Eight years after the untimely death of Kurt Cobain, a new compilation album of Nirvana's greatest hits has been released.

Nirvana not only includes such classic tracks as Smells Like Teen Spirit and Come As You Are, but also features You Know You're Right, a song recorded just before Cobain's death and never previously released.

"This greatest hits collection is more of an unfinished symphony - a poignant reminder of what might have been," wrote BBC News Online's Chris Charles.

But what do you think?

This debate is now closed. Please see below for a selection of your comments.

Nirvana were a great band and they will never be appreciated by the new listeners of today in the way that they were appreciated by fans. Nevermind.
James , UK

Nirvana....I didn not really get into them until I watched a video of their live performance and it blew me away. Whenever I listen to the start of Come As You Are it sends shivers down my spine and now it has been re-released on a greatest hits album it can be appreciated by more people over the world. Cobain is a legend long may he reign!
Katie Paterson, Leeds

Cobain was a prolific and gifted songwriter who outshone all of the other big names of the 90s. Bands like Oasis and Blur seemed big in the UK, but never had the real worldwide impact of Nirvana. Sure they drew their inspiration from bands like the Pixies, and bands like Pearl Jam continue their legacy, but they defined the end to the sickly keyboard driven 80s (such as Stock, A&W) pop, that is resurfacing now with all these manufactuctured bands. I think that the new album is simply cashing in, but with perhaps it is a good time to reflect what rubbish fills the charts at the moment.
Dave, South Africa (living in UK)

Nirvana are one of the most overrated bands of our era. Thank goodness Dave Grohl has been able to shake off the Cobain/Nirvana shackles and lead The Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age.
david Higgin, UK

He wrote his own music from bands that they listened to. Just like everyone else does. He was just a little bolder and was singing about what al ot of the people were thinking. All music is a rip-off of somthing else, that what makes it great. It all comes together.
Evan, Canada

Nirvana's music is still just as potent today as it was in its Smells Like heyday. They were a musical revolution at a time of stale and uninspiring popular music (pretty much like the current state of the charts). They simply combined the raw talents of a madcap bassist, a powerful drummer and a great singer songrwriter. The results were spectacular and they will forever be remembered as rock legends. I see kids wearing their t-shirts who must have only been a few years old when Nirvana hit the big time. As for the new album, I am put off by the tracklist. It seems to have been put together with little imagination, leaving many purist Nirvana tracks out. Where's Love Buzz, Mr Moustache, Dive etc etc? Oh well, whatever, Nevermind.....
Jon, UK

I was not a huge Nirvana fan at the time of Kurt Cobain's death. Although I love music, I did not (and still don't) usually listen to that style of music. However, I have recently rediscovered Nevermind and think it is one of the best albums I have ever heard! Now I understand what all the fuss was about.
Emma Johnson, England

Popular? At university at the time Nevermind was the CD/tape everyone had. Influential? These days I have not heard a band come close to their sound, so no. You can blame Butch Vig or Steve Albini, but every band is busy trying to be the next Metallica, or, failing that, White Stripes. Bands follow the money, not the Pixies.
Dan, UK

Some people here do nott seem to know their music. Nirvana changed the face of music when Nevermind was realeased, before that all we had was over synthazized pap and after kurt's death all we get is boy/girl band rubbish with no feeling or musical talent. Kurt had a great gift that the world was lucky to see, even if it was tragically cut short, he could have done so much more as the new song You Know You're Right proves they were still on top form. I think it is a shame Nirvana get lumped in with Pearl Jam and the grunge scene, they were and always will be so much more. To anyone who has never heard them go out and buy this album, it is a must have for any music lover, but if you already listen to Gareth Gates and Westlife don't bother, nothing will save you from your mundane unamaginative existences. Please grow some imagination and let real music get in to the charts, after all it is better to burn out than to fade away. Peace, love and empathy
Robin, UK

They were ok but if he had not killed himself they would not have lasted much more. their music wouldnt have got better. As for the greatest hits.. what a waste
Adrian, UK

My friend was a big nirvana fan. She took her own life shortly after Kurt died. There is no happy ending, but it shows the way he reached out to people.
Jim Williams, UK

I have been a Nirvana fan for seven years they will always be big. If you listen to any alternative radio station you won't go a day without hearing a nirvana song. I am willing to bet money that they will make a moive about him. He was a great man he changed music forever.
Bob Gamble, Canada

