If I were to ask you to name the first Nirvana record that came into your mind, you’d probably say Nevermind or maybe Bleach or In Utero but I doubt a lot of people would say Incesticide. Even the band and the record label Geffen barely promoted the record but Incesticide is sometimes thought of as the black sheep or forgotten record in Nirvana’s collection.
In the year leading up to its December 1992 release, Nevermind had sold millions of copies and their label DGC, which was owned by Geffen, wanted to make more money to keep the momentum going and capitalize on the group’s unexpected success.
B-Sides, Out-Takes, Radio Sessions and Unreleased Tracks
Incesticide consisted of 15 tracks that were made up of b-sides, out-takes, radio sessions and unreleased tracks from the group’s Dale demo which was cut in 1988 with producer Jack Endino.
The release, in some respects, is the evolution of the band over a 3 year period and treated fans to a snapshot of the band’s roots. The release would also span numerous drummers and producers and show a changing band.
Geffen’s Head of Marketing, Robert Smith believed the release was, “An artist development tool to solidify the band’s credibility and give their new fans a glimpse into their roots”, but that was only half the story.
Following the success of Nevermind, the release was also a way to beat the bootleggers and served as a stopgap between studio records. The group had become increasingly ambivalent at seeing bootlegged recordings, often with poor sound or other flaws being sold for inflated prices to young fans.
It was rumoured around this time that their former record label, Sub Pop had been planning a b-side release around the same time. Beating them to the punch and retaining control of the release made sense.
Cobain Reluctantly Agrees to Compilation Album
Despite recently having endorsed a re-issue of the band’s Sub Pop debut album Bleach, Cobain wasn’t into the idea of a compilation album in 1992. However, when he successfully negotiated with his label for complete creative control over the release, including the right to produce the album’s artwork himself, Nirvana gave their label the green light. Cobain also used the liner notes to air many grievances over becoming a rock star.
Incesticide was everything that Nevermind wasn’t. It was a collection of leftover songs that really lacked the polish and production of what was found on the group’s breakthrough record. it would surely leave many new fans scratching their heads over what they were hearing but that was the point. It was a sign of things to come on the group’s follow-up studio record In Itero.
“…We recorded and mixed all 10 songs in 5 hours…” – Jack Endino
Here’s an interview with producer Jack Endino who worked with Nirvana on their demo tape and he reveals just how much time was spent on some of those recordings that ended up on Incesticide. “In January 1988, Kurt called and he just wanted to come up and record a few songs, you know, make a demo basically. They didn’t have a band name and Dale Crower was playing drums with him at the time, just as a fill-in drummer. They didn’t have a permanent drummer and of course, Dale knew me… So they came up and recorded 10 songs with me on January 23, 1988, and we recorded and mixed all 10 songs in 5 hours. Basically one after another and some of those songs in that actual form… Those mixes are the ones that ended up on Incesticide.”
The band began revolting against their mainstream acceptance by releasing an album of songs that weren’t hits or radio-friendly. Some considered the release to be an attempt by Cobain to reclaim his old fans and rid himself of fake fans who just jumped on the bandwagon following the success of Nevermind.
“We thought it would be something nice for the fans just to see where we’re coming from.” Krist Novoselic
A month before Incesticide was released, “Filler” and “Downer” were leaked to the press as possible song names appearing on the compilation. During this time, Kurt and Courtney became tabloid fodder and the frontman deliberately kept quiet about the release in the music press. Bassist Krist Novoselic however, would tell Rolling Stone that Incesticide felt like something of a way back to the source and stepping-stone to what was already in the process of becoming In utero saying, “We thought it would be something nice for the fans just to see where we’re coming from. Some of the stuff is kind of wild. It’s maybe the step we’ll take because the pendulum is swinging back in that direction and it won’t be that much of a shock.”
Careful thought was put into the ordering of the songs on the compilation. It would create a flow. The order of the songs from the 1990 “Sliver” and “Dive” single would be reversed thus making the first album chorus “Dive In Me” while the decision to make “Aneurysm” the last song on the album showed fans that the group was still experimenting with their sound.
“Polly” was positioned at the end of side A where “Polly” had been on Nevermind and where “Dumb” would be on In Utero. Even the ordering of the BBC session was reversed.
While the record didn’t encounter the same level of scrutiny or censorship as In Utero would, there was at least one instance according to the New York Times where one parent smashed her stepson’s CD after seeing the song titled “Big Long Now” and thinking it was inappropriate.
“…Nirvana is best forgotten unless you’re truly smitten”
The press wasn’t as happy with the release as they were with Nevermind with many writing it off as “patience-testing material from an embryonic green river fixated Nirvana is best forgotten unless you’re truly smitten”.
Rolling Stone would write, “Nirvana was a great band before Nevermind topped the charts and Incesticide is a reminder of that and maybe more important proof of Nirvana’s ability on occasion to fail.”
Hindsight is always 20/20 but no one could have predicted that the band would only be around for another 18 months. Perhaps if that was known, the release would have been better appreciated.
Like this story? Check out Metallica’s Incredible Making of And Justice for All
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