Silverchair: The Best Of, Volume 1 Review

07/13/2005 7:39 AM, AMG


Arguably, Silverchair is to Pearl Jam and Nirvana what jazz great Sonny Stitt was to bebop king Charlie "Bird" Parker -- a derivative disciple, but impressive nonetheless. Stitt was no innovator; he was a follower instead of a leader. But he played his Bird-minded alto sax with so much conviction that you had to applaud him. And similarly, Silverchair was far superior to most of the Nirvana and Pearl Jam disciples who flooded the market in the 1990s. Even though none of the Australian power trio's 1990s material will win any awards for innovation, Silverchair usually did the "Nirvana meets Pearl Jam" thing a lot better than its contemporaries. Released in late 2000, The Best of Silverchair, Vol. 1 paints a generally attractive, if imperfect, picture of the band's 1994-1999 output. Most of Silverchair's essential 1990s recordings are provided, including "Tomorrow" and "Pure Massacre" from 1995's Frogstomp and "Cemetery," "Freak," and "Abuse Me" from 1997's Freak Show as well as "Emotion Sickness," "Trash," and the ballad "Ana's Song (Open Fire)" from 1999's Neon Ballroom. Confirmed Silverchair fans will be glad to have most of the band's best-known songs on the same CD, as will as those who have a more casual interest in its music. For those who are exploring the threesome's grunge and post-grunge for the first time, The Best of Silverchair, Vol. 1 would be the logical starting point. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide