Contains 22 tracks.

Nirvana (US): Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar); Pat Smear, Jason Everman (guitar); Dale Crover (bass guitar, drums); Krist Novoselic (bass guitar); Dave Grohl, Mark Pickerel, Dave Foster, Aaron Burckhard, Chad Channing (drums).

Additional personnel: Kirk Canning (cello).

The 2004 release of WITH THE LIGHTS OUT, a three-disc collection of outtakes and rarities, gave Nirvana fans plenty of material to sift through, and provided a tantalizing glimpse into Kurt Cobain's writing process and the evolution of his songs. As intriguing as the set could be, three discs' worth of demos, live recordings, and miscellany can prove daunting for all but the most devoted listeners. SLIVER: THE BEST OF THE BOX does the rest of us a good turn by narrowing down those three discs into 22 tracks.

Since the emphasis is on home recordings, band demos, and "boom box versions" (which sound, literally, like they were recorded on a hand-held tape player), the sound quality is especially lo-fi throughout. But the rough intimacy of these takes is part of the charm, especially on Cobain's solo acoustic spots, like the versions of "Lithium" and "All Apologies," and the wistful, ghostly "Clean Up Before She Comes." SLIVER also contains three previously unreleased tracks, including a rehearsal recording of "Come As You Are" and "Spank Thru," an early Cobain song (1985) performed by Fecal Matter, a proto-incarnation of Nirvana.

Spin (p.107) - "[These] versions often seem as anonymous as they are revealing..." -- Grade: B