana Release – News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News". Mtv.com. Archived from the original on 2009-04-13. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  4. ^ "A piece of Kurt Cobain". Jimdero.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-21. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  5. ^ Rasmus Holmen. "[NFC: The Internet Nirvana Fan Club]". Nirvanaclub.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  6. ^ Gaar, Gillian G (March 31, 2020). "A look at Nirvana's collectible recordings". Goldmine. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  7. ^ Luerssen, John D. (2014). Nirvana FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Most Important Band of the 1990s. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 343. ISBN 978-1-61713-588-0. Archived from the original on 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  8. ^ a b Morris, Chirs (July 19, 2003). "Music Books". Billboard. p. 59. Retrieved July 5, 2020. Continued from page 5
  9. ^ Brandt, Lisa (2003). Celebrity Tantrums!: The Official Dirt. ECW Press. ISBN 9781550225662. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  10. ^ "Books, Best Sellers: December 15, 2002". The New York Times. December 15, 2002. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  11. ^ Huxley, Martin (January 14, 2003). "New Disc Reaffirms Nirvana's Place in Rock's Pantheon". Broadcast Music, Inc. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  12. ^ a b NIRVANA'S SELF-TITLED COLLECTION DEBUTS ON VINYL AND BLU-RAY PURE AUDIO Archived 2017-07-16 at the Wayback Machine universalmusicenterprises.com. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  13. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Nirvana: Nirvana". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  14. ^ White, Peter (27 October 2002). "Nirvana: Nirvana". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  15. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press.
  16. ^ Browne, David (8 November 2002). "Nirvana". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  17. ^ Segal, Victoria (12 September 2005). "Nirvana : Nirvana". NME. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  18. ^ a b Bryant, Will (2002-11-14). "Nirvana: Nirvana | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2011-11-25. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  19. ^ "Nirvana – Nirvana (Greatest Hits)". www.punknews.org. July 10, 2012. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  20. ^ "Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 2009-12-07. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  21. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Nirvana". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 589. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  22. ^ Klosterman, Chuck (January 2003). "Nirvana: Nirvana (DGC/Interscope)". Spin: 95. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  23. ^ Thomas, Stephen (2002-10-29). "Nirvana – Nirvana". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  24. ^ Milton, Jamie (20 May 2019). "The 28 greatest Best Of albums". NME. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  25. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Nirvana – Nirvana". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  26. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Nirvana – Nirvana" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  27. ^ "Ultratop.be – Nirvana – Nirvana" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  28. ^ "Ultratop.be – Nirvana – Nirvana" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  29. ^ "Nirvana Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  30. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Nirvana – Nirvana". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  31. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Nirvana – Nirvana" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  32. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20 no. 47. November 16, 2002. p. front cover. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  33. ^ "Nirvana: Nirvana" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  34. ^ a b "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. November 16, 2002. p. 13. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  35. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. December 14, 2002. p. 13. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  36. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Nirvana – Nirvana". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  37. ^ "Oricon Weekly Album Charts for the third week of November 2002" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  38. ^ "Charts.nz – Nirvana – Nirvana". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  39. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Nirvana – Nirvana". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  40. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. November 23, 2002. p. 17. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  41. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  42. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Nirvana – Nirvana". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  43. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Nirvana – Nirvana". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  44. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Nirvana – Nirvana". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  45. ^ "Nirvana | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  46. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  47. ^ "Nirvana Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  48. ^ "Nirvana Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  49. ^ a b "Nirvana Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  50. ^ "Lescharts.com – Nirvana – Nirvana". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  51. ^ "Nirvana Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  52. ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  53. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben – 2002" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  54. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2002 – Album" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  55. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2002 – Alternatieve Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  56. ^ "Rapports annuels 2002 – Album" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  57. ^ "Chart of the Year 2002" (in Danish). TOP20.dk. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  58. ^ "European Top 100 Albums 2002" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21 no. 2–3. January 11, 2003. p. 15. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  59. ^ "Musiikkituottajat - Tilastot - Myydyimmät levyt 2002" (in Finnish). IFPI Finland. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  60. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 2002" (in German). Offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  61. ^ "best of 2002". irma.ie. IRMA. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  62. ^ "Årslista Album, 2002" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  63. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2002". Swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  64. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  65. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  66. ^ "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2002" (PDF). IFPI. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  67. ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2003". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  68. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Heavy Rock & Metal Albums 2003". Australian Recoridng Industry Association. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  69. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben – 2003" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  70. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2003 – Alternatieve Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  71. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2003" (in French). Sydnicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  72. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 2003" (in German). Offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  73. ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  74. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  75. ^ "Tops de l'Année - Top Albums 2004" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  76. ^ "2018 ARIA Vinyl Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  77. ^ "2019 ARIA Vinyl Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  78. ^ "2020 ARIA Vinyl Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  79. ^ "Discos de Oro y Platino - 2004" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  80. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  81. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Nirvana – Nirvana" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  82. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2007". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  83. ^ "Brazilian album certifications – Nirvana – Nirvana" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
  84. ^ a b "Nirvana" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  85. ^ "French album certifications – Nirvana – Best Of" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  86. ^ "Italian album certifications – Nirvana – Nirvana" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  87. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Nirvana – Nirvana" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2002年11月 on the drop-down menu
  88. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type Nirvana in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Nirvana in the box under TÍTULO
  89. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Nirvana – Nirvana". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  90. ^ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  91. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2018 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. March 14, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  92. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 964. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  93. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2002" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17.
  94. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Nirvana; 'Best Of')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  95. ^ "British album certifications – Nirvana – Nirvana". British Phonographic Industry.
  96. ^ "Nirvana Collection Debuts on Vinyl and Blu-Ray". Electronic Musician. June 30, 2015. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  97. ^ "American album certifications – Nirvana – Nirvana". Recording Industry Association of America.
  98. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2007". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

Works cited

External links[]

  • Nirvana at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
Retrieved from ""