September 23, 2002

9:09 AM

"In late January 1994, Cobain, Novoselic, and Grohl entered Bob Lang's studio in Seattle for their final recording session. Following a long jam, they captured this powerful tune in one take, including the gut-wrenching vocal -- a spooky, ambient intro of echoed harmonics and a fractured guitar solo." --Jim DeRogatis
posted by Reggie452 (76 comments total)

! ! !
posted by monkeymike at 9:11 AM on September 23, 2002

Thanks for posting this. I've been looking for it for awhile. I heard it at a friend's house, and was so impressed i think i ranted for 10 minutes.
posted by Lusy P Hur at 9:20 AM on September 23, 2002

Lusy -- I had the same reaction to this song. I got it at 8:04 this morning, and it's been on "repeat" on my MP3 player ever since. I think it's played about 50 times in a row now.
posted by Reggie452 at 9:24 AM on September 23, 2002

I have read about this song but the article said the master tape was in Novoselic's basement. Apparently someone else had a copy.
posted by fresh-n-minty at 9:25 AM on September 23, 2002

And apparently Courtney blocked the release of this song because of some legal wrangling over the estate, right?
posted by jragon at 9:27 AM on September 23, 2002

Fresh-n-minty -- I think copies of this song finally leaked because it's going to be included in the upcoming Nirvana "Greatest Hits" CD.

On preview:

jragon -- originally, that was true. But she and Dave Grohl have now "made up" and the song will be on the greatest hits disc (see link above).
posted by Reggie452 at 9:29 AM on September 23, 2002

The balance seems to be a bit off in parts of the song... is this true to the original recording?
posted by titboy at 9:32 AM on September 23, 2002

I love you man
posted by matteo at 9:32 AM on September 23, 2002

When did Courtney and Dave make up?
posted by Pancake Overlord at 9:39 AM on September 23, 2002

The makeup was recent.

article here

Great tune. I lost a bit of intrest in Nirvana with some of their later stuff but this kicks ass.
posted by bitdamaged at 9:41 AM on September 23, 2002

Oh hell. Never mind.
posted by Pancake Overlord at 9:42 AM on September 23, 2002

hmm, this stuff doesn't age well.
posted by corpse at 9:44 AM on September 23, 2002

Is anyone but me getting the sinking feeling that in 40 years Sir Dave and Lady Courtney going to be trotting out crappy 14-minute "lost tracks" and charging a gadzillion galacto-credits a pop for them?

*crickets*

What'd I say?
posted by UncleFes at 9:45 AM on September 23, 2002

lemme guess...

does it start kinda quiet, with a soft vocal and barely heard guitar? and then it has an energetic power chord blast, with a kinda angry vocal?

That's not new, i got that one already!
posted by dash_slot- at 9:52 AM on September 23, 2002

boring
posted by dydecker at 9:52 AM on September 23, 2002

I lived through disco, 80's new-wave, late-80s hair bands, grunge and now nu-metal and I'm having a hard time deciding which genre was the worst.
posted by bondcliff at 9:59 AM on September 23, 2002

killjoys.

Geez folks. If you're not a Nirvana fan, then this thread probably isn't for you. No reason to go shitting on the rest of us who are *excited* about just a little bit more music from a band we thought we'd never hear from again.

Courtney is a putz, but Kurt Cobain was a fantastic singer. It's sad that so many people only remember how much of a putz Courtney is (because putzes never die early - they just keep going and going...), and her reputation is rubbing off on Cobain and the rest of the band's work.

Nirvana might not have been the first or best grunge band, but their sound helped define a genre and shape the music of the early nineties. And I, for one, miss them.
posted by jaded at 10:01 AM on September 23, 2002

Amen to that, jaded.
posted by Reggie452 at 10:04 AM on September 23, 2002

wow, when this was first mentioned on mefi about a year ago, i was even excited then to hear it.. glad to finally get my hands on this song, and it's high quality too... thanks!
posted by lotsofno at 10:05 AM on September 23, 2002

Great!
posted by einarorn at 10:08 AM on September 23, 2002

Does this remind anyone else of hHead?
posted by Blake at 10:11 AM on September 23, 2002

jaded: So this thread is only for Nirvana fans? How about us 'undecideds'? Or maybe there are people who don't like the Nirvs & might want to say something? Y'know, jaded types ;-)
posted by i_cola at 10:13 AM on September 23, 2002

Well, for what it's worth, I really enjoyed that song. Thanks, Reggie452!
posted by soundofsuburbia at 10:20 AM on September 23, 2002

i_cola: Or maybe there are people who don't like the Nirvs & might want to say something?

