Nirvana Recording Sessions

      Guide And Song List

Table Of Contents:

• Disclaimer
• Explanation of symbols
• Live Recordings
• Live Cover Versions
• Miscellaneous information and fakes
• Thanks and credits
• History

Disclaimer

• 1) This is not definitive. Please make any corrections/comments. Some songs listed may not exist on tape any more. During the early days, the band didn't have much money for blank tape, so if they didn't like something, they would erase it. Also, many tapes were destroyed while the band was on tour during the summer of 1992. Kurt hid a bunch of tapes, notebooks, guitars in his bath tub, and the plumbing leaked - destroying everything.
• 2) I do not have tapes of all of this material. I am always interesting in trading, though. Send me your list.
• 3) I am not supporting bootlegs - just trying to get information out to people.
• 4) Pass this around, quote it, discuss it, just give me credit, please.

John Loughney

Explanation of symbols

? = Unsure of exact information

* = Unreleased

= Unreleased, but available through tape trading.

= Commercially unavailable, but on bootleg CD. I'm not going to list the bootleg, since bootlegging is not legal.

{ver} = different version than officially released version.

[album name] = name of the release where this version can be found.

• Pre-Nirvana and early Nirvana songs- Ted Ed Fred, Pencapchew, Stiff Woodies, Throat Oysters, Bliss, Brown Cow (Brown Towel) ...
• * Anorexorcist
• * Vendettagainst
• Note: The song that was thought to be Anorexorcist is really Suicide Samurai.
• Pre-Nirvana Covers {unknown info}
• ?* Bad Moon Rising (Credence Clearwater Revival)
• ?* Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves (Cher) {Krist lead vocals}
• ?* Sex Bomb (Flipper)
• ?* White Lace and Strange (Thunder and Roses)
• December 1985 Seattle WA, Kurt's Aunt Mari's House, Fecal Matter - The Aunt Mari tape

Kurt - guitars, vocals and percussion; Dale Crover - bass, percussion.
• Bambi Slaughter
• Buffy's Pregnant
• Downer {ver - instrumental}
• Laminated Effect
• Spank Thru
• Sound of Dentage
• Suicide Samurai
• Note: Fecal Matter was the name of the band that Kurt put together.  He recorded a bunch of songs at his Aunt Mari's house on a 4 track deck.  There are rumors that Fecal Matter made other demo tapes.
• April 17, 1987 - Evergreen College, The Skid Row demo, KAOS Radio show

