Sliver Showcases the Best and Worst-Of With the Lights Out
Robert Wegner
Unless you're an avid collector of Nirvana's music, you probably had no idea that a box set entitled, With the Lights Out, that featured unreleased tunes, rarities and demos, came out almost a year ago. Sliver–The Best of the Box is a collection of highlights from With the Lights Out that boasts 22 tracks, three of which did not appear on the box set or anywhere else before. Most of the tracks on Sliver are demos and outtakes of the songs you know and love by Nirvana, but the true gems are the tracks that you can't find on any major-label release besides the new release.
"Blandest" is one of these tracks. Its Bleach-era sound is easily apparent after one listen and the vocal styling is a perfect Cobain mash-up of the timid and violently harsh. The laid-back shuffle of "Ain't It a Shame" is a country masterpiece at worst. By the end of the song, you'll be singing along for sure. The solo acoustic material included is the best by far. Songs such as "Opinion" and "Do Re Mi" have melodies that stick in your head for days, and it's nice to hear that even the voices of great singers crack every now and again too ("Opinion").
Some of the tracks could have been switched for more favorable and better sounding songs from the With the Lights Out. Was it really necessary to include two versions of "Rape Me" on a best-of disc? The acoustic one can stay, but the band demo version is so similar to the recorded one that it really isn't necessary. It probably has to do with some Frances Bean Cobain meddling that appeared on the disc, considering that her crying is featured at the beginning of the song. The three unreleased versions of songs, "Spank Thru," "Sappy" and "Come as You Are" are nothing special, considering better versions of all three of these songs can be found elsewhere — on other Nirvana releases or compilations. Even worse is the horrible version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," that was recorded on what sounds like an Eight-Track cassette. This song may have been the worst track out of the 61 tracks found on With the Lights Out. It would have been nice to see "Marigold" (A pre-Foo Fighters Dave Grohl track) or even the demo version of "Drain You" find their way onto Sliver instead, but overall the compilation does highlight most, though not all, of the good material from With the Lights Out. If you haven't already picked up the box set, Sliver is a good way to hear the highlights and determine if the pricey box set is worth the money; and besides, what other CD's are you going to buy this winter: the new Nickelback?