Yes, wanting to say something should be a prerequisite for posting a comment to this or any thread. Spamming crap like "*yawn*" or "boring" or smug-superiority-style crap like "It's a good thing this music sucks" is not a contribution to any discussion. It's meritless assholery.

(While I never followed Nirvana to any extent, I do dig this track and its value as a posthumous release. At least until the surviving members start going all Tupac...)
posted by Danelope at 11:13 AM on September 23, 2002

Yes, wanting to say something should be a prerequisite for posting a comment to this or any thread. Spamming crap like "*yawn*" or "boring" or smug-superiority-style crap like "It's a good thing this music sucks" is not a contribution to any discussion. It's meritless assholery.

Was typing a harangue and saw this on preview and it said everything I wanted to say. Spamming is exactly the right word.

Great track. Thanks for linking it. I would have thought the people who usually kvetch about the lack of great links/the overabundence of chat would have applauded this, but you know what prophets don't get in their own country.
posted by redshoes3 at 11:16 AM on September 23, 2002

For those without audio, the chorus goes "Heeeeyeaheyeeeeeahaa yaknowoowyuur-ite!".

Enjoy your trip down memory lane, folks.
Now if anybody has a link to the new Beck or Sigur Ros...
posted by 2sheets at 11:17 AM on September 23, 2002

"meritless assholery"

i have to remember that one - classic!

what a great piece of audio archeology! thanks for making an otherwise dreary and lame weekday something to get excited about.
posted by photoslob at 11:18 AM on September 23, 2002

Egads, did I just illegally download a copy of a lost Nirvana song?

Ah, send in the jack booted thugs of the music industry. It was worth it. Thanks for the link. I am now going to be the coolest teacher in the school for nearly four minutes.
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:20 AM on September 23, 2002

new Beck

Isn't that an oxymoron?
posted by inpHilltr8r at 11:25 AM on September 23, 2002

Now if I can just find a half decent copy of anorexorcist I'll have all the Nirvana bootlegs I'm looking for.
posted by bobo123 at 11:31 AM on September 23, 2002

This is kickass.

Fuck all you nay-sayers. Always nay-saying!
posted by Dirjy at 11:31 AM on September 23, 2002

So does the announcement of the single disc "retrospective" mean they arent gonna give us a boxed set? Cause Grohl and Novoselic both alluded to "boxes" of unreleased tapes in a Rolling Stone article a couple months ago.

Maybe that will come later....

....a boy can hope, right?

But for now, this juicy morsel is more than satiating. Thanks Reggie.
posted by jono at 11:33 AM on September 23, 2002

If Grohl/ Novoselic and Courtney have made up, I'd assume that meant the box set was forthcoming. Wasn't that the basis of the disagreement?

("meritless assholery" might sound good on a resume)
posted by yerfatma at 11:38 AM on September 23, 2002

Now if anybody has a link to the new Beck or Sigur Ros...

Yes, please, I also read somewhere that there's an mp3 of Thom Yorke angrily scratching his head while his pet turtle's farting, really priceless. Any links?
posted by matteo at 11:41 AM on September 23, 2002

now i remember.
posted by eyeballkid at 11:43 AM on September 23, 2002

yerfatma -- no official word on the box set. Grohl & Novoselic wanted to include "You Know You're Right" in the box, but Courtney wanted it on a greatest hits disc. She won, but that doesn't necessarily mean we won't get the box set, too.

:::crosses fingers:::
posted by Reggie452 at 11:44 AM on September 23, 2002

From my understanding (correct me if i am wrong), the disagreement was re: how the unreleased material would be released. Courtney wanted a single CD cause it would sell way more copies than a box set, and Novoselic/Grohl wanted a box set to get it all out there (though i $uppo$e they have le$$ altrui$tic motive$ a$ well).

