NIRVANA BLEACH Coloured Vinyl LP+Sliver Blue Vinyl 45

	£		337
	$		446

NIRVANA – ‘BLEACH’ VERY RARE

 American ‘Splattered Vinyl’ Coloured Vinyl LP

 with Blue Vinyl ‘SLIVER’ 45 in Picture Sleeve

Label: SUB-POP    LP Catalogue Number: SP-34

45 Catalogue Number: SP 73

Condition of LP, 45 and both record sleeves: EXCELLENT

While researching the origin and authenticity of this LP I discovered there are several coloured vinyl variations of this first album by Nirvana but only a few are original USA issues from 1989/1990.  This IS one of those originals and packaged together with the ‘Sliver’ 45 on blue vinyl as a limited numbered edition is a real rarity.  This is one of only 500 copies of the Crimson and White ‘Splattered Vinyl’ version.

This American pressing on Sub-Pop is described as ‘Splattered Vinyl’.  America’s ‘Goldmine’ Album Catalogue – the USA’s equivalent of the UK Record Collector Rare Record Price Guide – describes a 1989 release as ‘Red and white swirl vinyl’ but I have contacted the editor to confirm the authenticity of this copy and believe this entry refers to the same album.  Note that the 45’s label shows copyright and publication dates as 1990.  ‘Sliver’ was released in September 1990 in the USA and I surmise this package was issued to promote the single and re-promote the album.

The LP is stickered ‘Limited to 500’ and this copy is number 000155.  The sticker is affixed to virtually intact shrink-wrap which has been carefully slit down the sleeve’s side opening to allow the record to be extracted from the packaging while retaining the limited edition information and number.

The album’s catalogue number is not shown on either the sleeve or the record label.  Instead, the catalogue number is inscribed in the run-out grooves (SP-34-A and SP-34-B on the A- and B- sides respectively), together with the inscription ‘k disc ch’ and the matrix numbers L32926 (A-side) and L32926X (B-side).

The A-side label sets out the track listing, album title, band and record company names and is otherwise fairly unremarkable but the B-side label lists the tracks in a circle around its outer edge while the centre shows a ‘map’ of an underworld at the heart of which is the ‘City of Dis’.  The track listings omit 'Big Cheese' as included on the first pressings of this album in August 1989 but includes 'Love Buzz' instead.

The LP is accompanied by a ‘free blue vinyl’ 7” copy of ‘Sliver’ in a picture sleeve. GOLDMINE shows only the first 3,000 copies of Sliver as having been pressed on blue vinyl.  The catalogue number for the 7” is SP73. This is printed on the label and is also inscribed in the run-out grooves (as SP-73-A and SP-73-B on the A- and B- sides respectively) together with the inscription ‘k disc ch’ and the matrix numbers L36293 (A-side) and L36293-X (B-side).

The condition of each item in this package (both records and both sleeves) is Excellent (see Record Grading Definitions set out below).

Questions about any aspect of this package are welcome.  I will try to respond as promptly as possible.

Record Gradings

The gradings I use are those defined by Record Collector, sometimes supplemented by + or – signs for fine-tuning.  For example an otherwise Excellent record with a couple of very light scuff marks which are purely cosmetic with no impact upon audio quality might merit an EX- rating rather than a wholesale downgrading to VG.   At the end of the day record gradings are always subjective, but I try hard to be accurate.  Record Collector defines seven gradings ranging from Mint down to Bad.  I seldom offer a record in anything less than Very Good condition unless a record is particularly rare or collectable. These are the definitions I use:

Mint (M): The record is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality.  The cover and any extra items (eg booklet, poster, lyric sheet) are in perfect condition.  Sealed or unplayed items should be Mint.

Excellent (EX): The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality.  The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.

Very Good (VG):  The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch.  Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good (G):  The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches.  The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Lower grades are defined but I rarely use them.

My assessments are based on the experience of more than 20 years occasional trading (record fairs, mail order, shop stall sales, eBay); and advice to other sellers.

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Thank you for reading this.  Good luck with your bidding !