First Nirvana Record Spun On Radio Being Auctioned For Thousands

The first Nirvana record to ever be spun on the radio is going under the hammer, and it looks like it’ll go for thousands of dollars.

• I Was There When… Nirvana Ruled The Palace In 1992

A 7-inch vinyl test pressing of the band’s cover of Shocking Blue’s Love Buzz is open for bids on the international online auction house, Goldin, where the most recent bid is at $8,500.

The track premiered on the radio just three years before Nirvana took over the airwaves with Smells Like Teen Spirit. Graded to be in excellent condition, the 7” is from an edition of just ten copies from the initial test pressing.

The record was produced by the pressing plant for the Seattle indie label Sub Pop. Only six copies of Love Buzz have been documented to date, and the 7” going for auction is the record that was played on the local radio station KCMU in November 1988. It marked the first time an official Nirvana studio recording aired on the radio.

The record features handwritten inscriptions in a blue felt-tip pen, labelling Love Buzz on the A-Side and Big Cheese on the reverse. Each inscription bears a light discolouration consistent with age.

Exceedingly rare, the Love Buzz record will be accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from Scott Vanderpool, who has enjoyed a career at Sub Pop and KCMU in Seattle.

He commented on the record, “I met (Sub Pop co-founder) Jon Poneman at KCMU, where all three of us were volunteer DJs. It was handed to me by Jon seconds after it arrived in the mail from the pressing plant... While I was working at Sub Pop, any test pressing that came in I immediately took to the radio station to play on that show (Audioasis), so your Nirvana test pressing has the distinction of being the first Nirvana studio recording played on the radio anywhere.”

This copy of Love Buzz is labelled “Test Pressing Six.” With fifteen days left to bid, you can add the record to your watch list here.