You Know You're Right sounds better than any song in the charts this week, or for the last eight years for that matter. The box set is a great way to introduce those who missed out on Nirvana's greatness the first time round.
Andrew Shannon, England

More like one of the best bands ever.Each one of their songs had a great hook that drew you in everytime. Teen Spirit, Come As You Are, and Heart Shaped Box are some of the greatest songs ever written. I was listening to Nevermind on the way into work this morning. I have had that album since it came out. The fact I am still listening to it now just shows how timeless Nirvana's music is.
Sham, UK

Undoubtedly influencing a whole generation of musicians and bands, the new best of is a good reminder of some of Nirvana's more commercial side. I do not think that many would accept this as a definative 'best of'. That'will probably come with the box set apparently planned for next year. The new track is a pretty good and puts some of the newer era grunge bands such as Puddle Of Mudd to shame.
Rob Bugeya, England

A timely reminder to all those little Nickelback and Puddle Of Mudd fans that this was the original and still the best
Andrew, England

Nirvana were THE best band of the 90s. Nu metal kids now fail to see how innovative they were and just seem to think Nirvana was about one man killing himself. As for the NME comparing the Vines to them, don't make me laugh.
Natalie, UK

Yes, Nirvana were one of the best rock bands ever, fantastic live. However the release of the Greatest Hits instead of the proposed box set of unreleased tracks is really cashing in on 'fans'. If you alraedy own their other albums �13 is alot to pay for one song!
Kate, UK

Nirvana were not the best rock band of the last decade, however they have been one of the most influential bands when concerned in inspiring bands of today.
Eleanor Dovey, England

I think Courtney Love has a lot to answer for. Why on earth would you want to stop your husband's music from reaching the fans? Most bands realease a greatest hits album after an untimely death or demise of a band. It usually signifies the closing chapter, and gives fans a chance to celebrate the music one last time. We have waited eight years for this thanks to her! Far too long!
Reggie Donahagn, UK

Nirvana holds up to anything currently on the 'hip' list. Many of the top selling bands out there sound like Nirvana, yet fail to capture the intensity that Kurt brought to rock.
Daniel, USA

Another money making scheme from the music companies. Things should be better left alone. When he died he left behind some incredible music, BUT, these tracks are part of an album and the songs should be played as a whole album for the best experience. To create a greatest hits album is an awful idea. Who gets to say what are the greatest? I think this will be a bad reflection on a very talented musician.
Ace, UK

Sorry to spoil the party before it has begun but Nirvana were seriously over-rated, nicking much of their best stuff from others. The Pixies were doing the quiet/loud thing long before while the bass line in Come as you are was lifted from Killing Joke's Eighties. Sure, they were more successful than either of these bands but then Will Young's version of Light My Fire probably sold more in the UK than the Doors' original.
Alex Ba, UK

As I was coming of age in the early '90s, Nirvana's sudden ascent into the limelight was a welcome antidote to the sugary pop-rock that had dominated the 80s. All of a sudden, it seemed, rock and roll was back in its original rebellious ferocity, without any ulterior motives or didactic statements. I might have been coming of age back in the early 60s when the Stones were first making themselves known. Now, here I am ten years older, and with my 20/20 hindsight, I realize that Nirvana could not have possibly lasted longer than it did without going soft. As Neil Young once sang, It's better to burn out than to fade away.
Chris, Colorado, USA

When I was a teenager I lived through Nirvana and followed Cobain's exploits daily on television and in the music press. After he shot himself I was quite sad for a while. Life went on and my taste in music became more sophisticated. Right now I doubt I would be enthralled by Nirvana if it came along. The songs have nice guitar riffs but the words mean nothing and it is just one rock band among many. I am amazed at how some teenagers still get all excited about Nirvana, even though they were in diapers when Cobain was around.
Mika Telja, Finland

Nirvana were the most successful of a number of groups, but by no means the most influential. Cobain himself said that he was surprised that people didn not spot that Nevermind was a fairly obvious rip-off of The Pixies. They were good (their early live shows were blinding), but I wouldn't say influential or original. For originality check out bands like The Melvins, Mudhoney and of course the towering Pixies.
Christian Tiburtius, UK

Nirvana were not one the best rock bands of the last decade by any means. They were good, but that's it. Had Kurt not killed himself, they would have lost steam and Dave would have left anyway to form the superior Foo Fighters. In Utero is a great album, but on the whole their musical status and profile today is a lot greater than it would have been if Kurt was alive. They have been influential, but not in a good way - there are too many bands wanting purely to be 'the next Nirvana' rather than forge their own identity.
Scott, England

