By Kevin O'Donnell on July 26, 2011 9:36 AM Comment
Nirvana's label Universal has revealed more details of their 20th anniversary reissue of Nevermind, and the multi-format set is stacked with B-sides, alternate mixes, live recordings, and studio rarities. It will be released on September 27.
The limited-edition Super Deluxe Edition will include Nevermind demos that were recorded with producer Butch Vig at Smart Studios in Madison, WI, plus "boombox" recordings of tracks like "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Comes as You Are," and "On a Plain." The original version of Nevermind was mixed by Andy Wallace, but the reissue will also house the Devonshire Mixes — the album as mixed and produced by Vig. Other highlights include BBC radio recordings, and a live DVD of the Kurt Cobain and Co.'s 1991 Halloween show at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.
In addition to the 4-CD/1-DVD box and single-CD edition, a 2-CD Deluxe Edition will be available (featuring the remastered album, B-sides, Smart Studio sessions, boombox rehearsals, and BBC sessions), as well as a 4-LP 180-gram heavyweight vinyl version.The 1991 Halloween show will also be issued on DVD and Blu-ray.
Thanks for posting! This and the PJ20 stuff is going to send me back a few but it's all worth it! Looking forward to everything that's going to be released on this.
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
On one hand, With the Lights Out really left a bad taste in my metaphorical mouth.
On the other, the 20th anniversary edition of Bleach was...really well done.
I think I'll have to pick this up.
The Bleach release was only CD and vinyl, right?
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
Is it just me, or does anybody else think it's lame the big, limited edition, blah blah blah, doesn't come with vinyl, but the one lower than that does?
So now I'm drivin the bus- Kramer
You're batman!- George
Yeah...yeah...I AM batman!!- Kramer
Is it just me, or does anybody else think it's lame the big, limited edition, blah blah blah, doesn't come with vinyl, but the one lower than that does?
It does come with vinyl.
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
Is it just me, or does anybody else think it's lame the big, limited edition, blah blah blah, doesn't come with vinyl, but the one lower than that does?
It does come with vinyl.
I'm totally not seeing it then. There's no vinyl in the picture or in thew write up. It appears the vinyl is a separate edition, and it won't be included in the limited edition version. Unless I'm totally wrong, which I hope I am.
So now I'm drivin the bus- Kramer
You're batman!- George
Yeah...yeah...I AM batman!!- Kramer
Is it just me, or does anybody else think it's lame the big, limited edition, blah blah blah, doesn't come with vinyl, but the one lower than that does?
It does come with vinyl.
I'm totally not seeing it then. There's no vinyl in the picture or in thew write up. It appears the vinyl is a separate edition, and it won't be included in the limited edition version. Unless I'm totally wrong, which I hope I am.
It's probably separate but there's going to be a 4 LP edition. Someone posted yesterday from Spin the details of the set.
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
Ok, so I'm not seeing things. You would think vinyl would be in the limited edition box. I get some may like that so they don't pay for something they may not use. But, it kinda sucks to have to buy two separate 20th Anniversary box of this thing. I'll probably drink the kool-aid though.
