Nirvana
Bleach
1989
In sixth grade I developed a massive crush on a boy named Gus. He was the better half of a pair of twins and played the clarinet next to me in jazz band. And he pulled me away from Top 40 radio and introduced me to grunge.
First it was Pearl Jam, then Stone Temple Pilots, then Alice in Chains, until one day when he said “You’re ready.” He handed me a copy of Bleach, on which he had scrawled the track names in shaky red Sharpie.
Recorded for about $600, Bleach is unpolished to perfection. Combining raw noise, heavy metal, catchy melodies and endearingly sloppy lyrics, this debut album was the ultimate musical adrenaline rush. I listened to it on repeat that summer, and when I found out that Gus didn’t like me back, I was able to say “You’re a negative creep and you’re stoned” and really mean it.
