Nirvana: The Recording Sessions

by Rob Jovanovic

Most books about Nirvana concentrate on Kurt Cobain's short tragic life and suicide, whereas this puts Nirvana's music center stage. Over 40 recording sessions, including private recordings, made between 1982 and 1994 are painstakingly analyzed, from Kurt Cobain's first bedroom four-track demos through to the "new" tracks including the With The Lights Out box set, Live At Reading, the 20th Anniversary Edition of Nevermind and the expanded Bleach. The author draws on hours of interviews with those who worked on Nirvana's sessions, including engineers, producers, guest musicians and other collaborators. Whilst this book was published in hardback in 2004 by Helter Skelter (gaining a prestigious Certificate Of Merit from the American Association For Recorded Sound Collections in the category for Best Rock Research), it was never officially published here. This new fully-updated paperback, from Soundcheck Books, is therefore the first chance that fans in North America have to read it. Praise for the original hardback: "a brilliant overview of the band's musical output" - NME; "Exhaustive And Impeccably Researched" - Metal Hammer; ..". manna from heaven" Kerrang!

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because so much of Nirvana's material has been released (thanks to the With The Lights Out box set), one can effectively listen along to this book and hear the evolution of various songs (as well as the band's overall sound) over time. Filled with insightful anecdotes from the recording sessions, this book is the kind of thing that die-hard fans will inhale.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

99% of all music you hear is recorded music. How individual manifestations of this phenomena come about fascinate me. Four or five people sit around and work on something and then scores of millions of people listen to it. There are particularities to every recording and those particularities are preserved in perpetuity. Nothing else is so ephemeral and concrete at the same time.

[Kurt Willoughby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative look at the recording history of Nirvana. I would say it is aimed at the more die-hard fans. The only let down was finding out that it is more of a log of their sessions as opposed to going into more detail of the equipment used, etc.

[Taylor W. Rushing · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good research. Good work Rob!