Bleach (Nirvana album)
Template:Good article Template:Use mdy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: Template:Start date<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Blew1989studioBleachNirvana-Bleach.jpgColor-reversed image of a band playing on a studio. The band's name and the album title are visible in the top center and lower center respectively.NirvanaTemplate:Start date<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>* January 23, 1988
- June 30, 1988
- December 24–31, 1988<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Reciprocal Recording (Seattle, Washington)*Grunge
- sludge metal
- alternative rock
- punk rock
- hard rockTemplate:UblSub PopJack Endinox|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}}
Bleach is the debut studio album by American rock band Nirvana, released on June 15, 1989, by Sub Pop. After the release of their debut single "Love Buzz" on Sub Pop in November 1988, Nirvana rehearsed for two to three weeks in preparation for recording a full-length album. The main recording sessions for Bleach took place at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, Washington between December 1988 and January 1989. It is the only Nirvana album released on the Sub Pop label and their only studio album to feature drummer Chad Channing.
Bleach did not chart upon initial release, but was well received by critics. When reissued internationally by Geffen Records in 1992 following the breakthrough success of Nirvana's second album, Nevermind (1991), Bleach peaked at number 89 on the Billboard 200, number 33 on the UK Albums Chart, and number 34 on the Australian albums chart. In 2009, Sub Pop released a 20th anniversary edition of Bleach featuring a live recording of a 1990 Nirvana performance in Portland, Oregon as bonus material.
Bleach had sold 40,000 copies in North America before the release of Nevermind. It has since been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold more than 1.9 million copies in the United States alone.<ref name="BillboardRihanna">Ask Billboard: Rihanna's (Quirky) Record in the Hot 100's Top 10 With 'Needed Me' Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2016.</ref> It is Sub Pop's best-selling album to date and is unlikely to be surpassed by competitors.<ref name="Sub Pop Records: 1988-2008">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Frontman Kurt Cobain's death in April 1994 also led to a resurgence in the album's popularity, reaching number one on the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart.<ref name=":0" /> In April 2019, Bleach was ranked No. 13 on Rolling StoneTemplate:'s list of the "50 Greatest Grunge Albums".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Recording
After the release of its debut single "Love Buzz" on Sub Pop in November 1988, Nirvana practiced for two to three weeks in preparation for recording a full-length album, even though Sub Pop had only requested an EP.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 85–89</ref> The main sessions for Bleach took place at Reciprocal Recording Studios in Seattle, with local producer Jack Endino.
Nirvana began recording with a five-hour session on December 24, 1988.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 90</ref> The band recorded again on December 29–31, and on January 14 and 24.<ref name="goldmine">Gaar, Gillian G. "Verse Chorus Verse: The Recording History of Nirvana". Goldmine. February 14, 1997</ref> Three of the album's songs – "Floyd the Barber", "Paper Cuts", and "Downer" – were recorded during a previous session at Reciprocal Studios in January 1988, featuring Melvins drummer Dale Crover. Despite attempts to re-record them with new drummer Chad Channing, the band ultimately decided to remix the versions recorded with Crover for the final version of Bleach.<ref name="Azerrad91">Azerrad, 1994. p. 91</ref> "Big Long Now" was omitted from the album because frontman Kurt Cobain felt "there was already enough slow heavy stuff on Bleach, and he 'didn't want that song to go outTemplate:' ", according to Endino.<ref name="goldmine" /> The album was edited and sequenced. Still, Sub Pop head Bruce Pavitt ordered that the album be completely re-sequenced. The record was further delayed for several months until Sub Pop was able to secure sufficient funds to issue it.<ref name="Azerrad91" />
Endino billed the band thirty hours of recording at $606.17 ($1,541.34 in 2024).<ref name="Azerrad91"/> Jason Everman, a guitarist who was impressed by Nirvana's demo with Dale Crover, supplied the money. He briefly joined the group as second guitarist.<ref name="Azerrad91" /> Everman was credited on the album sleeve and is pictured on the cover, even though he did not perform on the album. Bassist Krist Novoselic explained, "We just wanted to make him feel at home in the band."<ref name="azerrad 92">Azerrad, 1994. p. 92</ref>
Composition
Music
According to Cobain, the music on Bleach showcases the grunge and 1970s influenced heavy rock sound Sub Pop were endorsing.<ref name="PopMatters">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "There was this pressure from Sub Pop and the grunge scene to play 'rock musicTemplate:' ", Cobain said, and noted that he "[stripped] it down and [made] it sound like Aerosmith." Cobain also felt he had to fit the expectations of the grunge sound to build a fanbase, and hence suppressed his arty and pop songwriting traits when crafting the record.<ref name="allmusic review2" /><ref name="Az 102">Azerrad, 1994. p. 102</ref> Critics have also described the album as sludge rock,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> alternative rock,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> punk rock,<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Multiple sources:
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Bleach was heavily influenced by the Seattle-based sludge metal scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s, pioneered by fellow grunge band Melvins. Author Gillian G. Gaar wrote that Bleach "[has] its share – some would say more than its share – of dirty sludge",<ref name="Gaar2009">Template:Cite book</ref> and Sub Pop describes the single "Love Buzz/Big Cheese" to be "heavy pop sludge."<ref name="Azerrad2013">Template:Cite book Kindle edition</ref><ref name="Gaar2009"/> Love Buzz is a cover of Dutch band Shocking Blue. The original song is notable for its psychedelic rock style and its extensive use of the sitar.
