Nirvana
ListenLove Buzz · 1988
Nirvana — “Love Buzz,” original single version with its opening sound collage.
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1988 · Sub Pop
Love Buzz / Big Cheese
Nirvana’s first single also launched the Sub Pop Singles Club. Released on 1 November 1988, it paired a Shocking Blue cover with Kurt Cobain’s “Big Cheese,” introducing the band on a small Seattle label before either name was widely known. [1]
| Accession | OMMA-0006 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Nirvana |
| Release | 1988 · United States |
| Label | Sub Pop · SP23 |
| Format | 7-inch vinyl single · 45 rpm |
| Issue | Unnumbered red-slash promotional copy |
| Runouts | A: SP-23-A Why Don’t You Trade Those Guitars For Shovels? L-31540 Kdisc B: SP-23-B L-31540X Kdisc |
| Recorded grade | NM · VG+ sleeve |
Release history and significance
Sub Pop recounts an early story of Cobain delivering the single to KCMU, waiting in his car to hear it, then calling the station to request it himself. The label presents the episode as part of the record’s lore: a young musician eager to hear his first release on the radio. [1]
Recorded at Reciprocal Recording with Jack Endino, the single features Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Chad Channing. Of the 1,200 original copies, 1,000 were numbered; the remaining 200 included unnumbered copies with a red slash in the sleeve’s number box. This is one of those red-slash copies. [2] [4]
Market context
A numbered stock commercial copy sold for €8,000 (approx. $9,364.56 USD) plus 30% buyer’s premium through Omega Auctions in April 2026. The quoted auction description assessed its condition as Excellent/Excellent+. [3]
Physical Description
Black vinyl in its original thin-paper picture sleeve, with a red slash through the number box on the reverse. No insert accompanies the record.
Condition
The disc is graded NM, retaining strong gloss with little evidence of handling. The labels are clean and unmarked. The picture sleeve is graded VG+, with minor creasing and light ring wear.
Provenance
Previously owned by Kirk Doerfler, whose copy is documented as entry 47 in the Love Buzz owners’ list. Doerfler recalled seeing Nirvana open for the Butthole Surfers at Union Station soon after moving to Seattle in 1988. Impressed, he looked for a record the following day, only to learn that none had been released. He bought “Love Buzz” at Fallout Records when it appeared the next month. [3]
Acquired at Heritage Auctions on 18 April 2025, auction 7414, lot 26326, with a Heritage certificate of authenticity. The copy is photo-matched in the accession documentation to Doerfler’s example. [4]
Sources
- Sub Pop, Love Buzz. Release date, catalogue number and KCMU story, by Dusty Henry courtesy of KEXP.
- Discogs, Nirvana — Love Buzz b/w Big Cheese, release 392900. Original pressing, recording credits and numbered/unnumbered editions.
- Love Buzz owners’ list, red-slash copies. Kirk Doerfler’s first-person account, entry 47; April 2024 auction, entry 45.
- Heritage Auctions, auction 7414, lot 26326. Accession auction, 18 April 2025; red-slash edition and condition.
- Omega Auctions, auction 206, lot 26A. Comparison sale, hand numbered copy # 636 of 1000.
Catalogue text reviewed 13 September 2026.