A previously unreleased and unheard mixtape has appeared online of a young, pre-Nirvana Kurt Cobain.
The tape was recorded by the singer when he was 21-years-old, it offers an insight into his broad musical tastes and inspirations.
DangerousMinds.net has unveiled the mixtape on their website, recorded in 1988, it is titled Montage of Heck. The Grunge rocker put together the tape a short time before Nirvana’s debut album Bleach in 1989.
The compilation was made using a four-track cassette recorder, lasting 36 minutes long. It is a mix of speech, noises, sounds (some of which sound like Kurt in the jacks) and music from his personally collection and songs he recorded off the radio.
Cobain created mixtapes throughout his life, in the Nick Broomfield documentary ‘Kurt and Courtney’, that in part explores Cobain’s childhood in Aberdeen, Seattle, one scene features the frontman’s aunt, playing a recording of a 2 year-old Kurt, singing along to a The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’.
It has always been well documented that Kurt had a huge interest in the Beatles and that the fab four were a massive influence on the band’s breakthrough album Nevermind. The new mixtape gives a further insight into his musical inspirations.
It features The Jackson Five’s ‘ABC’, James Brown’s ‘Hot Pants’ and William Shatner’s ‘Wild Thing’. Other musicians that feature include Frank Zappa, Shocking Blue, the Barbarians, and Daniel Johnston, along with classic acts such as Simon & Garfunkel, the Beatles, the Velvet Underground, Led Zeppelin, and even Sammy Davis Jr.
Listen to the mixtape Montage of Heck below.
Montage of Heck track list:
‘The Men In My Little Girl’s Life’ by Mike Douglas
‘The Sounds of Silence’ by Simon & Garfunkel
‘Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!’ by The Beatles
‘A Day In The Life’ by The Beatles
‘Eruption’ by Van Halen
‘Hot Pants’ by James Brown
‘Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves’ by Cher
‘Go Away Little Girl’ by Donny Osmond
‘Rocky Mountain High’ by John Denver
‘Everybody Loves Somebody’ by Dean Martin
‘The Candy Man’ by Sammy Davis, Jr.
‘In A Gadda Da Vida’ by Iron Butterfly
‘Wild Thing’ by William Shatner
‘Taxman’ by The Beatles
‘I Think I Love You’ by The Partridge Family
‘Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?’ by The Barbarians
‘Queen Of The Reich’ by Queensryche
‘Last Caress/Green Hell’ covered by Metallica
‘Whole Lotta Love’ by Led Zeppelin
‘Get Down, Make Love’ by Queen
‘ABC’ by The Jackson Five
‘I Want Your Sex’ by George Michael
‘Run to the Hills’ by Iron Maiden
‘Eye Of The Chicken’ by Butthole Surfers
‘Dance of the Cobra’ by Butthole Surfers
‘The Shah Sleeps in Lee Harvey’s Grave’ by Butthole Surfers
‘New Age’ by The Velvet Underground
‘Love Buzz’ by Shocking Blue Orchestral music from 200 Motels by Frank Zappa
‘Help I’m A Rock’ / ‘It Can’t Happen Here’ by Frank Zappa
‘Call Any Vegetable’ by Frank Zappa
‘The Day We Fall In Love’ by The Monkees
‘Sweet Leaf’ by Black Sabbath (intro)
Theme from The Andy Griffith Show Mike Love (of The Beach Boys) talking about ‘Transcendental Meditation’
Excerpts of Jimi Hendrix speaking at the Monterey Pop Festival
Excerpts of Paul Stanley from KISS’ Alive!
Excerpts of Daniel Johnston screaming about Satan
Excerpts from sound effects records Various children’s records (Curious George, Sesame Street, The Flintstones, Star Wars)
