Smart Studios - Madison, Wisconsin
1990-04-02 · United States · Studio · more gigs in Madison
Circulating discs (38)
Before We Ever Minded Bootleg CD
(Imperium - Imperium001)
Complete Cover Versions Bootleg CD
- 1. Here she comes now 5:00
Early single collection Bootleg CD
(Jewels Of Live)
- 3. Stay Away (mislabeled: Make it big) 3:12
Grunge is dead Bootleg CD
(Seattle Sounds - SSCD001)
Hollywood rock festival 93 Bootleg CD
(ACUM - JW 1001 -1)
How all Started... Bootleg CD
(Extendead - 1713-14)
- 15. Stay Away (mislabeled: Downer) 3:22
I can't Live Bootleg CD
- 9. In Bloom 4:30
- 11. Here she comes now 4:58
In Memory of Kurdt Kobain Bootleg CD
(Small Clone - SC-NR-001)
Into the Black Disc 1 & 2 Bootleg CD
Loose Ends Bootleg CD
Loose Ends 2006 Upgrade Bootleg CD
Loose Ends 2007 Upgrade Bootleg CD
Markt-halle Bootleg CD
- 13. Stay Away 3:23
Murder By Guitar Bootleg CD SBD
Outcesticide 2 Bootleg CD
(Blue Moon Records)
Outcesticide in memory of Kurt Cobain Bootleg CD
(Blue Moon Records - BM CD14)
- 17. Breed (mislabeled: Imodium) 3:03
- 18. Pay to Play 3:21
- 19. Sappy 3:24
Rare Traxx Bootleg CD
(SHINOLA - SH 69030)
Stiff Drinks Bootleg CD
Try it, You'll like it Bootleg CD SBD
(Giffen - GFCD023)
- 14. Polly 2:51
- 15. In Bloom 4:27
- 16. Dive 3:50
- 17. Lithium 4:26
- 18. Here she comes now 4:56
- 19. Breed (mislabeled: Imodium) 3:12
- 20. Pay to Play 3:25
- 21. Sappy 3:27
Twilight of the gods Bootleg CD
- 8. Pay to Play 3:28
Virgin Songs Bootleg CD
Incesticide Album
- 1. Dive
Nevermind Album SBD
(DGC - DGCD-24425)
- 6. Polly 2:57
With the lights out Album
(DGC - LC07266)
- 6. Pay to Play 3:29
- 7. Here she comes now 5:01
Kurdt's Tape Side A Tape SBD
Lithium Compilation Tape SBD
Smart Studios #1 Tape SBD #2
Smart Studios #2 Tape
Rarities Vol. 1 Compilation
(Geffen)
- 2. Pay to Play 3:29
The Grunge Years Compilation
(Geffen - GED24536)
- 1. Dive 3:52
Sliver 12" Single
- 1. Dive
Incesticide 12" Album
- 1. Dive 3:50
Nevermind 12" Album SBD
(DGC - GE 0236)
- 6. Polly 2:56
Nirvana Demos OK Let's Rock Bootleg LP
(lp - lp)
Verse Chorus Verse Bootleg LP SBD
(Giffen Inc - verse chorus A)
- 3. Pay to Play (mislabeled: Stay Away)
- 1. Dive
- 5. Here she comes now
Wipeout Bootleg LP
(Big Wave Records - lp)
- 6. Stay Away
Total Fucking Godhead Bootleg Single
(single)
Here she comes now 7" Single SBD
(Communion Records - COMM 23)
Notes & circulating recordings
Exact date unknown.
The session lasted seven days.
-----------------------
The studio, which is owned by Nevermind producer and Garbage drummer Butch Vig
--------------------------------
April the band spends a week recording demo sessions at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, with producer Butch Vig. Among recorded tracks are "In Bloom," "Dive," "Lithium" and the version of "Polly" that would be on Nevermind.
---------------------------------
Smart Studios 4/90 - The tracks were recorded for Nirvana's second album but were scrapped when they signed with DGC.
They ended up serving as high-quality demos. "Pay To Play" was released officially on "DGC/Geffen Rarities".
----------------------------------
Smart Studios, Madison, WI, US
Band members: Kurt Cobain (guitar, vocals), Krist Novoselic (bass), & Chad Channing (drums)
Producer: Butch Vig
Recorded:
[U] Breed
[O] Dive
[O] Here She Comes Now
[O] In Bloom
[U] Lithium
[O] Polly
[U] Sappy
[O] Stay Away
Sources: 'Here She Comes Now' from this session is available on the Heaven And Hell: A Tribute To The Velvet Underground, Volume 1. 'Dive' is available on Incesticide and the Sliver single. 'Stay Away' features on Geffen Rarities Volume 1 and 'In Bloom' appears on the video Sub Pop Video Network 1. Finally 'Polly' appears on Nevermind. A complete version of all the finished songs from this session is available in trading circles from a band tape (ANA(2)>CDR). The bootleg CD 'Into The Black' contains a different take (mix 6) of 'Lithium' to the one on the ANA(2) version (mix 7). 'Outcesticide II' also contains Lithium (mix 6) but in inferior quality to the version on 'Into The Black'. Another mix of 'Lithium' can be found on disc two of 'Live At The Hollywood Festival 93'. It should also be noted that 'Here She Comes Now' on ANA(2) tape version of this session contains a false start not present on the officially released version.
