REVIEW: Nirvana, MTV Unplugged in New York (Geffen)
- Martin Bate
Jeez, where to begin ? Pages could be written on the irony or otherwise of the MTV logo appearing on this record alone. So lets just ignore the background to this album - you all know the sad story by now - and talk about the music.
First song, "About a Girl" is introduced with a pointed dig. "This is off our first record. Most people don't own it." And it's beautiful. Stripped to accoustic guitars, the Beatles influence shines through and Cobain sounds like a frustrated angel.
It's a height which he reaches all too rarely on his own compositions here. What this album demonstrates is that in the accoustic arena, Cobain was an incredible performer but that he still had a bit to go before he could be considered to be an incredible song-writer - here, his songs, such as "About a Girl", are shown to be fairly simplistic two-dimensional affairs which would be little if robbed of his presence, lyrics and voice.
Nowhere is this better demonstrated than on the trio of Meat Puppets songs which are performed with the Puppets' Kirkwood brothers helping out. Here, given songs with that extra touch of musical depth, Cobain both outstrips his own compositions and the original Puppets' versions of the songs easily. His voice is glorious - cracking and wavering with passion as he reaches for the notes that his own self-limiting compositions would never include.
The versions of "Polly", "Something in the Way", "Dumb", and "All Apologies" unsurprisingly differ little from their studio counterparts, only "All Apologies" having the extra spark to improve on itself. Of the noisier stuff (and let's face facts, that's what Kurt was best at) only "On a Plain", "Penny Royal Tea" and "Come As You Are" are attempted. These, though still lacking the depth of an R.E.M. or an American Music Club, score points because they change our perspectives on the songs. "Penny Royal Tea" is sad and brutal as Cobain voice laments and soars over his lone rough accoustic picking, and "Come As You Are" is rendered even more eerie in its stripped-down format. The "And I swear that I don't have a gun" refrain sending shivers down my back and making me close my eyes.
It would have been interesting to hear more of these new perspectives. I mean, "Negative Creep" was never going to sound good on an accoustic guitar, but Tori Amos demonstrated exactly what could be done with something like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by changing the source of a song's power.
Ultimately, where this album succeeds is in capturing perfectly a moment in time which will never be regained. Every stroke of the string, every cough and every comment between the band and the audience and among themselves is there to be heard and the atmosphere is magical. You *have* to stop what you're doing and give your full attention as the hour unfolds.
And as Kurt roars and gasps out the last line of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" like no-one else, you can only feel a little warm but empty inside.
