Bleach is the debut studio album by Nirvana, released on June 15, 1989, by Sub Pop Records. 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 album to feature drummer Chad Channing.
Bleach did’nt chart upon initial release, but was well received by critics. When reissued internationally by Geffen Records in 1992 following the success of Nirvana‘s second album, Nevermind, 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 RIAA and has sold more than 1.9 million copies in the United States alone. It is Sub Pop‘s best selling album to date and is unlikely to be surpassed by competitors. 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. In April 2019, Bleach was ranked No. 13 on Rolling Stone’s 50 Greatest Grunge Albums list.
Tracklist:
- Blew
- Floyd the Barber
- About a Girl
- School
- Love Buzz (Shocking Blue cover)
- Paper Cuts
- Negative Creep
- Scoff
- Swap Meet
- Mr. Moustache
- Sifting
Bonus tracks on most later reissues - Big Cheese
- Downer
Nirvana
Kurt Cobain (credited as Kurdt Kobain)vocals, guitar
Krist Novoselic (credited as Chris Novoselic)bass
Chad Channing: drums
Jason Everman: guitar (pictured in the cover photo and credited, but he did not perform on the album)
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
Kurt Cobain (February 20, 1967 April 5, 1994).
