Experiencing Nirvana
Bruce Pavitt
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This book provides an inside look at Nirvana, kings of grunge. Written by Sub Pop Records (the Seattle label that originally signed Nirvana
and was co-founded by Bruce Pavitt, Experiencing Nirvana documents eight days in the life of Kurt Cobain and company while they
toured Europe in 1989, accompanied by two other Seattle bands--Tad and Mudhoney.
Pavitt describes life on the road with this trio of grunge groups. Accompanied by many archival black-and-white and color photos of the band in their infancy, the text reads like a road diary of a band on the road--which is exactly what it was. "We came home broke - more than ever, in fact - and the bands were exhausted. I was still wearing the same clothes, but we survived on our wits and our belief in music that soon became known across the globe. To this day, Seattle is still associated with the bands that broke out of the local scene in the late 1980s.
Strong reviews in the British press led to interest from American major labels for Mudhoney, Tad, and especially Nirvana. In April 1991--within eighteen months of the Heavier Than
Heaven tour and our trip across Europe--Nirvana signed with DGC Records. They recorded Nevermind the net month, and that album was released in September 1991."
Pavitt offers up an honest appraisal of the band right before it blew up.
For Nirvana fans, this one is a must. For grunge fans in general, Experiencing Nirvana will answer a lot of questions. A terrific document about a band that would, arguably, chance the face of music.
Originally published on Curled Up With A Good Book at www.curledup.com. © Steven Rosen, 2014
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