On This Day in 1996, Nirvana Released the Hit Live Album That Became the Perfect Companion to ‘Unplugged’

On this day (October 1) in 1996, Nirvana released From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah. It was the second live album released since Kurt Cobain died in 1994. Like its predecessor, MTV Unplugged in New York, Muddy Banks went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200. However, the two LPs are as different as night and day. The band compiled this collection to showcase their grittier, heavier live shows.

Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl initially intended to release this and Unplugged as a double album titled Verse Chorus Verse. However, they had trouble working on the project so soon after Cobain’s death. As a result, it wasn’t finished in time for the November 1994 release.

“Polly” is the only song that appears on both LPs. The stark difference between the acoustic recording and the 1989 live cut shows why these albums work so well together, despite the two-year gap between them.

The Evolution of Nirvana

From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah also serves as a retrospective. The album’s songs were recorded during 10 concerts between 1989 and 1994. The earliest show was recorded in December 1989 at the London Astoria. The most recent recordings came from their January 1994 set at the Seattle Center Arena. So, fans can hear Nirvana’s evolution between the year they released their debut album, Bleach, and a few months before Kurt Cobain’s death.

Muddy Banks contains some notable cuts. “Breed” was taken from the London Astoria show. At the time, they called it “Imodium,” and it was slower than the version that appeared on Nevermind two years later. “Negative Creep” is the only track on the album taken from their Halloween 1991 show at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. It was their first hometown show after releasing their breakout album. “Milk It” was the only song from their January 1994 Seattle Center Arena set.

Featured Image by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

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