Bleach (Nirvana album)

Bleach
Color-reversed image of a band playing on a studio. The band's name and the album title are visible in the top center and lower center respectively.
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 15, 1989 (1989-06-15)[1]
Recorded
  • January 23, 1988
  • June 30, 1988
  • December 24–31, 1988[2]
StudioReciprocal Recording (Seattle, Washington)
Genre
Length
  • 37:21 (original release)
  • 42:45 (reissue)
LabelSub Pop
ProducerJack Endino
Nirvana chronology
Bleach
(1989)
Blew
(1989)
Singles from Bleach
  1. "Love Buzz"
    Released: November 1988
  2. "Blew"
    Released: November 1989[12]

Bleach is the debut studio album by American rock band Nirvana, released on June 15, 1989, by Sub Pop. 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 studio album to feature drummer Chad Channing.

Bleach did not chart upon initial release, but was well received by critics. When reissued internationally by Geffen Records in 1992 following the breakthrough success of Nirvana's second album, Nevermind (1991), 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 Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold more than 1.9 million copies in the United States alone.[13] It is Sub Pop's best-selling album to date and is unlikely to be surpassed by competitors.[14] 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.[15] In April 2019, Bleach was ranked No. 13 on Rolling Stone's "50 Greatest Grunge Albums" list.[16]

  1. ^ Borzillo-Vrenna, Carrie (2003). Nirvana – The Day to Day Illustrated Journals (1st ed.). Barnes & Noble. p. 38. ISBN 0-7607-4893-4.
  2. ^ Borzillo-Vrenna, Carrie (2003). Nirvana – The Day to Day Illustrated Journals (1st ed.). Barnes & Noble. p. 29. ISBN 0-7607-4893-4.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference allmusic review was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Gaar, Gillian G. (2009). "The Recordings". The Rough Guide to Nirvana. Rough Guides. p. 141. ISBN 978-1858289458.
  5. ^ Azerrad, Michael (2013). Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Crown. p. 85. ISBN 9780307833730. Kindle edition
  6. ^ McGee, Alan (September 21, 2009). "How Nirvana's Bleach brightened up grunge". The Guardian. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  7. ^ Shapiro, Peter (November 9, 2009). "Nirvana – Bleach (R1989)". Uncut. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Gardner, Noel (January 4, 2010). "Nirvana – Bleach (Reissue)". The Quietus. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  9. ^ "Nirvana – Bleach Deluxe Edition". Creative Loafing. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  10. ^ Ramirez, AJ (November 4, 2009). "Nirvana: Bleach". PopMatters. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  11. ^ "Blender's 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever". November 14, 2007. Retrieved December 16, 2020 – via StereoGum.
  12. ^ Borzillo-Vrenna, Carrie (2003). Nirvana - The Day to Day Illustrated Journals (1st ed.). Barnes & Noble. p. 49. ISBN 0-7607-4893-4.
  13. ^ Ask Billboard: Rihanna's (Quirky) Record in the Hot 100's Top 10 With 'Needed Me' Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  14. ^ "Sub Pop Records: 1988–2008" (PDF). Sub Pop Records. 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "50 Greatest Grunge Albums". Rolling Stone. April 1, 2019.


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