Jack Endino signed the role on the band’s first studio album, Bleach (1989), and saw the growth of Kurt Cobain and company up close
Among the great qualities that transformed the Nirvana in a popularity phenomenon in the early 1990s, being good on stage is not one of them. Obviously, the band performed commendable shows throughout their short career, but they were also notable for their below-expected performances — such as those seen in Brazil, during their visit to the festival. Hollywood Rock.
There are those who may indicate that this is related to the group’s “root punk” aesthetic or to the abuse of drugs, especially by the frontman. Kurt Cobain. Jack Endinohowever, has another theory.
When remembering the group’s beginnings, the producer responsible for the debut album Bleach (1989) told Ultimate Guitar that the question was a little simpler. According to him, Cobain had difficulty singing and playing guitar at the same time.
First, he says he was able to sense Nirvana’s potential for success from the beginning. Jack explains:
“Part of my job is to fall in love with the band I’m working with at any given time. Whatever band I’m working with, it’s always the best thing I’ve heard all week, month or year. I always think: ‘in a fair and well-organized universe, this band would be huge’. In their case, I really liked it.”
The producer, who worked with several other icons of the grunge scene — from Mudhoney the Soundgarden — and even with the Brazilians from Titãs, he even considered offering to take on second guitar if they needed it. At different times, the band had Jason Everman (1989) and Pat Smear (1993 to 1994) in the post.
Still according to Endino, Nirvana did not need his help as an instrumentalist because “they sounded incredible exactly the way they were”. However, live, there was some difficulty in translating such quality.
“The band’s live shows weren’t that great at the time because Kurt was still trying to figure out how to sing and play at the same time. But in the studio, his voice was excellent because he wasn’t playing guitar while he sang. So the potential was there. It was like, ‘OK, let’s see what kind of music they create, let’s see how good they become as artists’.”
Even with the ups and downs, there was an improvement in the live performance. Jack credits this to an intense year-long tour with the record label circuit. Subpopwhether opening to the Tad or on a trip to Europe.
“They spent time on the road and clearly improved. That’s what needed to happen.”
The explosion of Nirvana
It wasn’t with Bleachhowever, that Nirvana broke out. And it wasn’t even the intention. The band’s debut album came out on the aforementioned independent record label Sub Pop and cost exactly US$606.17 to record — money that came from the pocket of the aforementioned Jason Everman, credited on the album although he did not participate in the sessions.
Despite modest promotional actions, Bleach sold 40 thousand copies, a good number considering the context. Differences with Sub Pop led Kurt Cobain and company to sign with a major label — as no other independent label could pay for the termination of the contract with the previous company. Under the indication of Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), the DGC Records (associated with Interscope Geffen A&M / Universal Music) hired them.
It was expected that the first album from this partnership, Nevermind (1991), sold around 500 thousand copies. Excellent number for an alternative band. As fate would have it, the album had more than 30 million units sold, leading to a true revolution in rock in the 1990s.
Why Kurt Cobain insisted on not improving as a musician
Source: Rollingstone

Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.