July 4, 2001 12:48

COMPLETIST'S NIRVANA!

The eagerly sought-after material seems destined to remain under lock and key until those in charge of the band's estate can agree on its future...

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Photo Gallery: Nirvana

Over 120 hours of unreleased NIRVANA material is resting in a vault, it has emerged, and will remain there until those in charge of the band's estate can agree on its future.

Among the tapes is a recording of Nirvana's first show in Seattle in April 1988, rough studio and bedroom demos by the late frontman Kurt Cobain and early versions of Nirvana classics such as 'All Apologies'.

A source close to the Cobain estate told MTV that his widow Courtney Love, who manages his affairs, expects to have dozens of tracks to place on a series of releases. However, it is acknowledged that many of the tapes have not yet been screened, making it impossible to work out which are actually releasable.

The stash also features recordings Cobain made with musicians aside from fellow Nirvana members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, including ex-Hole drummer Patty Schemel and sometime Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear.

But a series of releases are some time off. Love still has unresolved differences with Novoselic and Grohl over the handling of Nirvana's affairs, differences that need to be sorted out before Nirvana's parent label Universal are even approached.

As revealed previously by NME.COM, Love is embroiled in a separate legal wrangle with Novoselic and Grohl.

She has been awarded a temporary court injunction to stop the final track Cobain ever wrote - titled variously 'You've Got No Right', 'You Know You're Right', 'On The Mountain' or 'On A Mountain' - from appearing on a 45-track box-set due for an autumn release to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the band's breakthrough album 'Nevermind'. The track was performed by the band under the title 'On A Mountain', live at Chicago Aragon Ballroom in October 1993. It is described by Love's lawyer as "a spectacular piece of music" and "probably one of the most important pieces of music to be released in years".