Bleach (album) - Reception

Reception

The album has generally received positive reviews by professionals. Anthony Carew from the About.com Guide said that the album "define the entire decade of the '90s", and awarded it four out of five stars. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album three and a half out of five stars, noting that "Kurt Cobain illustrated signs of his considerable songcraft, particularly on the minor-key ballad 'About a Girl' and the dense churn of 'Blew'". He also said that "it's a debut from a band that shows potential but haven't yet achieved it." NME's Edwin Pouncey said that the album was the "biggest, baddest sound that Sub Pop have so far managed to unearth. So primitive that they manage to make label mates Mudhoney sound like Genesis, Nirvana turn up the volume and spit and claw their way to the top of the musical garbage heap", and gave it an eight out of ten rating. Bleach was considered by Rolling Stone as "a moderate hit on college radio and the underground/DIY circuit."

Before Nevermind was released, Bleach had sold 40,000 units in North America. The 1992 re-release of the album was successful at the charts, with Bleach eventually reaching number 89 at the Billboard 200, number 33 on the UK album charts, number 34 on the Australian Recording Industry Association chart, and number 24 on the Finland charts. Kurt Cobain's death in 1994 also lead to a resurgence of popularity, with Bleach entering the Top Pop Catalog chart at number six in the week following his death, and eventually earning the top spot on May 7. The 2009 deluxe edition entered the Catalog Albums chart at number seven. Bleach was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on February 1995, and has sold an estimated 1.7 million units in the United States. It has also been certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association. It is Sub Pop's best-selling release.