Nirvana - Bleach (20th Anniversary Reissue) (2009)

Review by Grant Joslin

Surely we all have some band or artist that has remained close to our hearts and minds with music that could be a draw a topographical line across the peaks and troughs that we travel over the years.

Usually it’s the highly impressionable years, those teen years, years when your perception and tastes shift, or formative times and periods where individual change is hard to escape.

Nirvana is one of those bands whom undoubtedly occupy that space for many people. The band seemed to operate within an enclosed monopoly of being the forerunners of the early nineties independent and alternative explosion on the mainstream.

Enough bands have been flaunted in front of the public as mouthpieces for a generation by suits and ties of record companies. As consumers we can easily implement our choice for whom we elect as our auditory heroes, whom we designate as worthy of legacy; we can vote with our wallet.

The original recording sessions for "Bleach" amounted to $606.17, and with this 20th Anniversary Edition of the album it sounds like another six-hundred dollars has been put into the re-mastering of the original tapes.

Money has also been lovingly poured into the deluxe packaging, with a fantastic fifty-two page photo-booklet “featuring many unseen photos.” Of those previously unpublished photos, the awkward "behind the scenes" and unused press-release shots really shine and standout.

With a casual ear; a first run-through sounds pretty much same-same.

But, when comparing the original release with the re-mastered version, it becomes apparent that the re-release is all the more brighter, fuller and fatter.

Jack Endino, the producer on both versions of "Bleach", hasn’t wasted his time or paycheck on pushing the songs into places foreign and alien. The harsh stomping intro of Paper Cuts, for example, sounds like the band have borrowed Spinal Tap’s amps and turned the volume not quite to eleven, but more so to about ten and three-quarters.

Also contained on the same disc as the re-mastered album is a previously unreleased live performance, what makes this worth a listen is Jack Endino taking the reins once again and mixing all the tracks. Known for his pioneering lo-fi grunge aesthetic, which not only aimed for stripped down results, but make a clear and conscious attempt in targeting an outcome that was void of theatricality and bullshit trimmings, Endino massages the live cuts into a perfect companion piece for "Bleach".

With an intro track with obligatory guitar feedback and “Good evening, we’re Nirvana” etc, the track listing for the live performance is as follows:

• School

• Floyd the Barber

• Dive

• Love Buzz

• Spank Thru

• Molly’s Lips

• Sappy

• Scoff

• About a Girl

• Been a Son

• Blew

With whole industries, sectors and workforces whom rely upon supplying us with nostalgia in our daily lives, it’s surely comforting that some of these products are fashioned with reverence in a celebratory manner, and completely without a heavy hand in wanting to rewrite the past; inserting retroactive elements to suit whomever’s agenda that pays the bills or owns the rights.

For Nirvana neophytes, the cheaper price tag of the original release should satiate casual curiosity in delving into their back-catalogue, though this twentieth anniversary edition is warmly recommended for diehard Nirvana fans and anyone who has worn out their previous copies of "Bleach".

RATING: 4 out of 5

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