Nirvana

Nirvana is an American grunge band from Aberdeen, United States, active from 1987 to 1994. It is one of the best-known acts associated with the 1980s and 1990s US grunge scene and is also linked to alternative rock, noise rock, alternative metal, acoustic rock and pigfuck.

Formation and early line-up

The band forms in Aberdeen in 1987 with Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic at its centre. In late 1987 they recruit drummer Aaron Burckhard and work through material from Cobain’s Fecal Matter tape. After losing contact with Burckhard, they rehearse with Dale Crover of the Melvins and record their first demos in January 1988.

Other drummers and players pass through the group during this period, including Dave Foster, Chad Channing, Jason Everman and Dan Peters. The later line-up features Dave Grohl on drums and vocals, alongside Cobain on vocals and guitar and Novoselic on bass.

Recordings and releases

Nirvana’s first single is a cover of “Love Buzz”, originally by Dutch group Shocking Blue, and it appears in November 1988 on Sub Pop. The debut album Bleach, produced by Jack Endino, follows in 1989. Later that year the band records the Blew EP with Steve Fisk.

At the start of the 1990s the band begins sessions for its next album with Butch Vig, changes drummer again and signs to DGC Records. The result is Nevermind, which becomes a major commercial success. In 1993 the band releases the split single “Puss”/“Oh, the Guilt” with The Jesus Lizard on Touch & Go, and records its third album with Steve Albini. In Utero reaches number one on the Billboard album chart in September 1993.

Unplugged performance and later releases

The band’s 1993 MTV Unplugged performance with the Meat Puppets becomes one of its defining recordings, with Cobain performing “Oh, Me”, “Plateau” and “Lake of Fire” with them. The performance is later issued and tops the charts in 1994.

After Cobain’s death in 1994, Nirvana’s catalogue continues to expand. The unfinished demo “You Know You’re Right”, recorded two months before his death, later reaches radio playlists worldwide. The box set With the Lights Out appears in 2004, collecting radio sessions, home demos, studio demos and outtakes, and Sliver: The Best Of The Box follows the next year with selected tracks and three additional recordings, including one from the Fecal Matter demo.

Legacy

Nirvana sells more than fifty million albums worldwide, including more than ten million copies of Nevermind in the United States alone. The band remains a regular presence on radio stations worldwide and is closely identified with the rise of alternative rock in the early 1990s.