Their music defined the paranoid 90s, waashing away the 80s excess and 'hair' bands. May be they are not the best band of all time, but they blew the cobwebs away. And the end was the last true rock moment. Shame The Best Of isn't really 'a best of' more 'Singles Collected'. Too sanitised. Go buy the albums instead
Stu Lawrence, UK

Kurt Cobain has been a renewation to the ROCK. He has been yet another person to follow the foot steps of Jim Morrison, who changed the total conception about ROCK. Never the rock music has been so creative and innovative other than the floyd music and jim morrison's music, though each of them is a different from the others and cannot be compared. "Its better to burn out.....than to fade away....." Kurt Cobain definitely followed what he preached.
Krishna Chaitanya Rao .P, India

I was second year high school when I got a hold of their record which become the envy of my friends.They showed a different style from the 'hair' bands that dominated the airways.They showed the world that music need not be complicated for it to be good, they are the artist that really dominated my early adolescent and my nation's youth and until now the new generation of Filipinos still love his music despite the new trend in the music industry. I could still remember how I used to hang on jeepneys (illegal way of commuting and more dangerous) with stereos that played their music,though it's dangerous, it is very worthy for you get to hear the simple yet emotional music of Kurt. Their music is somewhat an anthem of the youth; the emotions he transcends are enormous as the youth's hormones and adrenalin.Their music lives forever as Hendrix and Beatles did.
Macasaol,Joel V., Cebu Phils.

Nirvana is one of the most over rated bands of all time. Their music would not be hailed as so 'revolutionary' if Kurt Cobain had not killed himself. Listening to Nirvana is only further promoting the view that life sucks and everybody should whine about it and do nothing productive.
Ryan Hengel, United States

It feels like a 60s hippy nostalgia musical rip-off. I liked Nirvana a lot and this is not the way to pay tribute to such a great artist, and band. I hope that fans will not start buying any piece of memorabilia that big corporations will try to sell, he should be left in peace.
Leonardo Calcagno, Montreal, Canada

He really did facilitate the change in music as we know it today. Thank God!
Stephanie, US

I never considered a band my favourite, until Nirvana.
George , US

I believe that Nirvana were the best band of the 90's. Seconded closely by the Smashing Pumpkins. As far as how influential Nirvana were? They were an inspiration of sound. They definitely inspired me in many ways. As I am now in a band, and hope for some kind of success. We've already started recording, and I know that I owe a lot of my inspiration to Nirvana. As do other bands such as the Vines, another favorite of mine already.
Luke Cakalic, USA

I think Nirvana rode the waves of other more influential bands like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. Nirvana were good, but not one of the best.
Miguel Cabral, US

It wasn't just "grunge" - the music went beyond any sort of label and spoke directly about pain and alienation. We lost a genuine artist in Cobain.
Robert del Valle, USA

It sucks, just three mediocre musicians.
A.A.,

Nirvana were a great rock band - but that was it - a great rock band. So what? I could list a hundred others.
Luke, USA

Nirvana is no doubt one of the best, their influence is in rock itself, the band everyone who's anyone knows.
Ben, USA

Nirvana changed the face of modern music. They killed hair metal and refused to sell out. Very rock and roll.
Alex McClements, Northern Ireland

Nirvana was very influential for me. My discovering of Nirvana during junior high school, which is a notoriously difficult time for teenagers, made me realize the value of not being part of the mainstream. Along with that their music really is great, and it opened up a whole new realm of music for me during that period. I owe a lot of my current musical taste to Nirvana. They definitely influenced the person I have become to some extent.
Jill, USA

Nirvana was very influential for me. My discovering of Nirvana during junior high school, which is a notoriously difficult time for teenagers, made me realize the value of not being part of the mainstream. Along with that their music really is great, and it opened up a whole new realm of music for me during that period. I owe a lot of my current musical taste to Nirvana. They definitely influenced the person I have become to some extent.
Jill, USA

Rock died and the music industry has been caving in ever since. I feel sorry for kids today. They have nothing but packages to consume.
chris K, UK

Sorry -- but Kurt Cobain and Nirvana where nothing more than a pre-packaged version of punk for the children of yuppies. Smells Like Teen Spirit ripped off riffs from tunes like Boston's More Than a Feeling and Cobain's sentiments came off as more of a whimpering whine than any of the anger against the regime that was seen in punk during the 70s. Poignant, no. Pitiful, yes.
Toni-Lynn, USA

