Bleach (album)

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Bleach

Studio album by Nirvana
Released	June 15, 1989
Recorded	1988, 1989 at Reciprocal Recordings in Seattle, Washington
Genre	Grunge
Length	42:14
Label	Sub Pop
Producer(s)	Jack Endino
All Music Guide Image:3.5 stars.svg link
Nirvana chronology
	Bleach (1989)	Nevermind (1991)

Bleach was the debut album by Nirvana, released in June 1989 through Sub Pop.

1 Songs
2 Recording
3 Singles
4 Pressings
5 Track listing
6 Chart positions
7 Accolades
8 Credits
9 Sales
10 Sources
11 External links

[edit] Songs

Most of the songs feature themes based on life in Aberdeen, Washington, U.S., a small working class town where songwriter Kurt Cobain grew up. Lyrically the album is less surreal and nonsensical than much of what came after. Musically the album is heavily influenced by early Black Sabbath, the heavy dirge rock of The Melvins and Mudhoney, and the hardcore of Black Flag and Minor Threat. Kurt has even said that the band listened to Swiss extreme metallers Celtic Frost before recording the album.

The band's punk rock roots are most evident on "Negative Creep" though there is little trace of the direction they would later go in. "School" is about the Seattle Scene at the time, comparing it to high school; the song's lyrics consist of only four lines.

"Floyd the Barber" is a humorous song about small-town America with drums reminiscent of The Rolling Stones' song "My Obsession." "Paper Cuts" is partially based on a true story of a family in Aberdeen, Washington that kept their children isolated in a windowless room, opening the door only to feed them; the song also references Kurt's alienation from his mother.

Music sample:

"About a Girl" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample of "About a Girl" by Nirvana.
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.

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"Love Buzz", Nirvana's first single, is a cover of a Shocking Blue song and "About A Girl" displays the quiet/loud dynamic of the Pixies and Dinosaur Jr., a dynamic Nirvana would later make their own.

"Downer" was only included on CD versions of the album. Some international versions of Bleach also lack the song. As a result, the band added the track to their 1992 compilation Incesticide.

[edit] Recording

Three of the songs that appear on Bleach ("Floyd the Barber", "Paper Cuts", and "Downer") were recorded at Reciprocal Studios on January 23 1988 with Dale Crover on drums. This session cost only $152.44 and was paid for with money Cobain had saved up from his janitorial job and a loan from Tracy Marander, his then-girlfriend. This was also the first collaboration with Nirvana and Jack Endino, a producer seminal in the establishment of the "Seattle Sound."

The other songs on Bleach were recorded at the Reciprocal Recording Studios in Seattle, Washington for $606.17 and a sandwich, by Jack Endino, in 1988.

[edit] Singles

Music sample:

"Love Buzz" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample of "Love Buzz" by Nirvana.
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.

</div> "Love Buzz" was released backed with "Big Cheese" in October 1988, as Sub Pop's first "Single of the Month." The version of "Love Buzz" on the single has a different mix than the album version, and features a sound collage by Kurt Cobain. Only 1000 copies of this single were pressed, each individually hand numbered, making it very sought after by Nirvana fans. In addition to the numbered copies 100-200 more unnumbered copies exist. Most of them include a red slash where the number is on the official copies.

"Blew" was released through Tupelo Records in December 1989 with "Love Buzz", "Been a Son" and "Stain". "Stain" was written by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic.

[edit] Pressings

In the U.S., the album was released on Sub Pop (Catalog: SP-34). The first 1,000 copies were pressed on white vinyl, the next 2,000 on black vinyl, and all subsequent pressings were on assorted colored vinyl. The first 3,000 copies of the record came with a poster, featuring Jason Everman.

In the UK the record was released via Tupelo Records (Catalog: TUPLP6), and later Geffen Records (Catalog:GEF-24433). The first 300 Tupelo copies were pressed on white vinyl, the next 2,000 copies were on dark green vinyl.

In Australia the LP was released on Waterfront Records [1](DAMP114) and later issued on various colored covers and colored vinyl before it was deleted in late 1992.

Sub Pop released a remastered version of the album on CD and cassette in April 1992.

[edit] Track listing

(All songs by Kurt Cobain unless otherwise noted)

"Blew" – 2:54
"Floyd the Barber" – 2:17
"About a Girl" – 2:48
"School" – 2:42
"Love Buzz" (Robbie van Leeuwen) – 3:35
"Paper Cuts" – 4:05
"Negative Creep" – 2:55
"Scoff" – 4:10
"Swap Meet" – 3:02
"Mr. Moustache" – 3:23
"Sifting" – 5:22
"Big Cheese" – 3:42
"Downer" – 1:42 (Only appears on the CD version of "Bleach")

[edit] Chart positions

Year	Album	Chart	Position
1992	Bleach	Official Finland Albums Chart	No. 24
1992	Bleach	Official German Albums Charts	No. 24
1992	Bleach	Official Austrian Albums Chart	No. 26
1992	Bleach	Official New Zealand Albums Chart	No. 30
1992	Bleach	Official UK Albums Chart	No. 33
1992	Bleach	Official Australian Albums Chart	No. 34
1992	Bleach	Official Japanese Albums Chart	No. 46
1992	Bleach	The Billboard 200	No. 89

[edit] Accolades

Kerrang! magazine "100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" - Editors Choice #78 (1998)
Kerrang! magazine "100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" - Readers Choice #28 (1998)
Joe S. Harrington's Top 100 Albums (2001 to 2003) - #97

[edit] Credits

Kurt Cobain – Vocals, Guitar (as Kurdt Kobain)
Krist Novoselic – Bass (as Chris Novoselic)
Chad Channing – Drums
Jason Everman – Guitar (paid for the recording but does not perform on the record)
Dale Crover – Drums ("Floyd The Barber", "Paper Cuts" and "Downer")
Jack Endino – Producer
Tracy Marander – Photography
Charles Peterson – Photography
Lisa Orth – Design
Jane Higgins – Execution

[edit] Sales

American sales: 1.9 million (1.900.000), (Platinum)
Canadian sales: 50,000 (Gold)
Japanese sales: 1992/08/, 4 weeks, 19,530
UK Sales: 300.000
German sales: 200.000
French sales: 200.000
Polish sales: 50.000

[edit] Sources

Azerrad, Michael. Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana, Doubleday, New York: 1993, ISBN 0-86369-746-1
Sandford, Christopher. Kurt Cobain, Carroll & Graf, New York: 1996, ISBN 0-7867-1369-0
Nirvana Discography 3.3, by Aaron Tuller, October 19 1996