Label: Sub Pop
Reissued 2009, originally released 1989
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.
Track Listing:
Deluxe Edition Includes Second Live LP- 2/9/1990 Pine Street Theatre, Portland, OR
- Intro
- School
- Floyd The Barber
- Dive
- Love Buzz
- Spank Thru
- Molly's Lips
- Sappy
- Scoff
- About A Girl
- Been A Son
- Blew