LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts) - Geffen/UME is set to release the much-anticipated 3-CD/1-DVD box set "With The
Lights Out" on November 23, 2004. The box set contains 81 tracks, 68 which were previously unreleased.
The box set spans Nirvana's entire career, from a recording of Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker" at the band's first show in 1987 to solo acoustic performances from singer-guitarist Kurt Cobain in 1994. "With The Lights Out" features a 60-page color booklet with rare photos and liner notes by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and writer Neil Strauss.
The three CDs, arranged largely chronologically, contains home and rehearsal demos, including for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (whose lyric "With the lights out" provides the set's title), "Rape Me," "Heart Shaped Box" and a trio penned by legendary bluesman Leadbelly.
Heard in the 12 previously unreleased solo acoustic tracks are such gems as "All Apologies," "Lithium" and "Sliver." Six previously unreleased radio performances range from "Anorexorcist" in 1987 to "Dumb" in 1991 (two years before it was on 1993's "In Utero"). Along with the remaining debuts are a handful of earlier issued, though rare, b-sides and demos, as well as the original Butch Vig mix of "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
Highlighted on the "With The Lights Out" DVD is a previously unreleased video of nine songs performed in 1988 at bassist Kris Novoselic's mother's house in Aberdeen, Washington; the rare "In Bloom" Sub Pop music video, and 10 never-before-seen live performances. Noteworthy among them are debut renditions of "Pennyroyal Tea" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit," both from early 1991. Also premiering is an unlikely performance of Jacques Brel and Rod McKuen's "Seasons In The Sun" shot at a Rio de Janeiro studio.
Nirvana debuted on album with 1989's "Bleach" (years later going platinum), followed by the EP "Blew," each on Seattle-based Sub Pop. Drummer Dave Grohl joined in fall 1990 and soon after the band signed to Geffen Records. "Nevermind" (1991), propelled by the platinum Top 10 anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and its landmark music video, hit No 1 and is now 10 times platinum. Up next were the Top 40, platinum "Incesticide" (1992) and the No 1, quintuple platinum "In Utero" (1993). In April 1994, Cobain committed suicide. Issued posthumously have been 1994's "MTV Unplugged In New York" (No 1, quintuple platinum), 1996's live compilation "From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah" (No 1, platinum) and 2002's "best of" "Nirvana" (No 3, platinum).
The following is the Track list for "With The Lights Out":
DISC 1
1. HEARTBREAKER (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1987
2. ANOREXORCIST - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1987
3. WHITE LACE AND STRANGE (Bond) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1987
4. HELP ME I'M HUNGRY - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1987
5. MRS. BUTTERWORTH - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1988
6. IF YOU MUST - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1988
7. PEN CAP CHEW - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1988
8. DOWNER - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1988
9. FLOYD THE BARBER - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1988
10. RAUNCHOLA/MOBY DICK (Moby Dick - Bonham, Jones, Page) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1988
11. BEANS - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (undated)
12. DON'T WANT IT ALL - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (undated)
13. CLEAN UP BEFORE SHE COMES - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (undated)
14. POLLY - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1988
15. ABOUT A GIRL - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1988
16. BLANDEST - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1988
17. DIVE - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1988
18. THEY HUNG HIM ON A CROSS (Huddie Ledbetter) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1989
19. GREY GOOSE (Huddie Ledbetter) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1989
20. AIN'T IT A SHAME (Huddie Ledbetter) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1989
21. TOKEN EASTERN SONG - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1989
22. EVEN IN HIS YOUTH - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1989
23. POLLY - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1989
DISC TWO
1. OPINION - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1990
2. LITHIUM - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1990
3. BEEN A SON - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1990
4. SLIVER - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1989
5. WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1989
6. PAY TO PLAY from 1990
7. HERE SHE COMES NOW (Cale, Morrison, Reed, Tucker) from 1990
8. DRAIN YOU - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1990
9. ANEURYSM from 1990
10. SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1991
11. BREED - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1991
12. VERSE CHORUS VERSE - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1991
13. OLD AGE - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1991
14. ENDLESS, NAMELESS - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1991
15. DUMB - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1991
16. D-7 (Sage) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1990
17. OH THE GUILT from 1992
18. CURMUDGEON from 1992
19. RETURN OF THE RAT (Sage) from 1992
20. SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT - from 1991
DISC 3
1. RAPE ME (acoustic) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1992
2. RAPE ME (electric) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1992
3. SCENTLESS APPRENTICE - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1992
4. HEART SHAPED BOX - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1993
5. I HATE MYSELF AND I WANT TO DIE from 1993
6. MILK IT - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1993
7. MOIST VAGINA - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1993
8. GALLONS OF RUBBING ALCOHOL FLOW THROUGH THE STRIP from 1993
9. THE OTHER IMPROV - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1993
10. SERVE THE SERVANTS - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1993
11. VERY APE - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1993
12. PENNYROYAL TEA - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1993
13. MARIGOLD (Grohl) from 1993
14. SAPPY (retitled "Verse Chorus Verse" for release) from 1993
15. JESUS DOESN'T WANT ME FOR A SUNBEAM (Kelly, McKee) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1994
16. DO RE MI - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1994.
17. YOU KNOW YOU'RE RIGHT - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED from 1994
18. ALL APOLOGIES - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (undated)
DISC 4 (DVD)
1. Love Buzz (Leeuwen)
2. Scoff
3. About A Girl
4. Big Long Now
5. Immigrant Song (Page, Plant)
6. Spank Thru
7. Hairspray Queen
8. School
9. Mr. Moustache
Tracks 1-9 all previously unreleased from 1988
10. Big Cheese - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (1989)
11. In Bloom - Sub Pop Video (1989)
12. SAPPY - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (1990)
13. SCHOOL - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (1990)
14. LOVE BUZZ (Leeuwen) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (1990)
15. PENNYROYAL TEA - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (1991)
16. SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (1991)
17. TERRITORIAL PISSINGS - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (1991)
18. JESUS DOESN'T WANT ME FOR A SUNBEAM (Kelly, McKee) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (1991)
19. Talk To Me - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (1992)
20. Seasons In The Sun (Brel, McKuen) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (1993)