Kurt - guitars and vocals, Krist - bass, Aaron Buckard- drums
• Love Buzz (Shocking Blue) {ver}
• Floyd the Barber {ver}
• Downer {ver}
• Mexican Seafood {ver}
• 'unknown title'
• Spank Thru {ver}
• Suicide Samurai {ver}
• Hairspray Queen {ver}
• Pencapchew {ver}
• Note: This was a live in the studio show that served as Nirvana's first demo.
• 1987/1988 - 4 track demos
• Bambi Slaughter (aka Bambi Kill) {acoustic}
• Beans
• Black and White Blues
• Clean Up Before She Comes
• Polly (aka Cracker) {acoustic}
• Sappy (aka Verse Chorus Verse; Sad) {acoustic}
• Spectre (aka Misery Loves Company; Seed)
• Note: "Cracker" / "Seed" / "Sad" are thought to be "Polly"/ "Spectre" (aka "Misery Loves Company") / "Sappy" (aka Verse Chorus Verse) , but again all is a little bit of guesswork. The exact date of recording is also up in the air. In the book, Come As You Are, there is a picture of a bio written around summer / fall 1988 that lists "Cracker" / "Seed" / "Sad" as available, so I am leaning towards thinking that they were recorded sometime in 1988. Bambi Kill is actually Bambi Slaughter (I don't know yet if it is related to the Bambi Slaughter on the Fecal Matter demo). On a bootleg cd, there is a song called 'Black and White Blues.' Most people think it is fake - it doesn't sound like Kurt at all. Amazingly, though, at the 13 Feb 1990 show in San Francisco, the band jams on this song for a little while. I am not sure about the title of the song, though - I think that it is an invention of the bootlegger.
• January 23, 1988 - Reciprocal Studios {prod by Jack Endino}
• Floyd The Barber [Bleach]
• Paper Cuts [Bleach]
• Downer [Bleach]
• Hairspray Queen [Incesticide]
• Beeswax [Incesticide]
• Aero Zeppelin [Incesticide]
• Mexican Seafood [Incesticide]
• If You Must
• Pencapchew
• Spank Thru {ver}
• Note: Dale Crover on drums.  Recorded under the name EdTedFred.
• June 1988
• About A Girl (Boom Box Recording)
• ?* Montage of Heck {AKA The Landlord}
• Note: The Montage of Heck is about 45 minutes in length. It was edited down to Buzz Cut, then further edited down as the intro to the Love Buzz 45. This song probably was recorded at different times, since it's a collage.
• June 11, 1988 - Reciprocal Studios {prod by Jack Endino}
• Love Buzz (Shocking Blue) [Bleach]
• Big Cheese [Bleach]
• Spank Thru [Sub Pop 200]
• Blandest
• Buzz Cut {aka Noise Bleed; unused intro for Love Buzz}
• December 24, 29, 30, 31 1988 - Reciprocal Studios {prod by Jack Endino}
• About A Girl [Bleach]
• Big Long Now [Incesticide]
• Blew [Bleach]
• Mr. Mustache [Bleach]
• Negative Creep [Bleach]
• School [Bleach]
• Scoff [Bleach]
• Sifting [Bleach]
• Swap Meet [Bleach]
• Floyd The Barber {ver}
• Note: They attempted Floyd, but liked the version with Dale better.
• December 24, 1988 - Reciprocal Studios {prod by Jack Endino}
• Blew {ver}
• Mr. Mustache {ver}
• Sifting {ver - instrumental}
• Note: These were experimental versions of these songs, mostly in drop D tuning.
• Spring 1989 - Go Team, K Records, Olympia WA

Go Team (for this release) was: Tamra Ohrmund (voice), Tobi Vail (drums), Louise Olsen (bass), Donna Biddle (gtr), Calvin Johnson (gtr), Kurdt Kobain (gtr).
• Scratch It Out
• Bikini twilight
• Note: This was released as a 7" record on K records.
• June 1989 - Evergreen State Session

with Jason Everman
• Do You Love Me [Hard to Believe - Kiss tribute record]
• * Dive {ver}
• Note: Dive as on Outcesticide III isn't from this session. It's really a soundboard recording of Dive from the 11/18/89 Hanau, Germany show.
• August 1989 - Jury Project

Mark Lanegan, Kris Novoselic, Kurt Cobain and Mark Pickerel.
• * Ain't It A Shame (Ledbelly) {Kurt lead vocals}
• ?* Grey Goose
• Note: Jury practised/recorded some Ledbelly songs (Where Did You Sleep Last Night and Ain't That A Shame), a traditional gospel song, by way of Ledbelly - 'Grey Goose'. The name of the band was either going to be Jury or Lithium (Kurt wanted the band to be called Lithium). They rehearsed a bit, but nothing ever really became of this.
• September 1989 - Blew EP Sessions {prod by Steve Fisk}
• Been A Son [Blew EP]
• Stain [Blew EP]
• Even In His Youth {ver}
• Polly {Electric}
• * Token Eastern Song {aka Junkyard}
• Note: Been A Son is the version with a bass solo, and is different from the version on Incesticide.  Its been confirmed by the recording engineer that Token Eastern Song is in fact Junkyard.  It featured some weak guide vocals, but was left in a quite unfinished state.
• October 1989 - Smegma Studios, Seattle