So now I'm drivin the bus- Kramer
You're batman!- George
Yeah...yeah...I AM batman!!- Kramer
01 Smells Like Teen Spirit
02 In Bloom
03 Come as You Are
04 Breed
05 Lithium
06 Polly
07 Territorial Pissings
08 Drain You
09 Lounge Act
10 Stay Away
11 On a Plain
12 Something in the Way
B-Sides:
13 Even in His Youth
14 Aneurysm
15 Curmudgeon
16 D-7 (live at the BBC)
17 Been a Son (live)
18 School (live)
19 Drain You (live)
20 Sliver (live)
21 Polly (live)
CD2:
Smart Studios sessions:
01 In Bloom *
02 Immodium (Breed) *
03 Lithium *
04 Polly *
05 Pay to Play
06 Here She Comes Now
07 Dive *
08 Sappy *
The Boombox Rehearsals:
09 Smells Like Teen Spirit
10 Verse Chorus Verse *
11 Territorial Pissings *
12 Lounge Act *
13 Come as You Are
14 Old Age *
15 Something in the Way *
16 On a Plain *
BBC Sessions:
17 Drain You *
18 Something in the Way *
CD3:
The Devonshire Mixes:
01 Smells Like Teen Spirit *
02 In Bloom *
03 Come as You Are *
04 Breed *
05 Lithium *
06 Territorial Pissings *
07 Drain You *
08 Lounge Act *
09 Stay Away *
10 On a Plain *
11 Something in the Way *
CD4:
Live at the Paramount Theatre:
01 Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam *
02 Aneurysm *
03 Drain You *
04 School *
05 Floyd the Barber *
06 Smells Like Teen Spirit *
07 About a Girl *
08 Polly *
09 Breed *
10 Sliver *
11 Love Buzz *
12 Lithium *
13 Been a Son *
14 Negative Creep *
15 On a Plain *
16 Blew *
17 Rape Me *
18 Territorial Pissings *
19 Endless, Nameless *
DVD:
Live at the Paramount Theatre:
01 Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam *
02 Aneurysm *
03 Drain You *
04 School *
05 Floyd the Barber *
06 Smells Like Teen Spirit *
07 About a Girl *
08 Polly *
09 Breed *
10 Sliver *
11 Love Buzz *
12 Lithium *
13 Been a Son *
14 Negative Creep *
15 On a Plain *
16 Blew *
17 Rape Me *
18 Territorial Pissings *
19 Endless, Nameless *
Music videos:
20 Smells Like Teen Spirit (music video)
21 Come As You Are (music video)
22 Lithium (music video)
23 In Bloom (music video)
* Cincinnati, OH 8.20.2000 *
* Cincinnati, OH 6.24.2006 *
* Columbus, OH 5.6.2010 * Noblesville, IN 5.7.2010 *
* East Troy, MI 9.4.2011 * East Troy, MI 9.5.2011 *
* Pittsburgh, PA 10.11.2013 *
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
I heard the Super Deluxe is limited to 10,000 copies in the US. Where is this thing being sold and can I pre-order it so I am guaranteed a copy?
Not sure, maybe their site. I want the Super Deluxe also.
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
Yeah, looks like the SD is sold out. I was looking at it more closely and decided that instead of spending over $100 on 3 different versions of the same album plus some outtakes and B-sides, I will instead buy the stand-alone bluray of the concert.
Yeah, looks like the SD is sold out. I was looking at it more closely and decided that instead of spending over $100 on 3 different versions of the same album plus some outtakes and B-sides, I will instead buy the stand-alone bluray of the concert.
Is the concert available as itself?
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
Yeah, looks like the SD is sold out. I was looking at it more closely and decided that instead of spending over $100 on 3 different versions of the same album plus some outtakes and B-sides, I will instead buy the stand-alone bluray of the concert.
Is the concert available as itself?
I read in the product description on Facebook that Nirvana released that the concert will be available as a stand alone Bluray. Only the DVD will be available in the 4CD Super Deluxe set. I think I'll just get the Bluray. I think I already have 4 versions of Nevermind.
Edit: Nope 5: 2 Vinyl (picture disc and blue RSD version), 2 CD's and a cassette that I got in late 91 before I owned a CD player.
Yeah, looks like the SD is sold out. I was looking at it more closely and decided that instead of spending over $100 on 3 different versions of the same album plus some outtakes and B-sides, I will instead buy the stand-alone bluray of the concert.
Is the concert available as itself?
I read in the product description on Facebook that Nirvana released that the concert will be available as a stand alone Bluray. Only the DVD will be available in the 4CD Super Deluxe set. I think I'll just get the Bluray. I think I already have 4 versions of Nevermind.
Edit: Nope 5: 2 Vinyl (picture disc and blue RSD version), 2 CD's and a cassette that I got in late 91 before I owned a CD player.
