Nirvana

Released a few months after Kurt Cobain's death in 1994, this record served as a sort of kick in the teeth to anyone who might have doubted Nirvana's strength as musicians. Stripped-down covers of well-chosen songs are aligned with desolate takes on their own material -- the result is stunning.

Not only did Kurt Cobain transcend alt-rock by rocking so hard, he transcended alt-rock by feeling so deep. On this accidental testament, intended merely to altify the MTV mindset by showcasing the Meat Puppets and covering the Vaselines, Cobain outsensitives Lou Barlow and Eddie Vedder in passing. His secret is sincerity, boring though that may be--he cares less than Barlow without boasting a bit about it, tries harder than Vedder without busting a gut about it. The vocal performance he evokes is John Lennon's on Plastic Ono Band. And he did it in one take. (Grade - A)