Nirvana – “Bleach”

1989

Sub Pop

On June 15th 1989, Nirvana released their debut album titled “Bleach” to favorable reviews from critics. Despite the record not charting at all after its initial release, after the runaway success of Nevermind Geffen would re- release the record in 1992 which did chart quite well, but back in 1989 nobody knew, or indeed very much cared, about the band from Aberdeen Washington with the lanky bassist, tiny drummer and the awkwardly compelling guitarist/front-man. Many artists’ first record more or less comes and goes under the radar and “Bleach” is no exception; in fact in the short discography of the band “Bleach” is often unfairly overlooked even today. Many things have been written about Nirvana and the music that they recorded over the ensuing decades but I have always felt that “Bleach” often gets little to no credit or recognition. If you listen very careful and deconstruct the music contained within, as we will shortly do, you can hear the beginning of a cultural centerpiece the likes of which, quite frankly, we are unlikely to see ever again. To think that all of it started with a little record recorded for a mere $606 (courtesy of sometime Soundgarden bassist Jason Everman and very briefly of Nirvana after the record’s release) is equal parts remarkable and unfathomable. It was also, perhaps more importantly, an early primitive showcase for the obvious tortured genius of a certain Mr. Cobain.

“Bleach” was recorded in Reciprocal Recording Studios in Seattle between December 1988 and January of 1989 by Sub Pop producer Jack Endino. Initially there wasn’t going to be a record at all; the cash strapped Sub Pop had only sanctioned an EP initially and even that was later shelved for the release of the “Love Buzz” single, not even an original Nirvana composition much to the chagrin of Cobain. However “Love Buzz” did well enough within Sub Pop’s Singles club that the label decide to sanction a full length LP, there was one problem though; the band would have to pay for the recording upfront themselves. Sessions began sometime after Christmas 1988 and continued off an on until January with the band well rehearsed and familiar with the material so that recording could be completed as quickly and as cheaply as possible. Preliminary demos had been recorded before this with Dale Crover of the Melvins on drums for that particular session and indeed some of his performances were carried over for the “Bleach” sessions; namely “Paper Cuts”, “Floyd The Barber” and “Downer”.

“Bleach” kicks things off with “Blew” beginning with a growling bass before being joined by original drummer Chad Channing’s drums and a heavy fuzzy guitar riff from Cobain changing to an angular metal sounding riff in the chorus sections with a rare traditional sounding extended guitar solo. “Blew” is the first introduction of the verse/chorus dynamic from Nirvana which would change-up and swap sides according to the composition at hand to often great effect. Next up is the heavy, moody “Floyd The Barber”. In a 2009 interview with Seattle Weekly bassist Krist Novoselic described the records sound as “Doom Pop” and he’s not too far wrong. The track evokes Sabbath at their heaviest but with a total pop sensibility which is infectious as it is curious sounding beginning with a glimmer of feedback a straight up metal riff with accompanying syncopated pounding floors toms and distorted bass leading into a high register guitar solo which lefts the track momentarily out of the heavy dirge before ending in a chaotic manner with the pop of bass ending the track.

“About A Girl” follows, probably the most recognizable song to longtime and causal fans alike so far with a clear Beatles influence throughout. The track begins with a an instantly memorable guitar riff which anchors the song throughout with grooving bass and serviceable drums. This track showcases Cobain’s incredible knack for writing, well, pop tunes with an interesting middle section featuring new wave style drumming and an extended guitar riff, which this reviewer had genuinely forgotten about and a section of music which sounds incredible even after all these years. Interestingly it was Channing who suggested the song’s title, in the same interview for Seattle Weekly Channing states; “Working on About A Girl”, the song didn’t have a title by that time, so I asked Kurt “What is that song about?” He said “About a girl”. I said “Why don’t you just call it that?” So he made this quirky smile and said “OK!”.

“School” follows, beginning with a distorted snakey guitar riff before been joined by drums and bass with a jangley riff in the tried and true loud chorus to the soft verse leading to another extended frantic solo before Kurt’s agonized cries of “You’re in high school again!”. The track is a memorable one and much like the preceding couple of tracks evokes yet more personal storytelling from Cobain. Next up is “Love Buzz” Nirvana’s very first single and included here in the 1992 re- release of the record which is of course a cover of Shocking Blue’s rather tepid spacey original composition. Nirvana’s version is anything but; featuring vibrant bass tones that will get stuck in your head and raging guitar, with an excellent drum bass motif in the verse sections before the heavy chorus sections (already the band has perfected the dynamic) before ending out in chaotic fashion. The track is an improvement on the original, mostly essential if a cover version is to succeed and is a worthy addition to the record.