Novoselic said in a 2001 interview with Rolling Stone that the band had played a tape in their tour van that had an album by the Smithereens on one side and one by the band Celtic Frost on the other, and noted that the combination probably played an influence as well.<ref>Fricke, David. "Krist Novoselic". Rolling Stone. September 13, 2001</ref> The songs were described as "deliberately bleak, claustrophobic, and lyrically sparse, with none of the manic derangement or sense of release of the live performance". Cobain said that the song structures were "one–dimensional", and said that he sought to present a more "polished and urbane side of himself".<ref name="sand 112">Sandford, 2004. p. 112</ref>
Describing the various songs on Bleach, Christopher Sandford wrote: Template:" 'Paper Cuts' includes a folk-influence melody and ponderous rhythm of an early Led Zeppelin number; 'Mr. Moustache' addressed itself to Nirvana's male fans; 'Downer' showed the same exceptional contempt for the group's audience". Sandford felt "School" – which features only four lines of lyrics – was memorable for its chorus that "served as the rip". While "Scoff" is "a parting salvo at [Cobain's parents]", "Negative Creep" was written by Cobain about himself. According to Sandford, "About a Girl" has a "chiming melody and ironic chorus".<ref name="sand 117">Sandford, 2004. pp. 116–118</ref> In Sounds magazine, Keith Cameron said the song "was exhilarating and it was exciting because that was the nature of the music, but there was also an almost palpable sense of danger, that this whole thing could fall apart any second. There was never any relaxation from the first note to the last".<ref>Sandford, 2004. p. 135</ref> In his book Nirvana: The Stories Behind Every Song, Chuck Crisafulli writes that the song "stands out in the Cobain canon as a song with a very specific genesis and a very real subject".<ref name="about a girl">Crisafulli, Chuck. Nirvana: The Stories Behind Every Song. Da Capo Press, 2006. Template:ISBN, p. 28–36</ref>
Lyrics
In one of his first interviews, Cobain told Sounds journalist John Robb, "When I write a song the lyrics are the least important thing. I can go through two or three different subjects in a song and the title can mean absolutely nothing at all. Sometimes I try to make things harder for myself, just to try to make myself a bit more angry. I try out a few subconscious things I suppose, like conflicts with other people. Most of the lyrics on the Bleach album are about my life in Aberdeen."
In 1993, Cobain told Spin that on Bleach he "didn't give a flying fuck what the lyrics were about" and claimed that 80 percent of the lyrics were written the night before recording.<ref name="smashing">Steinke, Darcey. "Smashing Their Heads on That Punk Rock". Spin. October 1993.</ref> He was often still working on the words on the drive to the recording studio.<ref name="Azerrad91" /> He explained: "It was like I'm pissed off. Don't know what about. Let's just scream negative lyrics, and as long as they're not sexist and don't get too embarrassing it'll be okay. I don't hold any of those lyrics dear to me."<ref name="smashing" /> Nirvana biographer Michael Azerrad noted that, nevertheless, many of the songs on the album reflected Cobain and various incidents in his life.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 97</ref> "Mr. Moustache" was inspired by Cobain's dislike of macho behavior,<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 99</ref> while "School" was a critique of the Seattle music scene, particularly Sub Pop.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 100</ref>
Release and promotion
The album cover was photographed by Cobain's then-girlfriend Tracy Marander during a concert at the Reko Muse art gallery in Olympia, Washington.<ref name="cover">True, 2007. p. 125–6</ref> On February 25, 1989, Nirvana played at venues on the west coast, including the University of Washington.<ref name="sand 78-79">Sandford, 2004. pp. 378–379</ref> The group began its first European tour, a double headliner with the band Tad, at the Riverside venue in Newcastle upon Tyne on October 23, 1989. On December 3, they played a "triumphant" set at the London Astoria. Christopher Sandford related: "when the style pundits noted Cobain's 'patent lumberjack shirts and ugly fifties geometric-patterned jerseys', seeing an example of 'low-couture chic' they missed the point that flannel shirts and sweaters were everyday dress in the marine climate of the Northwest". Cobain took note and said that he never intended to start a fad or act as a role model.<ref name="sand 112"/>
The album's working title was Too Many Humans.<ref>Cross, p. 105</ref> It was renamed Bleach after Cobain found an AIDS prevention poster while Nirvana was driving through San Francisco. The poster advised heroin addicts to bleach their needles before use, featuring the slogan "Bleach Your Works".<ref name="Azerrad91" /> In Australia, Bleach was released on Waterfront Records and re-issued on various colored covers and colored vinyl prior to 1992.<ref>Berkenstadt, Cross, 2003. p. 147</ref> The song "Floyd the Barber" received airplay on Seattle radio station KCMU.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Due to increasing dissatisfaction with Everman over the course of the Bleach tour, Nirvana canceled the last few dates and drove back to Washington. No one told Everman he was fired at the time, while Everman later claimed that he actually quit the group.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 115–20</ref> Although Sub Pop did not promote Bleach as much as other releases, it was a steady seller for a Sub Pop release.<ref name="Azerrad134">Azerrad, 1994. p. 134</ref> However, Cobain was upset by the label's lack of promotion and distribution for the album.<ref name="Azerrad134" />
