Thursday, October 22, 2009

Hit the 'Bleach'... It's Pure Nirvana

To mark the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's best album, Sub Pop has remastered and expanded 'Bleach' for a Nov. 3 release. It's difficult to believe the band's debut sold less than 40,000 copies prior to the explosion that was 'Nevermind'. The trio, obviously, sold quite a few more copies in the days following "Smells Like Teen Spirit". In fact, 'Bleach' is Sub Pop's only record to go platinum.

I haven't listened to much Nirvana since the early '90s, but those were heady days for college-aged students like myself. When I put on 'Bleach', I think about -- quite possibly -- the best show I ever saw. It was Nirvana at Metro in Chicago on Oct. 12, 1991. I took my then 15-year-old brother. It wasn't an all-ages show, but he made it in unscathed. By the end of the night, we were, indeed, scathed. The moment Kurt Cobain struck the first chord, a body flew over my head. Within minutes, I lost my shoe, broke my watch and bent my glasses. It was all worth it.

Anyway, back to the reissue of 'Bleach'. This time around, the record comes with a complete Feb. 9, 1990, show from Pine Street Theatre in Portland, Ore. The CD has a 52-page booklet, and the double LP comes with 16 pages. If you preorder from Sub Pop, the CD is only $12. Yes, grunge is dead, but Sub Pop is right to resurrect 'Bleach'.

Nirvana - About a Girl (Remastered) (mp3)
Nirvana - Scoff (Live) (mp3)

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