Kurt Cobain - His 5 Best Solo Songs

Nirvana's Kurt Cobain would've turned 52 today, and since his controversial shock suicide in 1994, music fans all around the globe have yearned for more music from the 'Voice of Generation X'. Now over the years, Nirvana fans have actually been treated to various unreleased recordings from Cobain since his death, as well as numerous 'previously lost' Nirvana Live Shows that have been released on DVD and Vinyl, as an attempt to gain more money off obsessive Nirvana/Cobain fanatics who will throw their money at anything that seems new, I am a victim of this, not even ashamed.

Kurt Cobain at Nirvana's MTV Unplugged Show in 1993.

In 2004 we got the release of the 'With The Light's Out' Box Set, which had over 60 songs consisting of B-Sides, Outtakes, Early Live Recordings, Home Demo's and Acoustic Versions, a dream for any Nirvana fan. The Box Set is pretty sweet, and I greatly appreciate the fact that it is on streaming services (Apple Music, Spotify etc.), to avoid forking over €60+ for the actual Box Set. And in 2015, accompanied by the 'Montage of Heck' Documentary about Cobain's life, it's phenomenal check it out, we got the album, 'Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings', which features over 30 home recordings (I refuse to call them all 'songs' as some are spoken word, or just Kurt screaming for thirty seconds) from Kurt ranging from his teen years to his final days. 

So, using these two releases, I'm going to give you the Top 5 Solo Kurt Cobain Pieces/Songs. Personal opinion, obviously. I will be rating these based off of the potential they had, imagining these as if the full Nirvana treatment was given to them, rather than just Kurt with an acoustic alone. In the years since these releases, many solo Cobain songs have been edited into 'Full Band Mock-Up' versions, a brilliant concept, to give us an idea of what they actually may have ended up sounding like. They are linked below where applicable.

5. 'Burn The Rain'

The quality of all these Home Recordings obviously isn't fantastic, but the second you play this song the riff could send shivers down your spine. Considering we now know what Cobain was going through in 1994, combining that with this song is a sign Nirvana's next album would've been very dark. Not necessarily from a lyric point of view, but definitely in mood and tone. Most of the words are uncomprehendable here, due to Kurt's mumbles with lyrics probably being thought of on the spot, but this song is so dark, so gloomy, and the stripped back nature of just Kurt and one guitar makes it all the better. This appears on the 'Montage of Heck' album, and is just fantastic. Listen to the 'Full Band Mock-Up' by Clicking Here! It's amazing!

4. 'Opinion'

Considering 'Opinion' is believed to have been written in 90/91, it's strange that there's only one version of it out there. An unheard version appears in the 'Montage of Heck' Documentary for about 10 seconds, but that full version, if it exists, is yet to be released. 'Opinion' was recorded live on a Radio Show in 1991, and is a fast paced pop inspired and lyrically brilliant piece that wouldn't have looked out of place on 'Nevermind' at all. Kurt's haunting groans repeat through out the song as the riff never lets up. God I wish we got a studio version of this. Listen to the 'Full Band Mock-Up' by Clicking Here!

3. 'Old Age' (Solo Acoustic)

I'm kind of cheating here, but this version of 'Old Age' doesn't appear on any Nirvana release. Full band outtake versions of 'Old Age' appear on 'With The Light's Out' and on the Deluxe Edition of 'Nevermind' but the Acoustic Version can only be tracked down on Youtube, and it's just amazing. Written in 1990, this would've been perfect for 'Nevermind', but obviously didn't make the cut. A classic Cobain chord progression is joined with a memorable melody that's fantastic. This song was given to Kurt's now widow Courtney Love for her band 'Hole', and they performed it at their MTV Unplugged Show in 1995. Listen to the real Nirvana Studio Outtake in 1991 by Clicking Here!

2. 'Poison's Gone'

The greatest piece off the 'Montage of Heck' Album in my opinion, is quite similar to 'Burn The Rain' with it's super dark vibe and mumbled but brilliant lyrics. The guitar in this song is just haunting to listen to, it's the darkest acoustic power chord progression you'll ever hear, I don't know how Cobain makes it so dark, but it's an incredible listen. Another apparent 1994 piece, and more evidence that Nirvana's next LP would've been their darkest yet. Listen to the 'Full Band Mock-Up' by Clicking Here! It's Great!

1. 'Do Re Mi'

It's never been a rare occurrence for Cobain's work to be compared to that of The Beatles, with many 'Nevermind' tracks like 'Drain You' and 'Something In The Way' (In vibe and chord progression, not lyric comparison) seeming to take heavy inspiration from the Fab Four, but no Cobain composition can be closer to Beatles-inspired than 'Do Re Mi'. Rumoured to have been recorded in Cobain's final weeks in March of 1994, it's the best posthumous release of Kurt in my opinion. The most simple guitar power chord configuration one could think of, accompanied by semi understandable yet genius lyrics. Joined with 'Burn The Rain','Poison's Gone' and the last ever Nirvana Studio Recorded song 'You Know You're Right, it shows that Nirvana's next record could've very well been their best, leaning toward a more acoustic direction, more melody than riffs, and more works of art. Listen to the 'Full Band Mock-Up' by Clicking Here!

Kurt Cobain; 1994.

The world sadly never got to hear as many fully fleshed out Cobain Acoustic Pieces as we would've wanted, but it makes us appreciate what's there so much more. Following the release of the 'Montage of Heck' album, it proved that even 20 years after his death, more Cobain recordings are still waiting to be heard by the masses, in fact, we know there's more out there from 10 second audio clips here or there, it's just unknown on when we'll get to hear them. But until then, I'll happily play what we have on repeat. Happy Birthday Kurt, you're missed by the world. RIP. Thank you for reading.