Nice. I have no form of Nevermind...I just imported my friend's copy onto my computer. I think I'll get the blu-ray, the vinyl, and some form of it on CD.
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
Inside the 20th-Anniversary Reissue of 'Nevermind'
Nirvana members open the vault on the making of the classic album
One afternoon in April 1990, Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and drummer Chad Channing arrived at producer Butch Vig's Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, after driving 1,900 miles from Seattle nonstop. "They rolled up in a van," says Vig, "and they probably hadn't taken a bath or shower in three or four days."
The songs Nirvana began recording that day would eventually become Nevermind, the album that kicked off the alt-rock explosion of the Nineties. Eight of the demos from that week, including ferocious test runs through "In Bloom" and "Lithium," are among the never-before-heard treasures on the 20th-anniversary edition of the landmark album, due September 27th. The set, which will be available in versions ranging from a single CD to a five-disc box, was assembled by Novoselic, Dave Grohl, Vig and Nirvana's management, as well as representatives of Cobain's estate. Along with a remastered version of Nevermind, the multidisc packages offer killer extras including B sides, alternate mixes and an entire live show.
"We had this motel room, and we would go to Smart Studios and work every day," says Novoselic. The sessions were fruitful but not without difficulties. "Kurt was charming and witty, but he would go through these mood swings," says Vig. "He would be totally engaged, then all of a sudden a light switch would go off and he'd go sit in the corner and completely disappear into himself. I didn't really know how to deal with that." Although Nirvana's studio money ran out after five days, the demos they had recorded in that span were strong enough to score them a major-label deal a few months later.
In the spring of 1991, Nirvana – by then with Grohl on drums instead of Channing – regrouped in Tacoma, where they cut another batch of demos. "We were this transient band, crashing other bands' practice pads," says Novoselic. Whenever they found a place to play, they'd work on whatever Cobain brought in that day.
"Kurt was so compelled to write songs, so he'd always be banging something out," Novoselic adds. "He'd have these ideas, and we'd just kick 'em around for hours." They recorded the rehearsals on a boombox, and those rough tapes – including spellbinding sketches of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Come As You Are" – are another highlight of the reissue package. "The boombox recordings are some of the coolest stuff for hardcore fans," says Vig. "They sound superlow-fi and dirty and trashy, really primal."
That May, the band met Vig in L.A. and began recording the versions that appeared on Nevermind. "We were really focused, no shenanigans or messing around," says Novoselic. "Every day, we'd go in around 11:00 or noon until 9:00 at night, just doing our thing." Vig remembers a more relaxed schedule: "They'd stay up all night and take drugs and go to the beach in Santa Monica, then wander in at three or four in the afternoon the next day. They were really enjoying a moment of freedom, and in the back of their minds, they knew they were making a great album. Those were fun times, man, before any of the craziness happened."
The band's first attempt at mixing Nevermind, though, was a disaster. "I'd be balancing the drums and the guitars," says Vig, "and Kurt would come and say, 'Turn all the treble off. I want it to sound more like Black Sabbath.' It was kind of a pain in the ass." They mutually agreed to bring in a hired hand, Slayer producer Andy Wallace, to do a final mix; the discarded, original mixes sat in a vault until the reissue.
Nirvana spent the weeks surrounding the album's September 24th, 1991, release on a whirlwind tour of Europe. "People were telling us that we were blowing up, and we were just like, 'Really?'" says Novoselic. The newly minted stars came home to Seattle's Paramount Theatre for a legendary Halloween '91 show that fans can hear for the first time on the deluxe reissue. "We were burned out," says Novoselic. "But it was a Halloween show, so we got pumped up and pulled it off."
Looking back, Novoselic sees that show as a turning point for Nirvana: "That was like the end of the innocent days. Then everything just got so huge, and it was hard to make that adjustment. I'm still trying to reconcile with all that."
