Inside Nirvana’s Rarities-Packed ‘In Utero’ Reissue
No more guessing about what will appear on the 20th anniversary reissue of Nirvana’s In Utero — Rolling Stone can now reveal what the mammoth, 70-song, three-disc deluxe edition of the band’s final masterpiece will contain: Two versions of In Utero (the original LP remastered, plus the album newly remixed) as well as more than 40 tracks of unreleased demos, rehearsals, live performances, B-sides, and a recently unearthed, never-before-heard Nirvana instrumental. The reissue will arrive September 24th.
The first disc will feature a remastered version of the original, Steve Albini-produced In Utero, complete with the two tracks (“Heart Shaped Box,” “All Apologies”) that Scott Litt mixed for In Utero’s final version. The oft-bootlegged abrasive Albini versions of those two songs will finally legally appear on the IU reissue, as will the IU-era B-sides and non-album tracks: “Marigold,” “Moist Vagina,” “Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip,” The Beavis and Butt-head Experience’s “I Hate Myself and Want to Die” and the No Alternative hidden track “Sappy.” Additionally, the stocked first disc will boast Litt’s remixed single version of “Pennyroyal Tea.” All the tracks were remastered at Abbey Road Studios for this release.
The second disc is where things get interesting. That CD will kick off with a new “2013 album mix” of the full album — it’s unclear if this is Albini’s more visceral version of In Utero or something completely different. But the real jewel on this disc is “Forgotten Tune,” a recently unearthed instrumental recorded by Nirvana during an In Utero-era rehearsal. There’s also “Jam,” which as the title suggests was recorded during the same October 25th, 1992 jam session at Seattle’s Word of Mouth Productions that resulted in embryonic versions of “Tourette’s,” “Pennyroyal Tea,” and “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter.” The Word of Mouth demos of those three tracks will also feature on the IU reissue.
In fact, eight of In Utero’s 12 songs are featured in demo form on the second disc, as is Dave Grohl’s 1990 recording of “Marigold,” which marks his first ever solo recording. Finally, as previously reported, the In Utero reissue’s third disc features a remastered recording of Nirvana’s December 13th, 1993 concert at Seattle’s Pier 48, which was broadcast on MTV as Live & Loud. The DVD of the performance, sold both as part of the deluxe reissue and a standalone disc, features the entire concert, plus a dozen more performances culled from the Live & Loud rehearsals, the band’s In Utero European tour (including a loose cover of the Cars’ “My Best Friend’s Girl” from Munich), and a director’s cut of the “Heart-Shaped Box” music video.
Like the Nevermind 20th anniversary reissue, In Utero will be available in various formats, including the massive 3CD/1DVD Super Deluxe set, a 3LP Anniversary Edition vinyl reissue that features In Utero the album spread over two 45 RPM discs. The reissue will also include Cobain’s handwritten lyrics, a four-page letter Albini wrote the band prior to recording detailing his plans for In Utero, plus liner notes written by comedian and occasional In Utero tour opening act Bobcat Goldthwait. The reissue will also be available digitally.
