Geffen/UMe Goes All In on Nirvana's "In Utero" 30th Anniversary Reissue Box

8 180g LPs, 72 tracks, 53 live unreleased, including L.A. and Seattle concerts

Originally released September 21, 1993 and recorded by Steve Albini, In Utero was Nirvana's first #1 debut on the Billboard 200 and went on to 6x platinum certification in the United States. The 30th anniversary release will be issued October, 27th, 2023 in a variety of formats including include a limited-edition 8LP Super Deluxe box set, 5CD Super Deluxe box set, 1 LP + 10” edition, 2CD Deluxe edition, and a Digital Super Deluxe edition.

(Interestingly, there's no mention here of the mini-controversy that erupted when a few tracks were re-mixed before the album's original release (though copies of that version showed up in Europe) nor does the press release mention the 2013 20th anniversary Albini remix done with Novoselic, Grohl and Smear and released cut from the remixed analog master tapes on vinyl as 4, 12 inch 45rpm records cut DMM, nor is it clear which mix has been used for this edition (a label source says it was the original mixes, two by Scott Litt, the others by Steve Albini).

The three Super Deluxe Edition releases comprise a total of 72 tracks with 53 previously unreleased tracks. Among the unreleased material, two full In Utero-era concerts, namely Live In Los Angeles (1993) and the band’s final Seattle performance, Live In Seattle (1994), are included in addition to six bonus live tracks from Rome, Springfield, and New York. Seattle producer and engineer Jack Endino—who helmed the band’s 1988 debut Bleach—reconstructed the live tracks from stereo soundboard tapes for this year’s reissue. Additionally, In Utero’s original twelve songs, along with five bonus tracks and B-sides, have been newly remastered from the original analog master stereo tapes by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Services—who assisted Albini as the only other engineer at the original sessions.

The physical Super Deluxe Edition box sets also boast a removable front-cover acrylic panel with the album’s iconic Angel; a 48-page hardcover book with unreleased photos; a 20-page newly designed fanzine; a Los Angeles tour poster lithograph by hot rod artist Coop; replicas of the 1993 record store promo Angel mobile, three gig fliers, two ticket stubs for Los Angeles and Seattle, an All-Access tour laminate, and four cloth sticky tour backstage passes: Press, Photo, After Show, and Local Crew.

Available exclusively at online stores at uDiscovermusic.com and SoundofVinyl.com and limited to 3000 units worldwide, fans who buy either Super Deluxe Edition will receive a Nirvana acrylic stand to display their angel-on-acrylic panel included in both boxset configurations.

Nirvana recorded In Utero with Albini over the course of 14 days in February 1993 at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, MN

Comments

2023-09-05 10:17:33 AM

RodSerling27 wrote:

Potentially awesome news! According to the uDiscover store, the album tracks are cut from 24/96 digital files taken directly from the original analog tapes, which I assume is the '93 mix. More curiously, I am eager to know if they compressed the album to death. Both the 20th and 30th editions of Nevermind were horrendously squished, dynamically. The 20th for In Utero wasn't, here's to hoping this is the case with this one too!

Reply
- 2023-09-05 02:04:55 PM
  
  Michael Fremer wrote:
  
  I'm hoping for an interview with Bob Weston
  
  Reply
- 2023-09-07 08:34:33 PM
  
  Steve Burke wrote:
  
  That makes sense, I did see a post from August 2019 on Gearspace quoting Bob Weston as saying:
  
  As you found, we cannot do an all-analog cut. Not only do we lack the advance head tape machine, but you also need to have 2 matched sets of all outboard gear you will use (eq, compression, etc), 2 matched signal paths or a special mastering console, faders, etc. It's a huge and quite expensive infrastructure undertaking. It only makes sense to build your entire mastering studio systems and signal flow in this way if:
  - the majority of your work is all analog vinyl cutting or:
  - it's 1975 Chicago Mastering Service--CD and Vinyl Mastering Facility in Chicago, IL
  Reply
2023-09-05 03:14:59 PM

Georges wrote:

As for the two GNR + Nevermind box sets (or even the two recent releases of Killer & School's out on double CDs/3 LPs where there are a few unreleased takes - 5 in all -), I was waiting for different studio versions, unreleased on bootlegs. Nothing but live tracks, interesting too, but plenty of sdb concerts are available everywhere, even on video. So I'm still very disappointed.

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