That’s right, Nirvana. The band that became one of the biggest faces of Grunge, if not THE face of the genre, Nirvana has been praised by fans, and villainized by elitists who claim that the band helped “kill” classic heavy metal. Truth be told, Nirvana & by extent Grunge were more metallic than their detractors will ever admit during their lifetime, and that’s just laughable if you ask me! Regardless, the band would become pretty significant quick, but before that their start would stumble a little. So, get on your best flannel shirt, find the right pair of ripped jeans, and take a look at my review for Nirvana’s first ever album, Bleach. Let’s begin!
Background
Taken from Wikipedia:
“Singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic met while attending Aberdeen High School in Washington state. The pair became friends while frequenting the practice space of the Melvins. Cobain wanted to form a band with Novoselic, but Novoselic did not respond for a long period. Cobain gave him a demo tape of his project Fecal Matter. Three years after the two first met, Novoselic notified Cobain that he had finally listened to the Fecal Matter demo and suggested they start a group. Their first band, the Sellouts, was a Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute band. The project featured Novoselic on guitar and vocals, Cobain on drums, and Steve Newman on bass but only lasted a short time. Another project, this time featuring originals, was also attempted in late 1986. Bob McFadden was enlisted to play drums, but after a month this project also fell through. In early 1987, Cobain and Novoselic recruited drummer Aaron Burckhard. They practiced material from Cobain's Fecal Matter tape but started writing new material soon after forming.
During its initial months, the band went through a series of names, including Skid Row, Pen Cap Chew, Bliss, and Ted Ed Fred. The band played under the name Nirvana for the first time on March 19, 1988, at Community World Theater, Tacoma, Washington, together with the bands Lush and Vampire Lezbos. This concert's flyer, designed by Kurt Cobain, also mentioned all of the previous band names: "Nirvana (also known as... Skid Row, Ted Ed Fred, Pen Cap Chew, Bliss)". The group settled on Nirvana because, according to Cobain, "I wanted a name that was kind of beautiful or nice and pretty instead of a mean, raunchy punk name like the Angry Samoans." The band were initially sued by the British band Nirvana over the usage of the name, reaching an out-of-court settlement. Novoselic moved to Tacoma and Cobain to Olympia, Washington. They temporarily lost contact with Burckhard, and instead practiced with Dale Crover of the Melvins, with whom Nirvana recorded its first demos in January 1988.
In early 1988, Crover moved to San Francisco but recommended Dave Foster as his replacement on drums. Foster's tenure with Nirvana was a rocky one; during a stint in jail, he was replaced by Burckhard, who again departed after telling Cobain he was too hungover to practice one day. Foster would rejoin the band, but after Cobain and Novoselic were introduced to drummer Chad Channing, the band would permanently dismiss him (although not before Foster witnessed the group play live without him). Channing continued to jam with Cobain and Novoselic; however, by Channing's account, "They never actually said 'okay, you're in.'" Channing played his first show with Nirvana in late May 1988.
Nirvana released its first single, a cover of Shocking Blue's "Love Buzz", in November 1988 on the Seattle independent record label Sub Pop. They did their first interview with John Robb in Sounds, which made their release its single of the week. The following month, the band began recording its debut album, Bleach, with local producer Jack Endino. Bleach was influenced by the heavy dirge-rock of the Melvins, the 1980s punk rock of Mudhoney, and the 1970s heavy metal of Black Sabbath. The money for the recording sessions for Bleach, listed as $606.17 on the album sleeve, was supplied by Jason Everman, who was subsequently brought into the band as the second guitarist. Though Everman did not play on the album, he received a credit on Bleach because, according to Novoselic, they "wanted to make him feel more at home in the band". Prior to the album's release, Nirvana became the first band to sign an extended contract with Sub Pop.
Bleach was released in June 1989, and became a favorite of college radio stations. Nirvana embarked on its first national tour, but canceled the last few dates and returned to Washington state due to increasing differences with Everman. No one told Everman he was fired; Everman later said he had quit. Although Sub Pop did not promote Bleach as much as other releases, it was a steady seller, and had initial sales of 40,000 copies. However, Cobain was upset by the label's lack of promotion and distribution. In late 1989, Nirvana recorded the Blew EP with producer Steve Fisk. In an interview with Robb, Cobain said the band's music was changing: "The early songs were really angry... But as time goes on the songs are getting poppier and poppier as I get happier and happier. The songs are now about conflicts in relationships, emotional things with other human beings."”
Basic Description
Rough & Tumble.
Nirvana’s first release is certainly a messy affair, but that’s not to say it’s bad either. Kurt Cobain’s harsh vocals match with the atmosphere & his guitar work equally so, Krist Novoselic kills it on bass, and Chad Channing takes it to the drums like no tomorrow (Also plays the tambourine on the best track of the album). Jason Everman was pictured on the album’s cover & credited in the liner, but didn’t play on the album proper. The rough & tumble nature of Bleach comes from the punk attitude and atmosphere, and while it potentially harms the identity of the album (More on that a little later), it also is a statement from the band as well.
Best Track
Long before I ever listened to this album, there was always one track I definitely remember listening to on the radio, but I had never remembered the name of it.....until now. About A Girl is about as grungy as one could get, yet there’s a little bit of refinement here as well. You got the raw instrumentation, and you have Kurt’s patented vocals, but the recording & production gives the song a little bit of clarity. The end result is a dirty little tune, that none the less is mildly crystal clear. Definitely a great tune!
About A Girl
Worst Track
While an absolutely awesome album from top to bottom quality-wise, it doesn’t have a solid identity in a sense. Now, this could be due to the intense punk atmosphere, and in which case I’ll let it slide. However, I was oddly reminded of Motorhead’s 1998 release Snake Bite Love as I listened to this: malleable when it comes to identity, but rock solid with everything else.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:
Bleach
Overall Impression & Rating
Bleach is definitely a rough start, but it’s not a bad start either. Again, it’s identity is all over the place, but Kurt Cobain & the rest of the band show they’ve got the instrumental & vocal talent to make things work. It may not have been a giant upon initial release, but over time has become quite beloved by many people and is considered a Grunge classic. It might not be the most essential Nirvana album to listen to, but it’s certainly not horrible either.
Bleach gets a 7.5 out of 10.
And that was my look at Bleach. It stumbles here & there because of it’s identity, but when it manages to get some solid footing it’s delightful. Like I said above, it’s not the record you absolutely have to listen to from Nirvana, but it’s certainly not a bad one to listen to either. However, come around 1991, and not only would they release their most important album in the band’s entire career, but the album that would become the face of Grunge itself. See you all around the middle of the month!
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