Earth
• Bureaucratic Desire For Revenge [Earth EP]
• Note: Kurt plays some guitar parts, does some vocals.
• October 26, 1989 - Maide Vaile Studios, London "John Peel Session"
• About A Girl {ver}
• Love Buzz (Shocking Blue) {ver}
• Polly {ver}
• Spank Thru {ver}
• November 1, 1989 - Hilversum, Holland Radio Studios "VPRO Session"
• About a Girl {ver}
• Dive {ver}
• Love Buzz (Shocking Blue) {ver}
• December 1989 - Sessions for Mark Lanegan's The Winding Sheet album
• Down In The Dark {Kurt backup vocals} [Winding Sheet]
• Where Did You Sleep Last Night {Kurt + Kris backing} [Winding Sheet]
• January 2-3, 1990 - Reciprocal Studios {Produced by Jack Endino}
• * Sappy (aka Verse-Chorus-Verse)
• April '90 - Smart Studio, Madison WI. {prod by Butch Vig} "Nevermind Demos"
• Dive [Sliver single]
• In Bloom [Sub Pop Video Network 1]
• Polly
• Stay Away (aka Pay To Play) [DGC Rarities Vol. 1]
• Here She Comes Now (Velvet Underground) [Between Heaven and Hell Vol. 1]
• Lithium {ver}
• Breed (aka Immodium) {ver}
• Sappy (aka Verse-Chorus-Verse)
• Note: Polly was taken from this session, remixed with Dave's drums replacing Chad's. There were (at least) 3 different mixes for Lithium, some with different guitar tracks. All three are circulating on bootleg CDs.
• April 14-15, 1990, Evergreen University, Evergreen WA
• School
• Lithium {ver}
• Big Cheese
• Floyd the Barber
• Note: Video shoot.  The version of Lithium is different than what was recorded with Butch Vig - it was probably recorded in March 1990.
• July 11 & 24, 1990 {prod by Jack Endino}

with Dan Peters of Mudhoney
• Sliver [Sliver single] {phone call outro}
• Note: This was recorded during a studio time that Tad had booked for recording.
• September 25, 1990 - Olympia WA KAOS FM "Boy Meets Girl Radio"

Kurt solo.
• Opinion
• Lithium {ver}
• * Dumb {ver}
• October 21, 1990 - Maide Vaile Studios, London "John Peel Session"
• D-7 (the Wipers) [Lithium Single - UK]
• Molly's Lips (the Vaselines) [Incesticide]
• Son Of A Gun (the Vaselines) [Incesticide]
• Turnaround (Devo) [Incesticide]
• Note: There is another version of D-7 from this session - it's a different mix, the guitar cuts out for part of the song.  This session was broadcast on November 3^rd, 1990.
• Autumn - Winter 1990 - 4-track demos
• * Drain You
• * Pennyroyal Tea
• * others?
• Note:  The version of Drain You is the one that is circulating as recorded at the Melvins' House on August 1990. The story that it was recorded at the Melvins' House is one of those bootlegger's myths.
• January 1, 1991 - Music Source Sessions, Seattle Washington
• Aneurysm [Smells Like Teen Spirit Single]
• Even In His Youth {ver} [Smells Like Teen Spirit Single]
• Note: More songs were recorded, but which ones?
• March 1991 - Boom box / 4-track demos
• * In His Hands
• * Old Age
• * On a Plane
• * Smells Like Teen Spirit
• * Something in the Way
• * Territorial Pissings
• Note:  These were the songs that they gave to Butch Vig before they went in to record Nevermind.
• May to June 1991 - Sound City, Los Angeles {prod by Butch Vig}
• Smells Like Teen Spirit [Nevermind]
• In Bloom [Nevermind]
• Come As You Are [Nevermind]
• Breed [Nevermind]
• Drain You [Nevermind]
• Endless, Nameless [Nevermind]
• Lithium [Nevermind]
• Lounge Act [Nevermind]
• On A Plain [Nevermind]
• Polly [Nevermind]
• Something In The Way [Nevermind]
• Stay Away [Nevermind]
• Territorial Pissings [Nevermind]
• * Rape Me {unfinished ver / not recorded}
• * Pennyroyal Tea {unfinished ver / not recorded}
• * Dumb {unfinished ver / not recorded}
• * Song in 'D'
• ?* 2 or 3 other songs that were being worked on.
• Note: Polly was actually recorded during the April 1990 sessions, but remixed with Dave's drums. According to Butch Vig - Rape Me, Pennyroyal Tea, Dumb and others were not recorded, maybe just demoed or practiced. Also, Butch Vig made an initial mix of Nevermind, which was different from the released version.  Also, I've been told by someone working on a book about the making of Nevermind that the recording studio's logs report that there was a song called 'Sappy' and another song called 'Verse-Chorus-Verse' were recorded.  I have no idea what to make of this.

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