nirvana hormoaning australian tour ep

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30 Years Ago: Nirvana Follow Up ‘Nevermind’ With an Overlooked EP

Nevermind fused Nirvana ’s cool reputation with widespread critical acclaim. The 1991 album was instantly popular, bumping Michael Jackson 's  Dangerous from the top of the Billboard charts and selling more than 30 million copies worldwide.

With the resounding success of Nevermind , a new direction for rock was clear: alt was in. So why, then, was the band’s 1992 EP Hormoaning issued only in Japan and Australia?

Much to the dismay of American fans, Nirvana set off for a chaotic Australian tour at the height of the Nevermind phenomenon. The seven-date cycle, which marked their only shows down under, included a wild appearance at the spectacularly crowded inaugural Big Day Out music festival that would go down in Australian rock history.

Then Hormoaning quietly appeared on local store shelves.

Watch Nirvana Perform at Big Day Out in 1992 

Released on Jan. 27, 1992, via DGC Records and Geffen Records, this EP marked the first official Nirvana release since Nevermind . But Hormoaning boasted just six songs, with a run time of less than 20 minutes.

Four of the tracks were covers: "Turnaround,” originally by Devo ; “Son of a Gun” and “Molly’s Lips” by the Vaselines; and “D-7” by the Wipers. The remaining two originals previously appeared as B-sides on the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" single. Nirvana recorded the covers during BBC Radio’s Peel Sessions in 1990, grunge-fying them all despite the various source material. They bleed naturally into the originals, “Aneurysm” and “Even in His Youth.”

Distribution of Hormoaning differed by market. In Australia, just 15,000 total copies were released: 4,000 on vinyl, 10,000 CDs and 1,000 cassettes. In Japan, the EP appeared strictly on CD. Unsurprisingly, Hormoaning received little attention in the U.S. – although  Village Voice music critic Robert Christgau gave the EP an A- rating, arguing that it “smokes” Nirvana’s debut album Bleach .

The cover art differed, too. Hormoaning featured a more abstract rendering in Japan, compared to Australia’s straightforward band photo. Artwork inside the Japanese CDs was lifted directly from Nevermind , likely indicating a rush job by the label. It’s no wonder why: DGC was itching for new Nirvana material.

Listen to Nirvana's Full 'Hormoaning' EP

Unfortunately, turmoil and interpersonal conflict reigned in 1992: Kurt Cobain ’s health declined as his addictions worsened. Decades later, Australian rocker Tex Perkins revealed to ABC Radio that Nirvana had nearly missed their set at Big Day Out: “[Cobain] was literally crouched in a ball at the side of the stage.”

Cobain was also pushing for retroactive songwriting royalties on Nevermind , heightening tensions within the group. He eventually received a whopping 75% share. Meanwhile, touring was kept to a minimum and, unsurprisingly, it was not Nirvana’s most productive era.

As 1992 came to a close, DGC Records was left to release the stop-gap compilation Insecticide , rather than a full studio album. Three tracks from Nirvana's lost 1992 EP finally saw wide release on the 15-song set, their covers of “Turnaround,” “Molly’s Lips” and “Son of a Gun." (The version of “Aneurysm” on Insecticide , however, was also recorded for the BBC.)

Hormoaning saw a 2011 re-issue for Record Store Day but remains a key collector's item. Only 6,000 unnumbered vinyl 12-inch copies were issued.

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Nirvana - Hormoaning - Official Australian '92 Tour EP   A$   350   $   267

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Nirvana - Hormoaning - Official Exclusive Australian '92 Tour EP

Red & Blue Swirled Wax  

This is an Official release of Nirvana's "Hormoaning" EP which was limited to only 5,000 pressed on Red & Blue Swirled wax.

This Exclusive Australian '92 Tour EP was released to promote the Australian leg of Nirvana's 1992 Pacific Rim Tour.

Released on the Geffen / MCA label, this record was distributed by BMG Arista / Ariola in Australia only.

This release first became available for purchase at the "Waterfront Records" stall at "The Big Day Out" Music Festival held in Sydney in 1992, where Nirvana Headlined. After the Festival, the majority of remaining copies were sent to "Au Go Go Records" in Melbourne for subsequent resale.

The Vinyl and Sleeve are in Excellent to Near Mint condition.

A hard to beat example of an increasingly difficult to find collectable straight from my own personal collection!

The Matrix Codes etched in to the Dead-Wax of the Record are:

DMX 79745 ®2B

DMX 79746 ®2A

For buyers who reside outside of Australia I strictly and only permit PayPal for payment. 

All records are well packed in sturdy cardboard mailers.

Payment on this item is due within 3 business days unless other arrangements are made prior to the conclusion of the auction.

Do not bid on this item unless you intend to complete purchase.

I ship out items every Saturday.

Thank you for looking and Good Luck from Dead-Wax-Records!!! 

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25 Years Ago: ‘Hormoaning’ EP Displays Another Side of Nirvana

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Everyone involved with Nirvana was knocked out by the success of Nevermind , which was well on its way to being a global phenomenon as 1991 came to a close. Geffen and DGC Records were caught off-guard by the band’s surging fame, and then took action to capitalize on it.

