Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! | ||||
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Video by | ||||
Released | November 15, 1994 (VHS) November 7, 2006 (DVD) | |||
Recorded | 1990–1993 | |||
Genre | Grunge, alternative rock | |||
Length | 83:00 | |||
Label | Geffen Records | |||
Director | Kevin Kerslake | |||
Nirvana chronology | ||||
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Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! is a live video by the American rock band Nirvana, directed by Kevin Kerslake, and released on November 15, 1994, on VHS and laserdisc. It was re-released on DVD on November 7, 2006.
Conceived by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain, the film was intended to document Nirvana's unexpected rise to fame following the release of their second album, Nevermind , in September 1991. [1] After Cobain's death in April 1994, it was salvaged for release by surviving Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, who completed it with editor Steve MacCorkle.
Kerslake, who had been in communication with Cobain during the film's development, revealed that Cobain's concept for the video was "much more evolved" than the version that was released, featuring "more of an interior sense of what it was like to be in the band," but "obviously, we never got to the point where that part was shot." [2]
The video includes live performances, as well as interview clips, news footage and the band's home movies. [1] The live material is drawn largely from the band's 1991 Nevermind tour, with their shows at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington, on October 31, 1991, and Paradiso in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on November 25, 1991, featured most prominently. This tour is also represented by appearances on the British music show Top of the Pops on November 27, 1991, and the British talk show Tonight with Jonathan Ross on December 6, 1991.
It also includes footage from the band's Pacific Rim tour in early 1992. One song, "On a Plain", is from their headlining appearance at the Roskilde Festival in Roskilde, Denmark on June 26, 1992, which had an attendance of 64,500 people in the audience. [3] One song, "Lithium", as well as other footage, is from the band's headline performance at the Reading Festival in Reading, England on August 30, 1992, which, according to Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, had an attendance of 50,000 people and that hearing the audience chant the lyrics to "Lithium" was one of their biggest moments. [4] Two songs are from Nirvana's headline appearance at the Hollywood Rock festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on January 23, 1993, which had an attendance of over 100,000 people in the audience. [5]
Three of the songs "Aneurysm," "Love Buzz" and "Territorial Pissings" are edits of two different versions each, with the Paradiso, Amsterdam version being used as one of the two versions for all three songs. The first part of "Love Buzz" is taken from a concert at Trees in Dallas, Texas, in which frontman Kurt Cobain got into a fight with a bouncer. [6] [7]
The "Aneurysm" edit, which features the Paradiso and Hollywood Rock versions of the song, was used as a music video for promotion of Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! in 1994, but also for promotion of the band's 1996 live compilation, From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah . [8] Although it was actually a different version of the song that appeared on the From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah album that was recorded at Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California, on December 28, 1991.
In 2002, an unsent letter to "Kevin & co" was published in Cobain's Journals , which contained numerous requests for changes to an earlier cut of the film, none of which appear in the final version. Among Cobain's instructions were the inclusion of the song "Sifting," from the band's show at Rhino Records in Los Angeles on June 23, 1989, and "Molly's Lips," from their appearance at the 1991 Reading Festival on August 23, 1991. [9]
Allmusic's Greg Prato wrote that the film showed "how great the trio could be on stage," and offered "great insight into the group, just as they were hitting it big." [10] Charles Aaron of Spin wrote that it captured "the dizzying silliness of the times, as well as Nirvana's fractious magnetism." [11] According to Noah Davis of PopMatters , the film showed that despite the band's "position as world beaters," they were rarely serious, and "never played along" to the traditional rules of fame. [12] Dan Martin of the NME wrote that it showed "Nirvana as they should have been experienced: a raw, visceral, devastatingly sexy way of life." [13]
The original 1994 release of Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Top Video Sales chart, [14] and at number 1 on the Billboard Top Music Videos chart. [15] In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 2 on the UK Top Music Videos chart. [16] [17]
The DVD features the same track listing as the VHS release, as well as footage from Nirvana's performance at the Paradiso Club in Amsterdam on November 25, 1991, featuring the songs:
There is also a secret "easter egg" bonus feature at the end of the credits, a rehearsal of "On a Plain" from early 1991.
Weekly charts1994 original VHS release
2006 DVD re-release
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) [25] | Platinum | 8,000^ |
Australia (ARIA) [26] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [27] | 2× Platinum | 20,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [28] | Platinum | 5,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [29] | 2× Platinum | 100,000* |
United States (RIAA) [30] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Nirvana was an American rock band formed in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987. Founded by lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic, the band went through a succession of drummers, most notably Chad Channing, before recruiting Dave Grohl in 1990. Nirvana's success popularized alternative rock, and they were often referenced as the figurehead band of Generation X. Despite a short mainstream career spanning only three years, their music maintains a popular following and continues to influence modern rock culture.
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah is a live album by American rock band Nirvana, released on October 1, 1996 by DGC Records. It features live performances recorded from 1989 to 1994.
"In Bloom" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the second track on the band's second album, Nevermind, released by DGC Records in September 1991.
"Rape Me" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the fourth song on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released in September 1993.
"Lithium" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the fifth track on the band's second album, Nevermind, released by DGC Records in September 1991.
"Sliver" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic. It was first released as a non-album single by the band's then record label, Sub Pop, in the United States in September 1990, and by Tupelo in Britain in January 1991. The same recording was re-released on the compilation album Incesticide by DGC in December 1992, and a new music video, directed by Kevin Kerslake, was released in May 1993.
"Drain You" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the eighth track on their second album, Nevermind, released in September 1991. The song was released as a promotional single in late 1991, and also appeared as a b-side on UK retail editions of the first single from that album, "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
"Blew" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the first song on the band's debut album Bleach, released in June 1989 by Sub Pop.
"On a Plain" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the 11th track on their second album, Nevermind, released in September 1991.
"About a Girl" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the third song on their debut album, Bleach, released in June 1989.
"Love Buzz" is a song by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue. It was written by Robbie van Leeuwen and first released on the group's 1969 album At Home. The original song is notable for its psychedelic rock style and its extensive use of the sitar, played by Leeuwen.
"Aneurysm" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic, and drummer Dave Grohl. It first appeared as a B-side on the band's breakthrough "Smells Like Teen Spirit" single in September 1991. A second studio version was released on the rarities compilation Incesticide in December 1992.
"Negative Creep" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the seventh song on their debut album Bleach, released in June 1989.
"Polly" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the sixth song on their second album Nevermind, released by DGC Records in September 1991.
"Been a Son" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It was originally released on the Blew EP in November 1989, which charted at number 15 on the UK Indie Singles chart.
"Breed" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the fourth song on their second studio album, Nevermind, released in September 1991.
The discography of Nirvana, an American rock band, consists of three studio albums, twenty-one singles, five live albums, two extended plays, four compilation albums, and three box sets.
The Nirvana bootleg recordings are a number of recordings of musical performances by the American rock band Nirvana, which were previously not officially released by the band, or under any other legal authority. The recordings consist of both live performances and outtakes from studio sessions unavailable as a legal release.
Live at Reading is a live CD/DVD by American rock band Nirvana, released on November 2, 2009. It features the band's headlining performance at the Reading Festival in Reading, England, on August 30, 1992. Bootlegged for years, the new issues present the performance for the first time mastered and color corrected.
Live at the Paramount is a live video and album by American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 2011. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc as part of the 20th anniversary of the band's second album and mainstream breakthrough, Nevermind.
see Highest Position "HP"
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