Sunday, 18 October 2026
RIFFOLOGY
Bleach by Nirvana, album cover
Album

Bleach

by Nirvana
Released15 June 1989
LabelWarner Music Canada
Popularity90.5
Also cited8 August 1989
grungerockalternative rocknoise rocksludge metal
Wikipedia ↗MusicBrainz ↗Apple Music ↗Deezer ↗Podcast cover

Bleach is Nirvana's debut studio album, released on 15 June 1989 through Sub Pop, the only one of their albums to appear on that label. It followed their first single, "Love Buzz", from November 1988. The band rehearsed for a few weeks before recording at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle between December 1988 and January 1989.

It did not chart at first, though critics responded warmly. Its profile changed after Nevermind (1991) broke through, and the 1992 international reissue by Geffen reached number 89 on the Billboard 200 and number 33 in the UK. It has since gone Platinum in the US. Heard now, it is the sound of a band before the breakthrough, rooted in grunge but mixing in noise rock, sludge metal and post-hardcore.

Bleach on Riffology

riffology.co →
Unveiling ‘Bleach’: Nirvana’s Raw Grunge Debut
Album deep dive
Unveiling ‘Bleach’: Nirvana’s Raw Grunge Debut
19 October 2024

Bleach: tracklist, credits and charts

11 tracks · 37:32

Tracklist

  1. 1BlewKurt Cobain2:56
  2. 2Floyd the BarberKurt Cobain2:20
  3. 3About a GirlKurt Cobain2:48
  4. 4SchoolKurt Cobain2:43
  5. 5Big CheeseKurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic3:42
  6. 6Paper CutsKurt Cobain4:08
  7. 7Negative CreepKurt Cobain2:55
  8. 8ScoffKurt Cobain4:10
  9. 9Swap MeetKurt Cobain3:03
  10. 10Mr. MoustacheKurt Cobain3:23
  11. 11SiftingKurt Cobain5:24
Produced by
Jack Endino
Recorded at
Reciprocal Recordings, Reciprocal Recording (Seattle, Washington)
Recorded
* 23 January 1988 * 30 June 1988 * 24–31 December 1988
Mixed by
Jack Endino
Engineered by
Jack Endino
Label
Warner Music Canada
Length
37:32

Line-up

  • Chad Channing · drums (drum set)
  • Kurt Cobain · guitar, lead vocals
  • Krist Novoselic · bass guitar
  • Dale Crover · drums (drum set) · guest

Singles

  • “Love Buzz” · November 1988
  • “Blew” · November 1989

Peak chart positions

ChartPeak
UK Albums Chart · 199233
US Billboard 200 · 199289
US Catalog Albums · 19941
UK Rock & Metal Albums · 20206
UK Independent Albums · 202017
Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 199223
German Albums · 199224
Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 202125
Austrian Albums · 199226
New Zealand Albums · 199230
All 12 charts
Australian Albums (ARIA) · 199234
Scottish Albums · 202342

Certifications

RegionCertification
Australia · 1996Platinum
Canada · 1999Gold
France · 19972× Gold
Italy · 2025Gold
Poland · 1999Gold
United Kingdom · 2013Platinum
United States · 1995Platinum

Awards

  • SNEP double gold album

From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.

90.5
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
15k
ListenBrainz listeners
307k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
39k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Blew (1989) →

Released the same week

The Real Thing by Faith No More, album cover
The Real Thing
Faith No More · 1989

Also released on 15 June

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More from Nirvana

Full discography →
Blew by Nirvana, album cover
Blew
1989
Nevermind by Nirvana, album cover
Nevermind
1991
Hormoaning by Nirvana, album cover
Hormoaning
1992
Incesticide by Nirvana, album cover
Incesticide
1992
In Utero by Nirvana, album cover
In Utero
1993
MTV Unplugged in New York by Nirvana, album cover
MTV Unplugged in New York
1994
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah by Nirvana, album cover
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
1996
Nirvana by Nirvana, album cover
Nirvana
2002
With the Lights Out by Nirvana, album cover
With the Lights Out
2004
Sliver: The Best of the Box by Nirvana, album cover
Sliver: The Best of the Box
2004
Live at Reading by Nirvana, album cover
Live at Reading
2009
ICON by Nirvana, album cover
ICON
2010
Live at the Paramount by Nirvana, album cover
Live at the Paramount
2011
Live and Loud by Nirvana, album cover
Live and Loud
2013

