Music

Read Nirvana's original $600 Sub Pop recording contract

by Tyler Munro

via Tumblr

Before the superstardom, the suicide and the legacy—hell, before Dave Grohl—Nirvana was just a four piece out of Seattle looking to make it big. With the help of Sub Pop they did just that, but what might surprise you the money involved in the deal.

Bleach, the band’s first and only release on the label, has gone onto sell more than 5 million copies worldwide. It’s insane, then, to note that this record contract only paid them $600, money the label jokes they didn’t actually have at the time. From there the rest is pretty much history: Cobain gets fed up with Sub Pop, DCG buys out their contracts remaining years and the band goes onto insane, near-mythological heights.

On the opposite end of the success spectrum for Nirvana is In Utero, their last album which we’ve already mentioned is set for a massive anniversary re-release. Featuring a whole whack of bonus material, the re-release also features this, the long-unreleased director’s cut of the “Heart Shaped Box” video, which aside from director Anton Corbjin’s Director’s Series DVD hadn’t been available.

You might notice that this version actually runs about a second shorter than the original broadcast clip, so what’s different? Entertainment Weekly premiered the video yesterday and notes that the big lady in the flesh-y bodysuit is featured more prominently in the third verse, where these shots:

Replace this one:

Not a huge change, but for Nirvana fans who’ve waited, what, 20 years to see it, it’s probably enough.