06/04/2026
The first John Purkey cassette is a legendary piece of Nirvana history that captures the exact moment the band transition from an obscure garage act into a studio reality. Handed directly from Kurt Cobain to his friend John Purkey in 1988, the tape’s A-side contains raw, heavy tracks from Nirvana’s very first professional studio session at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, featuring Dale Crover of the Melvins on drums. The B-side takes a sharp, fascinating turn into Cobain’s private creative mind, featuring a long, unedited version of his rare “Montage of Heck” audio collage, complete with the charming, slightly warped analog audio defects that were present on the tape the day Kurt gave it away.
