THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “To say that Nirvana‘s third and final studio album In Utero was one of the most impactful records of the modern era would be an understatement. Originally released Sept. 21, 1993, In Utero‘s unadorned sonic rawness was received by critics and fans with equal measures of shock and elation, as Steve Albini‘s recording laid bare every primal nuance of the most confrontational yet vulnerable material Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl would ever record.
With its 1991 predecessor Nevermind having sold 30 million copies and caused a seismic pop cultural shift, In Utero was the first record Nirvana would make with any expectations from the public. So from the opening quasi-shamble melodics of Serve The Servants through the bittersweet closing strains of All Apologies, In Utero was the sound of the most incredible yet conflicted musical force of the era at the peak of its powers coming to terms with a generational spokesband mantle they’d never seen coming — and ultimately surmounting these struggles to make the record they needed to make.
Nirvana recorded In Utero over the course of six days in February 1993 at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, MN., with Albini. In Utero went on to mark Nirvana’s first No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 and has since been certified 6x platinum in the United States. To mark the album’s 30th anniversary, it has been reissued in a variety of editions. The Super Deluxe Edition features 72 tracks, 53 of which are previously unreleased. Among the bonus material: Two full In Utero-era concerts — namely Live In Los Angeles (1993) and the band’s final hometown show, Live In Seattle (1994) — in addition to six bonus live tracks from Rome, Springfield, and New York.
Seattle producer and engineer Jack Endino — who helmed the band’s 1988 debut Bleach — reconstructed the live tracks from stereo soundboard tapes for this year’s reissue. Additionally, In Utero’s original 12 songs, along with five bonus tracks and B-sides, have been newly remastered from the original analog master stereo tapes by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Services — who assisted Albini as the only other engineer at the original sessions.
The Super Deluxe Edition box sets also boast a removable front-cover acrylic panel with the album’s iconic angel; a 48-page hardcover book with unreleased photos; a 20-page fanzine; a Los Angeles tour poster lithograph by hot rod artist Coop; replicas of the 1993 record store promo angel mobile, three gig fliers, two ticket stubs, an all-access tour laminate, and four cloth backstage passes: Press, photo, after show and local crew.
Formed by friends Cobain and Novoselic, Nirvana emerged from Aberdeen, Washington in 1987. The band’s full-length debut Bleach was recorded in 30 hours for $606.17 and released in 1988 on Sub Pop, soon becoming the biggest seller in the label’s history. Joined by drummer Dave Grohl, the trio delivered Nevermind in 1991, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, going RIAA Diamond in the United States, and moving over 30 million copies worldwide as one of the best-selling albums of all-time. The 1993 followup In Utero bowed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum in 10 countries and gold in nine more.
The Nirvana catalog is also highlighted by Incesticide (1992), MTV Unplugged in New York (1994) and From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (1996). Nirvana were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame during their first year of eligibility in 2014. Beyond selling a total of 75 million records, the band collected an American Music Award, a BRIT Award, seven MTV VMA Awards and two Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2023. Standing out as one of the most-streamed rock bands of the modern era, Nirvana’s music has endured through generations and eras at an unmatched level of influence.”