I just hope Grohl and Novoselic didnt buckle to courtneys coos of dollar signs in their ears, and that after the single CD comes out they will release the motherload.

ooh, i am getting giddy just thinking about it. I actually have a reason to look forward to christmas this year!
posted by jono at 11:44 AM on September 23, 2002

doh....thanks again reggie.
posted by jono at 11:45 AM on September 23, 2002

Not to derail, but speaking of Courtney -- did anyone see her MTV2 twenty-four-hour veejay gig?
posted by redshoes3 at 11:46 AM on September 23, 2002

Yes, wanting to say something should be a prerequisite for posting a comment to this or any thread.

Whoops! Let me amend my earlier comment ("! ! !") thusly:

I am pleasantly surprised to find a post linking to an unreleased Nirvana song, and wish to express my gratitude to all parties involved.
posted by monkeymike at 11:47 AM on September 23, 2002

Reggie452,

You are *so* my new best friend today. :) My god I've missed Nirvana. I was playing this so loud that my cats ran away from the Infinities. :)

Thank god someone was finally able to muzzle Courtney long enough that this CD will be released.

One of my fondest memories of the early 90's was that I got to see Nirvana play a club...a dank, tiny little underground club with incredible acoustics...there were probably only 35-50 people there...it was freaking unreal how much energy that few people could generate when we heard this band for the first time.

I miss grunge. I miss angst. Ah, wait...I think I miss my late teens and early 20's. heheh.
posted by dejah420 at 11:52 AM on September 23, 2002

Now if anybody has a link to the new Beck

Here's some.
posted by ice_cream_motor at 12:01 PM on September 23, 2002

Anyone got any fresh Foghat??

*ducks*
posted by UncleFes at 12:05 PM on September 23, 2002

I miss grunge. I miss angst. Ah, wait...I think I miss my late teens and early 20's. heheh.

Don't we all... don't we all...
posted by psychotic_venom at 12:11 PM on September 23, 2002

Courtney sung this song in her unplugged set. (badly) Check out Kurt's lyrics compared to Courtney's remix:

I don't need to love again
I won't sigh and mope again
I don't need to love again
I just don't think it's worth it
I don't really love her
I don't think I want her
Ain't gonna take to love again
It's the way your love hurts
It's the way your mad again
I don't think I'll love again
I won't ever promise her
I don't think I want her

This time no one else
I don't bear to follow you
I don't ever promise you
Sometimes I don't love you
Think I'm tired of loving her
I don't really want love

Hey, hey, hey, hey
You know you're right

Courtney's version:

I would never bother you
I would never promise to
I would never bother you
I would never promise to
If I say that word again
I would move away from here
You won't be afraid of fear
You won't be afraid of fear
You won't be afraid of fear
I am walking in the piss
Always knew it would come to this
Things have never been so swell
And I have never felt so
Hey, hey, hey
You know you're right
posted by jragon at 12:24 PM on September 23, 2002

Not to derail, but speaking of Courtney -- did anyone see her MTV2 twenty-four-hour veejay gig? (redshoes)

Not to continue the derailment but I did - maybe about 90 minutes worth, I don't think I could have stomached much more. She seemed drunk, or high, or both. Unless that's how she always acts, in which case *eek!*.
posted by contessa at 12:26 PM on September 23, 2002

Egads, did I just illegally download a copy of a lost Nirvana song?

This just in: Courtney Love demands $0.12 each from 16,000 MeFites, bankrupts nefarious community of fileswapping fiends!
posted by mikrophon at 12:28 PM on September 23, 2002

into the void goes quonsar... i have never understood this stuff. fractured guitar solo? is that what you call that? we used to call that "can't play for shit" back in my day...
posted by quonsar at 12:30 PM on September 23, 2002

2sheets: For those without audio, the chorus goes "Heeeeyeaheyeeeeeahaa yaknowoowyuur-ite!.