Notes: This session was booked to record NIRVANA's second Sub Pop album, which the band planned to title 'Sheep'. (4) The producer was Butch Vig, who later became famous for producing Nevermind and 'Siamese Dream' by the Smashing Pumpkins. Vig described the recording process in 1990 as being "... very very simple and had very few overdubs." (1) The session lasted seven days. (35)
According to 'Entertain Us', the session was scheduled during a 6-day break during tour of America's mid-west. (9)
Vig commented on Cobain's demeanour during that April session: "I found immediately that he would go into these mood swings where half an hour later he would be in a corner by himself and not talking to anyone, very maniac depressive and it took me a long time to figure out how his personality went in all these different directions. But ... there was no pressure on, they were just making a quick record for Sub Pop and Kurt had some problems with his voice because he had been touring every night and there was some tension at the time between Kurt and Chad ... I think that he wasn't particularly happy with everything that Chad was doing. Sometimes I remember Kurt would get behind the kit and try to show him, play more like this and Kurt wasn't a particularly good drummer but other than that I think the sessions went pretty well." (9) According to Vig this tension arose due to problems recording the rhythem tracks (35).
However, the band had only just begun their latest US tour the previous night in Chicago on 04/01/90, (10) so it is doubtful whether Cobain's voice would have been that tired by this point.
Vig continued: "Kurt was fairly obsessed with trying to write a great hook and he'd sit around even before we'd start doing a take and start noodling on the acoustic guitar and I'd constantly go woe what's that cos he'd be playing some chord progression, some melody and it always sounded amazing. A lot of times then he would try to squash that because he had to try and stay within the punk ethic. I think they really wanted to be REM. You know, he really loved the Beatles and I think of the contemporary bands out there he really respected REM and probably the Pixies too. I think that was more from the punk angle." (9) Vig was impressed by the band's development to this point: "The first thing I noticed was that Kurt's songwriting was a lot better. The songs were very focused. What impressed me most is how hooky they were; Kurt thought of them as pop songs." (35)
According to Vig only eight songs were recorded over the seven days (35) and so it seems they have all surfaced.
Vig doubts that there were any other songs or outtakes saved: "If a take wasn't a keeper, we'd just erase it and do another one. I sent the tapes to Sub Pop; there may be something else on them. And I don't know if Kurt had any other songs finished or not, cause he didn't play me anything else at the time". (1) This is consistent with Gaar's claim that the emphasis on recording quickly. (1)
The rendition of 'Polly' captured at this session was so successful that it was used on Nevermind, although the (minimal) drum part was re-recorded. Vig recalls that 'Polly' was the final track recorded at Smart and that is was done late at night and "really raw": "Not too much thought went into it. Kurt just wanted to record the track at that moment. He played the song and sang it at the same time, just acoustic guitar and voice." (35) There were at least three different versions of 'Lithium' created, some with different guitar tracks. (15)
Many of the other songs were re-recorded for Nevermind, and often changed their titles. At the time of recording this session, 'Breed' was known as 'Imodium', and 'Stay Away' featured slightly different lyrics and was known as 'Pay To Play'. 'Sappy' was re-recorded in 1993, and re-titled 'Verse Chorus Verse', but NIRVANA experts nevertheless refer to the song as 'Sappy' to differentiate it from another Cobain composition, which was known as 'Verse Chorus Verse' at this point.
The session tape was initially circulated to Sub Pop as demos for the planned album, but then when the band opted to leave Sub Pop, they used it to advertise themselves to major [record] labels. (9)
The session lasted seven days.
-----------------------
The studio, which is owned by Nevermind producer and Garbage drummer Butch Vig
--------------------------------
April the band spends a week recording demo sessions at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, with producer Butch Vig. Among recorded tracks are "In Bloom," "Dive," "Lithium" and the version of "Polly" that would be on Nevermind.
---------------------------------
Smart Studios 4/90 - The tracks were recorded for Nirvana's second album but were scrapped when they signed with DGC.
They ended up serving as high-quality demos. "Pay To Play" was released officially on "DGC/Geffen Rarities".
