The NME commemorated the 10th anniversary in April 2004 of the death of Kurt Cobain by putting his image on the cover of the magazine, and giving away two Nirvana art prints as well as a 13-track CD entitled ‘Kurt’s Choice’, a title I’ve always found to be a bit tasteless given the circumstances of his death.
Here’s the sleevenotes to the CD as penned by Conor McNicholas, the NME Editor at the time:-
Kurt Cobain’s legacy is far-reaching and lasting.
Despite the tragic horror of his death, musically he remains an inspiration. His sound, attitude and energy is heard in many diverse places today.
Kurt inspired a generation of musicians, but he was also quick to recognise those that inspired him. Being a musician wasn’t just a rock’n’roll lifestyle choice for Kurt; for him, the music meant something for its own sake. We can see how seriously he took his music choices in the carefully considered lists of favourite albums and singles he produced that were later published in the extracts from his diaries.
From those lists we’ve picked a selection of his choices that show the diversity of Kurt’s musical world – from the balls-out proto-grunge stomping of Mudhoney’s ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’ to the Deep South blues of Leadbelly’s ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night?’ (a track Kurt chose to cover in Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged appearance). Kurt was both reverential of classic left-of-centre artists such as the Pixies and quick to recognise his contemporaries such as PJ Harvey.
We hope you enjoy this selection and that you spare a thought for Kurt while you’re listening, wherever he is now.
These are Kurt’s choices. This is the music that inspired him.
mp3: Mudhoney – Touch Me I’m Sick
mp3: Rites of Spring – For Want Of
mp3: The Faith – Subject To Change
mp3: Iggy Pop – Louie Louie/Hang On Sloopy
mp3: The Melvins – Gluey Porch Treatments
mp3: Butthole Surfers – Sweet Loaf
mp3: MDC – John Wayne Was A Nazi
mp3: Gang Of Four – At Home He’s A Tourist
mp3: The Slits – Typical Girls
mp3: PJ Harvey – Dress
mp3: The Vaselines – Molly’s Lips
mp3: Leadbelly – Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
mp3: Bad Brains – Banned in DC
The CD can be had for 99p plus P&P over at Discogs.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 