I would have added too more e's, but otherwise the transcription is dead on. Thanks Reggie452.
posted by eddydamascene at 12:35 PM on September 23, 2002

Very cool. My g/f and I were just discussing Frances Bean the other day... anyone know how she's doing or who she's living with?? Given all the trauma that she's experienced as a young child I hope life treats her well.
posted by trillion at 12:41 PM on September 23, 2002

trillion
from a March, 2002, Entertainment Weekly story, by Holly Millea. for educational purposes only, fair use, blah blah

The sound of a deep, phlegmy cough can be heard outside the door. "I hear the cough of my daughter," Love says, calling out. "What is that bronchial coughing? Come in, Francesca!" The door flies open and Frances Bean runs over to her mother and sits in her lap, wrapping her arms around her neck. The 9-year-old is clearly her father's daughter, with Cobain's intense blue eyes and dimpled chin.

"Oh, when is the coughing going to stop? When?" Love says in a cooing, concerned voice. "What's happening? Are we on the antibiotics? What's going on? When was the last time you saw the doctor?"

"Last week."

"What did he say?" Love asks. "Nothing in the chest X ray?"

"He said it was fine. He said there was nothing wrong with them."

"Well," Love says, rocking Frances back and forth. "I only smoke in here and in my bedroom, so that's kind of good. I had some incense burning the other day. No more incense. Are you okay at school? Are your teachers concerned? Do you have your Kleenex and stuff for when you cough stuff up? How many times has it happened today?"

"Twelve."

"You have to spit it up and not swallow your phlegm," her mother says. "You've got to stop that. You know what's nice?" Love stands up and puts her hands on her hips. "Handkerchiefs! Sexy old handkerchiefs. Like Winona [Ryder] and I got at the lace show. I think I have some that are really pretty and have lace on them. Frances, you've got to blow the nose."

"Where's Jim, Mommy?"

"He's in New York."

"Why?"

"He's doing business."

Frances has grown attached to Jim Barber since he met Love more than
three years ago while Hole were recording their last album.

posted by matteo at 12:52 PM on September 23, 2002

So for Courtney to want to put an unreleased song on a single disc which would cost a fan $17 is greedy, but for Grohl and Novoselic to want to put it on a box set for $60 isn't?
posted by witchstone at 12:53 PM on September 23, 2002

so many stuck up pricks. jesus christ.
posted by Satapher at 1:01 PM on September 23, 2002

So for Courtney to want to put an unreleased song on a single disc which would cost a fan $17 is greedy, but for Grohl and Novoselic to want to put it on a box set for $60 isn't?

I think that the implication is that everyone has dollar signs twinkling brightly, but I think that putting out a comprehensive box set is a shade more noble than repackaging previously released material and slapping a bonus track on to sell copies.

we used to call that "can't play for shit" back in my day...

Tell me about it. And those Beatles, with their long unkempt hair! The very idea! Why, in my day, long hair was for ladies!

Come on, Quonsar.
posted by mikrophon at 1:04 PM on September 23, 2002

Maybe Courtney thinks a box set wouldn't sell as many copies as a single-CD greatest hits compilation, although that seems screwed up. Then again, given her performance on MTV2, who knows....let's hope this doesn't turn into a Jimi Hendrix-type saga.
posted by redshoes3 at 1:06 PM on September 23, 2002

Making money is a bad thing. Doctors and Lawyers can make money. But not musicians. It makes them suck and greedy and sellouts.
posted by Satapher at 1:07 PM on September 23, 2002

witchstone:

i believe the box set was to contain a bunch of other unreleased demos/outtakes/live recordings.
posted by ry at 1:08 PM on September 23, 2002

Well, not that RS should be taken as Holy Writ, but the articles mentioned already include some details about the different visions of Love and Grohl/Novoselic:

-- Love strongly favors a single-CD Nirvana best-of package over the proposed box set -- "be able to sell the shit out of the record and make sure that this record sees its way through to the kind of legacy that it deserves -- the kind of packaging, the kind of quality, the kind of mix, the kind of mastering, the kind of everything that this guy deserves, instead of being a scapegoat for an entire generation."

Another article says she possesses 105 tapes, mostly fragmentary: "I have a buttload of material," Love says.

