Incesticide

Incesticide is a compilation album by the American rock band Nirvana. It consists of their 1990 non-album single "Sliver", B-sides, demos, outtakes, covers, and radio broadcast recordings.

Not to be confused with Insecticide.

Incesticide
Compilation album by Nirvana
Released	December 14, 1992
Recorded	1988–1991
Genre	Grunge alternative rock punk rock [1]
Length	44:41
Label	DGC
Producer	Various
Nirvana chronology
Nevermind It's an Interview (1992) Incesticide (1992) In Utero (1993)

The album was released on December 14, 1992, in Europe, and December 15, 1992, in the United States. It eventually reached number 39 on the Billboard 200.

Background

Early in 1992, Jonathan Poneman of Sub Pop contacted Gary Gersh, who had previously signed Nirvana to DGC Records, to inform him that Sub Pop still had a number of unreleased early Nirvana recordings in their possession.[2] The band had originally intended to release the material via Sub Pop and cynically called it Cash Cow. However, Sub Pop could not match Geffen's distribution network, and the band felt that getting the material maximum exposure was important.[3] Sub Pop sold the recordings to Geffen for "a six-figure amount" on the condition that the band would create and approve the release of an album by Christmas 1992.[2]

At the time, the majority of the material on Incesticide was circulating within fan communities (albeit in lower quality). It was widely reported in the music press that the band wanted to offer fans a higher-quality alternative. In the book Cobain Unseen, Charles R. Cross writes that Kurt Cobain agreed to the release of this compilation because he was allowed complete control over the album's artwork.

Since the songs were recorded in different sessions and some were recorded when Nirvana did not have a stable formation, the album includes recordings by four different drummers: Chad Channing, Dan Peters, Dale Crover, and Dave Grohl.

Songs

Previously unreleased

• The songs "Hairspray Queen", "Aero Zeppelin", and "Big Long Now" were officially unreleased at the time, as well as the versions of "Been a Son", "Aneurysm", and "(New Wave) Polly", which are different from the versions previously released on the Blew EP, the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" single, and the Nevermind record, respectively.

Previously released

• "Dive" and "Sliver" were released on the "Sliver" single in 1990. "Dive" was also previously released on The Grunge Years compilation album in 1991.
• "Stain" was released on the Blew EP in 1989.
• The three cover songs, "Turnaround" (Devo), "Molly's Lips" and "Son of a Gun" (The Vaselines) were released on the Hormoaning EP in 1992, which was only released in Japan and Australia.
• "Mexican Seafood" appeared on the 1989 Teriyaki Asthma Volume 1 compilation.
• "Beeswax" appeared on the 1991 Kill Rock Stars compilation album.
• "Downer" appears on the CD version of Nirvana's 1989 debut album Bleach.

Artwork and packaging

The cover art was painted by Cobain,[4] who is credited as Kurdt Kobain in the liner notes.[5] The rubber duck seen on the album's back cover also belonged to Cobain. The front cover prominently displays a poppy, hinting at Cobain's struggle with heroin addiction.

The first several pressings of the album contained liner notes written by Cobain, including a statement decrying homophobia, racism and misogyny:[6]

If any of you in any way hate homosexuals, people of different color, or women, please do this one favor for us—leave us the fuck alone! Don't come to our shows and don't buy our records.

Versions of the album containing the liner notes by Cobain could be found at record stores as late as 1998. Initial copies in the U.S. and Canada also contained a Parental Advisory label.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Blender	[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[10]
Entertainment Weekly	B[11]
NME	7/10 / 3/10[12]
Rolling Stone	[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[14]
Select	[15]
The Village Voice	A−[16]

The album received generally positive reviews. "Nobody really wants a Hatful of Hollow-type assortment of Peel/Goodier sessions, B-sides, demos and obscurities in the place of a proper studio album," observed Andrew Perry in Select. "But, hell, wouldn't you try and put an end to the consumer madness going on in your name? And harvest some of the money for yourself? Anyway, people might start talking about the music again…"[15] In a review for AllMusic, music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that the song "Aneurysm" was "perhaps the greatest single song the group ever recorded".[17]

