Fecal Matter (band)

Fecal Matter was a short lived punk rock band from Aberdeen, Washington formed in 1985 by Kurt Cobain, the future frontman of the grunge band Nirvana, and Dale Crover of The Melvins. A later version of the group including Melvins members Buzz Osborne and Mike Dillard appeared briefly the following year.

The group's sole recording was issued as the Illiteracy Will Prevail demo tape, which remains unreleased officially^[1] with exception of the song "Spank Thru".

History

Activity (1985–1986)

The band was formed in early 1985 by guitarist and vocalist Cobain, bassist Crover, and drummer Greg Hokanson.^[2] They spent several months rehearsing original material and cover songs before Hokanson departed in December.^[3] Shortly thereafter, Cobain and Crover went to the Burien home of Cobain's aunt, Mari Earle, to record the Illiteracy Will Prevail demo on a 4-track recorder.^[2] Crover played both bass guitar and drums on the recording.

In January 1986, Buzz Osborne and Mike Dillard joined the group playing bass and drums, respectively.^[2] This incarnation rehearsed for a brief time only; Michael Azerrad's Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana records Cobain's frustration with Osborne for not taking the band seriously enough to buy a bass guitar amplifier.^[2] In February, Fecal Matter disbanded and the Melvins recorded their debut EP, Six Songs.

Legacy

Cobain began passing the Fecal Matter demo tape around to friends and peers. He had wanted to start a band with acquaintance Krist Novoselic for some time. After hearing the tape in 1986, and particularly liking the song "Spank Thru", Novoselic agreed to form a band, which became Nirvana.^[4]

"Spank Thru" is the only track from the tape to be officially released, arriving on the 2005 Nirvana rarities album Sliver: The Best of the Box.^{[citation needed]} The song's first half satirizes adolescent hard rock and the sentimental love lyrics that arena bands used to veil songs about sex. "Spank Thru" develops into a high-energy punk song in its second half, with lyrics about masturbation. According to music theorist Tim Hughes, "While Cobain is mocking the heavy metal kids who regularly beat him in high school, the frenzied energy he displays simultaneously communicates a sense of the dumb, frustrated, angry state of mind that fuelled those beatings."^[5]

"Downer" was re-recorded for Nirvana's Bleach album. The song "Anorexorcist", part of a 9-minute medley on the Fecal Matter demo, was also re-recorded by Nirvana in a version that saw release on 2004's With the Lights Out boxed set.

In March 2006, an incomplete, poor-quality version of Illiteracy Will Prevail was leaked. A week later, three full songs from the demo were briefly hosted on a MySpace site ("Sound of Dentage", "Bambi Slaughter" and "Laminated Effect"). The clips were confirmed authentic by collector Mike Ziegler and others who had heard the demo, in contrast to various forgeries that had arisen.^[6] Additional songs were leaked in November 2007.

Discography

Illiteracy Will Prevail
Demo album
Released	1985
Recorded	1985
Genre	Punk rock
Length	51:37

Illiteracy Will Prevail – demo cassette

1. "Sound of Dentage" – 3:29
2. (Reefer Madness excerpts) – 1:15
3. "Bambi Slaughter" – 3:33
4. "Laminated Effect" – 2:17
5. "Control" – 2:36
6. "Class of '86" – 3:55
7. "Blather's Log" – 2:05
8. "Anorexorcist" – 8:54
9. "Accusations" – 4:48
10. "Spank Thru" – 3:49
11. "Insurance" – 1:28
12. "Buffy's Pregnant" – 4:15
13. "Vaseline" – 2:21
14. "Downer" – 3:04
15. "Instramental" (Instrumental version of Track 7) – 1:39
16. "Turnaround" (Short clip of the Devo song) – 1:15
17. (Guitar riffs of songs on the album)

Members

• Kurt Cobain – vocals, guitars (1985–1986)
• Dale Crover – bass guitar, drums (1985–1986)
• Greg Hokanson – drums (1985)
• Buzz Osborne – bass guitar (1986)
• Mike Dillard – drums (1986)

References

External links

• Live Nirvana sessions history - December 1985 (Fecal Matter)
• Fecal Matter FAQ on alt.music.nirvana
• Live Nirvana - information on the faked demo