It's that time! Some of the '90s biggest albums are hitting the 30 year mark, and Nirvana's In Utero certainly qualifies. And to mark the occasion, a new 30th anniversary reissue of the band's third studio album is set to arrive with an impressive 53 new previously unreleased tracks.
The band faced the seemingly impossible task of following up the groundbreaking success of their 1991 sophomore set, Nevermind and set about doing so with acclaimed producer Steve Albini, who oversaw the band's 1993 set, In Utero. The album, unsurprisingly, debuted at No. 1 after its Sept. 21, 1993 release, and while it may never catch the sales success of Nevermind, it has been certified six times platinum.
As we approach the 30th anniversary, an Oct. 27 release has been set for tne new special 30th anniversary reissue, with 53 previously unreleased tracks helping to flesh out the retrospection on the In Utero era for the band. The cuts include two never before released Nirvana concerts from the In Utero tour that now stand alongside the album's classic and newly remastered originals.
In the unreleased material, fans will now get to hear Nirvana Live in Los Angeles, which was recorded in 1993, and the group's final Live in Seattle concert in 1994. Plus, the set includes six bonus live tracks recorded in 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 reissues will arrive in multiple formats, including a limited edition 8LP Super Deluxe Box Set, a 5CD Super Deluxe Box Set, a 1LP + 10" edition, a 2CD Deluxe Edition and a Digital Super Deluxe Edition. The track listings for sets can be found toward the bottom of this post.
It should also be noted that the physical Super Deluxe Edition box sets boast a removable front-cover acrylic panel with the album’s iconic Angel; a 48-page hardcover book with unreleased photos; a 20-page newly designed 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 for Los Angeles and Seattle, an All-Access tour laminate, and four cloth sticky tour backstage passes: Press, Photo, After Show, and Local Crew.
As stated, Nirvana's In Utero debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart upon its 1993 arrival. The album yielded a trio of singles - "Heart-Shaped Box," "All Apologies" and "Pennyroyal Tea." "Heart-Shaped Box" topped the Alternative Airplay chart and hit No. 4 for Mainstream Rock. Like it's predecessor, "All Apologies" also topped the Alternative Airplay chart while peaking at No. 4 on the Mainstream Rock chart. "Pennyroyal Tea" topped Billboard's Hot Singles Sales chart.
The album finished 1993 as the No. 74 album of the year on the Billboard 200 chart, but gained momentum after Kurt Cobain's death and was the No. 33 album on Billboard's year-end 200 chart in 1994.
