12/29/88, 12/30/88 & 12/31/88

---- From jackendino.com ------------
Around Xmas 88 we began work on Bleach. The only finished outtake from these sessions was "Big Long Now" which later appeared on Incesticide. Kurt decided there were already enough slow heavy tunes on Bleach so this song was left off. There was also an earlier, instrumental version of "Sifting" with a wah solo, and similar early versions of "Blew" with a different solo and gibberish (i.e. unfinished) words, and "Mr. Moustache" with gibberish words. These seem to have been widely bootlegged.

Shortly before Chad left the band we recorded a version of "Sappy" (Chorus: "... You're in the laundry room...") that wasn't that great and is still in a Sub Pop vault somewhere. I don't think this version has been bootlegged. I think it was later called "Verse Chorus Verse", confusing it with another song by that name. Several other versions exist. Nothing else was recorded or attempted at that session.

------------------------ from Livenirvana.com ---
Reciprocal Recording Studios, Seattle, WA, US

Band members: Kurt Cobain (guitar, vocals), Krist Novoselic (bass), & Chad Channing (drums)

Producer: Jack Endino

Recorded:
[O] About A Girl
[O] Big Long Now
[O] Blew
[U] Blew (experimental - 24th)
[O] Mr Moustache
[U] Mr Moustache (experimental - 24th)
[O] Negative Creep
[O] Paper Cuts (background vocals only)
[O] School
[O] Scoff
[O] Sifting
[U] Sifting (instrumental -24th)
[O] Swap Meet
[?] Floyd The Barber
Sources: 'About A Girl', 'Blew', 'Mr Moustache', 'Negative Creep', 'Paper Cuts', 'School', 'Scoff', 'Sifting' and 'Swap Meet' appear on Bleach. 'Big Long Now' features on Incesticide. 'Floyd The Barber' from these sessions has yet to surface. The best quality versions of 'Blew' and 'Sifting' (instrumental version) from the December 24th session feature on the a recently surfaced band compilation tape (Master Reel>DAT>CDR - NB. the generation of this tape is disputed, it may really be Master Reel>ANA(?)>DAT>CDR). 'Mr Moustache' from the same session features on many bootleg CDs, the best quality of which is Into The Black.

Notes: The band returned to Reciprocal to record their first album. Sub Pop only demanded material for singles at that time, but NIRVANA were insistent that they wanted to release an album.

There were six sessions in total: (a) 24 December [5 hours of basic tracks], (b) 29 December [5 hours], (c) 30 December [5 hours], (d) 31 December [4.5 hours], (e) 14 Jan [5 hours] and (f) 24 Jan [5.5 hours]. (1) Endino billed them for 30 hours this time. (4)

One session (probably 24 December) was used for experimentation, tuning all instruments way down (mostly in drop D). (1) According to Endino they probably only kept 'Blew' (with a different solo and gibberish, i.e. unfinished lyrics, according to Endino) in this form, erasing all the others because they did not like them (e.g. Mr Moustache much the same). (1)

All songs were recorded on an 8-track, but the band usually only used six or seven tracks.

The band attempted 'Floyd The Barber' and 'Paper Cuts' again but preferred the versions with Dale Crover on drums from 01/23/88, so those old versions were remixed and added to Bleach. (4) The band also re-recorded 'Spank Thru'. (1) The band made some minor alterations to the old recordings, for example background vocals were added to January 23 1988 version of 'Paper Cuts'. (1)

Cobain told Endino that he wanted About A Girl on there to break up the "rock-fuelled thing" Bleach was becoming and was nervous about how people would react to it. (9)

The sole finished outtake was 'Big Long Now', which Cobain opted to omit from Bleach because he felt Bleach had copious heavy songs already. (8) Endino claims that there are no other unfinished or partial songs from these sessions. (8)

Bleach cost $606.17 to record. (8) This was financed by Jason Everman, soon to become NIRVANA's second guitar player. Although Everman did not play on the record, he was credited on it so that he felt part of the band.

Endino is quoted in Entertain Us: "I'd say, "So OK, are we ready to cut vocals on this song?" and he'd say, "Wait a minute, let me finish the lyrics" and he'd be furiously scribbling and he'd go, "OK, I've got the lyrics". It was that easy for him. He could come up w/lyrics pretty instantly. It was fun recording these guys. The lyrics gave me a good laugh more than once. They were very good natured about it." (9)

Endino in Entertain Us elaborated: "The lyrics were pretty cryptic, pretty inscrutible [sic] and he wasn't particularly into explaining them at the time ... I think in later years he obviously spent a lot more time working on his lyrics. I think In Utero definitely reflects that ... But the Bleach lyrics were pretty casual and yeah he still had a lot of ways to go as far as singing and playing guitar at the same time in a live situation. I know he was definitely interested in keeping the lyrics as simple as possible so he could perform them. But again it was the delivery that made the difference." (9)

Endino added: "I'm still pretty happy with the Bleach record today." (9)

However, Cobain was more circumspect: "Bleach seemed to be really one-dimensional. It just has the same format. All the songs are slow and grungy and they are tuned down to really low notes and I screamed a lot. But at the same time as we were recording we had a lot more songs like "About A Girl". In fact "Polly" was written at that same time too. But it was just that we chose to put to put the more abrasive songs on the Bleach album." (8)

In 'Come As You Are', Azerrad claimed that: "On the way to recording, Kurt would sit in the front passenger seat, rest a piece of paper on the dashboard, and hastily finish writing down the lyrics to the songs they were about to record". (4)

Cobain is quoted there as claiming: "Not much thought went into [the lyrics] at all. It's pretty obvious. I didn't care about lyrics at all at that point. I didn't have any appreciation for them. I'd never thought of a song because of its lyrics at that point".

Azerrad adds: "On night before going into studio most of the lyrics had not been written." (4)

Although this was certainly the case for a few of the songs, which resulted in the bizarre demo version of 'Mr. Moustache', most of the lyrics were in fact written and completed considerably earlier. A recording of a concert played before recording commenced on 12/21/88 (10) confirms this. This is thus another example of Cobain's tendency to exaggerate in CAYA.

The album was completely sequenced at Bruce Pavitt's demand. Endino can only recall that "Floyd The Barber" might have been the first song of the original order. (1)
[O] = This version of the song can be found on an official release.
[U] = This version of the song can be found on an unofficial release.
[X] = This version of the song is known to exist, but is not circulating amongst collectors at the time of writing.
[?] = This version of the song may or may not still exist.

Reciprocal Studios - Seattle, WA

Circulating discs (21)

A Season in Hell Bootleg CD

Early single collection Bootleg CD

Grunge is dead Bootleg CD

How all Started... Bootleg CD

Into the Black Disc 1 & 2 Bootleg CD

Outcesticide 3 The Final Solution Bootleg CD

Outcesticide 4 Rape of the Vaults Bootleg CD

Outcesticide Vol. 5 Bootleg CD

Outcesticide Vol. 6 Bootleg CD

Stiff Drinks Bootleg CD

Virgin Songs Bootleg CD

Bleach Album

Bleach: Deluxe Edition Album

Incesticide Album

Nirvana Album

Smart Studios #1 Tape SBD #2

Blew CD Single

Hype! Compilation

Bleach 12" Album

Incesticide 12" Album

Bleach Cassette SBD

Notes & circulating recordings