More Entertainment >>
<< Prev | Next >>

The Salt Lake Tribune

Grade: B+

CD » When Nirvana's Kurt Cobain led off his band's classic "MTV Unplugged" concert, he introduced "About a Girl" with a smirk directed at newer fans. "This is off our first record -- most people don't own it." The song comes from the Seattle grunge band's debut "Bleach," recorded in 1989 for only $606.17. Considerably more money has been committed to remastering this album of 13 sludgy dirges that only hinted at the Beatlesque melodies Cobain would pen for "Nevermind" and "In Utero." On "Bleach," drummer Chad Channing, replaced during the "Nevermind" sessions, doesn't provide the thump that later drummer Dave Grohl added to the band's verse-chorus-verse fury. But Cobain's blistered

voice and sly, sarcastic withering lyrics elevate the dodgy craftsmanship. Since the band recorded only three studio albums before Cobain's 1994 suicide, "Bleach" remains essential, and it sounds like a million bucks. The edition also includes 12 live songs from a 1990 concert.

-- David Burger

Text-a-Friend >>