In April 1992, following the success of Nirvana's second album Nevermind, Sub Pop released a remastered version of Bleach on LP, CD and cassette. Geffen Records handled the international release.<ref>Berkenstadt, Cross, 2003. p. 148</ref> The CD version was packaged in a cardboard foldout case that included a bonus booklet filled with photos of the band from 1987 to 1990.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 95</ref> For the 20th anniversary of the album, Sub Pop released on November 3, 2009 a deluxe reissue of Bleach featuring a March 2009 remastering from the original tapes by George Marino and a live recording of a 1990 show at Portland, Oregon's Pine Street Theatre.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Everman is no longer given credit on the album, but can still be seen on the front cover and is given a special thanks in the booklet.
Reception and legacy
Bleach did not sell well but received positive reviews from critics when it was first released.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It "became a moderate hit on college radio and the underground/DIY circuit", according to Charles M. Young in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide.<ref name="rolling stone guide review"/> In NME, Edwin Pouncey gave Bleach an eight-out-of-ten rating and wrote, "This is the biggest, baddest sound that Sub Pop have so far managed to unearth. So primitive that they manage to make label mates Mudhoney sound like Genesis, Nirvana turn up the volume and spit and claw their way to the top of the musical garbage heap."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Melody Maker reviewer Push deemed Nirvana "the only Sub Pop act to date whose songs consistently equal the standard set by their mates Mudhoney".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth was impressed by the album, finding it "primal" and the songwriting "completely melodious" but also "punk", and during the mastering of Sonic Youth's Goo (1990), Moore expressed his desire for a sound similar to that of Bleach.<ref name=goldberg>Template:Cite book</ref>
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine opined that "Kurt Cobain illustrated signs of his considerable songcraft" on Bleach, "particularly on the minor-key ballad 'About a Girl' and the dense churn of 'BlewTemplate:' ", summarizing the album as "a debut from a band that shows potential but haven't yet achieved it."<ref name="allmusic review"/> Author Dave Thompson stated in 2000 that "history [wouldn't] hear a word against [the album]", but added that if "one just came down from a few decades on Mars, 42 minutes of growly, lo-fi probably wouldn't change your life too much".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Robert Christgau wrote in The New Yorker, "Familiar now with Cobain's extraordinary gift, we can hear it loud and clear on the 1989 debut album, Bleach. Cobain's gigantic, goofy, bass-playing buddy Krist Novoselic added drollery to the band's chaotic irreverence."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Christgau later commented that while he found Endino's production "way too dry for grunge, a way of music that benefits from extra sputum", he nonetheless considered Bleach "a major album".<ref name="consumer guide review"/> Anthony Carew from About.com said that Bleach defined "the entire decade of the '90s" and argued that while Nirvana's later albums "were more widely acclaimed, caused a bigger cultural impact, and were generally more accomplished", "the band's essence was at its most essential on their debut."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Before Nevermind was released, Bleach had sold 40,000 copies in North America.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The 1992 re-release of the album was more successful on the charts, with Bleach eventually reaching number 89 at the Billboard 200,<ref name="billboard chart">Template:Cite magazine</ref> number 33 on the UK album charts,<ref name="guinness">Roberts, David, ed. (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. number 19 edition. HIT Entertainment. Template:ISBN.</ref> number 34 on the Australian Recording Industry Association chart,<ref name="austrailia chart">Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 and 1993–2005. St Ives, N.S.W. Template:ISBN.</ref> and number 22 on the Finland charts.<ref name="Pennanen">Pennanen, Timo (2003). Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 Template:Webarchive. Otava Publishing Company Ltd. Template:ISBN.</ref> Kurt Cobain's death in April 1994 also led to a resurgence of popularity, with Bleach entering the Top Pop Catalog chart at number six in the week following his death,<ref name="billboard 9">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and eventually earning the top spot on May 7.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The 2009 deluxe edition entered the Catalog Albums chart at number seven.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Bleach was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in February 1995,<ref name="RIAA database">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and had sold an estimated 1.9 million copies in the United States by September 2016.<ref name="BillboardRihanna"/> It has also been certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2025, Radio X included the album in its list of "The 25 best indie debut albums of the 1980s".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Bleach remains Sub Pop's best-selling album release to date.<ref name="Sub Pop Records: 1988-2008" />
Track listing
Template:Tracklist Template:Tracklist Template:Tracklist
Notes
- "Love Buzz" was replaced by "Big Cheese" on the 1989 UK release,<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> but included on the 1992 UK CD reissue.
