This is one case where the legend really precedes the record itself. Cut for about 600 dollars in Jack Endino's studio over just a matter of days, this captures Nirvana at a formative stage, still indebted to the murk that became known as grunge, yet not quite finding their voice as songwriters. Which isn't to say that they were devoid of original material, since even at this stage Kurt Cobain illustrated signs of his considerable songcraft, particularly on the minor-key ballad "About a Girl" and the dense churn of "Blew." A few songs come close to that level, but that's more a triumph of sound than structure, as "Negative Creep" and "School" get by on attitude and churn, while the cover of "Love Buzz" winds up being one of the highlights because this gives a true menace to their sound, thanks to its menacing melody. The rest of it sinks into the sludge, as the group itself winds up succumbing to grinding sub-metallic riffing that has little power, due to lack of riffs and lack of a good drummer. Bleach is more than a historical curiosity since it does have its share of great songs, but it isn't a lost classic -- it's a debut from a band that shows potential but haven't yet achieved it.
Contrary to popular assumption, there was life before Nevermind. It consisted of a meagre $606.17 recording budget, and a rough, raging, rebellious statement of intent. It’s the album that was initially regarded as an amateurish, coarse precursor to what is a seminal popularisation of the Seattle grunge movement. Now, twenty years on and with the…
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There were only 10-20 people hanging out at Penny Lane when Nirvana made an impromptu stop there in 1989. A rough incomplete set list has been compiled by www.nirvanaguide.com Set which includeds songs like: Floyd The Barber, About A Girl, Paper Cuts, Negative Creep, Blew. They had played the Garage in Denver the night before. Van trouble brought them to Boulder. I remember there van. I remembe...
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In 1989 when Nirvana released Bleach, my roommate at the time, Chanin (pronounced Shannon), and I picked up the vinyl and we spun that thing at least three times a day for months on end ... inbetween our two other faves -- Screaming Trees' Buzz Factory, and Mudhoney's debut. It was before we had even heard the term "grunge" but there's no question we were full-on into it. Chanin's huge white Ge...
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Last Saturday many concerned Americans watched in horror as the House passed the healthcare reform bill. If this bill makes it through the Senate, it would massively overhaul the way healthcare is delivered in this country. Today, obviously, we don't have a perfect system, but this legislation takes all the mistakes we are making with healthcare and makes them worse. Most of what is wrong wi...
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I was listening to some old Kurt Cobain interview clips...and i wanted to share one....i meshed it with the song...he almost sounded hopeful in this sound byte...almost.Good night sweet prince of rock n roll...
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In 1989 when Nirvana released Bleach, my roommate at the time, Chanin (pronounced Shannon), and I picked up the vinyl and we spun that thing at least three times a day for months on end ... inbetween our two other faves -- Screaming Trees' Buzz Factory, and Mudhoney's debut. It was before we had even heard the term "grunge" but there's no question we were full-on into it. Chanin's huge white Ge...
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MP3: Nirvana - Scoff (live at the Pine Street Theatre)Yeah I know this shit has popped up everywhere, but it's pretty rad and I'm happy to help the hype: Nirvana's "Bleach" is seeing a re-release from the reissue kings Sub Pop this November. Not only do you get a remastered lp but a complete live show that, if "Scoff" is any indication", sounds like a total diamond. Bleach is fine record in its...
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I'm not sure which is worse, the commercial or the product. And Microsoft wonders why Apple and Steve Jobs are so successful with their products.
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We’ve all been cringing at Courtney Love’s latest desecration of her dead husband for a quick buck. Thankfully, the Hole frontwoman and executor of Kurt Cobain’s estate isn’t standing in the way of an absolutely awesome reissue of Bleach, Nirvana’s classic grunge/sludge debut. First released twenty years ago on Sub Pop, the [...]
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Diplo's remixed Bleach 's "Swap Meet " for the videogame Motorstorm: Pacific Rift . It was created by Evolution Studios, whose "audio lead" Alan McDermott had this to say about Diplo's ADD version of the 1989 track:This is our big hitter. First time ever, and it's exclusive to the MotorStorm Festival. MotorStorm has, in the past, managed to sway Nirvana towards the Festival (we had a fantastic ...
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Starting with Nevermind, Kurt Cobain intentionally simplified his compositions in order to emphasize their pop components. Less song-focused than later Nirvana works, Bleach acts as an interesting showcase of the band’s musical chops. It’s amazing to note that it’s now been 20 years since Nirvana released its first album. It only seems like yesterday that the grunge group emerged from the Am
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Sometimes I become half a masochist and read through setlist histories of bands I never saw...like Nirvana. Then I see how many times they played right under my nose, while I was alive and breathing in the same city, and I cry. Well, I don’t cry, but I do let out a big sigh. Every once in awhile though, great audio gets out from those shows I should have attended, like this performance of “Sco
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To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Nirvana's Bleach, Sub Pop is releasing a remastered deluxe edition on November 3. The second disc will contain an unreleased live recording of a complete February 9th, 1990 show at...
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There were only 10-20 people hanging out at Penny Lane when Nirvana made an impromptu stop there in 1989. A rough incomplete set list has been compiled by www.nirvanaguide.com Set which includeds songs like: Floyd The Barber, About A Girl, Paper Cuts, Negative Creep, Blew. They had played the Garage in Denver the night before. Van trouble brought them to Boulder. I remember there van. I remembe...
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It seems like every year we have to have some sort of Nirvana cash cow product to remind us that, as well as Nirvana being one of the most influential 90s rock bands, that some people need to make some money. This year, however, it’s a little different as the people doing the reissuing are [...]
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Review of the 20th anniversary deluxe edition of Nirvana's debut album, Bleach
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Who wants a new Nirvana song? A previously unreleased live version of the Nirvana song 'Scoff' is available for download. The song has been put out as part of the new Nirvana 20th anniversary of the band's firth album Bleach.Man 20 years since Bleach. Crazy.Download it here.
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This year’s ‘must buy’ Nirvana Christmas product courtesy of the cash cows of Geffen is a DVD of the band’s landmark 1992 performance at the Reading Festival. However, that isn’t the only Nirvana release in the next few weeks. It’s hard to believe but Bleach, the band’s debut album on Sup Pop, is now a [...]
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Blew |
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| 2 Floyd the Barber |
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| 3 About a Girl |
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| 4 School |
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| 5 Love Buzz |
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| 6 Paper Cuts |
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| 7 Negative Creep |
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| 8 Scoff |
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| 9 Swap Meet |
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| 10 Mr. Moustache |
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| 11 Sifting |
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| 12 Big Cheese |
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| 13 Downer |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Bleach")