Last fall, as the reissue was taking shape, Novoselic traveled to L.A. to play bass on a track for Foo Fighters' Vig-helmed album Wasting Light. Grohl, Novoselic and Vig sat around reminiscing for hours after the session was done. "We started pulling stories out of each other," says Vig. "It was a special night."
"It can definitely be emotional," adds Novoselic about those memories. "It's loaded with a lot of things. But if you just think about the music, that's what kept Nirvana together – we liked to play together, and we played together well. That was at the core of it, and that's what endures."
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
BTW, the limited Super Deluxe edition is available again for pre-order on Amazon.
Saw that. Don't know if I should pre-order that set or the vinyl set.
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
BTW, the limited Super Deluxe edition is available again for pre-order on Amazon.
Saw that. Don't know if I should pre-order that set or the vinyl set.
I pre-ordered it just so I can sit on it and decide if it's what I want. I am really excited to hear all the different mixes, the boombox tapes and everything else. Just not sure if it's worth $130. I mean, I might listen to it a few times at first but I will probably always go back to the original CD from 91. I have 2 vinyls of it now so I am passing on the vinyl version. The SD box set comes with the Live at the Paramount DVD but I really want the bluray. This could get expensive. :?
Not a bad price at all. $100 cheaper than the U2 set.
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
jesus christ that's a lot of money. I learned from my $250 Ten SDE that sits there collecting dust. Too bad they getcha with that DVD that's only in that box though. that's low.
Gimli 1993
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
Comments
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
On the other, the 20th anniversary edition of Bleach was...really well done.
I think I'll have to pick this up.
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... =1&theater
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
You're batman!- George
Yeah...yeah...I AM batman!!- Kramer
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
You're batman!- George
Yeah...yeah...I AM batman!!- Kramer
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
You're batman!- George
Yeah...yeah...I AM batman!!- Kramer
Honestly, I don't remember. I picked it up on CD.
CD1:
Original album:
01 Smells Like Teen Spirit
02 In Bloom
03 Come as You Are
04 Breed
05 Lithium
06 Polly
07 Territorial Pissings
08 Drain You
09 Lounge Act
10 Stay Away
11 On a Plain
12 Something in the Way
B-Sides:
13 Even in His Youth
14 Aneurysm
15 Curmudgeon
16 D-7 (live at the BBC)
17 Been a Son (live)
18 School (live)
19 Drain You (live)
20 Sliver (live)
21 Polly (live)
CD2:
Smart Studios sessions:
01 In Bloom *
02 Immodium (Breed) *
03 Lithium *
04 Polly *
05 Pay to Play
06 Here She Comes Now
07 Dive *
08 Sappy *
The Boombox Rehearsals:
09 Smells Like Teen Spirit
10 Verse Chorus Verse *
11 Territorial Pissings *
12 Lounge Act *
13 Come as You Are
14 Old Age *
15 Something in the Way *
16 On a Plain *
BBC Sessions:
17 Drain You *
18 Something in the Way *
CD3:
The Devonshire Mixes:
01 Smells Like Teen Spirit *
02 In Bloom *
03 Come as You Are *
04 Breed *
05 Lithium *
06 Territorial Pissings *
07 Drain You *
08 Lounge Act *
09 Stay Away *
10 On a Plain *
11 Something in the Way *
CD4:
Live at the Paramount Theatre:
01 Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam *
02 Aneurysm *
03 Drain You *
04 School *
05 Floyd the Barber *
06 Smells Like Teen Spirit *
07 About a Girl *
08 Polly *
09 Breed *
10 Sliver *
11 Love Buzz *
12 Lithium *
13 Been a Son *
14 Negative Creep *
15 On a Plain *
16 Blew *
17 Rape Me *
18 Territorial Pissings *
19 Endless, Nameless *
DVD:
Live at the Paramount Theatre:
01 Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam *
02 Aneurysm *
03 Drain You *
04 School *
05 Floyd the Barber *
06 Smells Like Teen Spirit *
07 About a Girl *
08 Polly *
09 Breed *
10 Sliver *
11 Love Buzz *
12 Lithium *
13 Been a Son *
14 Negative Creep *
15 On a Plain *
16 Blew *
17 Rape Me *
18 Territorial Pissings *
19 Endless, Nameless *
Music videos:
20 Smells Like Teen Spirit (music video)
21 Come As You Are (music video)
22 Lithium (music video)
23 In Bloom (music video)
* Cincinnati, OH 6.24.2006 *
* Columbus, OH 5.6.2010 * Noblesville, IN 5.7.2010 *
* East Troy, MI 9.4.2011 * East Troy, MI 9.5.2011 *
* Pittsburgh, PA 10.11.2013 *
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
9/29/04 Boston, 6/28/08 Mansfield, 8/23/09 Chicago, 5/15/10 Hartford
5/17/10 Boston, 10/15/13 Worcester, 10/16/13 Worcester, 10/25/13 Hartford
8/5/16 Fenway, 8/7/16 Fenway
EV Solo: 6/16/11 Boston, 6/18/11 Hartford,
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
http://www.nirvanaclub.com/index.php?se ... toryid=724
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
"Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock." :x
Does this mean all the pre-orders are sold out?
