Nirvana Music:

Incesticide Track Listing:
1. Dive
2. Sliver
3. Stain
4. Been a Son [Mark Goodier Session]
5. Turnaround [John Peel Session]
6. Molly's Lips [John Peel Session]
7. Son of a Gun [John Peel Session]
8. (New Wave) Polly [Mark Goodier Session]
9. Beeswax
10. Downer
11. Mexican Seafood
12. Hairspray Queen
13. Aero Zeppelin
14. Big Long Now
15. Aneurysm [Mark Goodier Session]

Editorial Review:
Japanese pressing. Buying time and thwarting bootleggers, Nirvana and DGC released the rarities compilation Incesticide toward the end of 1992. Like any odds'n'sods collection, this is uneven, but that's its charm since it captures Nirvana's character better than any official album. After all, this was a band that was born equally from '70s sludge metal, bubblegum pop, post-punk artiness, and indie rock inclusiveness, each of which are apparent on this collection. 15 total tracks. Geffen. 2005.

Description of Incesticide:
Originally intended as a stopgap record following the massive success of Nirvana's Nevermind, the archival Incesticide album has taken on an added significance in light of subsequent events. Consisting of outtakes, demos, non-album singles, and live BBC sessions, it's a fascinating if less-than-truly essential listening experience. Highlights include the rip-roaring childhood memoir "Sliver" and its caustic companion (from a pre-Nevermind single) "Dive." There's also a brilliant cover of the Vaselines' "Molly's Lips." --Daniel Durchholz

Incesticide Reviews:
A Superb Collection Of Archive Nirvana Material
2009-06-09 - In 1992 the record label Geffen released this collection of outtakes, BBC sessions, and single b-sides to compete against the wave of bootleg releases. Even though is not really the band's proper third studio album, the songs contained were recorded between the years 1988/1991 and they represent some great examples of Cobain's songwriting while at the same time, the covers effectively show some of the band's influences as well. In addition to Kurt Cobain on vocals/guitar and Krist Novoselic on bass, you'll hear four different drummers across the fifteen songs included: Dale Crover, Chad Channing, Dan Peters, and Dave Grohl.

Since the recordings date from differing studios/sessions let's take a look at them according to recording date/location instead of the original running order. Now we get ready and head to Reciprocal Recording Studios for a January 23, 1988 session where the band laid down their first ever studio demo with producer Jack Endino. Culled from it are the following songs: "Beeswax", "Downer", "Mexican Seafood", "Hairspray Queen", and "Aero Zeppelin". These recordings are notable because they feature Melvins drummer Dale Crover. This is early raw '88 Nirvana at their best! This stuff is far from the mainstream sound of "Nevermind". The overtone of the music is much angrier/darker here and the chord progressions are more unusual while there's a considerable amount of riffing as well, something that was later abandoned. Also note Kurt's vocal style...I'd say he is an avant-garde singer! Just listen to his vocal delivery on "Hairspray Queen"...never heard another singer do those strange squeaks featured in the verses! Listen carefully at the end too, he starts doing some strange guttural sounds and right before its conclusion he wails like a caged animal! This last section makes later scream-fest numbers such as "Territorial Pissings" and "tourette's" seem tame in comparison! The lyrics are hard to make out, possibly they are about sex/relationships but I'm not quite sure! The guitar work here is quite strange too going from weird phrasings full of dissonant notes to a funky chordal rhythm. The early Nirvana is not for everyone but I like it! "Mexican Seafood" (a tale about food poisoning) and "Aero Zeppelin" (Kurt appears to talk about many different things in the lyrics) are fine examples of the band's winning combination of riffs with dark arpeggios. On "Downer" the inspiration seems to be hard core more than anything else with Kurt delivering some politically charged lyrics while "Beeswax" (a sex-topic song) sounds like a cross between hard rock and punk. All these tunes are excellent!
Our stay in Reciprocal Recording Studios is not over yet! Now we fast-forward to a December '88/January '89 session which yielded the awesome "Bleach" outtake "Big Long Now" with sci-fi lyrics about an alien abduction. Drummer Chad Channing provided what sounds like a slow disco beat for the verses. The arpeggios and chords give off a very dark/moody/eerie feel; all made even better by Kurt's soft, ghostly vocal delivery. In my opinion, this song anticipates the sound/style of the later group The Deftones! I'm not a fan of that group, but this song is awesome!

All right, time to leave! Our next destination is Music Source Studios and the session date is September of 1989. The timing was perfect, the band has just completed a new song, and it's called "Stain". It originally appeared on the hard to find EP "Blew". This social-themed composition foreshadows the more mainstream sound of the "Nevermind" LP and it's a gem! The chorus sounds very modern and the rhythm guitar pattern utilized in the verses couldn't have been better!