Commercial performance

Incesticide was released on December 14, 1992, in the United Kingdom, and on December 15, 1992, in the United States.[18] The record label, Geffen, decided against heavily promoting the album, possibly to avoid a "Nirvana burnout" as the band had released Nevermind and four singles in the preceding fifteen months.[19] Despite this lack of promotion and being a collection of old and new material, Incesticide debuted at number 51 in the Billboard 200 and sold 500,000 copies in two months.[20] The album is certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. On November 23, 2012, Incesticide was re-released on vinyl as a limited two-LP 45 RPM edition for its 20th anniversary.[21]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
1.	"Dive"	Cobain, Krist Novoselic	"Sliver" single and The Grunge Years	3:55
2.	"Sliver"		"Sliver" single	2:16
3.	"Stain"		Blew EP	2:40
4.	"Been a Son"		Previously unreleased	1:55
5.	"Turnaround"	Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale	Hormoaning EP	2:19
6.	"Molly's Lips"	Eugene Kelly, Frances McKee	Hormoaning EP	1:54
7.	"Son of a Gun"	Eugene Kelly, Frances McKee	Hormoaning EP	2:48
8.	"(New Wave) Polly"	Cobain, Novoselic, Dave Grohl	Previously unreleased	1:48
9.	"Beeswax"		Kill Rock Stars	2:50
10.	"Downer"		1990 CD version of Bleach	1:43
11.	"Mexican Seafood"		Teriyaki Asthma Volume 1	1:55
12.	"Hairspray Queen"	Cobain, Novoselic	Previously unreleased	4:13
13.	"Aero Zeppelin"		Previously unreleased	4:41
14.	"Big Long Now"		Previously unreleased	5:03
15.	"Aneurysm"	Cobain, Novoselic, Grohl	Previously unreleased	4:35

Personnel

All sessions:

• Kurt Cobain – vocals, guitar
• Krist Novoselic – bass guitar

Seattle, WA: Reciprocal Recording Studios (January 23, 1988)
Nirvana's first studio demo tape.
Songs: "Beeswax", "Downer", "Mexican Seafood", "Hairspray Queen" and "Aero Zeppelin"

• Dale Crover – drums
• Jack Endino – producer, engineer

Seattle, WA: Reciprocal Recording Studios (December 1988 – January 1989)
The Bleach recording sessions.
Song: "Big Long Now"

• Chad Channing – drums
• Jack Endino – producer, engineer

Seattle, WA: Music Source Studios (September 1989)
The Blew EP recording sessions.
Song: "Stain"

• Chad Channing – drums
• Steve Fisk – producer

Madison, WI: Smart Studios (April 2, 1990 – April 6, 1990)
The sessions for the planned second Sub Pop album.
Song: "Dive"

• Chad Channing – drums
• Butch Vig – producer

Seattle, WA: Reciprocal Recording Studios (July 11, 1990)
The "Sliver" Sub Pop single session.
Song: "Sliver"

• Dan Peters – drums
• Jack Endino – producer, engineer

London, England: Maida Vale Studio 3 (October 21, 1990)
The 1990 BBC session for John Peel.
Songs: "Turnaround", "Molly's Lips" and "Son of a Gun"

• Dave Grohl – drums
• Dale Griffin – producer
• Mike Engles – engineer
• Fred Kay – engineer

London, England: Maida Vale Studio 4 (November 9, 1991)
The 1991 BBC session for Mark Goodier.
Songs: "Been a Son", "(New Wave) Polly" and "Aneurysm"

