Early Kurt Cobain Demos Discovered at Garage Sale

dazedcola · 04.05.2010, 10:18 AM

from blurt-online.com
A trove of dusty Phillips cassettes purchased by a self-styled "junker" at an Aberdeen, Wash., garage sale have turned out to be early demo recordings by the late Kurt Cobain. It marks the first time since the 2004 Nirvana box set With the Lights Out that heretofore unheard Cobain material has surfaced, and Nirvana experts are hailing the 30-plus tracks - some of them full songs, others just "sketches" - as likely representing the earliest known Cobain material in existence.

The individual who bought the box of tapes initially got curious when he spotted the initials "KDC" (as in, "Kurt Donald Cobain") scrawled in black magic marker on the side of each cassette. Upon listening to them he contacted a music industry lawyer, who in turn contacted representatives of Cobain's estate and Cobain's record label; the tapes were subsequently verified by noted music producers Jack Endino and Butch Vig (who both worked with Nirvana) as being legitimate. The finder is reportedly now in negotiations to sell the tapes to the estate and label.

One industry observer estimates the potential value of the tapes as being "in the seven-figure range."

Cobain, who was born in 1967 and attended high school in Aberdeen while living there with his mother, apparently recorded them on a vintage 3M Wollensak mono tape deck when he was in elementary school - presumably about the age of 8 or 9, as several of the song titles focus on people and events circa 1974-75: "Nixon Must Die (Or Resign)"; "I Wanna Be Just Like a Weatherman"; "Carlos the Jackal"; "Shazam!"; and the collection's lone cover, a ukulele version of the Steve Miller Band's "The Joker."

According to a source who has heard the materialm the tunes are "mostly singalongs" performed on acoustic guitar or the aforementioned ukulele, along with some rudimentary percussion performed by an unknown additional musician, "There's nothing there that would really give a blindfold test listener the sense that Cobain would go on to form one of the biggest bands on the planet, although it is worth nothing that even at that age you could hear the initial stirrings of his trademark rasp - kinda like any kid sounds after he's been punched in the throat a couple of times, actually.

"With that said, however, a few recurring lyrical motifs, somewhat precocious on one level and disturbing on another, do provide ad hoc foreshadowing. At least three songs contain the word "vagina," each part of some childlike rhyming scheme, one of them being "your mama"; and there's an unusual fixation on firearms too, such as in ‘...Weatherman' where he sings in a kind of taunting tone of voice, ‘You'll wish you were dead/ When I point my gun at your head.' That's followed by the popping sound of a kid's cap gun."

Genuine historical artifact, or merely a curio for hard-core Cobain and Nirvana fans? With interest in both the artist and the band never having waned since his death in 1994, it's likely that "The KDC Tapes," as they're being referred to in industry circles, will eventually anchor several archival releases: a CD of cherry-picked highlights, a collection of DJ remixes, and the inevitable big-ticket boxed set - possibly even a DVD documentary outlining the finding-of, the cleaning-up-of and the marketing-of the tapes.

Also likely: the unknown percussionist will turn up wanting his cut of the profits. Already, the Cobain estate has reportedly been contacted by several individuals claiming - rather implausibly, and without credible documentation - to be the percussionist. As Cobain's mother, Wendy, told a Seattle newspaper reporter, "Kurt really was a surly, unpleasant child to be around, and while he's been characterized as being the type of musician who didn't like to play with just anyone, it was actually the other way around - nobody wanted to play with him."

Genteel Death · 04.05.2010, 10:52 AM

Don't give a shit. Thanks for posting though.

jon boy · 04.05.2010, 11:07 AM

is courtney or whoever owns the music now gonna lay claim to them now.

noisereductions · 04.05.2010, 11:42 AM

fine, I'll be the first to say "fucking awesome. I want it."

automatic bzooty · 04.05.2010, 12:01 PM

at first i thought this was an april fools' joke but then i realised it's... what, the 5th?

hevusa · 04.05.2010, 12:31 PM

this is nuts...

April fools?

radarmaker · 04.05.2010, 12:48 PM

Check the date it was posted to Blurt.

shabbray2.0 · 04.05.2010, 01:04 PM

wanna haer them, even if I think the are lame

hevusa · 04.05.2010, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by radarmaker

Check the date it was posted to Blurt.

haha. awesome.
KDC on the label... hahah

DeadDiscoDildo · 04.05.2010, 01:48 PM

I got all I needed to get out of Kurt a long time ago, I still love nirvana but I could give a fuck about this...