As opposed to a single-CD, Among the material that Grohl and Novoselic planned to put on the Nirvana box set, aside from "You Know You're Right," were, according to Novoselic, material from: "KAOS radio, 1987, BBC Peel sessions, studio outtakes, sessions that we did in North Seattle, Rio de Janeiro, In Utero outtakes, live stuff." He specifically mentions the "Butch Vig raw mix of 'Teen Spirit,' a rough mix that's really different." He adds, "You are going to have the people that were into Nevermind but never bought Bleach, and they are going to hear shit that sounds like Scratch Acid, shit that sounds like the Butthole Surfers; they are going to hear crazy fucking Flipper punk rock, and that's what excites me, because I got turned on to that shit when I was a kid and it changed my life." He and Grohl also say that they planned to include various jams on the box set.

In the end I think Chris Heath's final assessment is right: Though there are some financial implications, the Nirvana wars are not primarily about money, they are about control.
posted by redshoes3 at 1:22 PM on September 23, 2002

i believe the box set was to contain a bunch of other unreleased demos/outtakes/live recordings.

Thanks, ry. I had heard differently, I guess.

I find it amusing that apparently the one rule of being a Nirvana fan is that you must hate Courtney Love.
posted by witchstone at 1:51 PM on September 23, 2002

I don't agree with that. I love Nirvana but I also bought the first couple of Hole records (and even enjoyed one). There's no reason you should be obligated to give a rat's ass about Courtney Love just because you like Nirvana. If she's holding up the release of material, then she's in the way. Not that you need to start subscribing to the "She killed Kurt" theories.
posted by yerfatma at 2:10 PM on September 23, 2002

i still feel its about the money. krist and dave know that the fans want to hear the tracks, probably why they favor a big ol box of unreleased stuff. they sold the singles in a box set and those sold ok. incesticide sold ok, probably better after kurt died. us fans love that bootleg shit.

I find it amusing that apparently the one rule of being a Nirvana fan is that you must hate Courtney Love.

i agree. courtney's track record since childhood is attention, attention, money, money, me, me, me. from azzerad's come as you are all the way through present days.

anyway, thanks for posting the link to this track, much appreciated.
posted by deepreal at 2:39 PM on September 23, 2002

I want to be sued by Courtney Love. It would make me feel like I had arrived as an artist. You're nobody until Courtney Love sues you.
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:58 PM on September 23, 2002

So why can't we talk about Love's 'involvement' in his death? I took off my tin foil hat, and found these links...[please read... no flames!] -
Who Killed Kurt Cobain? [...The Seattle Police Department is never going to admit they made a mistake, and I don't think they're trying to cover anything up. I think they really believe it was suicide. I know we have talked to members (of the Seattle Police Department), and they're very suspicious...]
"My name is Tom Grant. I'm a California state licensed private investigator and former detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. On April 3, 1994, I was hired by Courtney Love...The police immediately concluded "suicide." I wasn't so sure. Neither was Rosemary Carroll, Courtney Love's own entertainment attorney. Ms. Carroll was also a close friend to both Courtney and Kurt. Something was wrong here... terribly wrong."
CONCLUSION: HOMICIDE
posted by dash_slot- at 3:18 PM on September 23, 2002

satapher: who says doctors and lawyers arent greedy sellouts?
:)
good to seeya chris.

And I dont care if they are making money. I mean shit, its quite apparent from this thread that the music is worth alot to alot of people, and I dont think anyone would disagree that nirvana deserves the money. Its just courtney's maximize profit attitude that turns me off cause she had no part in making the fucking music. From the Grohl quotes, it seems like he really wants to get the music to the kids for their sake, for the musics sake--not for his own--and that makes me want to pay him for it even more. I realize you can't really take any public persona's statements totally at face value. Everyone has an agenda, an image they are trying to portray, even if that image is the i-dont-give-a-fuck-about-image image. But i dont give a fuck about Grohl's image, or Novoselic's, or Love's for that matter, but i do give a fuck about the music, and it makes sense to me that royalties from said music should go to the band as much as possible, or the remaining members, as the case may be.

She just bothers me. I think it was dating fred durst that did it. no, no, it was the addiction to plastic surgery. no, wait, it was her blocking the release of nirvana's music.

