NIRVANA – VPRO RADIO SESSION 1991: PRE-FM (CD)

Description

NOB radiostudio, Hilversum, The Netherlands 25th November 1991 STEREO SBD
★This is incredible…a major historical discovery!!

　Shocking! A newly discovered soundboard recording has arrived, causing a sensation among collectors worldwide. An emergency release on a permanently preserved pressed CD has been decided!!

　This recording was made on November 25, 1991, at NOB Radio Studio. It’s a stereo soundboard recording capturing the entire studio session. While this recording isn’t from a live concert, looking at a rock band’s activity schedule is the best way to understand their situation. 1991 was the year of the revolution brought about by ‘NEVERMIND’. The world changed dramatically before and after the album’s release, so let’s first understand the overall context and place this recording within that context.

・January 18th / March 2nd-9th / April 17th: North America #1 (7 shows)
・May 29th – June 20th: North America #2 (10 shows)
・August 15th + 17th: North America #3 (2 shows)
・August 20th – September 1st: Europe #1 (10 shows)
《September 10th: Single ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ released》
・September 16th-23rd: North America #4a (4 shows)
《September 24th: ‘NEVERMIND’ released》
・September 24th – October 31st: North America #4b (30 shows) ← *Official video
・November 4th – December 7th: Europe #2 (28 shows) ← ★HERE★
・December 27th-31st: North America #5 (4 shows)

[The legendary studio session that took place during the ‘NEVERMIND’ era]
　This is Nirvana in 1991. This recording was made two months after the album’s release, right in the middle of their “Europe #2” tour. The session was planned by Roché Iselmans, a well-known DJ for the Dutch public broadcaster VPRO. Iselmans had heard “Nevermind” before its release from a friend who was the tour manager, and thought, “This is going to be a huge hit!” so he asked the band to do a session (incidentally, a VPRO session had also taken place in November 1989, making this the second). In fact, VPRO’s rival station VARA also stepped forward to co-produce it, and it was broadcast on their respective radio programs, “Nozems-A-Gogo” and “Twee Meter De Lucht In”.

　As a radio broadcast, it has long been known for its superb recording quality and has become a classic as a valuable studio recording of that era. Our store has also featured the (previous) best master in “RADIO FRIENDLY (Zodiac 214),” and it has been widely enjoyed. Now, we have the pre-FM master. Moreover, it’s a super-upgraded version with an incomparably larger volume than the previous version!

[Newly unearthed soundboard master with more than double the original size]
　In fact, the biggest point of this release is its length. The previous master was already of official quality, so it was expected that this new master would be of the highest quality, but the running time was unexpected. Originally, the broadcast only included “Here She Comes Now (a cover of The Velvet Underground)” and “Where Did You Sleep Last Night (a cover of Lead Belly).” Later, in 2002, VPRO released an extended version online, but that was just under 21 minutes. In contrast, this newly discovered master is over 43 minutes long.

　The content seamlessly reveals the entirety of a precious studio session. A cover of Daniel Johnston’s “I Stand Horrified” and unreleased jams without even a title yet (Born in Virginia/That first song over gain are working titles or nicknames) are revealed one after another. Furthermore, the unfinished version of “Old Age,” the failed take of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” that falls apart midway, and even the tuning in between are poured into your brain with superb soundboard quality.

　The station reportedly requested “Polly” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” but Kurt Cobain declared, “We’re going to play the songs we want to play.” As a result, the album is packed with incredibly rare performances that you won’t hear anywhere else. This is a stunning soundboard album that allows you to relive that invaluable, legendary studio session in the length of an LP. It is truly nothing short of a cultural heritage. Please enjoy it to the fullest on this pressed CD that will never lose its brilliance.

★A stereo soundboard recording of the “November 25, 1991: VPRO Studio Session”. This newly discovered master boasts more than twice the length of the previous master, and the sound is completely official quality. In addition to rare covers of THE VELVET UNDERGROUND and Lead Belly, this new cultural heritage album seamlessly delivers the legendary studio session into your mind, including previously unheard Daniel Johnston covers and unreleased jams.

(43:21)
1. Unknown Jam (Born in Virginia)
2. Where Did You Sleep Last Night attempts
3. Where Did You Sleep Last Night
4. Tuning
5. Old Age false starts
6. Tuning
7. Old Age attempt
8. Here She Comes Now
9. I stand horrified
10. Unknown Jam (That first song over again)
11. Finale

Kurt Cobain – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Krist Novoselic – Bass
Dave Grohl – Drums

STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING