From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah | ||||
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Live album by Nirvana | ||||
Released | October 1, 1996 | |||
Recorded | 1989–1994 | |||
Genre | Grunge | |||
Length | 53:55 | |||
Language | English | |||
Label | DGC | |||
Producer | Shauna O' Brien, Diane Stata | |||
Nirvana chronology | ||||
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Singles from From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah | ||||
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah is a live album by the American alternative rock band Nirvana. It was released on October 1, 1996 and features live performances recorded from 1989 to 1994. As opposed to Nirvana's previous live album, MTV Unplugged in New York (1994), which features an acoustic performance, From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah is a compilation of live electric performances.
The album opened at number one on the Billboard 200. It spent 25 weeks on the chart and became the band's sixth platinum album since 1991. As of 2001, it has sold over 1.15 million copies in the United States alone.[1]
Release
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah was the second Nirvana album to be released following the death of singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain in April 1994. It was compiled primarily by Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, who also penned the album's liner notes. Novoselic and Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl had originally intended on releasing a live album in 1994, to accompany what became MTV Unplugged in New York in a two-disc set originally titled Verse Chorus Verse, named after both a Nirvana song and the most prevalent song structure in the band's music, but were emotionally unable to compile it so soon after Cobain's death.[2]
The album's title refers to the Wishkah River in Aberdeen, Washington, where Cobain claimed to have spent nights sleeping under the Young Street Bridge as a teenager (as referenced in the song "Something in the Way", from the band's 1991 release, Nevermind). This claim has since been refuted by Novoselic, who said, "He never lived under that bridge. He hung out there, but you couldn't live on those muddy banks, with the tide coming up and down. That was his own revisionism."[3]
No commercial singles were released from the album, but promotional singles were sent out for radio play for a number of the songs, including "Aneurysm" (US and UK), "Drain You" (U.S.), "Lithium" (the Netherlands) and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Spain and France). A limited edition promotional box set was also released in Australia containing three promotional singles for the songs "Aneurysm", "Heart-Shaped Box", and "Polly". The box set also included Nevermind: It's an Interview, a promotional interview disc first released in 1992.
Reception
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Alternative Press | 4/5[5] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[6] |
Los Angeles Times | [7] |
NME | 9/10[8] |
Q | [9] |
Rolling Stone | [10] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [11] |
Spin | 8/10[12] |
The Village Voice | A[13] |
Critical reception of the album was generally positive. It was rated #9 in Rolling Stone's 1997 critics' poll of the top 10 albums of 1996,[14] and #14 in Spin's Best Albums of 1996.
Lorraine Ali of Rolling Stone described the album as the "emotional, visceral flip side" of MTV Unplugged in New York, and as "riotous and liberating", showing the band "in their most natural state, smashing instruments and inducing irreversible tinnitus."[2] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it "a little scattershot" but "still a terrific record" which "finds a great band in top form."[4] American music critic Robert Christgau wrote, "I play Unplugged to refresh my memory of a sojourner's spirituality. I'll play this one when I want to remember a band's guts, fury, and rock and roll music."[13]
Track listing
All tracks written by Kurt Cobain, except where noted.
No. | Title | Other writers | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro" | 0:52 | |
2. | "School" (recorded by VPRO-TV in Amsterdam, Netherlands, at Paradiso, November 25, 1991.) | 2:40 | |
3. | "Drain You" (recorded by Westwood One at Del Mar Fairgrounds, CA, December 28, 1991.) | 3:34 | |
4. | "Aneurysm" (recorded by Westwood One at Del Mar Fairgrounds, California, December 28, 1991.) | Cobain, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic | 4:31 |
5. | "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (recorded by Westwood One at Del Mar Fairgrounds, California, December 28, 1991.) | Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic | 4:47 |
6. | "Been a Son" (recorded by VPRO-TV in Amsterdam, Netherlands, at Paradiso, November 25, 1991.) | 2:07 | |
7. | "Lithium" (recorded by VPRO-TV in Amsterdam, Netherlands, at Paradiso, November 25, 1991.) | 4:10 | |
8. | "Sliver" (recorded by Craig Overbay at the Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, November 10, 1993.) | 1:55 | |
9. | "Spank Thru" (recorded by Stereoral at Il Castello Vi de Porta, Castello 41 Rome, November 19, 1991.) | 3:10 | |
10. | "Scentless Apprentice" (recorded for MTV Live and Loud by Scott Litt at Pier 48, Seattle, December 13, 1993.) | Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic | 3:31 |
11. | "Heart-Shaped Box" (recorded by Craig Overbay at the Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, December 30, 1993.) | 4:41 | |
12. | "Milk It" (recorded by Craig Overbay at the Seattle Center Arena, January 7, 1994.) | 3:45 | |
