I remember thinking this when Smells Like Teen Spirit came out.

Kurt never denied borrowing riffs, melodies etc. and was clearly a music fan first and foremost, witness the Nirvana "Unplugged" session where he plays cover versions of David Bowie, The Vaselines and Leadbelly and gets the Meat Puppets out onstage to play three of their songs. Clearly not one of the "I'm great, me" school of rock stars, and probably why he's missed so sorely by many people (myself included)

or do Nirvana sound rather dull nowadays? I really liked them when they first appeared, but time has not been kind to their music in my opinion. That said, I still really like the 'Unplugged' album... I think it's their most interesting, varied and enjoyable album.

I do think that "Nevermind" has great songs which aren't served well by the glossy production (which KC railed against repeatedly) but if you ask me "In Utero" has grown hugely in stature as time has gone by, it really sticks in your ear by dint of the sheer menace in all the performances, it is one of those rare records which stops you in your tracks whenever you hear it.
Cobain had a great facility for a tune as well "About a Girl" is a song anyone would be proud of.

played 'On A Plain' the other day and it sounded fantastic. Had me playing Nevermind on the iPod on the way to work from beginning to end. So no, Patrick C, I don't think Nirvana have dated as much you think.

documentary Everett True was asked whether everything changed for the band with THAT song and he said 'Yeah, fancy that, More Than A Feeling with the lyrics changed'

Doesn't stop em both being fantastic, dude

to dig out the MTV Unplugged album.

And it is still really very beautiful. What a fine performance, low-key yet impassioned. In response to Patrick C's comment above, I would respectfully counter that the pared-down, acoustic format really let the quality of Kurt Cobain's songwriting emerge, his work seamlessly sitting alongside gems such as The Man Who Sold The World, Lake Of Fire and Where Did You Sleep Last Night. I always felt that there was an eerie tinge to the sound of this record, in Cobain's voice, the unearthly screaming on that final track, the lowering cello in All Apologies, the blank, resigned sadness of Jesus Don't Want Me For A Sunbeam.
A shadowy kind of foreboding. Maybe I'm just being silly.

I just wish the poor bloke had stuck around - in a happier parallel universe, I suspect he would have done some sterling solo work.

At the time "Smells Like Teen Spirit" came out, Cobain said he was "basically trying to rip off the Pixies", and the major influence was the song "Debaser". The riff is certainly in there, especially at the end:

I can easily imagine Black Francis taking the riff from Boston himself. Like Cobain he's always had a wide range of influences - this being the man who advertised for a bassist with two references - Husker Du and Peter, Paul and Mary.

"20 Songs that influenced Kurt Cobain" (including "More than a Feeling"):
http://stereogum.com/archives/shit-list/20-songs-that-influenced-kurt-co...