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Nirvana - Bleach: Deluxe Edition
| Avclub |
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It’s probably safe to assume that most people heard Nirvana’s debut, Bleach, after already experiencing the massive, culture-shifting Nevermind. Though the albums clearly emerged from the same minds, the differences are pretty jarring: Famously recorded for $600, Bleach sounds like what it was—a scrappy, snarly, dirty record made by a band still coming into its sound. That’s no slight: Had Nirvana split after Bleach, Sub Pop would probably still be making a big deal out of the record’s 20th anniversary. Sure, it’s valuable as a blueprint for music that would change everything (for a while, anyway), but also as a repository for the perfect synthesis of grunge’s anger and Kurt Cobain’s pop sensibility. Songs like “Scoff” and “About A Girl” are as important to Nirvana’s story as “Stay Away” or “Tourette’s.” And for those not psyched about paying for it again: This deluxe reissue includes a fat book filled with old photos (and a photocopy of the band’s original recording contract) as well as a complete recording of a spirited live 1990 show that naturally focuses on the Bleach era. What a difference two years make. Between 1990 and 1992, Nirvana graduated from tiny clubs to a headlining slot at the massive Reading Festival, and from a bunch of dirtbag rockers to a gang already weary of worldwide fame. That doesn’t stop the Live At Reading release—available as a CD, DVD, or combo pack—from greatness, though. Cobain, ever the sarcastic bastard, was wheeled onto the stage in wheelchair, wearing a wig and a hospital gown—a reference to press rumors of his ill health, and perhaps to the fact that he became a father less than two weeks before this show. Still, Cobain was ready to tease himself and give a massive performance: It’s easy to forget what a likeable tangle his vocal cords delivered, but when he’s on here, especially on “Aneurysm,” he’s unmatched. (When he’s a bit off, later in the show, his pain is palpable.) But it’s a monster of a concert film in any case, with a band at the height of its powers—and not yet totally sick of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” (They do give it a cheeky intro, introducing it with the similar chords from Boston’s “More Than A Feeling.”) Beyond the show itself, there’s little to be found here, though watch past the credits as Cobain is approached by a dad and his cancer-stricken kid: It’s a quick, rare glimpse into the world in which Cobain never got comfortable living....full text |
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| Thephoenix |
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Here in the Internet Age, we tend to think that we made possible the overnight transformation from blog-buzz baby to arena-rock idol. In fact, that rapid ascent pre-dates Rapidshare, as you’re reminded by Live at Reading, a new CD/DVD package recorded at the annual English music festival on August 30, 1992. That was less than a year after the release of Nevermind, yet check out Kurt Cobain: dude is screaming his guts out in front of an audience numbering well into the tens of thousands, commanding the crowd’s attention like an experienced veteran (as opposed to somebody with fresh memories of mopping floors). Even if you’re not an eBay-trawling bootleg hound, you know this Reading gig — it’s the one where Cobain, wearing a scraggly blond wig, gets pushed on stage in a wheelchair, stands up at the mic, and promptly crashes to the floor. At the time, the singer was poking fun at media speculation concerning his and Courtney Love’s health. (Yep, gossip existed pre-Internet, too.) Now the bit serves as a killer fake-out; as soon as Cobain hauls himself up, Nirvana launch into a 90-minute onslaught of fugly-beautiful grunge-guitar fury. The stuff from Nevermind — and, to a lesser extent, Bleach — sounds great, but what really fascinates here are the handful of cuts that would wind up on In Utero a year later. In a trash-thrash take on “Tourette’s,” for example, you can hear Cobain contending uneasily with the strange new role of rock star....full text |
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| Adequacy |
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Is it really a hipster’s mentality to state that a band’s earlier/earliest work is their absolute best? You know, there’s always that argument once a band actually “makes it,” that has some people claiming, including yours truly, that an erstwhile album(s) was better than this ‘new one.’ And sometimes, the decision blurs the reality on whether or not this is a subjective or objective opinion. Nevermind, forget the whole subjective vs. objective approach because music is something aesthetic and expressive. But wait, can we not decipher and come to a consensus when saying that maybe Wowee Zowee is better than Slanted & Enchanted? Well, it’s more diverse but is it as sonically sound? Or wait, do you really think Organix is better than Things Fall Apart? Surely the latter, encompassing views of human strength and struggle, with some of the band’s best music is better than a scattered collection of unique ideas? Give me a second on this. Recorded over three sessions with producer Jack Endino and cut for about $600, Bleach’s story has always been one that was more about legend than actual depth. Back in 1989, it was a tiny reference to where rock music was and where it was about to head. And although the band showed flashes of brilliance, with Kurt Cobain’s songwriting hinting at the greatness that was soon to follow, it is anything but a lost classic....full text |
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