Nirvana - The Story of Simon Simopath (1967) Review by Blair Lucas

This sure beats the hell out of anything Kurt Cobain ever wrote. I can't stand grunge music or anything Cobain ever wrote, did, or said. But we're not talking about talentless junkies, we're talking about the original 60's pysch pop Nirvana. Their first album was a concept album, which was a pretty ballsy move I think. The album's story still isn't really clear to me. From what I gather, it's about a man named Simon who dies and goes into space with his lover who he eventually marries...? I think...I don't know. But the story only slightly gets in the way on 1 or 2 songs but the rest is sweet, psychedelic pop songs. The song Pentecost Hotel, in particular, is one of the best songs I've heard from the 60's, which for me, is saying a ton. I heard this album about a year ago and thought it was shit but after time my tastes slowly shifted to this kind of music so it was natural I'd give this a second listen and now I love it.

edit: I just read the wiki page on this album and this is what it says about the story:

"The story deals with a boy named Simon Simopath who dreams of having wings. He is unpopular at school, and after reaching adulthood (in 1999) goes to work in an office in front of a computer. He suffers a nervous breakdown and is unable to find help in a mental institution, but gets aboard a rocket and meets a centaur who will be his friend and a tiny goddess named Magdalena, who works at Pentecost Hotel. Simon and Magdalena fall in love and get married, followed by a jazzy party."

...Yeah, I was way off.

Personal Favorites: Wings of Love, We Can Help You, Satellite Jockey, You Are Just The One, Pentecost Hotel, 1999