- "Big Cheese" was originally the B-side of "Love Buzz".
- "Downer" is included on the 1990 CD, but not the 1990 cassette. Included on both the 1992 CD and 1992 cassette.
- The 20th anniversary live bonus track "Spank Thru" was previously released as a b-side on CD versions of the "Sliver" single in 1991.<ref name="Goldmine2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- The 20th anniversary live bonus track "Molly's Lips" was previously released as a single in January 1991.<ref name="Goldmine2" />
- The 20th anniversary live bonus track version of "About a Girl" was previously released as a b-side on CD and 12" vinyl versions of the "Sliver" single in 1991.<ref name="Goldmine2" />
Personnel
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
- Nirvana
- Kurt Cobain (credited as "Kurdt Kobain")<ref name="everett">True, 2007. p. 124</ref> – vocals, guitar
- Krist Novoselic (credited as "Chris Novoselic")<ref name="everett"/> – bass
- Chad Channing – drums, tambourine on "About a Girl"
- Jason Everman – guitar (pictured in the cover photo and credited, but did not perform on the album)<ref name="azerrad 92" />
- Additional personnel
- Dale Crover – drums on "Floyd the Barber", "Paper Cuts" and "Downer", backing vocals on "Downer"
- Jack Endino – producer
- Tracy Marander – photography
- Charles Peterson – photography
- Lisa Orth – design
- Jane Higgins – execution
Charts
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Original 1989 release
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Albums (MRIB)<ref name="ukindie">Template:Cite book</ref> | 8 |
| UK Indie Albums (NME)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 3 |
| US Progressive Retail (CMJ)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 37 |
| US College Radio (CMJ)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 22 |
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Albums (NME)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 2 |
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Alternative (ARIA)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2 |
1992 re-release
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Buenos Aires Albums (UPI)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 8 |
| European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | 49 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)<ref name="Pennanen"/> | 22 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref>Album Chart-Book Complete Edition 1970–2005. Orikonmāketingupuromōshon (2006). Template:ISBN.</ref> | 46 |
| UK Indie Albums (Music Week)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 5 |
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|
20th anniversary edition
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)<ref>Chart Log UK – 1994–2010 – Nadanuf – Michael Nyman. See: BLEACH – DELUXE EDITION – 2009 entry Template:Webarchive http://www.zobbel.de Template:Webarchive. Retrieved June 29, 2016.</ref> | 127 |
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|
| Chart (2025) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Croatian International Albums (HDU)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1994) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Top Pop Catalog Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 29 |
| Chart (1995) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Top Pop Catalog Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 25 |
Certifications
Template:Certification Table Top Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Bottom
Release history
| Year | Type | Record label | Catalog | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | LP record | Sub Pop Records | SP34 | <ref name="allmusic review"/> |
| Cassette | SP34a | |||
| Compact disc | SP34b | |||
| 1992 | CD | Geffen Records | 24433 | |
| 1995 | 1929 | |||
| 2005 | LP record | Phantom Records | TUPLP6 | |
| CD | Warner Music Group | 9878700342 | ||
| 2008 | LP record | 7840034 | ||
| 2009 | Sub Pop Records | 70834 | ||
| CD | ||||
| Rhino Entertainment | 5186561462 |
See also
References
Template:Notelist Template:Reflist
Sources
- Azerrad, Michael. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday, 1993. Template:ISBN
- Berkenstadt, Jim; Cross, Charles. Nevermind: Nirvana. Music Sales Group, 2003. Template:ISBN
- Cross, Charles. Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain. Hyperion, 2001. Template:ISBN
- Sandford, Christopher. Kurt Cobain. Da Capo Press, 2004. Template:ISBN
- True, Everett. Nirvana – The True Story. Omnibus Press, 2006. Template:ISBN