Nirvana’s initial Sub Pop release was a cover of “Love Buzz” by the Dutch band Shocking Blue. “Love Buzz” became the first single in the Sub Pop Singles Club, a brilliant scheme to help the label’s cash flow. Members initially paid $35 a year and were mailed one single per month. The price was raised to $40 a year in 1990, by which time they had two thousand subscribers. The early Nirvana singles got enough attention that an album was soon scheduled.
