Track Listing

1. Spank Thru (1985 Fecal Matter Demo) (Previously Unreleased)
2. Heartbreaker (Live)
3. Mrs. Butterworth (Rehearsal)
4. Floyd The Barber (Live)
5. Clean Up Before She Comes (Solo Acoustic Demo)
6. About A Girl (Solo Acoustic Demo)
7. Blandest (Demo)
8. Ain't It A Shame ( Demo )
9. Sappy (1990 Studio Demo) (Previously Unreleased)
10. Opinion (Live Solo Acoustic)
11. Lithium (Live Solo Acoustic)
12. Sliver (Solo Acoustic Demo)
13. Smells Like Teen Spirit (Rehearsal Demo)
14. Come As You Are (Boom Box Version) (Previously Unreleased)
15. Old Age (Outtake)
16. Oh The Guilt (B-Side)
17. Rape Me (Solo Acoustic Demo)
18. Rape Me (Demo)
19. Heart Shaped Box (Demo)
20. Do Re Mi (Solo Acoustic Demo)
21. You Know You're Right (Solo Acoustic Demo)
22. All Apologies (Solo Acoustic Demo)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16923 in Music
• Released on: 2005-10-31
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Dimensions: .24 pounds
• Running time: 74 minutes

From the Label
Nirvana's Sliver: The Best of the Box highlights the most significant recordings from 2004's record breaking boxset With the Lights Out, compiled onto a single CD. Sliver: The Best of the Box features 19 tracks from the boxset and also includes 3 previously unreleased recordings: "Spank Thru" (from 1985's 'Fecal Matter' demo tape featuring Kurt Cobain on guitar and Dale Crover of the Melvins on bass and drums); "Sappy" (1990 studio recording); "Come As You Are (1991 pre-Nevermind rehearsal recording).

CD Description
'Sliver' brings together some of the finest moments from the 2004 rarities box set 'With The Lights Out'. Featuring rare acoustic home recordings from Kurt Cobain, rehearsal room demos and B-sides, the album also contains three unreleased tracks. 'Spank Thru' from the 1985 Fecal Matter demo with The Melvins' Dale Crover on drums, a 1990 studio recording of 'Sappy', and a pre-Nevermind recording of 'Come As You Are'.

Customer Reviews

What's that noise?...Oh yes, the sound of barrel scraping
Fact - Nirvana were one of the most (if not THE most) exciting bands of the 90's who almost single handedly rescued the ears of discerning listeners from the 'hair metal' of the 80's. All of their studio albums are must-haves for any serious music fan.

So far, so good. A live album in the form of 'The Muddy Banks...' was expected bearing in minds their incendiary live performances (also check out the 'Live! Tonight! Sold Out! VHS/DVD) and then a greatest hits with a complete gem of a 'lost' song in 'You Know You're Right'.

Then it got worse. A 4 CD box set of rarities released last year that a) cost a lot of money and b) was really only for completists, bearing in mind it contained ropey demos that confirm why Nirvana didn't enjoy immediate success. However, there was still enough on it to (just about) justify a purchase with some excellent B-sides and covers but you kind of got the feeling the good bits could have been squeezed onto a single CD.

So then what does 'Sliver' bring? The highlights of the box-set with another 3 previously unreleased songs but hardly any of what I consider the. First question - why couldn't these have been put on the box set? The second - does this mean that Nirvana's back catalogue is to go the same way as many others with re-releases every couple of years with more 'lost' songs suddenly found?

For the record, the new songs really don't add anything and certainly aren't worth another £9 of anybody's money. The version of 'Spank-Thru' is not as good as the one on 'The Muddy Banks...' the one of 'Sappy' is not as good as the properly recorded version on the proper box set, and the mix of 'Come As You Are' is nowhere near as good as the original.

If you must have them why don't you just download the new ones off i-Tunes and save £7? Then put on 'In Utero' and listen to a band at the top of their game and not dregs that really should never have seen the light of day.

Excellent value and a must buy at this price!
I was a bit apprehensive about what to expect after reading some of the reviews above. Yeah, its not super digitally remastered quality but I'm happy about that as its early stuff from nigh on 20 years ago. If I'd been lucky enough to be there then this is how it would have sounded. Its great to hear how the sound evolved through the years, it also shows that great music doesn't have to be *perfect* it just has to have feeling and hit the spot. Girls Aloud and all that manufactured shite is clearly produced and refined to a far greater degree but you just know that the artists are just going through the motions. To be honest even if it had turned out to be total crap I'd not have cared, I've had many a ropey pint and they all cost more than £2 these days anyway. I'm very tempted to search out the full box set now.

Best Of The Box - A debateable title
It's not easy being one of the most influential popular music bands, especially when the lead singer is dead! Even so Nirvana still have more to release! 'Sliver - The Best of the Box' gives a concise version of the box set 'With the lights out'. The raw sounding demos along with three previously unreleased tracks, 'Spank Thru' (yes it is a sexual pun!), 'Come As You Are' and 'Snappy' give you an early Kurt Cobain in development. There are some appealing tracks on this compilation including 'Clean Up Before She Comes' that incorporates soulful harmonies along with an acoustic guitar, as well as the classic 'Smells like Teen Spirit'. This is a very rugged sounding compilation, and I would not advise you to start out with this CD if you are new to Nirvana. Although I was quite impressed with the tracks on this album the austerity of it didn't grab me, but for any Nirvana fan it is well worth a listen.