Now we travel to Smart Studios for a session that took place in early April of 1990, a time when the group was recording material for an aborted second album on the Sub Pop label. This is where "Dive" came into form. Yes! You've guessed it...another gem! It continues with the more mainstream sound with lyrics about a love relationship. The chorus is killer and towards the middle Novoselic plays a catchy bass line. They should have included this one on "Nevermind"! Too bad!

Hold on! Rumor has it that the band has just finished recording another masterpiece at Reciprocal Recording Studios! We have to go back there quickly to check it out! The date is July 11 of 1990 and it was true! Here's the song and it's called "Sliver". Drummer Channing is no longer in the group so now it is Mudhoney's Dan Peters' turn. Novoselic provided an incredibly catchy intro bass line. A new pop sensibility was starting to sweep into Nirvana's sound. Lyrically, it talks about feeling abandoned by parents. A brilliant composition!

The time has come to leave the US and head to England! The date is October 21 of 1990 and the band is now at Maida Vale Studio 3 working on a BBC session for John Peel with new drummer Dave Grohl. The finished product consists of three covers: two come from underrated band The Vaselines: "Molly's Lips" (a two chord love song) and "Son Of A Gun" (about feeling great in the company of another person) while the third number is the seemingly socially themed "Turnaround", originally by the excellent synth new wave group Devo. In the first two we find the group effortlessly adapting to a much more punk-pop sound with amazing results while the last tune I mentioned shows Cobain's talent for turning a synth based composition into a punk guitar-based one! All three of them flawlessly executed!

We remain in England for another BBC session, this time with disk jockey Mark Goodier in Maida Vale Studio 4. On November 9, 1991 the band laid down three more tunes: "Been A Son", "Aneurysm", and a much faster-paced remake of "Polly(New Wave)". The first song I mentioned where Kurt sings about a girl whose parents actually wanted a boy is probably the most popular but all three are memorable. The faster tempo on "Polly" really works; I prefer this take over the "Nevermind" version! Lyrically, it is based on a true incident that Kurt read in the newspaper about a girl that was kidnapped and sexually assaulted. You'll hear a killer verse/chorus structure in the drug-themed "Aneurysm" too before it concludes with that chromatic note pattern going up. Well...that's it, there's nothing more! Too bad it's all over! Still, the fifteen tracks were a great listening experience! If there's one regret, then that would be the fact that some cool unreleased gems from the January 1988 Jack Endino demo session were not included: "Spank Thru", "Pen Cap Chew", and "If You Must", or some other excellent outtakes such as "Old Age", "Imodium" (an early version of "Breed"), "Blandest", "Raunchola", "Opinion", "Curmudgeon" etc. but that's only a minor complain!

If you would like to check out this excellent band from Seattle, you might want to start with the proper studio albums "Bleach" ('89), "Nevermind" ('91), or "In Utero" ('93), but if you are feeling more adventurous, then go ahead and try this excellent archive material collection. This is still a must buy for fans of Seattle grunge!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...

Fun for all Ages
2009-02-11 - I recently acquired this cd back from my teenaged son who, poor dear, has resorted to pilfering through his parents' music for lack of any good current music these days. Upon listening to it after a brief hiatus, I have decided that this is my most favorite Nirvana album. "Dive" is such a good hard-hitting tune, and "Big Long Now" is completely and totally mesmerizing and hypnotizing. I enjoy every song from this set. I truly miss Nirvana and Kurt Cobain. Atleast the music that remains softens the loss.. very little.

MY Nirvana experience...
2008-10-10 - This was MY Nirvana album I was listenening to in Jr. High... Nevermind was great, but that was the polished up multi-platinum monster that made them famous, everone heard "Come as you are" or "Teen Spirit"... but these were the gems to me "Dive", "Sliver" "Mexican Seafood"... those songs are the ones that take me back... to the good ol' days.

Incesticide
2008-08-19 - This album never got as much recognition as Nevermind or In Utero, but it can compete with both albums. There are a lot of great songs and it is an important contribution from Nirvana's short but revolutionary career.

The best you can get if you already don't know Nirvana but...
2008-04-05 - So, let me get this started. The finish and the end of the record is the famous & exhausting "Aneurysm"... The rest you, all in general, haven't heard about at all! "Incesticide" is the compilation record on which we can find more or less everything Nirvana had performed back to the 80's ("Bleach" not included). The songs are fascinating, leading to the realism in music which the author himself surely had on his mind writing and performing. There are also a few cover songs. Whether or not you are a Nirvana fan the choice is up to you cos' this is my favorite but the world did it's and "Nevermind" is the band's multiplatinum record. However, I kindly recommend to buy this record.