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Nirvana bootleg recordings
The Nirvana bootleg recordings are a number of recordings of musical performances by the American rock band Nirvana, which were previously not officially released by the band, or under any other legal authority. The recordings consist of both live performances and outtakes from studio sessions unavailable as a legal release.
The 1997 book Nirvana: The Alternative CD & Vinyl Collectors Guide identified more than 300 Nirvana CD and vinyl bootlegs.
Nirvana was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987, and featured drummer Dave Grohl for the majority of the band's career. They had previously gone through a succession of drummers, most notably Chad Channing, Dale Crover and Dan Peters. Jason Everman was briefly added as a second guitarist in 1989. Pat Smear joined the band as a touring guitarist in 1993. Although Nirvana existed for less than a decade, they released three studio albums, starting with 1989's Bleach, followed by their major label breakthrough album, Nevermind in 1991. In Utero was released in 1993, just seven months prior to Cobain's death in April 1994. Also released in 1992 was the compilation album Incesticide.
In 1991, Gavin Report stated that Nirvana had appeared on bootlegs sporadically after their 1989 debut album Bleach had been released. This increased during the two-year gap until their second album Nevermind was released in 1991, with early versions of the unreleased Nevermind song "Lithium" appearing on bootlegs with the title "Broken Mirrors".
As Nirvana's popularity grew following the success of Nevermind, unreleased recordings of the band began to surface in the form of unofficial bootleg CDs, often originating from companies in Europe and Japan. The sound quality and album art would frequently range from appalling to appealing, sometimes sounding like and resembling something of a legitimate release. Some of the recordings came from "tape trading" circles while others may have been recorded or obtained specifically for the bootleg CD. Material was sometimes gathered from already existing vinyl bootlegs or other bootleg CDs as they became available. Additionally, songs issued only as a b-side or compilation track became frequent candidates for use as filler material. Nirvana would not see any royalties from these releases, nor would they have anything to do with their production. The first Nirvana bootleg CD was released in 1992 by Post Script, simply titled Europe 1991. Since then, hundreds of recordings of concerts, demos and various unreleased material have surfaced in this format. Billboard reported in August 1992 that Italian record label Living Legend was selling a Nirvana bootleg titled Nirvana: The Live Spirit - Live 1991. Billboard also reported in September 1992 that two companies in Germany had thousands of live recordings by various artists that they were selling as bootlegs, including by Nirvana.
The official release Incesticide was issued in late 1992, including demos, outtakes and radio sessions, some of which were previously circulating in lower quality on bootleg CDs. Despite MTV Unplugged in New York being released less than a year after the performance occurred, it would still become one of the band's most bootlegged shows. Billboard reported in July 1995 that Nirvana bootlegs were on sale in Canada, and in August 1995 that they were on sale in Australia.
After the first several instalments of the unofficial Outcesticide collection came through, the official live album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah was released in 1996, containing various performances recorded between 1989 and 1994, and with RPM noting that by that time there were hundreds of live bootlegs in circulation. Billboard reported again in 1997 that Nirvana bootlegs were still being sold. FMQB reported in 2001 that Seattle radio station KNDD had played a live Nirvana bootleg in April to commemorate the anniversary of Cobain's death. The official With the Lights Out box set was released in 2004, which included many rare, unreleased recordings, while the official Live at Reading debuted Nirvana's now classic 1992 Reading Festival performance in 2009, after years of endless bootlegging.
Due to the fact that there is an uncountable number of unofficial releases and their accompanying versions, below is a partial list of the most sought-after and talked about bootleg CD recordings, including the A Season in Hell Part One box set, the Into the Black box set, and the complete Outcesticide series. Since bootleg CDs are notorious for including erroneously listed information pertaining to song titles, dates and venues, the information below has omitted any false listings and replaced them with the correct information.
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Nirvana bootleg recordings
The Nirvana bootleg recordings are a number of recordings of musical performances by the American rock band Nirvana, which were previously not officially released by the band, or under any other legal authority. The recordings consist of both live performances and outtakes from studio sessions unavailable as a legal release.
The 1997 book Nirvana: The Alternative CD & Vinyl Collectors Guide identified more than 300 Nirvana CD and vinyl bootlegs.
Nirvana was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987, and featured drummer Dave Grohl for the majority of the band's career. They had previously gone through a succession of drummers, most notably Chad Channing, Dale Crover and Dan Peters. Jason Everman was briefly added as a second guitarist in 1989. Pat Smear joined the band as a touring guitarist in 1993. Although Nirvana existed for less than a decade, they released three studio albums, starting with 1989's Bleach, followed by their major label breakthrough album, Nevermind in 1991. In Utero was released in 1993, just seven months prior to Cobain's death in April 1994. Also released in 1992 was the compilation album Incesticide.
In 1991, Gavin Report stated that Nirvana had appeared on bootlegs sporadically after their 1989 debut album Bleach had been released. This increased during the two-year gap until their second album Nevermind was released in 1991, with early versions of the unreleased Nevermind song "Lithium" appearing on bootlegs with the title "Broken Mirrors".
As Nirvana's popularity grew following the success of Nevermind, unreleased recordings of the band began to surface in the form of unofficial bootleg CDs, often originating from companies in Europe and Japan. The sound quality and album art would frequently range from appalling to appealing, sometimes sounding like and resembling something of a legitimate release. Some of the recordings came from "tape trading" circles while others may have been recorded or obtained specifically for the bootleg CD. Material was sometimes gathered from already existing vinyl bootlegs or other bootleg CDs as they became available. Additionally, songs issued only as a b-side or compilation track became frequent candidates for use as filler material. Nirvana would not see any royalties from these releases, nor would they have anything to do with their production. The first Nirvana bootleg CD was released in 1992 by Post Script, simply titled Europe 1991. Since then, hundreds of recordings of concerts, demos and various unreleased material have surfaced in this format. Billboard reported in August 1992 that Italian record label Living Legend was selling a Nirvana bootleg titled Nirvana: The Live Spirit - Live 1991. Billboard also reported in September 1992 that two companies in Germany had thousands of live recordings by various artists that they were selling as bootlegs, including by Nirvana.
The official release Incesticide was issued in late 1992, including demos, outtakes and radio sessions, some of which were previously circulating in lower quality on bootleg CDs. Despite MTV Unplugged in New York being released less than a year after the performance occurred, it would still become one of the band's most bootlegged shows. Billboard reported in July 1995 that Nirvana bootlegs were on sale in Canada, and in August 1995 that they were on sale in Australia.
After the first several instalments of the unofficial Outcesticide collection came through, the official live album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah was released in 1996, containing various performances recorded between 1989 and 1994, and with RPM noting that by that time there were hundreds of live bootlegs in circulation. Billboard reported again in 1997 that Nirvana bootlegs were still being sold. FMQB reported in 2001 that Seattle radio station KNDD had played a live Nirvana bootleg in April to commemorate the anniversary of Cobain's death. The official With the Lights Out box set was released in 2004, which included many rare, unreleased recordings, while the official Live at Reading debuted Nirvana's now classic 1992 Reading Festival performance in 2009, after years of endless bootlegging.
Due to the fact that there is an uncountable number of unofficial releases and their accompanying versions, below is a partial list of the most sought-after and talked about bootleg CD recordings, including the A Season in Hell Part One box set, the Into the Black box set, and the complete Outcesticide series. Since bootleg CDs are notorious for including erroneously listed information pertaining to song titles, dates and venues, the information below has omitted any false listings and replaced them with the correct information.