About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

The '60s U.K. Nirvana's debut album might be their most popular one, in spite of the absence of their biggest song ("Rainbow Chaser"), in part because it's sometimes been labeled as one of the earliest rock concept albums. Actually there's not much of a concept, except in spirit, and there's not too much rock either, the music inhabiting the poppiest realm of the British orchestrated pop-psych thermometer. Fans of the record will no doubt be pleased, however, by this expanded edition, which presents both the original stereo and mono mixes of the LP, as well as four bonus tracks. The difference between the stereo and mono versions isn't radical -- it rarely is -- and in truth the kind of wide-scope orchestration the band favored does sound better in stereo. The four bonus tracks are valuable additions, including the 1967-1968 non-LP B-sides "I Believe in Magic," "Feelin' Shattered," and "Requiem to John Coltrane." With its delicately plucked melody, "I Believe in Magic" is actually one of their strongest performances, worthy of release as an A-side. In contrast "Feelin' Shattered" sounds like an unfinished demo, and "Requiem to John Coltrane" is the weirdest thing they did, a five-minute instrumental hash of ghostly organ, sax bleats, feedback, and mouth noises that sounds as if it took no longer than five actual minutes to write and record. There's also a previously unreleased version of "Life Ain't Easy," though it's not explained anywhere in the notes where a "previously released" version of the tune appears; it wasn't recorded by the band on any of their three Island albums or singles. Like all of Universal/Island's CD reissues of the band's first three LPs, it also has historical liner notes, though there's undue repetition between the text that accompanies each disc. Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

• Listener Rating: