Exactly thirty years ago tomorrow, September 24, 1991, Nirvana's Nevermind hit store shelves. To celebrate this new anniversary, Geffen/UMe has announced new reissues of the album in a variety of formats including two editions of a super deluxe box set: an 8-LP version with a bonus 7-inch single, and a 5-CD version with a Blu-ray. All editions and formats are due out on November 12.
It is the rare album that can be said to have changed the landscape of popular music, but that is no exaggeration when it comes to Nevermind. Nirvana's original members Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic were joined by Dave Grohl for the group's second album and first on Geffen imprint DGC. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind would present the band's raw sound in a more accessible form to the general public while not sacrificing the songwriting or energy of earlier music. And the public took notice. By January, 1992, Nevermind had hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200; it has sold over 30 million copies to date and became one of the best-selling albums of all time. Four singles were released: "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Come As You Are," "Lithium," and "In Bloom." "Teen Spirit" got the highest on the U.S. charts at No. 6, but all of the singles went platinum. But beyond the sales success, Nevermind is credited with helping to end an era of hair metal and usher in the new sound of grunge to popularity; indeed, it would heavily influence the next several years of pop music. What was once "alternative" became mainstream. But like several other highly influential bands, Nirvana would blaze brightly for only a short time, releasing only one other studio album, In Utero, in 1993 before Kurt Cobain's death in April 1994. But the group's legacy has lived on in numerous compilations and reissues over the years.
All formats of this new Nevermind reissue campaign feature the original album remastered from the original half-inch stereo analog tapes to high-resolution 192kHz 24-bit (heard in 44/16 resolution on CD). Both the 8-LP and 5-CD super deluxe boxes add four complete concerts to the package: Live in Amsterdam, Netherlands (recorded and filmed on November 25, 1991 at the club Paradiso); Live in Del Mar, California (recorded on December 28, 1991 at the Pat O'Brien Pavilion at the Del Mar Fairgrounds); Live in Melbourne, Australia for triple j (recorded February 1, 1992 at The Palace in St. Kilda); and Live in Tokyo, Japan (recorded at the Nakano Sunplaza on February 19, 1992). The 5-CD set adds a Blu-ray of the film of the Live in Amsterdam, Netherlands concert while the 8-LP version adds a bonus 7-inch single of "Endless, Nameless" (a hidden track on the original album) b/w "Even In His Youth" and "Aneurysm." All in all, there are 70 unreleased tracks. Both sets also include a 40-page hardcover book with unreleased photos. A single LP of the original album with the 7-inch and 2-CD version (featuring a selection of tracks from the concerts on the second disc) are also available together with digital formats.
However, this is not the first super deluxe edition of this album. Back in 2011, a 20th anniversary reissue campaign was launched for Nevermind which included a 4-CD/1-DVD box set. That set included the relevant B-sides from the era plus some performances from the BBC, early versions of tracks, rehearsals, a different mix of the album, and a concert from the Paramount Theatre in Seattle on October 31, 1991 on audio and video. All of that content has been dropped from this new edition so fans who have the 20th anniversary set will want to hang onto it.
All of the various formats and editions of Nevermind will hit store shelves on November 12. If you would like to revisit one of the cornerstones of the grunge sound, we've got the full track listing and preorder links below.
Nirvana, Nevermind (30th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) (Geffen/UMe, 2021)
5CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
8LP/7": Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
1LP/7": Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
CD/LP 1: Original album remastered
- Smells Like Teen Spirit
- In Bloom
- Come As You Are
- Breed
- Lithium
- Polly
- Territorial Pissings
- Drain You
- Lounge Act
- Stay Away
- On a Plain
- Something in the Way/Endless, Nameless
CD 2/Blu-ray/LP 2-3: Live in Amsterdam, Netherlands (Paradiso, November 25, 1991) (video previously unreleased; audio previously unreleased except where noted)
- Drain You
- Aneurysm
- School
- Floyd the Barber
- Smells Like Teen Spirit
- About a Girl
- Polly
- Lithium
- Sliver
- Breed
- Come As You Are
- Been a Son
- Negative Creep
- On a Plain
- Blew
- Love Buzz
- Territorial Pissings
Tracks 3, 8, 12 and 15 released on From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah - DGC DGCD-25105, 1996
CD 3/LP 4: Live in Del Mar, California (Pat O'Brien Pavilion, Del Mar Fairgrounds, December 28, 1991) (previously unreleased except where noted)
- Drain You
- Aneurysm
- School
- Floyd the Barber
- Smells Like Teen Spirit
- About a Girl
- Polly
- Sliver
- Breed
- Come As You Are
- Lithium
- Territorial Pissings
Tracks 1-2 and 5 released on From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah - DGC DGCD-25105, 1996
Tracks 7-8 from "In Bloom" U.K. CD single - Geffen GFSTD 34, 1992
CD 4/LP 5-6: Live in Melbourne, Australia for triple j (The Palace, St. Kilda, February 1, 1992) (previously unreleased)
- Aneurysm
- Drain You
- School
- Sliver
- About a Girl
- Come As You Are
- Lithium
- Breed
- Polly
- Lounge Act
- In Bloom
- Love Buzz
- Smells Like Teen Spirit
- Feedback Jam
- Negative Creep
- On a Plain
- Blew
CD 5/LP 7-8: Live in Tokyo, Japan (Nakano Sunplaza, February 19, 1992) (previously unreleased)
- Negative Creep
- Been a Son
- On a Plain
- Blew
- Come As You Are
- Lithium
- Breed
- Sliver
- Drain You
- About a Girl
- School
- Aneurysm
- Love Buzz
- Polly
- Territorial Pissings
- Smells Like Teen Spirit
7"
Side A
- Endless, Nameless
Side B (B-sides to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" maxi-single DGC GED 21673, 1991)
- Even in His Youth
- Aneurysm
Ricardo Amaral says
Both Even In His Youth and Aneurysm were b-sides to the original Smells Like Teen Spirit single.
Brian Stanley says
If I pulled the trigger here, it would be the sixth time I’ve bought Nevermind (cassette to CD to double CD to 20th anniversary set plus a vinyl copy purchased at some point).
Four new concerts would be enough incentive if Nirvana was either better live than in the studio (i don’t think so) or these shows had substantially different material from what’s already been released over the years. Even these four shows have mostly the same setlists.
Unless I find a sweetheart deal for the price, I think I can skip this.
Larry Davis says
Again again?!?!? But at least this is a drastically different beast than the 20th set, which I did have...both the 4CD/1DVD & limited picdisc vinyl...but not anymore...with this new set, will likely buy & search out the prev set used...prob In Utero will get boxed as well...
Brian Stanley says
Boxed again, you mean.
They did a 20th anniversary box for In Utero as well.