This meant more tour dates, including Nirvana’s first – and only – concerts in Australia and Japan, set for January and February 1992. To drive interest in the band’s appearances and sell some more product, Geffen conceived of a stop-gap EP, called Hormoaning , that would be exclusive to these two countries. The only problem was that, with Nirvana’s rampant touring, there wasn’t much time to record new material.

No bother, the record company cobbled together six songs from existing recordings, pairing the “ Smells Like Teen Spirit ” b-sides “Even in His Youth” and “Aneurysm” with four songs Nirvana recorded with British DJ John Peel in late 1990. All four were covers: “Turnaround” by new wave rascals Devo , “D-7” by Portland punks the Wipers and both “Molly’s Lips” and “Son of a Gun” by Scottish indie pop-rockers – and Kurt Cobain favorites – the Vaselines.

When discussing the EP on Australia’s Triple J Radio , Nirvana’s members seemed less than enthused about the “souvenir” release, with bassist Krist Novoselic lackadaisically saying, “Oh, it was recorded here and there…” and drummer Dave Grohl making sure to specify that some of the music was more than a year old.

But to a fanbase hungry for anything Nirvana, the EP was greeted with excitement. Hormoaning , came out on Feb. 5, in the midst of the 11 Australian shows, and preceding Nirvana’s four concerts in Japan. Only 15,000 copies were produced down under, and they quickly became collector’s items. The Japanese edition, which featured a non-cleared cover stolen from the inside of the Nevermind booklet, was a mass-produced release. Each version was a hit in its respective country with Hormoaning even hitting No. 2 on the Aussie charts.

The excitement translated back to the U.S., where both the music press and Nirvana die-hards were eager to hear the imported discs featuring the Peel sessions (which were unavailable in North America). Because the trio had focused almost totally on original material when recording their first two albums, listeners were curious to hear how their choice of cover songs added to the band’s repertoire. Just as Unplugged would display some other shades of Nirvana with selections penned by the Meat Puppets and David Bowie , Hormoaning provided other insights to the character of this band, from the melody-laden Vaselines tunes to “Aneurysm,” which some consider Nirvana’s crowning achievement.

The impact wasn’t limited to the import market. Hormoaning ’s success led to the Nirvana compilation album Incesticide , released in December 1992. The full-length release featured three of the Peel session covers, along with a different version of “Aneurysm.” Between that collection, the “Teen Spirit” single and the rarities featured on With the Light Out , after 2004, American and European Nirvana fans could assemble their own version of Hormoaning – unless they would rather hunt down a Record Store Day re-release or spend hundreds of dollars on an original Australian vinyl edition.

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Nirvana Rare ‘Hormoaning’ EP to be Released For Record Store Day

By Brayden Darke

Hormoaning , a rare EP that was sold during Nirvana’s 1992 Australian tour will be reissued in celebration of Record Store Day.

The EP was recorded during a BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session and features covers of songs by DEVO , The Vaselines and The Wipers plus two Nirvana songs Aneurysm and Even in His Youth .

The release will be limited to 6000 copies.

Four of the EP’s six tracks eventually showed up on Nirvana’s 1992 B-sides and rarities compilation Incesticide .

Tracklist Turnaround (Devo cover) Aneurysm D-7 (Wipers cover) Son of a Gun (Vaselines cover) Even in His Youth Molly’s Lips (Vaselines cover)

Record Store Day will be on April 16, a day where artists celebrate the art of making music by releasing special vinyl, CD and promotional products. You will only be able to get these special releases at select American independent record stores.

Gorillaz will also release their free Christmas album The Fall as a special physical CD and Vinyl release as apart of Record Store Day.

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Nirvana – Hormoaning, Australian tour edition

• In Vinyl Reviews / Ultra Rare

This Australian-only tour EP has become one of the most desirable releases in Nirvana’s back catalogue. Snapping one up won’t leave you with much change from £500…

After Nirvana released their genre-defining second album, Nevermind, they were propelled to the status of global superstars. At the start of 1992, several months after its release, the band embarked on their first and only Australian tour. To coincide with the tour, Geffen released a tour-exclusive EP, Hormoaning, which has become one of the most sought after Nirvana rarities among collectors wishing to own a piece of grunge history.

While there were CD and cassette copies manufactured – as well as some pressings for the Japanese market – it is the 12″ Australian pressing that remains the most desirable. Pressed on stunning red and blue swirl vinyl, and limited to just 4,000 units, it truly is a remarkable item.

The tracks on Hormoaning are B-sides and cover songs that appear on Nirvana releases from other territories. Three tracks, Turnaround by Devo, and Son Of A Gun and Molly’s Lips by one of Cobain’s favourite bands, The Vaselines, would later appear on the Incesticide compilation. D-7, originally by The Wipers, was a B-side to the UK issue of the Lithium single, with Even In His Youth and Aneurysm released as B-sides for Smells Like Teen Spirit in the UK. The recording of Aneurysm is different to the version on Incesticide, but would later be released as part of the With The Lights Out boxset in 2004.

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