Nirvana bootleg recordings

Did You Know?

• Outcesticide 2022: Resurrection is a bootleg CD compilation sold online in limited quantities in February 2022, unrelated to the 1990s Outcesticide series but bearing the name in homage.
• A Season in Hell Part One is a three-disc, 66-track box set released by Banzai in 1994, featuring two shows from 1990 and the only bootleg CD to include the Town Pump show.
• A Season in Hell Part Two, released in 1996 by Razor's Edge, contained the 1994 Le Zénith show and material mostly lifted from the Outcesticide series and official releases.

Overview

Nirvana was formed in 1987 in Aberdeen, Washington, by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic, with drummer Dave Grohl joining for most of the band's career. Earlier drummers included Chad Channing, Dale Crover, and Dan Peters; Jason Everman briefly served as a second guitarist in 1989, and Pat Smear became a touring guitarist in 1993. The band released three studio albums: Bleach (1989), Nevermind (1991), and In Utero (1993), along with the compilation Incesticide (1992).

Cobain died in April 1994. According to Gavin Report in 1991, bootlegs of Nirvana appeared sporadically after Bleach, increasing during the gap before Nevermind, with early versions of the song Lithium circulating under the title Broken Mirrors. As Nirvana's fame grew after Nevermind, unreleased recordings surfaced as unofficial bootleg CDs, often from European and Japanese companies. Sound quality and artwork varied widely, sometimes resembling legitimate releases.

Material came from tape trading circles or was recorded specifically for bootlegs, and songs from b-sides or compilations were used as filler. Nirvana received no royalties from these releases. The first bootleg CD, Europe 1991, was released in 1992 by Post Script. Billboard reported in August 1992 that Italian label Living Legend sold a bootleg titled Nirvana: The Live Spirit - Live 1991, and in September 1992 that two German companies sold thousands of live recordings, including Nirvana's.

Outcesticide albums

The Outcesticide series is the best-known collection of unofficial Nirvana CDs, with only the band’s own albums more widely recognized. NME placed the first volume at number 12 on its 2011 list of 30 essential bootlegs. These compilations pull together live tracks, demos, TV and radio appearances, and other unreleased material. Blue Moon Records started the series and made several pressings during the 1990s, but fakes now make up most copies on the market; other labels like Darkside, Red Robin, and Kobra later put out their own versions.

Ultimate Guitar gave Outcesticide: In Memory of Kurt Cobain an 8.7 out of 10. That album came out within a month of Kurt Cobain’s death in April 1994. Its songs come from a range of sources: an early demo tape from Reciprocal Recording in Seattle on January 23, 1988 (with Spank Thru still unreleased); summer 1988 sessions at the same studio that later showed up on With the Lights Out; 4-track recordings made at Cobain’s home in Olympia, Washington, in 1988; an audience tape from a show in Leeds, England, on October 25, 1989; a KAOS radio performance from September 25, 1990; a BBC session at Maida Vale Studios on October 21, 1990; Smart Studios recordings from April 1990 (Pay to Play later appeared on DGC Rarities Volume 1); VPRO radio recordings from November 25, 1991; and an audience tape from Mezzago, Italy, on November 17, 1991.

A 1997 review noted that Courtney Love supplied the Rio demo for this volume and received a thank-you on the sleeve, adding that while some songs are rough in quality, the rarity makes it worthwhile.

Into the Black

Into the Black is a six-CD box set released by Tribute in 1994, often considered the preferred Nirvana bootleg box set due to compilation by a knowledgeable fan. It comes in a glossy box with a 22-page booklet of thick cardstock. Several recordings were obtained specifically for the set, and it contains much material not previously surfaced. The 116-track collection includes demo recordings, two band-made compilations, the 1992 Reading Festival performance, BBC radio sessions from Maida Vale Studios, and two Seattle shows: the 1991 Halloween homecoming performance for the North American Nevermind tour and the band's last American show in 1994.

Tribute later released a 2-CD companion, New Year's Eve, featuring Nirvana's 1993 performance at the Oakland Coliseum and the 1988 Sub Pop 200 record release show in Seattle. A 1997 review described it as a superb package with a great color booklet, noting that much of the excellent-quality material is now available on single discs, but the set remains the only place to find the last US show. Tracks include recordings from Reciprocal Recording on January 23, 1988; Smart Studios in April 1990, sourced from the vinyl bootleg Total Fucking Godhead; VPRO radio from November 1, 1989; KAOS radio from September 25, 1990; BBC radio from November 9, 1991, sourced from the vinyl bootleg Smells Like Nirvana; and MTV Studios from January 10, 1992.

The Chosen Rejects

The Chosen Rejects is a bootleg CD box set compiled by John W. Busher in Italy, released November 1, 2006. It is enclosed in four standard jewel cases, each with a separate title and cover image, and includes track listings inside each cover. The 4-disc set holds 80 tracks of soundboard quality, except for track 15 on disc one (a boombox demo) and several tracks on disc four recorded by audience members. The first disc includes seven Fecal Matter demos from the album Illiteracy Will Prevail.

The bootleg was originally sold on Discogs, but no copy has been listed since 2012, likely due to the site's crackdown on bootleg sales. Tracks include Fecal Matter demos from 1985; 4-track demos from 1987, 1988, and 1992; tape collages from 1988; a 1987 band practice cover of a Cher song; demos from Reciprocal Recording on January 23, 1988, and June 11, 1988; rough mixes from August 1989 and September 1989 at Music Source studios; Smart Studios demos from April 1990; rough mixes from January 1991 at Music Source; demos from January 1991 at Music Source; rough mixes of versions that would appear on Nevermind; demos from BMG Ariola studios in Rio de Janeiro on January 19, 1993, including a cover titled Dave's meat song; and performances from KAOS FM in 1987, VPRO FM on November 1, 1989, BBC FM on October 26, 1989, BBC on September 3, 1991, BBC on November 9, 1991, and VPRO FM on November 25, 1991.