The best of 1989

All of 1989 →
Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails, album cover
Pretty Hate Machine
Nine Inch Nails · 1989
The Miracle by Queen, album cover
The Miracle
Queen · 1989
The Real Thing by Faith No More, album cover
The Real Thing
Faith No More · 1989
Blew by Nirvana, album cover
Blew
Nirvana · 1989
Headless Cross by Black Sabbath, album cover
Headless Cross
Black Sabbath · 1989
At the Beeb by Queen, album cover
At the Beeb
Queen · 1989
Beneath the Remains by Sepultura, album cover
Beneath the Remains
Sepultura · 1989
Louder Than Love by Soundgarden, album cover
Louder Than Love
Soundgarden · 1989
1,000 Hours by Green Day, album cover
1,000 Hours
Green Day · 1989
Moon by The Smashing Pumpkins, album cover
Moon
The Smashing Pumpkins · 1989
Jed by Goo Goo Dolls, album cover
Jed
Goo Goo Dolls · 1989
Best of Ozz by Ozzy Osbourne, album cover
Best of Ozz
Ozzy Osbourne · 1989

Releases and pressings

How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1989-08-08 (musicbrainz)
SourceDateNote
MusicBrainz8 August 1989
Wikipedia infobox15 June 1989
Wikidata15 June 1989
US release8 August 1989earliest US date
UK / Europe release1989earliest UK or European date
42 editions
DateCountryLabelBarcodeKind
—XEUniversal720642443323other
—XEGeffen720642443323other
1989CAWarner Music Canada098787003420other
1989GBTupelo Recording Company5018615200628other
August 1989GBTupelo Recording Company5018615200628other
August 1989GBTupelo Recording Company5018615200611other
8 August 1989USSub Pop Recordsoriginal
1990USSub Pop Records098787003420other
1990GBTupelo Recording Company5018615200628other
1990GBTupelo Recording Company5018615200642other
1992DEGeffen720642443323other
1992USSub Pop Records098787003444remaster
1992XEGeffenother
26 August 1992JPGeffen4988067007315other
31 August 1992GBGeffen720642443323other
31 August 1992DEGeffen720642443323other
1995AUGeffen720642443323other
October 1995GBGeffen008811929121other
23 October 1996JPGeffen4988067025777other
21 March 1998JPGeffen4988067033215other
19 August 2002DESub Pop Records098787003420other
8 November 2005AFSub Pop Records098787003468other
2009USSub Pop Records098787003413other
2009AUSub Pop Records9340650004418deluxe
2009USSub Pop Records098787083415deluxe
9 June 2009JPSub Pop Records4943674085736other
2 November 2009XWSub Pop Records098787083460deluxe
2 November 2009USSub Pop Recordsdeluxe
2 November 2009GBSub Pop Records5051865614623deluxe
3 November 2009USSub Pop Records098787083422deluxe
25 November 2009JPSub Pop Records4943674095544other
22 November 2011USSub Pop Recordsother
2013—Sub Pop Records098787083460deluxe
26 September 2013XWSub Pop Records0098787083484deluxe
2015USSub Pop Records098787003413other
20 November 2015USSub Pop Records098787003444other
2016USSub Pop Records098787003420other
26 August 2016XESub Pop Records098787083422deluxe
16 December 2016XWSub Pop Records098787003468other
8 August 2017JPOctave4526180422426other
22 July 2020JPSub Pop Records4526180529408other
31 March 2023USSub Pop Records098787155938other
Cover art sources

itunes · upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05)

SourceSizeVerdict
itunes ✓1425×1425upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05)
coverartarchive1400×1400upscaled
deezer1200×1200upscaled
fanarttv1000×1000upscaled