• Dave Grohl – drums
• Miti Adhikari – producer
• John Taylor – engineer

Charts

Album Chart (1992/93) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[22] 22 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] 10 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[24] 21 European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)[25] 17 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[26] 31 Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[27] 16 French Albums SNEP)[28] 28 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[29] 40 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[30] 50 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[31] 23 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[32] 27 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] 18 UK Albums (OCC)[34] 14 US Billboard 200[35] 39 Chart (1995) Peak position US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)[36] 43

Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales Canada (Music Canada)[37] 2× Platinum 200,000^^ France (SNEP)[38] Gold 100,000^* United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Platinum 300,000^^ United States (RIAA)[40] Platinum 1,400,000[41] ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. Pelly, Jenn (July 2018). "Nirvana Incesticide". Incesticide embodies the free space of punk more than any Nirvana album.
2. Goldberg, Danny (2008). Bumping Into Geniuses: My Life Inside the Rock and Roll Business. Penguin Books. p. 214. ISBN 9781592403707. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
3. St. Thomas, Kurt; Smith, Troy (2004). Nirvana: The Chosen Rejects. Macmillan Publishers. p. 154. ISBN 9780312206635. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
4. Azerrad, 1994. p. 295
5. Incesticide liner notes
6. Allman, Kevin (February 9, 1993). "The Dark Side of Kurt Cobain" (PDF). The Advocate (622). pp. 35–43. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
7. "Incesticide - Americas". Sliver.it. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
8. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Incesticide at AllMusic. Retrieved 10 February 2005.
9. Archived January 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
10. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press.
11. Browne, David (18 December 2017). "Incesticide". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
12. Lewis, Angela (12 September 2005). "Nirvana: Incesticide - 12/12/92". NME. Missing or empty |url= (help)
13. Alden, Grant (January 21, 1993). "Recordings: Nirvana Incesticide > Album Review". Rolling Stone (648). Archived from the original on September 18, 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2005.
14. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. pp. 589.
15. Select, January 1993
16. Christgau, Robert (January 26, 1993). "Consumer Guide: Nirvana: Incesticide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 21 December 2011. Relevant portion posted in a revised version at "Nirvana: Incesticide > Consumer Guide Album". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
17. Nirvana - Incesticide - AllMusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine allmusic.com. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
18. Azerrad, 1994. p. 357–358
19. Azerrad, 1994. p. 296
20. Cross, p. 269
21. "RECORD STORE DAY - SpecialRelease". Recordstoreday.com. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
22. "Australiancharts.com – Nirvana – Incesticide". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
23. "Austriancharts.at – Nirvana – Incesticide" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
24. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1829". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
25. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. January 30, 1993. p. 42. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
26. "Dutchcharts.nl – Nirvana – Incesticide" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
27. Pennanen, Timo (2003). Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 951-1-21053-X.
28. (The user has to select "Nirvana" from the drop down list) "InfoDisc : Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste" Check |url= value (help). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
29. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
30. Album Chart-Book Complete Edition 1970-2005. Orikonmāketingupuromōshon (2006). ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
31. "Charts.nz – Nirvana – Incesticide". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
32. "Swedishcharts.com – Nirvana – Incesticide". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
33. "Swisscharts.com – Nirvana – Incesticide". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
34. "Nirvana | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
35. "Nirvana Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
36. "Nirvana Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
37. "Canadian album certifications – Nirvana – Incesticide". Music Canada.
38. "French album certifications – Nirvana – Incesticide" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
39. "British album certifications – Nirvana – Incesticide". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Incesticide in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
40. "American album certifications – Nirvana – Incesticide". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
41. Ask Billboard: Rihanna's (Quirky) Record in the Hot 100's Top 10 With 'Needed Me' Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2018.

Bibliography

• Azerrad, Michael. Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday, 1994. ISBN 0-385-47199-8
• Cross, Charles. Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain. Hyperion, 2001. ISBN 0-7868-8402-9

External links

• Incesticide at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
• Live Nirvana Companion to Official Releases - Incesticide