Kurt Cobain About a Son
- Rock
- 2007
- Buy the CD
Reviewed by R. David Smola
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The Butthole Surfers, Scratch Acid, and the Melvins share the same space with Lead Belly, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Arlo Guthrie. The difference in sound quality from the more established artists (like David Bowie and Iggy Pop) and the indie punk performers (such as Bad Brains and Mudhoney) is glaringly obvious. These differences in quality are distracting. Like many music fans, Cobain’s taste was eclectic, and he liked different types of music for different reasons -- it didn’t matter if you were a big star like Bowie, established like R.E.M., or a lesser-known band like the Vaselines or Half Japanese; it was the song and songwriting that mattered, and in each of these artists he found an influence.
This is an interesting collection of music. However, the net is cast too widely in sound quality and genre to be a real enjoyable experience. I did like the exposure to the bands I really wasn’t aware of and I enjoyed the Joy Division-esque sound of the Melvin’s “Eye Flys” and “Owner’s Lament” by Scratch Acid. The Mudhoney song is very cool, very punk, but it doesn’t mix well with Arlo Guthrie and CCR’s “Around the Bend.”
Making a collection tape to communicate to a friend who you are and what you are about isn’t the easiest of tasks. This album provides insight into the musical influences of this iconic and often misunderstood figure. It just isn’t something you would listen to a lot, unless you were investigating that very subject.
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