Live Nirvana | Fakes Guide | Frequently Asked Questions

THE LIVE NIRVANA FAKES GUIDE: Frequently Asked Questions

In November 2002 it was decided to pen a FAQ ('Frequently Asked Questions') for this section because we receive so many emails about fake material.

Why is there so much fraudulent material circulating claiming to be NIRVANA / Cobain compositions?

Throughout history there have always been fraudsters who have sought to mislead the unknowing either for personal profit or simply to cause mischief. The NIRVANA community has proved to be no exception. The most probable reason for the large number of fakes revolves around the zeal of the NIRVANA community to find new recordings. Without a market fraudsters would have no reason to thrive. Unfortunately because the community is so active in searching for new material this provides the unscrupulous with an opportunity to deceive either for profit (ie. selling a fake recording) or simply to cause mischief by misleading eager enthusiasts. The advent of the internet has also allowed fraudsters to reach much larger audiences, particularly through file-sharing devices.

Does it really matter that there are lots of fakes in existence?

Yes it does! Whatever the motivations behind fakes, sinister or merely mischievous, fraudsters are damaging the reputation of the band and distorting the historical record. Also it should be remembered that fraudsters by the nature of their activities are timewasters and deflect the valuable time and effort of those dedicated to bring new recordings to our community. The sheer amount of emails we receive from people making enquiries about fakes suggests the scale of the problem.

What are the tell-tale signs of a fake?

As obvious as the guidelines below may sound, they are invaluable in determining whether a recording is a fake:

Poor Vocals - If the lead singer does not sound like Cobain then it probably isn't him! Cobain had a impressive vocal range, but within certain recognisable limits. Fraudsters can try to claim that Cobain's voice is different because "he is younger". To try and reduce the need of imitating Kurt's voice, vocals on some fakes can be very distant, which makes them harder to determine a recordings authenticity.

Poor Musical Ability- If the playing doesn't sound like Cobain's / NIRVANA's then it's probably a fake. Cobain in particular had a very distinct playing style. Instrumentals can't necessarily be ruled out of being a NIRVANA recording just for having no vocals; although they are easier to fake because there is no need to imitate Kurt's voice. Also solo instrument recordings (usually labelled as 'Cobain solo'), are much easier to fake than full-band songs, as it requires less effort on behalf of the fraudster.

Poor Recording Quality - Although bad recording quality doesn't necessarily mean that it is a fake, most of the entries here are of the lesser kind. This is a technique sometimes used by fraudsters to try to hide the voice and/or playing style of the fake

Track Length - For similar reasons most fakes seem to be quite short (around or under two minutes)
Surfaced Location - If the song(s) only surfaced on a file-sharing device (eg. Napster, KaZzA, etc.) it is almost certainly a fake. With the exception of one or two recordings virtually all Cobain / NIRVANA material has been surfaced by bona fide sources (ie. the surfacer is known, the material is not in a compressed format, etc.). Fraudsters use file-sharing devices to remain anonymous when unleashing a fake because it prevents them having to answer difficult questions about how the recording (eg. how they obtained it, etc), because fraudsters obviously couldn't answer such questions.

How as a community can we stop fakes being made and spread?

Fakes will probably never go away, but we can reduce the havoc they cause. The best way to do this is to never to trade an item purporting to be a NIRVANA / Cobain composition or rendition before it's authenticity has been confirmed by a knowledgeable member of the NIRVANA community. If the item is confirmed as a fake it is your duty to inform other fans.

"I have this/these NIRVANA/Cobain song(s) and I'm convinced they are real, what should I do?"

Email the maintainer of this section who will gladly authenticate the material for you. We will need:

A detailed description of the material
Details of where and when you found the material
Details of the format of the material (audio cassette, CDR, MP3, Real Audio file)
Audio clips for authentication

Bearing in mind all of the above we hope that it will be easier to identify and dismiss fakes in the future.