Check out the entire In Utero 20th anniversary track list below:
CD ONE – Original album remastered plus all B-sides & bonus tracks recorded at Pachyderm
1. “Serve The Servants” (Albini mix/original release) – 3:39
2. “Scentless Apprentice” (Albini mix/original release) – 3:47
3. “Heart-Shaped Box” (Litt mix/original release) – 4:41
4. “Rape Me” (Albini mix/original release) – 2:51
5. “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle” (Albini mix/original release) – 4:09
6. “Dumb” (Albini mix/original release) – 2:32
7. “Very Ape” (Albini mix/original release) – 1:55
8. “Milk It” (Albini mix/original release) – 3:54
9. “Pennyroyal Tea” (Albini mix/original release) – 3:37
10. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” (Albini mix/original release) – 4:51
11. “tourette’s” (Albini mix/original release) – 1:35
12. “All Apologies” (Litt mix/original release) – 3:55
13. “Gallons Of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through The Strip” (ex-U.S. bonus track) – 7:35
14. “Marigold” (B-side; “Heart Shaped Box) – 2:34
15. “Moist Vagina” (B-side; “All Apologies”) – 3:33
16. “Sappy” – 3:28
17. “I Hate Myself And Want To Die” – 2:59
18. “Pennyroyal Tea” (Litt mix) – 3:36
19. “Heart-Shaped Box” (Albini mix/unreleased) – 4:42
20. “All Apologies” (Albini mix/unreleased) – 3:58
CD TWO – 2013 album mix plus pre-album demos
1. “Serve The Servants” (2013 mix) – 3:36
2. “Scentless Apprentice” (2013 mix) – 3:49
3. “Heart-Shaped Box” (2013 mix) – 4:41
4. “Rape Me” (2013 mix) – 2:49
5. “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle” (2013 mix) – 4:12
6. “Dumb” (2013 mix) – 2:32
7. “Very Ape” (2013 mix) – 1:57
8. “Milk It” (2013 mix) – 3:56
9. “Pennyroyal Tea” (2013 mix) – 3:32
10. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” (2013 mix) – 4:51
11. “tourette’s” (2013 mix) – 1:35
12. “All Apologies (2013 mix) – 3:55
13. “Scentless Apprentice” (Rio demo) – 3:54
14. “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle” (Laundry Room demo) – 4:33
15. “Dumb” (Word Of Mouth demo) – 2:39
16. “Very Ape” (Rio demo) — 2:21
17. “Pennyroyal Tea” (Word Of Mouth demo) – 3:31
18. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” (Word Of Mouth demo) – 2:40
19. “tourette’s” (Word Of Mouth demo) – 2:14
20. “Marigold” (Upland Studios demo) – 3:25
21. “All Apologies” (Music Source demo) – 4:25
22. “Forgotten Tune” (Rehearsal) – 2:04
23. “Jam” (Word Of Mouth demo) – 5:44
CD THREE – Live & Loud: Live at Pier 48, Seattle, WA – 12/13/93
1. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter”
2. “Drain You”
3. “Breed”
4. “Serve The Servants”
5. “Rape Me”
6. “Sliver”
7. “Pennyroyal Tea”
8. “Scentless Apprentice”
9. “All Apologies”
10. “Heart-Shaped Box”
11. “Blew”
12. “The Man Who Sold The World”
13. “School”
14. “Come As You Are”
15. “Lithium”
16. “About a Girl”
17. “Endless, Nameless”
DVD – Live & Loud: Live at Pier 48, Seattle, WA – 12/13/93
1. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter”
2. “Drain You”
3. “Breed”
4. “Serve The Servants”
5. “Rape Me”
6. “Sliver”
7. “Pennyroyal Tea”
8. “Scentless Apprentice”
9. “All Apologies”
10. “Heart-Shaped Box”
11. “Blew”
12. “The Man Who Sold The World”
13. “School”
14. “Come As You Are”
15. “Lithium”
16. “About a Girl”
17. “Endless, Nameless”
EXTRAS:
18. “Very Ape” (Live & Loud Rehearsal)
19. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” (Live & Loud Rehearsal)
20. “Rape Me” (Live & Loud Rehearsal)
21. “Pennyroyal Tea” (Live & Loud Rehearsal)
22. “Heart-Shaped Box” (Original Music Video + Director’s Cut)
23. “Rape Me” (Live on “Nulle Part Ailleurs” – Paris, France)
24. “Pennyroyal Tea” (Live on “Nulle Part Ailleurs” – Paris, France)
25. “Drain You” (Live on “Nulle Part Ailleurs” – Paris, France)
26. “Serve The Servants” (Live on “Tunnel” – Rome, Italy)
27. “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” (Live in Munich, Germany)
28. “My Best Friend’s Girl” (Live in Munich, Germany)
29. “Drain You” (Live in Munich, Germany)