I'm creating my own shit here and so should you be!

noisereductions · 04.05.2010, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeadDiscoDildo

I'm creating my own shit here and so should you be!

what does this mean?

RanaldoNecro · 04.05.2010, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noisereductions

what does this mean?

Kill yr Idols...

noisereductions · 04.05.2010, 06:24 PM

yawn.

Genteel Death · 04.05.2010, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noisereductions

yawn.

R u brd?

o'connor · 04.05.2010, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noisereductions

fine, I'll be the first to say "fucking awesome. I want it."

i second that. who did this guy buy these from? how pissed are they right now. bwahahahahaha

Jeremy · 04.05.2010, 07:21 PM

I don't really have an opinion eitherway. The Fecal Matter demo I hated, this is even earlier. I say it's more interesting than anything good, really. I honestly doubt there are any "Holy shit this song is fucking awesome!" moments that will be heard, but to each their own.

Imagine how much the guy paid for this, and yet how much he'll make.

~Jeremy~

Genteel Death · 04.05.2010, 07:31 PM

Jeremy, you're retarded.

ann ashtray · 04.05.2010, 07:33 PM

They were songs written/covered by some kid in elementary school. I highly doubt these cassettes consist of anything all that great, if they aren't some big April Fool's joke to begin with.

Maybe it could be interesting hearing a kid Kurt. But the idea of having to actually spend money to do so is a bit weird, if not disgusting.

TheMadcapLaughs · 04.05.2010, 07:48 PM

Its Fucking April Fools You Idiots!

noisereductions · 04.05.2010, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMadcapLaughs

Its Fucking April Fools You Idiots!

I'm pretty sure this is correct.
Also, yes I am bored.

