Nirvana – Incesticide

Buying time and thwarting bootleggers, Nirvana released Incesticide, the compilation of rarities and previously unreleased songs toward the end of 1992.

Like any odds'n'sods collection, this is uneven, but that's its charm since it captures Nirvana's character better than any official album. After all, this was a band that was born equally from '70s sludge metal, bubblegum pop, post-punk artiness, and indie rock inclusiveness, each of which are apparent on this collection.

Everybody loved Nirvana, and there's something for every kind fan here, thanks to murky sludge, Devo and Vaseline covers, BBC sessions, instrumentals, and limited-edition singles, plus sub-Melvins goop.

Nevermind doesn't capture this freewheeling indie spirit but Incesticide does, piling on some essentials in the meantime -- the pummeling "Dive," the childhood snapshot "Sliver," the terrific forgotten indie pop tune "Been a Son," and "Aneurysm," perhaps the greatest single song the group ever recorded. Yeah, there's some filler here, but this is the sound of what Nirvana was actually like.

2 x Vinyl, LP, 45 RPM, Compilation, Reissue

Tracklist:
Dive 3:55
Sliver 2:16
Stain 2:40
Been A Son 1:55
Turnaround 2:19
Molly's Lips 1:54
Son Of A Gun 2:48
(New Wave) Polly 1:48
Beeswax 2:50
Downer 1:43
Mexican Seafood 1:55
Hairspray Queen 4:13
Aero Zeppelin 4:41
Big Long Now 5:03
Aneurysm 4:35