Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History

by Charles R. Cross, Gillian G. Gaar, Bob Gendron

Nirvana formed in 1987, released their first LP in 1989, and unintentionally tore the music world asunder two years later with the video and single for "Smells Like Teen Spirit." At the time, MTV and rock 'n' roll in general were largely dominated by vapid hair metal acts. Nirvana, with their thrift-store clothes and pawnshop guitars, represented a much-needed return to punk-inspired rock and at the same time validated the indie rock scene that had failed to breach the mainstream in the previous decade. A meteoric rise followed, attended by all of the predictable professional and personal pitfalls. Two and half years after the release of "Teen Spirit," leader Kurt Cobain, age 27, killed himself and the ride was over. Today, Nirvana and Cobain transcend generations, not unlike Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and other artists who met premature ends. The band's story and music fascinate kids whose parents were among Nirvana's early fans. Coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of their final LP, Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History is the first to treat fans to a stylishly designed illustrated biography of the band. Performance and off-stage photography, handbills, singles, backstage passes, gig posters, and other memorabilia complement a narrative detailing the band's tumultuous history, as well as sidebar album reviews, gear breakdowns, and mini synopses of Cobain's 50 all-time favorite albums. Nirvana's ride was a wild one--and all too brief. Here, finally, is the book that breaks that history down and presents it from an objective perspective.

Genres: Music

192 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

See also:

Charles R. Cross

This is Charles R. Cross, a rock music journalist and author based in Seattle. He is the founder of Backstreets magazine, a periodical for fans of Bruce Springsteen, editor of "Springsteen: the Man and His Music," a compilation of Backstreets articles, and is also author of a biography of Kurt Cobain, titled Heavier Than Heaven. His most recent release is entitled Room Full Of Mirrors - A Biography Of Jimi Hendrix.

In 2004, while conducting research for the Hendrix book, Cross rediscovered the gravesite of Jimi Hendrix's mother, Lucille Jeter Hendrix, in an abandoned section of Greenwood Memorial Park, where Jimi Hendrix himself is buried in an elaborate granite memorial. The gravesite of Lucille Hendrix was lost because the standard welfare marker of her day, an inscribed brick, became buried in decades of mud from the area's notorious heavy rains. Cross delivered a moving eulogy for Lucille when a proper headstone was dedicated at the site.

Courtney Love, the widow of Kurt Cobain, has acquired the rights to Heavier Than Heaven, which is now being made into a film by Universal Pictures. This is the first film to be made from Cross' work.

Reviews

[Michael Koppelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating and frankly depressing look into Kurt Cobain and the band Nirvana from the multifaceted view of different people. It gives a more complete picture than I've ever seen of what Nirvana was really about and the real tragedy that was Kurt Cobain.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this coffee table book.So many amazing pictures!r.i.p. Kurt.

[Quinn Strange · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horribly written.

[ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

the graphics in this book are so sick but the one chapter where they referred to krist as “chris” fully had me believing i’ve been using the wrong name for him all this time

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book and I liked all of the pictures included in it. The biggest problem I had with it, was that it didn't really give me new information that I didn't know about the band. Like I felt like a lot of it was stuff I already knew just worded in a different way. But I really enjoyed the photographs and pictures of tickets. That made it different from any other Nirvana or Kurt Cobain book I've ever read. I also really liked the article on what type of guitar Kurt played because I never have read about that in other books. I recommend this book if you want to see pictures of Nirvana and if you need an introductory to the band.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book looks good, but it doesn't offer anything new on the band. If you don't own anything on Nirvana it's worth a look, but if you already have items on the band it's not really worth the money. The best photo is def. the cover shot (which is beautifully designed with the band name cut out). Now because I've already read quite a bit on Kurt and the band, the most interesting section for me was def. the part of Kurt and the bands guitars of choice. This book is heavily Kurt centric as well.
All in all a 2.5.

[Andrea Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of a band that had such an impact on the music industry and listeners in the 90s makes for an interesting read. There are details within this book that I did not find from researching the band online. If you are a Nirvana fan, or simply are interested in music as a career I would definitely recommend this book.

[Erin Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was no new information that we didn't already know, but plenty of pictures I've never seen! A lovely tribute.