(This page is about the Seattle-based band led by Kurt Cobain. For the 1960s British band of the same name, see Nirvana(2).)

"A great record by any standard."

(John Peel, 02 July 1993, on 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', #1 in the 1991 Festive Fifty)

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John Peel's Nirvana's

were an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987. Nirvana went through a succession of drummers, the longest-lasting being Dave Grohl, who joined the band in 1990. In the late 1980s Nirvana established itself as part of the Seattle grunge scene, releasing its first album Bleach for the independent record label Sub Pop in 1989. After signing to major label DGC Records, Nirvana found unexpected success with "Smells Like Teen Spirit", the first single from the band's second album Nevermind (1991). Nirvana's third studio album In Utero (1993), challenged the group's audience, featuring an abrasive, less-mainstream sound. Nirvana's brief run ended following the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994. ( read more at Wikipedia

In Margrave Of The Marshes, Peel's wife Sheila recalled that Nirvana were a band much loved by all the family and after Cobain's death, "John met the children off the school bus and broke the news to them in much the same manner as if it had been a close family member who had died" (hardback edition, pg 316). The DJ would play all three of the band's sessions back to back on 22 April 1994 as a tribute, select 'Nevermind' as one of his Top 20 Albums and make Sub Pop single 'Sliver' a Peelenium 1990 choice.

Peel discussed the band during an interview broadcast in his 60th birthday special on 31 August 1999:

The reputation of the programme over the years has spread overseas, and I’ve been lucky enough to be put on the mailing lists of various American record labels. And so it was that I got to hear Nirvana I suspect before most other people in this country. And their first LP, it only cost something like 600 dollars to make and it was just a storming record. When they came over we booked them to do sessions and I would like to say that I went along to the sessions and had a bit of a chat with Kurt and things, but it wouldn’t be true because I didn’t.

When they played Reading for the second time, when they were on the main stage, I said to their roadie or whatever, I said, ‘Look, is it alright if my children come and stand in the little area where I stand anyway just to watch the band? They won’t get in the way and they are not going to scream or do anything silly.’ And he went off to have a word with Kurt about it and Kurt came back and just said, ‘Actually, why don’t they just sit on the stage behind the band?’ They were wildly overexcited and whenever he changed guitars and things, he came over and sort of stood by them and on one occasion actually stood on my daughter Alexandra, who was the big Kurt Cobain fan at the time. I don’t think - she has probably been happier since, but she certainly hadn’t been happier up to that point, being trodden on by Kurt Cobain.

Festive Fifty Entries

1990 Festive Fifty: Sliver #23

1994 Festive Fifty: The Man Who Sold The World #27

1994 Festive Fifty: Where Did You Sleep Last Night? #40

1994 Festive Fifty: About A Girl #44

2000 Festive Fifty: Smells Like Teen Spirit AT#8

Sessions

Three sessions. All three were repeated on 22 April 1994 as a tribute to Kurt Cobain, who died on 1994-04-05.

Nirvana - Peel Session 1990

1. Recorded 1989-10-26. First broadcast 22 November 1989. Repeated: 22 January 1990, 25 December 1992, 22 April 1994

Love Buzz / About A Girl / Polly / Spank Thru

2. Recorded 1990-10-21. First broadcast 03 November 1990. Repeated: 19 January 1991, 22 April 1994

Son Of A Gun / Molly’s Lips / D7 / Turnaround

3. Recorded 1991-09-03. First broadcast 03 November 1991. Repeated: 29 December 1991, 22 April 1994

Dumb / Drain / ‘No Title As Yet’

Other Shows Played

Nirvana - Sliver 1989

1990

Nirvana - Lithium 1991

1992

1993

Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World (MTV Unplugged) 1994

After 1994

Other