20th Anniversary of Nirvana's Bleach
Nirvana’s First Album to Celebrate it’s 20th Birthday
May 27, 2009
Nirvana were known amongst musicians in Seattle during the early days of its music scene, a scene that would be branded 'grunge'. Cobain had played with The Melvins, a pioneering band of the sound of Seattle, before forming his own band with his school friend, Krist Novoselic. The band formed by the two went through several names such as Skid Rowand Pen Cap Chewbefore settling finally on the now world famous name, Nirvana Through relentlessly playing shows and through connections with other bands on the scene, Nirvana were able to catch the attention of Sub Pop. They agreed to release the band’s first single, Love Buzz, a punk rock cover of a Shocking Blue song. The recording was fairly well received on its release in 1988 and the following year the band released their first full length studio album, Bleach.
The Album History
In what might be considered shocking now considering the heights that Nirvana were to reach in their short but illustrious career, the band were expected to stump up the payment for the studio time. With barely a cent between them, their saving grace came in the form of Jason Everman. Everman had been impressed by what he’d heard and after being introduced to the band by Dylan Carlson, Cobain’s best friend, he offered to lend the band the money to record and would become the band’s second guitarist for a spell. While he is credited as playing guitar on the recording, he didn’t actually take part. As Novoselic said in a later interview, they "wanted to make him feel more at home in the band."
Around this time, Nirvana were having troubles finding a suitable, permanent drummer. By the time the recordings came around they were being leant The Melvin’s Dale Crover. It would be around another year before the band would be introduced to Dave Grohl, completing the legendary line-up we know them as today. Crover would ultimately end up playing on the band’s demo tapes. Around March of 1989 the band recruited Chad Channing, after which they attempted to rerecord with Channing on drums, but ultimately settled on remixing the Crover recordings for the release. Channing was, however, credited for drums.
After recording, the album was held back from release for several months while Sub Pop fumbled to stump up fund required for the pressing. It finally hit shelves in a limited capacity on June 15th 1989. Originally intended to be called Too Many Humans, Cobain decided to change to the name Bleach after seeing a billboard while on tour advising heroine addicts to bleach their needles.
A rather dark joke considering what would become Cobain’s fate with drugs. While the drug the name was affiliated with would end the legacy, the album would begin it. It would be the start of all the musical influence the band has had on music and musicians since it burst into the mainstream with Smells Like Teen Spirit. But Nevermind was more than two years away.
The Music, Bleach
The release of Bleach immediately gained attention. Its tracks became a favourite for college radio stations around the Seattle and Washington area. Despite this, it would have been impossible to tell the superstardom the band would later reach. Looking back on the album though, it is easy to see, as so many have pointed out in the past, the touches of that pop sensibility that Cobain so clearly possessed can be seen being wielded on the album. Songs like About a Girl, clearly influenced by Beattles tracks, and even Blew and School, which both contain relatively catchy, if punky, hooks. There was obviously potential on the album.
Cobain has been quoted to have expressed his dislike for the album over the years. According to Azzerad’s 1994 biography, Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana, Cobain felt pressure from the Sub Pop label to conform to the ‘rock music’ sound that the label expected. He felt unable to express his artier side, to craft the sort of songs that he wished to. Cobain later told Spin magazine in 1993 that the lyrics on the album were rushed and merely nonsensical.
He is quoted to have said "I didn't give a flying **** what the lyrics were about. It was like I'm pissed off. Don't know what about. Let's just scream negative lyrics, and as long as they're not sexist and don't get too embarrassing it'll be okay. I don't hold any of those lyrics dear to me." Another part of that conforming constraint he felt on the album. Despite this, both the Cobain biographies, Heavier Than Heaven by Charles Crossand Come As You Are, mentioned earlier both link song lyrics to things in Cobain’s life around the time.
Bleach's Legacy
Even in the face of how it might be viewed in hindsight, it was the first Nirvana album. It was the first recording that lead the way for the world renown Nevermind, and the genius of In Utero. Without it, we might never have had Nirvana. The world of music would be a much different and possibly uglier place without their influence.
Not only this, but some of the songs are still favourites. Every Nirvana fan knows About a Girl and the beautiful acoustic rendition from the Unplugged in New York gig. Nirvana might not have been the first Grunge band, but it was the biggest and, for many, the best. Bleach is an anchor which shows us from where their music started and from where they moved on their music from. The foundation of the late, great Nirvana. Happy Birthday, Bleach!
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