Nirvana checking out new “Smells Like Teen Spirit” singles.
Released today in 1992, the “Lithium” single. It features a live recording of “Been A Son” (from the Paramount Theatre performance in 1991), a John Peel Radio session track of “D-7” (originally by ‘The Wipers’) & a studio recording of “Curmudgeon.”
“When we were recording the song Lithium, we did a take and listened to the playback, and Butch thought that the choruses sped up. So he suggested that I play along to a click track. I had never used one, but I tried it anyway and listened back to the track. The choruses felt as if they slowed down. We talked about it and we all realized it came down to whether the feeling or the tempo of the song was more important. To us, what should be more important in drumming is the feeling, not the flawless tempo or the perfect time. If a song speeds up in the chorus, it’s the emotion of what’s going on behind the player, and that’s a lot more important than a click track.” - Dave Grohl, 1993.
1992 - Tori Amos releases “Winter”, a single featuring her cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”.
“How the hell did she do it?! Wow, I guess we gave her permission. That’s frightening. Y’know, I think there’s another guy who does a cover version of it too and I haven’t heard it either, and I don’t even care anymore, ‘cos I’ve heard that song so many times. I think I even played it in a dream last night. It’s the truth! I like the song and stuff, it’s a good song, but I’m just trying to get away from it. At our last show in Hawaii we didn’t play it, and on the radio the next day they were saying Nirvana didn’t play ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’!” - Krist Novoselic.
“We’d play that before we’d go on, and then we’d come out dancing on stage like ballerinas. That’s about all it was worth for us.” - Dave Grohl.
January, 1991 - Nirvana’s “Molly’s Lips” (Live At The Pine Street Theatre) is released as a split single with The Fluid’s “Candy” as part of the ‘Sub Pop Singles Club’. It was a limited edition of 7,500 copies with the first 4,000 being green vinyl and the other 3,500 on black vinyl. Kurt didn’t want it released because it sounded “ragged”, but it was part of the buyout deal.
December, 1993 - The ‘All Apologies/Rape Me’ split-single is released. United Kingdom censors the title of the song ‘Moist Vagina’ to ‘MV’.
Shonen Knife release their Christmas single across the UK, and it’s all about cake! A limited white vinyl edition of the single is available too from their label Damnably’s website!
In recognition of the Facebook campaign to get “Smells Like Teen Spirit” to Number 1 for Christmas this year, we have pressed 1,000 copies of the 7” single, originally released in 1991.
The 7” is a replica of the original release and features “Drain You” on the b-side. This pressing is strictly limited to 1,000 copies. Available to Pre-Order Now.
*This release is limited to two per-customer and available to UK residents only.*
Laundry Room sessions, Seattle.
Wipers cover “Return Of The Rat.”
Jesus Lizard split single “Oh, The Guilt.”
Lithium single “Curmudgeon.”
Dave’s solo work: Pellet Guns, What I’m About, Back In Treatment.
Check out the Store to get Nirvana albums, singles, boxsets, & now added T-shirts!
We’ve also placed a United Kingdom order section.
*added Nirvana: “Icon” album
*added Nirvana: “Blew” single
*added Nirvana: “Puss/Oh, The Guilt” single.
*added Nirvana: “Nevermind” ‘Deluxe’ Edition.
*added Nirvana: “Nevermind” ‘Super Deluxe’ Editon.
March, 1992 interview: Cobain talks with Cake Nunez about the ‘Lithium’ single.
Cake: “Is Geffen going to keep putting out singles?”
Cobain: “Yeah, we’re gonna put out a “Lithium” single within a couple of months. It’s gonna have a doll theme. I’ve been collecting old dolls for most of my life and I make dolls out of clay that are replicas of 18th century Yugoslavian dolls. They’re really weird, they have elongated heads and have really long fingers. Kinda like a Brothers Quay video. It’s gonna be a rip off of a Brothers Quay video because we asked them to do our video and they refused. There’s not much of a theme other than the dolls doing weird, surreal things with each other. When Courtney goes to get another ultra-sound we’re going to video tape the baby in her womb and put that in the video too.”
