Reviewed on August 04, 1998 - 12:16 PM
Last updated on August 04, 1998 - 4:27 PM
When you enter this page, you have two options: 'frames' and 'no frames.' Which one should you choose? The 'frames' version appears to have been updated the most, although I think it would not hurt to go to either. So it comes down to what you want, but if you want to see the newer things on this page, then frames are the way to go.
The Accessories contains some programs you can download: Real Player, Win Amp and Win Zip. Not a lot of a variety, as you can see. There are many programs like MP3, ICQ and others. As in most pages these days, you will find a part that has information about the webmaster. This page is one of them. An interesting section about him, it even shows his report card. Continuing to add a personal touch the the page, you will also find the awards this site has won.
If you are looking for bootlegs, this page has them -- lots of them. First, and probably most importantly, you will find the rules for trading with him. Second, you will find the things that are arriving. After that, you will find the ones that he has, the date and the setlist, and a grade of the sound quality. The bootlegs section also gives a list of good traders and bad ones. You also get a link to his chat room at BeSeen.com, I think it is a Java applet chat room, however if you are familiar with BeSeen's chat rooms, depending on whether you like it or not, you know what I am talking about. If you need to find some information about a show, date or venue, then you will find the concert chronology most helpful.
There are are more chronologies, however. The next one is the Kurt Cobain chronology, more like the Nirvana Chronology with more information about Kurt. The Nirvana one is coming soon. The complete songs list is a link at the moment, however he promises to make one. An original section I have found on this page is the Concert Venue Pictures. The pictures it shows are ones clubs in Seattle that Nirvana has played in. The Discography section could not be found. In the Downloadables section (quite similar to the Accessories menu, I think both should be together), it has the two Nirvana fonts, start and shut down screens for Windows 95/98.
Featured sites are pages that, in my opinion, are ones that this page likes. It has a banner to two pages at the time, the second one (supposedly to www.cobain.com), is broken. Another informative and original section is the Earliest Live Performance list. This has songs from the albums, including rare songs, and the earliest [known] dates in which they were played. Very original and neat looking. The only 'games' you will find at the moment is the 'Word Search.' The Interactive Concert Chronology (also on Rob Holme's page). None of the links are working in this section. Opposite of the Early Live Performances, you will find a section also called the Last Live Performances. A very helpful section. It would be cool to have the two integrated, showing the first date the song was played and the last. Straight from the Nirvana FAQ, you will find the line-up from 1985 to 1994. You will also find a few links in the links section, most of them are ones that I am familiar with. The links section also includes some record labels. The lyrics page could not be found.
There is a part on this page that contains information about Mondo Supremo Promo CD, which contains 'Sliver,' among other bands' songs. 'Name That Tune' should be found in the Games section, however it is not, however you will find more information on the game there. Wonder what some of the song titles mean? You will find them here in the Nirvana Dictionary. If you want to join a club, then you can join the Opinion Tape Trader group. It does not give out a lot of information on joining, however I'm sure directions will follow through e-mail. People have obviously liked this site, so they left a message on what the liked about it, and you will find a section that is dedicated to showing that, also know as the 'Page Remarks.' The pictures section does not exist. If you are interested in seeing quotes from the band members, then you go the the Quotes section. Most of them are from Kurt, and a few are from Krist. If you want to see what Seattle's highways look like, then look no further than the Seattle Traffic section. It contains three pictures, along with the name of the street.
Once a week you can download a full song from a show, this section is formally called the 'Song of the Week.' The Tabs for Bass/Electric are down. You can also vote for your favorite Nirvana song, you click on the pull down menu and you get a decent list of songs. Most pages have a part for Webrings, this page also has this section. You can easily win an award for your site by sending him e-mail and the address for your site. There are also other things to do on this page that include: sign|view guestbook, and voting for the site in the Top 25 Nirvana sites.
**Update**
These are either sections that have been fixed since the above review or added sections:
Discography - Contains the following sections: albums, singles and promos, compilations, side projects, videos, books, Internet resources. You will find information here just in about any other Nirvana page. Nonetheless, the way it is divided up into sections make it much more easier to find the resource(s) you want.
Kurt's house pictures - Rare pictures of Kurt's house. Here you will find ten (10) pictures of Kurt's house.
Lyrics - The section has all of the studio produced albums, as well as rare and b-sides. I'm not sure if all the lyrics are accurate, however everyone has their own interpretations.
Pictures (rare) - Does this section live up to its' name? Not quite. I did find a few pictures I have not seen before, however there are a few I have seen.
Tabs - Both for guitar and bass. Both have the same albums except for the bass tabs for Unplugged. Great source of information for both, all the songs from the albums are there and hopefully accurate.
Conclusion
Great page with some original and informative things. The things I found quite helpful were the chronologies. The concert venue pictures section was rather nice, among many other things. I hope this page builds up on the information it has, and will have.