From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
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| 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 | ||||
| Label | DGC | ||||
| Producer | Shauna O' Brien, Diane Stata | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Nirvana chronology | |||||
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From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah is a live compilation album from the American grunge band, Nirvana. It was released in October 1996, and features live performances recorded from 1989 to 1994.
Contents |
[edit] Significance
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 bands most prevalent song structure, but were emotionally unable to compile it so soon after Cobain's death. From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah opened at #1 on the Billboard 200. The name itself refers to a river in Aberdeen, Washington where Cobain was said to have lived under a bridge for a time after dropping out of high school (as referenced in the song "Something in the Way", though this story has since been proven false, as the Wishkah River rising tides would wash anyone sleeping under the bridge away). The album did not chart as well as the unplugged album which spent over 60 weeks in the charts, spending only 25 weeks in the charts, though still attained platinum album status, becoming Nirvana's 6th Platinum album since 1991 (Bleach was certified Platinum after Nevermind).
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Date of performance | Place of performance | Written by | Length | Originally from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Intro" | December 3, 1989 | London Astoria, London, UK | Kurt Cobain | 0:52 | |
| 2 | "School" | November 25, 1991 | Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands | Cobain | 2:40 | Bleach (1989) |
| 3 | "Drain You" | December 28, 1991 | O'Brien Pavilion, Del Mar, California | Cobain, Nirvana | 3:34 | Nevermind (1991) |
| 4 | "Aneurysm" | December 28, 1991 | O'Brien Pavilion, Del Mar, California | Cobain, Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl | 4:31 | Smells Like Teen Spirit single (1991), Incesticide (1992, compilation) |
| 5 | "Smells Like Teen Spirit" | December 28, 1991 | O'Brien Pavilion, Del Mar, California | Cobain, Nirvana | 4:47 | Nevermind (1991) |
| 6 | "Been a Son" | November 25, 1991 | Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands | Cobain | 2:07 | Incesticide (1992, compilation) |
| 7 | "Lithium" | November 25, 1991 | Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands | Cobain | 4:10 | Nevermind (1991) |
| 8 | "Sliver" | November 10, 1993 | Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA | Cobain | 1:55 | Incesticide (1992, compilation) |
| 9 | "Spank Thru" | November 19, 1991 | Castle Theatre, Rome, Italy | Cobain | 3:10 | Sub Pop 200 (1988, compilation) |
| 10 | "Scentless Apprentice" | December 13, 1993 | Pier 48, Seattle, WA | Cobain, Novoselic, Grohl | 3:31 | In Utero (1993) |
| 11 | "Heart-Shaped Box" | December 30, 1993 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA | Cobain | 4:41 | In Utero (1993) |
| 12 | "Milk It" | January 7, 1994 | Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, Washington | Cobain | 3:45 | In Utero (1993) |
| 13 | "Negative Creep" | October 31, 1991 | Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington | Cobain | 2:43 | Bleach (1989) |
| 14 | "Polly" | December 3, 1989 | London Astoria, London, United Kingdom | Cobain, Nirvana | 2:30 | Nevermind (1991) |
| 15 | "Breed" | December 3, 1989 | London Astoria, London, United Kingdom | Cobain, Nirvana | 3:28 | Nevermind (1991) |
| 16 | "Tourette's" | August 30, 1992 | Reading Festival, Reading, UK | Cobain | 1:55 | In Utero (1993) |
| 17 | "Blew" | November 25, 1991 | Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands | Cobain | 3:36 | Bleach (1989) |
| 18 | Untitled | (various concert outtakes, bonus track on vinyl version) | 5:00 | |||
[edit] Singles
No commercial singles were released for From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah, but promotional singles were sent out for a number of songs, including "Aneurysm" (U.S., U.K., and Australia), "Drain You" (U.S.), "Lithium" (the Netherlands), "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Spain and France), "Heart-Shaped Box" (Australia), and "Polly" (Australia).
- See also: #Box set
[edit] Charts
[edit] Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Billboard 200 | 1 |
| 1996 | Australian ARIA Albums Chart | 1 |
| 1996 | Official New Zealand Albums Chart | 2 |
| 1996 | Official Finland Albums Chart | 2 |
| 1996 | Official Austrian Albums Chart | 3 |
| 1996 | Official UK Albums Chart | 4 |
| 1996 | Official Hungarian Albums Chart | 4 |
| 1996 | Official Sweden Albums Chart | 6 |
| 1996 | Official French Albums Chart | 7 |
| 1996 | Official Spanish Albums Chart | 7 |
| 1996 | Official Norwegian Albums Chart | 8 |
| 1996 | Official Switzerland Albums Chart | 9 |
| 1996 | Official Holland Albums Chart | 11 |
| 1996 | Official Japanese Albums Chart | 12 |
| 1996 | Official German Albums Chart | 38 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Aneurysm" | Mainstream Rock Tracks (U.S.) | 11 |
| 1996 | "Aneurysm" | Modern Rock Tracks (U.S.) | 13 |
| 1996 | "Aneurysm" | Hot 100 Airplay (U.S.) | 63 |
| 1996 | "Aneurysm" | Finland Mitä hittiä Charts | 40 |
| 1996 | "Aneurysm" | Triple J Hottest 100 (Australia) | 45 |
| 1996 | "Aneurysm" | Polish Airplay Charts | 17 |
[edit] Accolades
- Spin Magazine Best Albums of 1996 #14
- Rolling Stone Magazine Critics Pick #9 (1996)
[edit] Sales
- American sales: 1 million (Certified 1 × Platinum December 6, 1996)
- Canadian sales: 200,000 (Double Platinum)
- Japanese sales: (2 October 1996), 5 weeks, 70,040
- New Zealand: 1996, Platinum.
[edit] Box set
In 1996, a limited edition (3000 copies) box set containing the "Aneurysm", "Heart-Shaped Box" and "Polly" promos was released in Australia only. The box set also included Nevermind: It's an Interview, a promotional interview disc first released in 1992.
[edit] Personnel
- Kurt Cobain – guitar, vocals
- Krist Novoselic – bass guitar, liner notes
- Dave Grohl – drums, background vocals
- Chad Channing – drums on "Polly" and "Breed"
- Pat Smear – guitar, background vocals on "Sliver", "Scentless Apprentice", "Heart Shaped Box" and "Milk It"
- Robert Fisher – design
- Lisa Johnson – photography
- Mark Kates – photography
- Scott Litt – engineer
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Kevin Mazur – photography
- Craig Montgomery – engineer
- Charles Peterson – photography
- Shauna O'Brien – producer, production coordination
- Craig Overbay – engineer
- Diane Stata – producer, production coordination
- Andy Wallace – engineer, mixing
| Preceded by Falling Into You by Celine Dion |
Billboard 200 number-one album October 19 - October 25, 1996 |
Succeeded by Recovering the Satellites by Counting Crows |
| Preceded by The Very Best of Toni Childs by Toni Childs |
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album October 13 - October 19, 1996 |
Succeeded by Hits by Jimmy Barnes |
