Although we thought there is no more Nirvana music to be discovered, Tacoma musician John Purkey treated us with something unexpected. Purkey recently uploaded four demo tapes from Nirvana’s early days, which he received directly from Kurt Cobain.
He also shared a video going into details about the backstory of the tapes. Purkey said he played in several bands from Tacoma at the same time Kurt Cobain was trying to make it with Nirvana and developed a close relationship with the band. He kept the tracks hidden for years, and one was even stolen from him. He sold two more because, as he says, he “didn’t trust himself to protect them.”
One of the tapes includes the Bleach demos which Nirvana recorded on their first session in 1988. The session took place at the Reciprocal Studios in Seattle and featured Melvins drummer Dale Crover. Other has Nevermind demos, which feature Nirvana’s drummer from the album Bleach, Chad Channing. Channing was fired in the middle of the album making and replaced with Dave Grohl.
Although the sound on the tapes is raw, it will certainly be a treat for any Nirvana fan. You can check them out below including Purkey’s backstory about the tapes.
Previously, in December, unreleased recording of a Nirvana acoustic gig from 1991 was discovered and posted online. Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl performed a five-song set at a fundraising event at Southern Bar in Edinburgh. The person who shared the recording said that Cobain and Grohl played under the name Very Special Guests and were joined by a local band Joyriders. The recording unfortunately only captured songs “Dumb” and “Polly,” with “Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam” being partially recorded. The uploader also said that there is no longer version available. You can hear it in the video below.