13. | "Negative Creep" (recorded by Andy Wallace at the Paramount Theatre, Seattle, October 31, 1991.) | 2:43 | |
14. | "Polly" (recorded by Craig Montgomery at the London Astoria, December 3, 1989.) | 2:30 | |
15. | "Breed" (recorded by Craig Montgomery at the London Astoria, December 3, 1989.) | 3:28 | |
16. | "Tourette's" (recorded by Fujisankei Communications International, Inc. in Reading, England at the Reading Festival, August 30, 1992.) | 1:55 | |
17. | "Blew" (recorded by VPRO-TV in Amsterdam, Netherlands, at Paradiso, November 25, 1991.) | 3:36 |
Vinyl edition bonus track | ||
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No. | Title | Length |
18. | "Untitled" (various concert outtakes and stage banter on side 4) | 5:47 |
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Certifications
|
Preceded by Falling Into You by Celine Dion |
Billboard 200 number-one album October 19, 1996–October 26, 1996 |
Succeeded by Falling Into You by Celine Dion |
Preceded by The Very Best of Toni Childs by Toni Childs |
Australian ARIA number-one album October 13, 1996–October 20, 1996 |
Succeeded by The Very Best of Toni Childs by Toni Childs |
Preceded by New Adventures in Hi-Fi by R.E.M. |
Canadian Albums Chart number-one album October 19, 1996–November 9, 1996 |
Succeeded by Best Of – Volume I by Van Halen |
Personnel
- Nirvana
- Kurt Cobain – vocals, guitar
- Krist Novoselic – bass
- Chad Channing – drums on "Polly" and "Breed"
- Dave Grohl – drums (except on "Polly" and "Breed"), background vocals on "Drain You", "Aneurysm", "Been a Son", "Sliver" and "Heart-Shaped Box"
- Pat Smear – rhythm guitar on "Sliver", "Scentless Apprentice", "Heart-Shaped Box" and "Milk It", background vocals on "Sliver" and "Heart-Shaped Box"
- Production
- Scott Litt, Craig Montgomery, Craig Overbay – engineering
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Shauna O'Brien, Diane Stata – production, production coordination
- Andy Wallace – engineering, mixing on tracks 3, 4, 5, 10, 12, and 13
- Krist Novoselic – liner notes
- Robert Fisher – design
- Lisa Johnson, Kevin Mazur, Charles Peterson – photography
- Mark Kates – photography, A&R
References
- ↑ Basham, David (2001-12-20). "Got Charts? No Doubt's Christmas Gift; Nirvana Ain't No Beatles". MTV.com.
- 1 2 Ali, Lorraine (1996-10-17). "One last blast". Rolling Stone (745): 129–130.
- ↑ "Pacific Northwest Magazine". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah – Nirvana". AllMusic. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ↑ "Nirvana: From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". Alternative Press (101): 84–85. December 1996.
- ↑ Sinclair, Tom (October 4, 1993). "From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ↑ Hilburn, Robert (September 19, 1993). "Alive and Screaming". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ↑ Cigarettes, Johnny (September 29, 1996). "Nirvana – From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah". NME. Archived from the original on October 15, 2000. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ↑ "Nirvana: From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". Q (122): 131. November 1996.
- ↑ Ali, Lorraine (October 17, 1996). "From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 589–90. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
- ↑ Sutton, Terri (November 1996). "Nirvana: From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". Spin. 12 (8): 119. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- 1 2 Christgau, Robert (October 8, 1996). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ↑ Kemp, Mark (1997-01-23). "Critics poll 1997". Rolling Stone (752): 43–47.
- ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 64, No. 9, October 14, 1996". RPM. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ Billboard magazine - 2 November 1996 - p. 54 - "Hits of the World" section under "Eurochart Hot 100 albums" section americanradiohistory.com. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2003). Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 951-1-21053-X.
- ↑ "InfoDisc : Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste" ((The user has to select "Nirvana" from the drop down list)). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ "From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ Billboard magazine - 2 November 1996 - p. 55 - "Hits of the World - Continued" section under "Malaysia albums" section americanradiohistory.com. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ Billboard magazine - 2 November 1996 - p. 55 - "Hits of the World - Continued" section under "Portugal albums" section americanradiohistory.com. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ "Nirvana | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ "Nirvana – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Nirvana. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 1996". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ↑ "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Nirvana in the field Interpret. Enter From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". Music Canada.
- ↑ "French album certifications – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ↑ "RIAJ > The Record > April 2000 > Certified Awards (February 2000)" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2013-08-02.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". British Phonographic Industry. Enter From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
- ↑ "American album certifications – Nirvana – From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
External links
- From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
- From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah at MusicBrainz (list of releases)