I have to find this somewhere or I am going to be one unhappy girl
Yeah, looks like the SD is sold out. I was looking at it more closely and decided that instead of spending over $100 on 3 different versions of the same album plus some outtakes and B-sides, I will instead buy the stand-alone bluray of the concert.
9/29/04 Boston, 6/28/08 Mansfield, 8/23/09 Chicago, 5/15/10 Hartford
5/17/10 Boston, 10/15/13 Worcester, 10/16/13 Worcester, 10/25/13 Hartford
8/5/16 Fenway, 8/7/16 Fenway
EV Solo: 6/16/11 Boston, 6/18/11 Hartford,
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
I read in the product description on Facebook that Nirvana released that the concert will be available as a stand alone Bluray. Only the DVD will be available in the 4CD Super Deluxe set. I think I'll just get the Bluray. I think I already have 4 versions of Nevermind.
Edit: Nope 5: 2 Vinyl (picture disc and blue RSD version), 2 CD's and a cassette that I got in late 91 before I owned a CD player.
9/29/04 Boston, 6/28/08 Mansfield, 8/23/09 Chicago, 5/15/10 Hartford
5/17/10 Boston, 10/15/13 Worcester, 10/16/13 Worcester, 10/25/13 Hartford
8/5/16 Fenway, 8/7/16 Fenway
EV Solo: 6/16/11 Boston, 6/18/11 Hartford,
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
Inside the 20th-Anniversary Reissue of 'Nevermind'
Nirvana members open the vault on the making of the classic album
One afternoon in April 1990, Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and drummer Chad Channing arrived at producer Butch Vig's Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, after driving 1,900 miles from Seattle nonstop. "They rolled up in a van," says Vig, "and they probably hadn't taken a bath or shower in three or four days."
The songs Nirvana began recording that day would eventually become Nevermind, the album that kicked off the alt-rock explosion of the Nineties. Eight of the demos from that week, including ferocious test runs through "In Bloom" and "Lithium," are among the never-before-heard treasures on the 20th-anniversary edition of the landmark album, due September 27th. The set, which will be available in versions ranging from a single CD to a five-disc box, was assembled by Novoselic, Dave Grohl, Vig and Nirvana's management, as well as representatives of Cobain's estate. Along with a remastered version of Nevermind, the multidisc packages offer killer extras including B sides, alternate mixes and an entire live show.
"We had this motel room, and we would go to Smart Studios and work every day," says Novoselic. The sessions were fruitful but not without difficulties. "Kurt was charming and witty, but he would go through these mood swings," says Vig. "He would be totally engaged, then all of a sudden a light switch would go off and he'd go sit in the corner and completely disappear into himself. I didn't really know how to deal with that." Although Nirvana's studio money ran out after five days, the demos they had recorded in that span were strong enough to score them a major-label deal a few months later.
In the spring of 1991, Nirvana – by then with Grohl on drums instead of Channing – regrouped in Tacoma, where they cut another batch of demos. "We were this transient band, crashing other bands' practice pads," says Novoselic. Whenever they found a place to play, they'd work on whatever Cobain brought in that day.
"Kurt was so compelled to write songs, so he'd always be banging something out," Novoselic adds. "He'd have these ideas, and we'd just kick 'em around for hours." They recorded the rehearsals on a boombox, and those rough tapes – including spellbinding sketches of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Come As You Are" – are another highlight of the reissue package. "The boombox recordings are some of the coolest stuff for hardcore fans," says Vig. "They sound superlow-fi and dirty and trashy, really primal."
That May, the band met Vig in L.A. and began recording the versions that appeared on Nevermind. "We were really focused, no shenanigans or messing around," says Novoselic. "Every day, we'd go in around 11:00 or noon until 9:00 at night, just doing our thing." Vig remembers a more relaxed schedule: "They'd stay up all night and take drugs and go to the beach in Santa Monica, then wander in at three or four in the afternoon the next day. They were really enjoying a moment of freedom, and in the back of their minds, they knew they were making a great album. Those were fun times, man, before any of the craziness happened."
The band's first attempt at mixing Nevermind, though, was a disaster. "I'd be balancing the drums and the guitars," says Vig, "and Kurt would come and say, 'Turn all the treble off. I want it to sound more like Black Sabbath.' It was kind of a pain in the ass." They mutually agreed to bring in a hired hand, Slayer producer Andy Wallace, to do a final mix; the discarded, original mixes sat in a vault until the reissue.
Nirvana spent the weeks surrounding the album's September 24th, 1991, release on a whirlwind tour of Europe. "People were telling us that we were blowing up, and we were just like, 'Really?'" says Novoselic. The newly minted stars came home to Seattle's Paramount Theatre for a legendary Halloween '91 show that fans can hear for the first time on the deluxe reissue. "We were burned out," says Novoselic. "But it was a Halloween show, so we got pumped up and pulled it off."
Looking back, Novoselic sees that show as a turning point for Nirvana: "That was like the end of the innocent days. Then everything just got so huge, and it was hard to make that adjustment. I'm still trying to reconcile with all that."
Last fall, as the reissue was taking shape, Novoselic traveled to L.A. to play bass on a track for Foo Fighters' Vig-helmed album Wasting Light. Grohl, Novoselic and Vig sat around reminiscing for hours after the session was done. "We started pulling stories out of each other," says Vig. "It was a special night."
"It can definitely be emotional," adds Novoselic about those memories. "It's loaded with a lot of things. But if you just think about the music, that's what kept Nirvana together – we liked to play together, and we played together well. That was at the core of it, and that's what endures."
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
9/29/04 Boston, 6/28/08 Mansfield, 8/23/09 Chicago, 5/15/10 Hartford
5/17/10 Boston, 10/15/13 Worcester, 10/16/13 Worcester, 10/25/13 Hartford
8/5/16 Fenway, 8/7/16 Fenway
EV Solo: 6/16/11 Boston, 6/18/11 Hartford,
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
I pre-ordered it just so I can sit on it and decide if it's what I want. I am really excited to hear all the different mixes, the boombox tapes and everything else. Just not sure if it's worth $130. I mean, I might listen to it a few times at first but I will probably always go back to the original CD from 91. I have 2 vinyls of it now so I am passing on the vinyl version. The SD box set comes with the Live at the Paramount DVD but I really want the bluray. This could get expensive. :?
9/29/04 Boston, 6/28/08 Mansfield, 8/23/09 Chicago, 5/15/10 Hartford
5/17/10 Boston, 10/15/13 Worcester, 10/16/13 Worcester, 10/25/13 Hartford
8/5/16 Fenway, 8/7/16 Fenway
EV Solo: 6/16/11 Boston, 6/18/11 Hartford,
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014