Nirvana bootleg recordings explained

The Nirvana bootleg recordings are a number of recordings of musical performances by the American rock band Nirvana, which were previously not officially released by the band, or under any other legal authority. The recordings consist of both live performances and outtakes from studio sessions unavailable as a legal release.

Overview

Nirvana was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987, and featured drummer Dave Grohl for the majority of the band's career. They had previously gone through a succession of drummers, most notably Chad Channing, Dale Crover and Dan Peters. Jason Everman was briefly added as a second guitarist in 1989. Pat Smear joined the band as a touring guitarist in 1993. Although Nirvana existed for less than a decade, they released three studio albums, starting with 1989's Bleach, followed by their major label breakthrough album, Nevermind in 1991. In Utero was released in 1993, just seven months prior to Cobain's death in April 1994. Also released in 1992 was the compilation album Incesticide.

As Nirvana's popularity grew following the success of Nevermind, unreleased recordings of the band began to surface in the form of unofficial bootleg CDs, often originating from companies in Europe and Japan. The sound quality and album art would frequently range from appalling to appealing, sometimes sounding like and resembling something of a legitimate release. Some of the recordings came from "tape trading" circles while others may have been recorded or obtained specifically for the bootleg CD. Material was sometimes gathered from already existing vinyl bootlegs or other bootleg CDs as they became available. Additionally, songs issued only as a b-side or compilation track became frequent candidates for use as filler material. Nirvana would not see any royalties from these releases, nor would they have anything to do with their production. The first Nirvana bootleg CD was released in 1992 by Post Script, simply titled Europe 1991.[1] Since then, hundreds of recordings of concerts, demos and various unreleased material have surfaced in this format.[2] [3]

The official release Incesticide was issued in late 1992, including demos, outtakes and radio sessions, some of which were previously circulating in lower quality on bootleg CDs. Despite MTV Unplugged in New York being released less than a year after the performance occurred, it would still become one of the band's most bootlegged shows. After the first several installments of the unofficial Outcesticide collection came through, the official live album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah was released in 1996, containing various performances recorded between 1989 and 1994. It should also be noted that the official With the Lights Out box set was released in 2004, which included many rare, unreleased recordings, while the official Live at Reading debuted Nirvana's now classic 1992 Reading Festival performance in 2009, after years of endless bootlegging.

Due to the fact that there is an uncountable number of unofficial releases and their accompanying versions, below is a partial list of the most sought-after and talked about bootleg CD recordings, including the A Season in Hell Part One box set, the Into the Black box set, and the complete Outcesticide series. Since bootleg CDs are notorious for including erroneously listed information pertaining to song titles, dates and venues, the information below has omitted any false listings and replaced them with the correct information.

Outcesticide albums

The Outcesticide albums are the most well known Nirvana bootleg CD series in existence and carry a name recognition second only to Nirvana's official releases. These unofficial compilation albums consisted of live material, demo recordings, television appearances, radio performances and other various unreleased material. Although Blue Moon Records originally produced the series and manufactured multiple pressings throughout the 1990s,[4] they have been endlessly cloned, with counterfeit versions accounting for the majority of the market. Other companies to later issue the series included Darkside Records, Red Robin Records and Kobra Records, among others.

Outcesticide: In Memory of Kurt Cobain

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

Outcesticide II: The Needle & the Damage Done

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

Outcesticide III: The Final Solution

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

Outcesticide IV: Rape of the Vaults

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

Outcesticide V: Disintegration

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

Outcesticide 2022: Resurrection

Italic Title:no
Outcesticide 2022: Resurrection
Type:compilation
Artist:Nirvana
Released:February 2022
Recorded:1989–1993
Genre:Alternative rock, grunge
Length:70:49
Label:Not On Label (BMCD 2022)

Outcesticide 2022: Resurrection is a bootleg CD compilation, created by an unknown manufacturer, and sold online in extremely limited quantities in February 2022. The original release is housed in a CD jewel case, with information on the recordings within the CD compilation. Spanning the 18-track CD are selected live tracks from Nirvana concerts from 1989 to 1993 which weren't available in top-tier quality elsewhere, several alternate, unheard demos of songs, home demos, and previously unreleased rehearsal versions of songs, and compilation tracks. The CD is not related in any way to the Outcesticide series of the 1990s, and seems to only bear the name, in homage to the series itself.[14] The CD was later released by the Japanese company Empress Valley Supreme Disc, also in 2022.[15]

Outcesticide 2022: Resurrection

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

A Season in Hell Part One

Italic Title:no
A Season in Hell Part One
Type:box
Artist:Nirvana
Released:1994
Recorded:1988–1993
Genre:Alternative rock, grunge
Length:218:07
Label:Banzai

A Season in Hell Part One is a bootleg CD box set manufactured in Italy and released by Banzai in 1994. The collection is housed in a matte finish, square box that also includes a 7-inch×7″ booklet with 24 pages of photographs and information on the recordings featured in the set. Spanning the three disc, 66-track collection are two shows from 1990, several demos, some rare live material, various b-sides and compilation tracks. This is one of only two bootleg CD releases to feature the Off Ramp Café performance, and the only to feature the Town Pump show. A portion of the box set would later be officially released on With the Lights Out. In 1996, the inferior A Season In Hell Part Two was released by Razor's Edge, containing the 1994 Le Zénith show and an array of miscellaneous material, most of which was lifted from the Outcesticide series and official releases.[16]