Yes, they were one of the best rock bands of the last decade, producing an honest emotional music to grace a decade plagued by soulless music. Their music has greatly influenced rock and pop/rock, but unfortunately, the same copycat garbage that Cobain hated is what has been done for the most part in attempts to use Nirvana's music as an 'influence'.
Jeremy Ward, US

I think Courtney Love has done more harm then help in her husband's legacy by trying to keep the CD from being distributed. It has been too long since he died and the buzz is gone. Very talented but we have all moved on. They are no Beatles, Rolling Stones, Who, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, etc., etc.
CJF, USA

I cannot think why this group is being rehashed into the headlines. Nor can I recall a single tune of this group. As for the late Mr Cobain, suicide after extensive drug abuse is a matter for distress and avoidance, hardly the stuff of legend. Maybe you have a slow day at the office with nothing else going on in the world?
A Rasena, USA

I would not consider them the best band of the last decade - but they are one of the most influential. They marked the end of the hair spray and spandex Heavy Metal bands of the 80's. They made it acceptable to present yourself on stage and not an image of what a Rock band should look like. Like one of their songs states "Come as you are.."
Dave, USA

Not only did Nirvana make it possible for bands like The Strokes and The White Stripes to achieve the commercial success they now enjoy, but they made it a lot easier for the rest of us to be 'different'. They altered society's standards as to who qualifies as a 'freak'.
Rachel Kronemeyer, USA

I knew a lot of friends who were shattered by the death of Kurt, and it was only then, that I actually listened to their music. My friends felt influenced by his music...they felt they related to a lot of what was written in his songs.
Sarai Goddard, England

I was 16 when I first heard Nirvana, I had never heard anything like it and was completely blown away. I think the sad demise of Cobain has turned him into some kind of sad figure but great songs, great image. They inspired a whole generation.
Mark Pritchard, uk

At their very best, a second-rate Pixies rip-off band.
Dave, US

They used a tried and tested formula. As for being influential, they were influenced by others and did not create a sound or style that was new. They only became so famous because of a hysterical and obsessed media and teenage girls.
Scooby, England

If fellow Seattle rocker Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone had not also died from heroin, grunge would have been remembered so much differently. A roomate of Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, he was all about 'love rock' and fun, not being an anit-rock star like Cobain. But Andy Wood died and from the ashes emerged Pearl Jam. There was a lot of sadness and grunge's energy would not be stopped.
Justin, CANADA

Nirvana were the most influential band of the 90's. I just hope his (Cobain's) legacy does not get marred by the cash cows looking for a quick and easy buck. I am hypocritical though, because, as much as I don't want to, I will buy whatever they put out there.
Brandon, United States

The new album is a total sell-out by all those involved with its release. A best-of for the people who have never heard the band before, and one new elusive song to force those who already have everything to buy it. That sucks.
Neil Manson, UK

Cobain is just another example of the recording industry and other relative industries making money off of a dead man. Nirvana were a good band, nothing more or less (and even that is left up to the ear of the beholder). This type of exploitation is one of the very reasons why Cobain killed himself.
Dap, USA

Nothing new; one unheard track with old unchanged tracks = money, money, money. But I'm glad that Courtney finally got off her high horse and allowed the track to be released
Mike , USA

I think that the music of Nirvana (for better or worse) was absolutely essential in the formation of modern pop rock as we know it today. Even bands that are at the forefront today (Hives, Vines, Strokes, White Stripes, etc) have elements of Cobain's music. It would have been awesome to hear how his music would have evolved.
Joe Kim, USA

Nirvana were talent-free. Everything they ever wrote was stolen from The Pixies.
Corbie Hill, USA

Nirvana have definitely been influential, original, and created hordes of bands trying to emulate their sound. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the music was outstanding. It often was very simplistic, boring and painful to the ear.
Tom, USA

It's a shame there has been no one since Cobain to keep the spirit of 'real music' alive. Touch� to Nsync, Gareth Gates and Britney.
Winnie, UK

To Tom US, Nirvana were simplistic?? So were The Beatles but that does not mean they were boring or painful to hear, just sit and listen to watery riffs of Come As You Are or the outstanding composition of All Apologies, Cobain was a legendary music writer in the vain of John and Paul, his legend and his music will live forverer, just sit and listen to his haunted voice and heartfelt lyrics on any track and you will see for yourself.
lifetime nirvana fan, uk