Mix Tape of the Day: February 8, 2015 - Nirvana Day

Today, we celebrate the day Buddha achieved full Nirvana by listening to the complete works of Nirvana.

1. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana (1991) Nevermind is one of my favorite albums of all time.  I would have been satisfied just playing the whole thing for today.  But I decided to hold back.  There is no question though that that album, and this song in particular, changed music forever.

2. Smells Like Nirvana - "Weird Al" Yankovic (1992) Normally, I try to refrain from playing the Weird Al parody right after the original.  But these two pair well together.  Kurt Cobain knew he "made it" once he heard this version.  It gratefully boosted both artists careers.  Plus, it's one of the only Al parodies that's actually about the artist it is parodying.

3. About a Girl - Nirvana (1989) In their Unplugged appearance, Cobain refers to this song as coming from the album that not a lot of people bought.  That's understandable, as Bleach doesn't quite reach the apex of Nevermind, but it still has some great songs.

4. In Bloom - Nirvana (1991) Nevermind however just has one classic song right after another.  Nirvana was no one-trick pony.

5. Come as You Are - Nirvana (1991) It's songs like this that make me wish I knew how to play the guitar.

6. Lithium - Nirvana (1991) Wait, this one does, too.  I actually tried to learn this one on guitar before.  Religion has caused some wonderful music over the years.

7. Polly - Nirvana (1991) This haunting quieter song is one that always gets stuck in my head at the most random moments.  This was eventually re-recorded with a more upbeat tempo, but the original acoustic version speaks volumes.

8. Heart-Shaped Box - Nirvana (1993) How exactly did Cobain manage to come up with so many distinct and great sounds?

9. All Apologies - Nirvana (1993) Fun Fact! I used to think this song was about "Gatorade."

10. Dumb - Nirvana (1993) I'm struggling to come up with different ways of saying how great Cobain was.

11. Pennyroyal Tea - Nirvana (1993) The whole MTV Unplugged performance is great, but I feel it really hits its stride when Cobain gets to "Pennyroyal Tea."  He just seems so earnest.

12. Rape Me - Nirvana (1993) This is a powerful song and one of my favorites.  Something about the boldness that Cobain empowers this songs subject with hits me strongly.

13. Something in the Way - Nirvana (1991) This slower song is my favorite way to end any Nirvana album, because it reminds us that they aren't all about screaming angst.