A Season in Hell Part One, CD 1

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

A Season in Hell Part One, CD 2

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

A Season in Hell Part One, CD 3

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

Into the Black

Italic Title:no
Into the Black
Type:box
Artist:Nirvana
Released:1994
Recorded:1988–1994
Genre:Alternative rock, grunge
Length:415:06
Label:Tribute

Into the Black is a six CD box set released by Tribute in 1994, which is often considered the preferred Nirvana bootleg box set due to it being compiled by a knowledgeable fan.[19] It is housed in a glossy box, including a 22-page booklet made of thick cardstock. Several recordings were obtained specifically for the set and it contains a large amount of material that had not yet surfaced up to the time of its release. The extensive 116-track collection includes demo recordings, two band-made compilations, the 1992 Reading Festival performance and BBC radio sessions from Maida Vale Studios. The set also contains two Seattle shows; the 1991 Halloween homecoming performance for their North American Nevermind tour, and their last ever American show in 1994. Following Into the Black, Tribute released the 2-CD companion piece, New Year's Eve, featuring Nirvana's 1993 performance at the Oakland Coliseum as well as the 1988 Sub Pop 200 record release show in Seattle.[20]

Ultra Rare Demos & Sessions

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

Master Demo Recordings

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

Paramount Theatre

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

Reading Festival

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

Last American Show Part 1

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

Last American Show Part 2

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

The Chosen Rejects

Italic Title:no
The Chosen Rejects
Type:Box set
Artist:Nirvana
Released:November 1, 2006
Recorded:1985–1994
Length:312:18
Producer:John W. Busher

The Chosen Rejects[22] is a bootleg CD box set put together by John W. Busher[23] in Italy and released November 1, 2006. The set is enclosed in 4 standard jewel cases, each of which have a separate title and cover image. Each CD also came with a track listing on the inside of the cover. This 4 disc box set holds an 80-track collection that are of soundboard quality except for track 15[24] on disc one, which is a boombox demo, and tracks 4–5, 7, 13–15, 19-20 on disc 4, which were recorded by audience members. The first disc also features 7 Fecal Matter demos, from the album Illiteracy Will Prevail. The bootleg was originally for sale on Discogs, however a copy has not been put up for sale since 2012, and probably never will be again due to their crackdown on sales of bootlegs.

The Chosen Rejects, CD 1, Home Demos

The Chosen Rejects, CD 2, Studio Sessions

The Chosen Rejects, CD 3, Broadcasts

The Chosen Rejects, CD 4, Live Rarities

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Europe 1991 . Livenirvana.com . 2012-03-24.
  2. Web site: LiveNIRVANA.com Bootography . Live Nirvana . 2012-03-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120208082116/http://www.livenirvana.com/bootography/index.html . 2012-02-08 .
  3. Web site: Nirvana Discography at Discogs . Discogs.com . 1994-04-08 . 2012-03-24.
  4. Web site: Outcesticide - In Memory of Kurt Cobain . Livenirvana.com . 2012-03-24.
  5. Web site: Sessions History | Studio Sessions | January 19–21, 1993 - BMG Ariola Ltda., Rio de Janeiro, BR . Live Nirvana . 2012-03-24.
  6. Web site: 2017-11-07 . Nirvana Live At First Ave 1991 Set List & Highlights Nivrana Tribute . 2022-04-04 . NIVRANA . en.
  7. Web site: Nirvana Live Guide - Related Shows . Nirvanaguide.com . 2012-03-24.
  8. Web site: Penu Baby . Livenirvana.com . 2012-03-24.
  9. Web site: Sessions History | Practice Sessions | (The Retards) April, 1991 - Melvins practice space & Crover residence in San Francisco . Live Nirvana . 2011-08-28 . 2012-03-24.
  10. Web site: Outcesticide IV - Rape Of The Vaults . Livenirvana.com . 2012-03-24.
  11. Web site: Sessions History | Studio Sessions | (Hole) October, 1993 - Triclops Recording, Atlanta, GA, US . Live Nirvana . 2012-03-24.
  12. Web site: Nirvana Live Guide - 1992 . Nirvanaguide.com . 2012-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130424021741/http://nirvanaguide.com/1992.php . 2013-04-24 . dead .
  13. Web site: Nirvana Live Guide - 1994 . Nirvanaguide.com . 2012-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071024032959/http://www.nirvanaguide.com/1994.php . 2007-10-24 . dead .
  14. Web site: Outcesticide 2022: Resurrection .
  15. Web site: Nirvana - Outcesticide 2022 . . 2022 .
  16. Web site: A Season In Hell Part 2 Discs 2 & 3 . Livenirvana.com . 2012-03-24.
  17. Web site: Nirvana Live Guide - 1990 . Nirvanaguide.com . 2012-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061122204611/http://www.nirvanaguide.com/1990.php . 2006-11-22 . dead .
  18. Web site: A Season In Hell Part 2 Disc 1 . Livenirvana.com . 2012-03-24.
  19. Web site: Legacy 1988 - 1994 . Livenirvana.com . 2012-03-24.
  20. Web site: New Years Eve . Livenirvana.com . 2012-03-24.
  21. Web site: Into The Black - Disc 1 & 2 - Demos and Sessions . Livenirvana.com . 2012-03-24.
  22. News: Get A Load Of The Chosen Rejects, A Four-Disc Nirvana Bootleg That "Destroys That Piece Of Garbage With The Lights Out Any Day Of The Week". 2017-12-09.
  23. Web site: Search Results Steve Hoffman Music Forums. forums.stevehoffman.tv. en-US. 2017-12-09.
  24. Web site: Nirvana - The Chosen Rejects. Discogs. November 2006 . 2017-12-09.