Bleach

Rating

Album: Bleach (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Blew	More Info...	0:03
2)	Floyd the Barber	More Info...	0:02
3)	About a Girl	More Info...	0:02
4)	School	More Info...	0:02
5)	Love Buzz	More Info...	0:03
6)	Paper Cuts	More Info...	0:04
7)	Negative Creep	More Info...	0:03
8)	Scoff	More Info...	0:04
9)	Swap Meet	More Info...	0:03
10)	Mr. Moustache	More Info...	0:03
11)	Sifting	More Info...	0:05
12)	Big Cheese	More Info...	0:03
13)	Downer	More Info...	0:01
14)	Intro	More Info...
15)	School	More Info...
16)	Floyd the Barber	More Info...
17)	Dive	More Info...
18)	Love Buzz	More Info...
19)	Spank Thru	More Info...
20)	Molly's Lips	More Info...
21)	Sappy	More Info...
22)	Scoff	More Info...
23)	About a Girl	More Info...
24)	Been a Son	More Info...
25)	Blew	More Info...

Album: Bleach (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Blew	More Info...	0:03
2)	Floyd the Barber	More Info...	0:02
3)	About a Girl	More Info...	0:02
4)	School	More Info...	0:02
5)	Love Buzz	More Info...	0:03
6)	Paper Cuts	More Info...	0:04
7)	Negative Creep	More Info...	0:03
8)	Scoff	More Info...	0:04
9)	Swap Meet	More Info...	0:03
10)	Mr. Moustache	More Info...	0:03
11)	Sifting	More Info...	0:05
12)	Big Cheese	More Info...	0:03
13)	Downer	More Info...	0:01
14)	Intro	More Info...
15)	School	More Info...
16)	Floyd the Barber	More Info...
17)	Dive	More Info...
18)	Love Buzz	More Info...
19)	Spank Thru	More Info...
20)	Molly's Lips	More Info...
21)	Sappy	More Info...
22)	Scoff	More Info...
23)	About a Girl	More Info...
24)	Been a Son	More Info...
25)	Blew	More Info...

Performer Notes

Nirvana: Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar); Jason Everman (guitar); Chris Novoselic (bass); Chad Channing (drums).
Additional personnel: Dale Crover (drums).
Recorded at Reciprocal Recording, Seattle, Washington.
Personnel: Dale Crover, Chad Channing (drums).
Audio Mixer: Jack Endino.
Recording information: Pine Street Theatre, Portland, OR (02/09/1990); Reciprocal, Seattle, WA (02/09/1990).
Photographers: Tracy Marander; Charles Peterson .
This is one case where the legend really precedes the record itself. Cut for about 600 dollars in Jack Endino's studio over just a matter of days, this captures Nirvana at a formative stage, still indebted to the murk that became known as grunge, yet not quite finding their voice as songwriters. Which isn't to say that they were devoid of original material, since even at this stage Kurt Cobain illustrated signs of his considerable songcraft, particularly on the minor-key ballad "About a Girl" and the dense churn of "Blew." A few songs come close to that level, but that's more a triumph of sound than structure, as "Negative Creep" and "School" get by on attitude and churn, while the cover of "Love Buzz" winds up being one of the highlights because this gives a true menace to their sound, thanks to its menacing melody. The rest of it sinks into the sludge, as the group itself winds up succumbing to grinding sub-metallic riffing that has little power, due to lack of riffs and lack of a good drummer. Bleach is more than a historical curiosity since it does have its share of great songs, but it isn't a lost classic -- it's a debut from a band that shows potential but haven't yet achieved it. [Sub Pop's 20th anniversary edition of Bleach offers a remastered version of the proper album -- good, but there's only so much sonic improvement that can be done for an album that was recorded for a few hundred dollars. The real news here is the addition of a complete Portland, OR, concert from February 9, 1990, an 11-song set that runs through the highlights of Bleach and adds "Dive" and "Been a Son," the Vaselines cover "Molly's Lips," and an early stab at "Sappy." That Nirvana sound forceful isn't a surprise, but they also sound surprisingly tight -- a little bit looser than they would sound within a year, but they're clearly marshaling their forces, gaining strength and skill. This concert may not be as epochal as the group's 1992 headlining appearance at Reading -- a CD/DVD set of which was released the same day as the Bleach anniversary edition -- but this is a terrific document of Nirvana's early days, proving they were a tremendous band before Dave Grohl came aboard.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (p.74) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Beginning with a feedback overture and ending with full-on instrument destruction, the live set is a snapshot of a menacingly feral band about to become a beast."

Spin (p.82) - "BLEACH is truer to 'grunge' than what followed, with bratty nihilism and sludgy dynamics dominating."

Q (Magazine) (p.128) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he stellar factor was Cobain: his voice, his songwriting, even his underrated guitar playing -- all lent Nirvana peculiar qualities that ensured this music transcended constraints of time and fashion."

Record Collector (magazine) (p.88) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'About A Girl' is still the most Beatles-like Cobain moment."