| Identifier | 9599275 |
| Created At | Tue May 23 2023 23:54:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) |
| Media Type | DVD |
| Media Count | 1 |
| Note | 3.72gB in size
Produced/Distributed By: Chrome Dreams Total Running Time: 70 Minutes (approx.) Certificate: E (exempt from classification) Releases: DVD and VHS Released: 06/16/03 Below readers will find a summary and review of the DVD version of this release. The VHS version features the same interview-based documentary but is missing the additional special features (a trivia quiz and discography) available on the DVD. Summary: A DVD release comprising of exclusive interviews with people associated with the band. Special features include a trivia quiz and discography. Includes no original music by the band or interviews with actual band members. Review: This DVD was produced by Chrome Dreams, a label that has produced several unauthorized audio CD biography discs of the band. The CD audio biographies put out by Chrome Dreams have lacked originality and accuracy. They are essentially straight narrative accounts of the band's history, without any interviews or access to band members or band associates, lifting the story, with newly inserted errors, directly from established works such as Michael Azzerad's excellent biography 'Come As You Are'. But Chrome Dreams' first foray into the DVD market is more original, entertaining and interesting than its previous productions. This DVD contains a series of in-depth interviews with people associated with the band filmed exclusively for this release: the interviews found on this DVD cannot be found elsewhere. That said, unfortunately these fascinating video interviews shed very little new light on the band as most of the interviewees have already shared their (same) thoughts with other journalists who have subsequently written about the band. The DVD is divided into eleven chapters, which broadly trace the development of the band from evolution to end. The chapters feature interviews with the following people: Tim Appelo (a journalist at Seattle Weekly) Jack Endino (producer of NIRVANA's first album) Leland Cobain (Cobain's grandfather) Steve Fisk (producer of the Blew EP) Slim Moon (music scenester and friend of the band) Paul White and Steve Shillinger (friends of the band) Darrin Neathery (a schoolfriend of Cobain) Charles Cross (biographer of Cobain) Robert Lang (owner of the studio in which the band recorded their last studio recording) Ryan Aigner (early "manager" of the band) There can be no denying that this is an impressive list of interviewees and they were gathered exclusively for this release. However, that said the interviews do not reveal anything new, exclusive or "untold" and this is the insurmountable problem with this DVD which markets itself as revealing "untold stories". All these people have been interviewed by other journalists and they simply rehash the same stories they have told other journalists. For example Jack Endino talks about NIRVANA's first demo with him (recorded on 01/23/88 at Reciprocal Studios) and the recording of the 'Bleach' album, regurgitating everything we already know about his account. He talks about his first impressions of the band (being struck by Cobain's voice), the professionalism of the band (being incredibly focused to complete ten songs in one day), total recording costs ($152.24 for the 01/23/88 session and $606.17 for 'Bleach'), and recording stories (for example, why 'Pen Chap Chew' fades out on the first studio demo) which he has discussed at length numerous times before and even published about on his own website. Similarly Leland Cobain talks about Cobain as a happy child and his early musical influences which can be found in Cross's 'Heavier Than Heaven' biography. The other interviewees do much the same thing. These really aren't "untold stories" at all. We would attribute this to the limitation of the interviewers in digging beneath the surface rather than to any fault of the interviewees. Had the interviews been more probing and/or included those who have not spoken before or very little about the band then certainly they would be more interesting to the ardent fan. That said, to the more casual fan, the interviews on this DVD will be interesting and one shouldn't criticise Chrome Dreams too heavily for failing to ask the questions which super anal fans would like answering! All fans should find it enjoyable to hear band associates give their own accounts. |
| Source Info | see notes for information |
| Trades Allowed |
Performance
| Nirvana Compilations 2003-10-?? The Untold Stories, Documentary, Various | |
|---|---|
| Set 1 | |
| Set 2 | |
| Set 3 | |
| Comment | |