----------------------------------
Smart Studios, Madison, WI, US
Band members: Kurt Cobain (guitar, vocals), Krist Novoselic (bass), & Chad Channing (drums)
Producer: Butch Vig
Recorded:
[U] Breed
[O] Dive
[O] Here She Comes Now
[O] In Bloom
[U] Lithium
[O] Polly
[U] Sappy
[O] Stay Away
Sources: 'Here She Comes Now' from this session is available on the Heaven And Hell: A Tribute To The Velvet Underground, Volume 1. 'Dive' is available on Incesticide and the Sliver single. 'Stay Away' features on Geffen Rarities Volume 1 and 'In Bloom' appears on the video Sub Pop Video Network 1. Finally 'Polly' appears on Nevermind. A complete version of all the finished songs from this session is available in trading circles from a band tape (ANA(2)>CDR). The bootleg CD 'Into The Black' contains a different take (mix 6) of 'Lithium' to the one on the ANA(2) version (mix 7). 'Outcesticide II' also contains Lithium (mix 6) but in inferior quality to the version on 'Into The Black'. Another mix of 'Lithium' can be found on disc two of 'Live At The Hollywood Festival 93'. It should also be noted that 'Here She Comes Now' on ANA(2) tape version of this session contains a false start not present on the officially released version.
Notes: This session was booked to record NIRVANA's second Sub Pop album, which the band planned to title 'Sheep'. (4) The producer was Butch Vig, who later became famous for producing Nevermind and 'Siamese Dream' by the Smashing Pumpkins. Vig described the recording process in 1990 as being "... very very simple and had very few overdubs." (1) The session lasted seven days. (35)
According to 'Entertain Us', the session was scheduled during a 6-day break during tour of America's mid-west. (9)
Vig commented on Cobain's demeanour during that April session: "I found immediately that he would go into these mood swings where half an hour later he would be in a corner by himself and not talking to anyone, very maniac depressive and it took me a long time to figure out how his personality went in all these different directions. But ... there was no pressure on, they were just making a quick record for Sub Pop and Kurt had some problems with his voice because he had been touring every night and there was some tension at the time between Kurt and Chad ... I think that he wasn't particularly happy with everything that Chad was doing. Sometimes I remember Kurt would get behind the kit and try to show him, play more like this and Kurt wasn't a particularly good drummer but other than that I think the sessions went pretty well." (9) According to Vig this tension arose due to problems recording the rhythem tracks (35).
However, the band had only just begun their latest US tour the previous night in Chicago on 04/01/90, (10) so it is doubtful whether Cobain's voice would have been that tired by this point.
Vig continued: "Kurt was fairly obsessed with trying to write a great hook and he'd sit around even before we'd start doing a take and start noodling on the acoustic guitar and I'd constantly go woe what's that cos he'd be playing some chord progression, some melody and it always sounded amazing. A lot of times then he would try to squash that because he had to try and stay within the punk ethic. I think they really wanted to be REM. You know, he really loved the Beatles and I think of the contemporary bands out there he really respected REM and probably the Pixies too. I think that was more from the punk angle." (9) Vig was impressed by the band's development to this point: "The first thing I noticed was that Kurt's songwriting was a lot better. The songs were very focused. What impressed me most is how hooky they were; Kurt thought of them as pop songs." (35)
According to Vig only eight songs were recorded over the seven days (35) and so it seems they have all surfaced.
Vig doubts that there were any other songs or outtakes saved: "If a take wasn't a keeper, we'd just erase it and do another one. I sent the tapes to Sub Pop; there may be something else on them. And I don't know if Kurt had any other songs finished or not, cause he didn't play me anything else at the time". (1) This is consistent with Gaar's claim that the emphasis on recording quickly. (1)
The rendition of 'Polly' captured at this session was so successful that it was used on Nevermind, although the (minimal) drum part was re-recorded. Vig recalls that 'Polly' was the final track recorded at Smart and that is was done late at night and "really raw": "Not too much thought went into it. Kurt just wanted to record the track at that moment. He played the song and sang it at the same time, just acoustic guitar and voice." (35) There were at least three different versions of 'Lithium' created, some with different guitar tracks. (15)
Many of the other songs were re-recorded for Nevermind, and often changed their titles. At the time of recording this session, 'Breed' was known as 'Imodium', and 'Stay Away' featured slightly different lyrics and was known as 'Pay To Play'. 'Sappy' was re-recorded in 1993, and re-titled 'Verse Chorus Verse', but NIRVANA experts nevertheless refer to the song as 'Sappy' to differentiate it from another Cobain composition, which was known as 'Verse Chorus Verse' at this point.
The session tape was initially circulated to Sub Pop as demos for the planned album, but then when the band opted to leave Sub Pop, they used it to advertise themselves to major [record] labels. (9)