04.05.2010, 10:18 AM	#1
dazedcola the end of the ugly Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,075	from blurt-online.com A trove of dusty Phillips cassettes purchased by a self-styled "junker" at an Aberdeen, Wash., garage sale have turned out to be early demo recordings by the late Kurt Cobain. It marks the first time since the 2004 Nirvana box set With the Lights Out that heretofore unheard Cobain material has surfaced, and Nirvana experts are hailing the 30-plus tracks - some of them full songs, others just "sketches" - as likely representing the earliest known Cobain material in existence. The individual who bought the box of tapes initially got curious when he spotted the initials "KDC" (as in, "Kurt Donald Cobain") scrawled in black magic marker on the side of each cassette. Upon listening to them he contacted a music industry lawyer, who in turn contacted representatives of Cobain's estate and Cobain's record label; the tapes were subsequently verified by noted music producers Jack Endino and Butch Vig (who both worked with Nirvana) as being legitimate. The finder is reportedly now in negotiations to sell the tapes to the estate and label. One industry observer estimates the potential value of the tapes as being "in the seven-figure range." Cobain, who was born in 1967 and attended high school in Aberdeen while living there with his mother, apparently recorded them on a vintage 3M Wollensak mono tape deck when he was in elementary school - presumably about the age of 8 or 9, as several of the song titles focus on people and events circa 1974-75: "Nixon Must Die (Or Resign)"; "I Wanna Be Just Like a Weatherman"; "Carlos the Jackal"; "Shazam!"; and the collection's lone cover, a ukulele version of the Steve Miller Band's "The Joker." According to a source who has heard the materialm the tunes are "mostly singalongs" performed on acoustic guitar or the aforementioned ukulele, along with some rudimentary percussion performed by an unknown additional musician, "There's nothing there that would really give a blindfold test listener the sense that Cobain would go on to form one of the biggest bands on the planet, although it is worth nothing that even at that age you could hear the initial stirrings of his trademark rasp - kinda like any kid sounds after he's been punched in the throat a couple of times, actually. "With that said, however, a few recurring lyrical motifs, somewhat precocious on one level and disturbing on another, do provide ad hoc foreshadowing. At least three songs contain the word "vagina," each part of some childlike rhyming scheme, one of them being "your mama"; and there's an unusual fixation on firearms too, such as in ‘...Weatherman' where he sings in a kind of taunting tone of voice, ‘You'll wish you were dead/ When I point my gun at your head.' That's followed by the popping sound of a kid's cap gun." Genuine historical artifact, or merely a curio for hard-core Cobain and Nirvana fans? With interest in both the artist and the band never having waned since his death in 1994, it's likely that "The KDC Tapes," as they're being referred to in industry circles, will eventually anchor several archival releases: a CD of cherry-picked highlights, a collection of DJ remixes, and the inevitable big-ticket boxed set - possibly even a DVD documentary outlining the finding-of, the cleaning-up-of and the marketing-of the tapes. Also likely: the unknown percussionist will turn up wanting his cut of the profits. Already, the Cobain estate has reportedly been contacted by several individuals claiming - rather implausibly, and without credible documentation - to be the percussionist. As Cobain's mother, Wendy, told a Seattle newspaper reporter, "Kurt really was a surly, unpleasant child to be around, and while he's been characterized as being the type of musician who didn't like to play with just anyone, it was actually the other way around - nobody wanted to play with him." __________________ "I said I didnt mean to take up all your sweet time Ill give it right back one of these days If I dont meet you no more in this world then uh Ill meet ya on the next one And dont be late " -Jimi Hendrix ...And me just another dream theory, lost inside your eye "when my mind's uncertain my body decides what it will do to get through the hell of the night as I trip on the ocean that leads through your eyes well my eyes can't wait til they finally see through you"
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04.05.2010, 10:52 AM	#2
Genteel Death invito al cielo Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 8,744	Don't give a shit. Thanks for posting though.
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04.05.2010, 11:07 AM	#3
jon boy invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: psycho battery Posts: 12,161	is courtney or whoever owns the music now gonna lay claim to them now. __________________ Sarcasm[A] is stating the opposite of an intended meaning especially in order to sneeringly, slyly, jest or mock a person, situation or thing \|@ <------- Euphoric brain cell just moments before expiration V _ \ / _ PING <-------- moments later / \ http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljhxq...isruo1_500.gif
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04.05.2010, 11:42 AM	#4
noisereductions invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New England, USA Posts: 16,210	fine, I'll be the first to say "fucking awesome. I want it." __________________ noisereduxinstalled.weebly.com
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04.05.2010, 12:01 PM	#5
automatic bzooty invito al cielo Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 2,859	at first i thought this was an april fools' joke but then i realised it's... what, the 5th?
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04.05.2010, 12:31 PM	#6
hevusa expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: rain hell Posts: 1,535	this is nuts... April fools?
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04.05.2010, 12:48 PM	#7
radarmaker the end of the ugly Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 1,123	Check the date it was posted to Blurt.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

04.05.2010, 01:04 PM	#8
shabbray2.0 expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 1,409	wanna haer them, even if I think the are lame __________________ PLEASE WAIT...BUILDING RAGE DEM DAYS, WHEN EVERYTHING IS HIP HOP "Beat the stage for an extra ending with monkeys"
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04.05.2010, 01:48 PM	#10
DeadDiscoDildo invito al cielo Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 3,805	I got all I needed to get out of Kurt a long time ago, I still love nirvana but I could give a fuck about this... I'm creating my own shit here and so should you be!
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04.05.2010, 06:24 PM	#13
noisereductions invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New England, USA Posts: 16,210	yawn. __________________ noisereduxinstalled.weebly.com
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04.05.2010, 07:21 PM	#16
Jeremy 100% Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: The Batcave Posts: 833	I don't really have an opinion eitherway. The Fecal Matter demo I hated, this is even earlier. I say it's more interesting than anything good, really. I honestly doubt there are any "Holy shit this song is fucking awesome!" moments that will be heard, but to each their own. Imagine how much the guy paid for this, and yet how much he'll make. ~Jeremy~ __________________
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04.05.2010, 07:31 PM	#17
Genteel Death invito al cielo Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 8,744	Jeremy, you're retarded.
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04.05.2010, 07:33 PM	#18
ann ashtray expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Macon, GA Posts: 2,299	They were songs written/covered by some kid in elementary school. I highly doubt these cassettes consist of anything all that great, if they aren't some big April Fool's joke to begin with. Maybe it could be interesting hearing a kid Kurt. But the idea of having to actually spend money to do so is a bit weird, if not disgusting.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

04.05.2010, 07:48 PM	#19
TheMadcapLaughs 100% Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: SF, CA Posts: 819	Its Fucking April Fools You Idiots!
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