Quite possibly the most successful and widely-recognized “alternative” band in the history of popular music, Nirvana took the American underground scene that had been festering in clubs across the country since the late 70s and turned it into a worldwide phenomenon. Once Nirvana burst into the larger collective conscious with 1991’s Nevermind, ‘alternative rock’ became not just a genre, but a brand; ‘alternative’ wardrobes full of plaid peppered department stores, MTV turned into ‘alternative’ television with the likes of show such as Beeavis & Butthead and Alternative Nation —- hell, even Sonic Youth and Lollapalooza made it onto an episode of The Simpsons.

But before Nevermind —- before the corporate branding and the endless repeating of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on KROQ —- there was Bleach. Released in 1989 on Sub Pop, it sold a mere 30,000 copies, but what Bleach revealed to the music world was unlike anything anyone —- even Nirvana’s contemporaries —- had heard before. The album also introduced the indie world to the sputtering musical genius of Kurt Cobain, but I don’t have to tell you about him —- or do I?

Don’t let your preconceptions of Nirvana deter you from playing this album; I honestly don’t care if you hate “All Apologies” or you’re so sick of hearing fanboys argue over whether Courtney Love actually killed Cobain —- all these years (and it’s been 20 years since this album came out) have overshadowed what Nirvana actually was: a fucking great, revolutionary band.

The album includes an unreleased live show featuring a super awesome Vaselines cover (“Molly’s Lips”). Fun fact: Cobain named his only daughter after Frances McKee of the Vaselines, as they were his favorite band.