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List Price: $13.98 | | Label: Geffen Records
Salesrank: 1009
Released: November 3, 2009 |
| Our Price: $8.90 |
| Used Price: $8.00 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Live at Reading Track Listing:
1. Breed
2. Drain You
3. Aneurysm
4. School
5. Sliver
6. In Bloom
7. Come As You Are
8. Lithium
9. About A Girl
10. Tourette's
11. Polly
12. Lounge Act
13. Smells Like Teen Spirit
14. On A Plain
15. Negative Creep
16. Been A Son
17. All Apologies
18. Blew
19. Dumb
20. Stay Away
21. Spank Thru
22. Love Buzz*(*not included on CD/LP)
23. The Money Will Roll Right In
24. D-7
25. Territorial Pissings
Editorial Review:
NIRVANA'S LEGENDARY NEVER-BEFORE-RELEASED 1992 READING CONCERT Ranked #1 in Kerrang Magazine's "100 Gigs That Shook The World" and voted as "Nirvana's #1 Greatest Moment" by fans in an NME poll, Nirvana's historic August 30, 1992 headlining appearance at the UK's Reading Festival is one of the most bootlegged concerts in the annals of rock n roll. Now, fans will have an opportunity to own a pristine copy of that entire performance -- color-corrected video from the original film with 5.1 audio sourced from the original multi-track masters. Nirvana Live At Reading will be issued in a limited edition CD+DVD Deluxe Edition as well as DVD-only, CD-only configurations on November 3, 2009, followed by a 2LP version on November 17, 2009.
Live at Reading Reviews:
24 Great Live Renditions of Some Old Favorites 
2009-12-13 - You have to know that Kurdt Kobain was an enigmatic rock and roll star. Reluctant to accept fame he craved it just the same. I think this is why he was never content with himself or anything much else in life except maybe his art and his music.
He once said that, "Punk Rock should mean freedom; liking and playing what you want; as sloppy as you want as long as it's good and has passion....I'll write a few sincere lines and then I'll have to make fun of it with another line...." He didn't want to be "too obvious" or "then it gets stale", he said. But he didn't want to be "too cryptic" nor should lyrics be "in peoples faces". He liked them to be somewhat "weird and spacey" as that "painted a nice picture" concluding that "I guess that's the way I like Art". (from "Live! Tonight! Sold-Out!")
Another thing you should know about Kurt Cobain is that when his voice was off in a live rendition of a song, he would often mock it and deteriorate it to the point of silliness, For example in Come As You Are in Amsterdam in 1991, he screams the lyrics in a child tantrum-like voice after coming in off-key. The difficulty he has with this song isn't as evident on Live At Reading, thank goodness, and the Solo is excellent. Kurt Cobain was a complex individual, an inspiration to millions of kids and young adults and the last most recent frontman / guitar god to grace our planet. His live best is better than anybody else and his live worst is probably about the same.
In Live At Reading Kurt mostly shines in both his guitar playing and his vocals (Dave and Krist were spot on throughout). My favorite live song combo is "Drain You" followed by "Aneurysm" from the Wishkah collection. The combo on this one is about equal to that one as Aneurysm is better here, but Drain You is slightly off (but still killer all the same!).
The most disappointing guitar performance is during Smells Like Teen Spirit. He is spotty in hitting and then letting "ring" Riffs "A" and "B": in the Intro when he can't hit Riff A he sounds like he's Milking It (tuning his guitar which works in Milk It); and when he hits Riff A he can't let it "ring"; in the second chorus he hits Riff B but can't let it "ring". To top it off he completely botches the Solo. (And I don't believe it was done purposely even given his hatred of Smells, either). If he was just playing "sloppy" I hope he thought it was good and felt "passion" while doing it, but I know it didn't hit me this way. Although Smells comes right in the middle of the set, it seems that Kurt's singing and playing get better with every song during this show. Maybe he just needed to get warmed up vocally.
It is a pleasure to hear live electric versions of "About A Girl", "On A Plain", "All Apologies", "Dumb", "The Money Will Roll Right In" and "D-7". Overall this audio CD gives new and old fans a real taste of Kurt's sonic brilliance.
All-in-All, have a very Merry Nirvana set by adding this to your collection!
An Alright Gig 
2009-12-05 - This gig was ok, but nothing more. I was at this festival and quite enjoyed Nirvana standing besides a campfire with a pint of two of beer in my hand (but non of my friends down the front were impressed at all.) Over the three days Nirvana (who I rate highly as a studio band) were about the 5th best band, come forward - Ride, The Wonder Stuff, Manic Street Preachers, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds,The charlatans , Mega City - and take your crown. Nirvana's gig was rough and ready (and not necessarily in a good way) and the sound was nothing special even with a fourth member added to the line up - and this was not the case with the other bands mentioned here. I can not help but feel that Nirvana's gig is being held in too high an esteem because Curt in his hospital smock is pictured on the In Utero cover (for posterity - what an iconic image) and because he died not too long after the gig took place. By the way, I hope that smock was not stolen from one of our British hospitals as they are rather underfunded given that we pay for our NHS service via taxes not Insurance as you do in the USA, if so, we will be waiting for Dave G with a bucket at airport customs the next time the Foo Fighters come over and we will expect more that loose change.
It's O.K.
2009-12-01 - I rented this at a library and thoght it was a fairly decent live album of Nirvana, who kyrt Cobain shines on guitar and vocals. When grunge was big in the mid 90s, it was a branch of the gothic scene and made heavy metal passe as grunge made it's way into the American mainstream. Tracks i like are: Breed, In Bloom, Come as you Are, Lithium, Polly, Teen Spirit, and All Apologies as I was familiar with them from studio albums. A fair look at Nirvana in their prime.
Live at Reading: Nirvana CD.
2009-11-19 - The sound could be better, but what the hell? Good set list, good performance, nonetheless.
Chaotic excitement, madness, Nirvana
2009-11-14 - "Live at Reading" captures the power of Nirvana at its loudest and most electric moment in 1992.
People may wonder why on earth no one has released this album with Cobain radiating with raucous energy as his band crashes through the concert. After all, the entire performance is not just a raucous mess of blasting distortion, cymbal smashes and Kurt Cobain's throating yells and shouts. It is a sheer burst of excitement and infuriating anger.
Most importantly, the band proved that even if a band gets out of tune or out of rhythm, they could set the whole stage ablaze. Literally. Songs like "Aneurysm" explode with fast drums and guitars before slowing to an unsettling steady rhythm. Then Cobain shatters the stage with the funky lyric, "Come on over and do the twist!"
It's rock and roll fed through a power saw. Funk riffs such as those in "School" keep the audience engaged in chaotic violence as Cobain screams, "Won't you believe it's just my luck/NO RECESS!"
More importantly, we can hear in the performance that Cobain's having loads of fun, especially when he sings and chuckles through the first lyrics of "Sliver." He playfully growls through the low notes of "In Bloom." The album captures Cobain on top of the world at the peak of Nirvana's popularity. Nothing is more epic than his screaming through the chorus of "Lithium" with a wave of audience members.
The goofiest mistakes occurs in the parts following the opening power chords of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," in which Cobain literally messes up the two note riff and slides around his guitar as he tries to get the notes right. He even has a legendary anti-solo of chaotic random notes guitar neck sliding after the second chorus.
Even as the band plays through the bittersweet song "All Apologies," Cobain literally makes the song his own as he joyfully sings, "What else could I say?/All my words are great." This concert shows Cobain at his prime. Even if this concert was foreshadowed by his suicide, it will forever be remembered as a benchmark for live albums in the 21st century.