“Paper Cuts” follows and it’s probably the weakest track on the record. Beginning with heavy distorted riffs and thundering drums, the track features an odd vocal performance from Cobain which is equal parts disconcerting and disjointed with an almost Alice in Chains esque chorus. “Paper Cuts” is easily the most ambitious track on “Bleach” and that is part of its downfall; Nirvana where always at their best when the music was primal, bouncy, brief and fun and while the track is not a bad song per se, it has a dirgey feel to it which soon gets repetitive after repeated listens. “Negative Creep” is next up beginning with a twisty schizophrenic riff and the track is perhaps, along with “About A Girl”, the most recognizable tune off of “Bleach” with Cobain”s memorable demented refrain of “Daddy’s little girl ain’t a girl no more” anchoring the song throughout and the track is a definite standout as a result. “Scoff” follows, beginning with a snappy drum pattern replicated on guitar and is a frantic rocker with metal undertones. Most interesting is Chad Channing’s use of double kick after the impossibly catchy chorus sections which is quite an anomaly for Nirvana’s music but as Novoselic himself said of the influences of the band around this time, in a 2002 interview with Rolling Stone; “We had one tape in the van, this was before we recorded “Bleach” and on one side was The Smithreens and on the other was a heavy metal band called Celtic Frost. That tape was always getting played, turned over and over again. I think back now and go “Yeah, maybe that was an influence”.

“Swap Meet” is next up beginning with another moody angular riff accompanied during the chorus sections by a marching snare type pattern from Channing before transitioning into a brief idiosyncratic solo complete with Cobain’s equally idiosyncratic lyrics “they make their living off of arts and crafts, the kind with seashells, driftwood and burlap, they make a deal when they come to town, the Sunday swap meet is a battle ground”. The track is charming, almost like a raging nursery rhyme, and doesn’t outstay its welcome. “Mr. Moustache” follows with a rapid snare from Channing before a gloriously paranoid riff kicks in with a stop/ start chorus. The track is the typical bouncy Nirvana song (with a very knowing ending) that would come to be perfected on Nevermind; short, snappy and a lot of fun. “Sifting” begins with a staggered drum pattern and a clunky metal riff with a tonal shift from the previous few tracks. The song feels more like a collection of good ideas tacked together and the results are fairly average; much like “Paper Cuts” the track is a tad over ambitious in its composition and doesn’t quite warrant many repeated listens. The opposite can be said for “Big Cheese” originally the B-side to the “Love Buzz” single (I am reviewing the 1992 reissue that most fans are familiar with and has become the industry standard) as a result the track feels slightly unfinished and more like a demo; anybody that owns the With The Lights Out box-set will be familiar with the stomping live version of the song. On “Bleach” the song still retains that bouncy fun factor (lyrically something of a dig at Sub Pop) and is a track that was written for the live setting in mind. “Bleach” ends with the short but sweet punk infused “Downer” beginning with rumbling bass, off kilter drums and a frenetic riff from Cobain. The track is the ideal schizophrenic closer to what was then a most unique debut record from a band in a long long time.

“Bleach” is not without its faults; the production is rough, some of the material falls a bit flat when it enters a slightly more ambitious arena and the playing is sometimes lacking but in some ways that’s entirely the point. The record still to this day a fascinating snapshot in time of a band learning its trade before global and cultural domination. It’s not Nirvana’s best record, but it does contains some of the bands most memorable material and at least one stone cold classic. More pertinently, Cobain sounds like he’s having fun on this album, something which was essentially gone by the time In Utero came to be released. It’s the sound of three young guys jamming tunes and having a good time and in 1989 that’s really all that mattered then and everything else after a bonus – many musicians can relate to that. If you haven’t, like me, listened to this album for a while give it a spin, I was pleasantly surprised to find that much of the material still holds up and sounds vibrant in 2019. I guess that’s the biggest complement one can give any piece of work and genius.

Still have no clue what Kurt is singing about half the time though.

Works Cited:

Fricke, David.,(Sep 2001) Q&A: Krist Novoselic Looks Back On Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’, Rolling Stone.

Novoselic, Krist.,(Oct 2009) Bleach: Krist Novoselic Interviews Chad Channing, Seattle Weekly.