If i will shell out $20-$40 bucks for an outcesticide bootleg on ebay, ill sure as hell shell out $15-20 for the "new" CD, and I would love to get the chance to blow $50-75 on "buttloads" of unreleased music, especially if alot of it harks back to the days of Bleach as Grohl insinuates.

...ahhh, bleach. The first compact disc i ever purchased.

But i digress....

Heeeeyeaheyeeeeeahaa yaknowoowyuur-ite!
posted by jono at 3:35 PM on September 23, 2002

What bugs me about the entire Courtney/Nirvana episode and her famous copyright article and speeches is that it seems like she was leveraging the entire matter as publicity so that she could win the settlement with Universal.

Now that she's won the settlement, will she be so vehement in her stance anymore? I really doubt it. All a pose...but what do you expect?

jragon: Although those lyrics may have been on the song originally, for this recorded version, the lyrics on the MP3 seem closer to the one that Courtney sang (looking at it, the words you quoted were from a live 1993 performance).

Also: does anyone think the lyrics might refer to the girl who originally rebuffed Kurt's love, Tobi Vail from Bikini Kill (I'm thinking of the line that says "You gave me my first kiss."). Or maybe it's a composite of his feelings about falling in love?
posted by timothompson at 5:50 PM on September 23, 2002

New Beck? Surely, you've seen this.
posted by wsg at 7:41 PM on September 23, 2002

Does anyone know who or what mixed this song. I dont know. The song sound alright and all, but it kinda sounds like the guy who did the mixing also did Puddle of Mudd or something like that. I have a live version of the song thats pretty cool, but this version seems to have been produced by someone with a totally different mindset than what cobain would have wanted. Maybe its just me

/snob
posted by rosswald at 7:50 PM on September 23, 2002

thanks for the link man.
posted by jcterminal at 8:29 PM on September 23, 2002

Okay, I've listened to it now (no sound card at work), and I actually enjoyed it (and reaffirmed my belief that Dave Groehl was the real talent - but that's not my point).

It also engendered a good discussion. Fine, great, good link, thanks and all that.

But (he said haltingly, hesitant to even raise the issue), is it a self-link or not? Whose server is this stored on?
posted by yhbc at 8:37 PM on September 23, 2002

I agree, rosswald. Not being a music snob, I can't put my finger on it, but something's...different. Maybe i'm not playing it loud enough. ;) Thanks, Reggie452.
posted by hippugeek at 10:37 PM on September 23, 2002

yeah...i thought the same thing. well one thing i can tell you: the drum set sounds the same from the 'in utero' sessions (listen to grohl's drum rolls and compare with 'i hate myself and i want to die') other than that, its not an albini nor a butch vig mix.

i feel nirvana was completed when grohl was recruited. though, the melvins' dale crover would have been cool. say whatever happend to the mindfunk bum who lent kurt the $600? i bet he's kicked himself in the head a couple hundered times since '89. and what the heck is pat smear doin now a days?

anyhow, good show. made me bust out the outcesticides and get the motivation to read 'heavier than heaven.'

remember tom grant.
posted by deepreal at 5:47 AM on September 24, 2002

I'm going to give a shout out to Courtney Love here because I actually like her. I think she's just the ball buster the music industry needs to have around. Not that I'd actually want to be friends with her, though.
posted by witchstone at 6:40 AM on September 24, 2002

yhbc - This is definitely NOT a self-link. This link was first posted on the Velvet Rope sometime Sunday. I saw it Monday morning, and thought that a lot of people would be interested in hearing the track (judging from the responses here, I guess I was right). I have no idea who is responsible for hosting the site or how they got this MP3.

The original thread on the Velvet Rope (which is one of the sites Courtney Love visits quite frequently) mentioned that the song was all over KaZaa already.
posted by Reggie452 at 6:49 AM on September 24, 2002

who cares if this was a self link? Thanks so much. This has made my week!
Oh and that Courtney love mtv2 thing.. yikes!
posted by dig_duggler at 7:29 AM on September 24, 2002

Reggie: okie-dokie. It's just that a link directly to the MP3 file doesn't come with any context, and I was just curious.
posted by yhbc at 7:36 AM on September 24, 2002

who cares if this was a self link?

neu probably does.
but he/she can't answer...
posted by matteo at 8:39 AM on September 24, 2002