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.
Bleach is more than a historical curiosity since it does have its share of great songs, but it isn't a lost classic -- it's a debut from a band that shows potential but haven't yet achieved it.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BlewKurt Cobain | Nirvana | Play | 02:54 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 2 | Floyd the BarberKurt Cobain | Nirvana | Play | 02:18 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 3 | About a GirlKurt Cobain | Nirvana | Play | 02:48 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 4 | SchoolKurt Cobain | Nirvana | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 5 | Love BuzzRobbie Van Leeuwen | Nirvana | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 6 | Paper CutsKurt Cobain | Nirvana | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 7 | Negative CreepKurt Cobain | Nirvana | Play | 02:55 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 8 | ScoffKurt Cobain | Nirvana | Play | 04:10 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 9 | Swap MeetKurt Cobain | Nirvana | Play | 03:02 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 10 | Mr. MoustacheKurt Cobain | Nirvana | Play | 03:23 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 11 | SiftingKurt Cobain | Nirvana | Play | 05:22 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 12 | Big CheeseKurt Cobain | Nirvana | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 13 | DownerKurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic | Nirvana | Play | 01:42 | 3 MB | 11 MB |
| 42 mins | 97 MB | |||||
| 42 mins | 279 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad Channing | Drums |
| 2 | Kurt Cobain | Composer, Guitar, Vocals |
| 3 | Dale Crover | Drums |
| 4 | Jack Endino | Engineer, Producer |
| 5 | Jason Everman | Guitar |
| 6 | Jane Higgins | Execution |
| 7 | Tracy Marander | Photography |
| 8 | Nirvana | Primary Artist |
| 9 | Krist Novoselic | Bass, Composer |
| 10 | Lisa Orth | Design |
| 11 | Charles Peterson | Photography |
| 12 | Robbie Van Leeuwen | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |