Fecal Matter was a punk rock band from Aberdeen, Washington. The group was formed in 1985 by Kurt Cobain, the future frontman of Nirvana, along with Dale Crover of the Melvins and drummer Greg Hokanson. Melvins members Buzz Osborne (also known as "King Buzzo") and Mike Dillard appeared in a later version of the band during rehearsals the following year. The band was short-lived, disbanding in 1986.

Songs from the group's sole recording session were issued as the Illiteracy Will Prevail demo tape. The demo has recently been released on the music platform Spotify. "Spank Thru" was previously released, as well as a re-recording of "Downer". The latter was released on the first Nirvana album, Bleach. On another note, the rather obscure 1986 punk rock compilation album Get Obnoxious featured the track "Sound of Dentage". Illiteracy Will Prevail is the earliest documentation of Cobain's songwriting in circulation, and helped Cobain establish himself as a composer and performer among his peers in the emerging grunge scene in Washington State.

History

Fecal Matter formed early in 1985 after Kurt Cobain had dropped out of Aberdeen High School. One of "several joke bands" that arose from the circle of friends associated with the Melvins, The band spent several months rehearsing original material and covers, including songs by The Ramones, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix.

In the SeaTac home of Cobain's aunt Mari Earl, Cobain and Crover recorded the Illiteracy Will Prevail demo on a 4-track recorder. and had wanted to collaborate for some time, heard the tape and particularly liked the song "Spank Thru". The two agreed to form a band, which eventually became Nirvana. and a second version was recorded a few months later. This second version was included on the Sub Pop 200 compilation released in December 1988, making it the third ever Nirvana song to be officially released. Later in 1989, "Spank Thru" was also recorded at the band's first BBC Peel Session.

  • "Spank Thru" holds the distinction of being the only Fecal Matter song played live after 1988. It was included on many Bleach-era setlists and rarely on Nevermind-era setlists. Officially released live versions include: a 1990 live version that was included the UK "Sliver" CD single pressing and later deluxe versions of Bleach, a 1991 version included on the From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah live album, and the band's 1992 Live at Reading performance.
  • A video recording of a 1988 band rehearsal performance was included on the 2004 With the Lights Out boxed set's DVD.
  • The 2005 Nirvana rarities album Sliver: The Best of the Box included the original "Spank Thru" recording; this is the first and only official release of any recording from Illiteracy Will Prevail.

"Downer" was re-recorded by Nirvana in January 1988 during the band's first studio recording session. Although originally omitted, "Downer" was eventually added to Nirvana's Bleach album starting with its 1990 CD reissue, and was part of the Incesticide compilation.

The song "Anorexorcist", part of a nine-minute medley on the Fecal Matter demo, was on setlists of several early Nirvana shows. "Anorexorcist" was played during a 1987 performance on KAOS when the band was named "Skid Row"; this performance was eventually officially released on the With the Lights Out boxed set.

Illiteracy Will Prevail remained a highly sought-after and elusive item for collectors as Nirvana rose to fame, and became notorious for forged versions being bootlegged as being the demo. The first known copy to be publicly shared, although an incomplete, poor-quality version of the demo was leaked in March 2006. A week later, three full songs from the demo were briefly hosted on a MySpace site ("Sound of Dentage", "Bambi Slaughter" and "Laminated Effect"). The clips were confirmed authentic by collector Mike Ziegler and others who had heard the demo.

In August 2015, the two anonymous leakers shared the content of the whole tape in both mp3 and lossless format. A remastered version is also available.

Band members

  • Kurt Cobain – vocals, guitars <!-- You don't normally put lyrics here, only the instruments they played --> <small>(1985–1986)</small>
  • Dale Crover – bass guitar, drums <small>(1985–1986)</small>
  • Greg Hokanson – drums <small>(1985–1986)</small>
  • Buzz Osborne – bass guitar <small>(1986)</small>
  • Mike Dillard – drums <small>(1986)</small>

Illiteracy Will Prevail

<!-- Tracklists containing titles such as "Boat Akk", "Accusations", etc. are NOT official. These are fan-created titles. Please do not put the titles here as they are not correct -->

Notes

  • The titles "Laminated Effect" and "Blather's Log" are thought to apply to two of the compositions on the cassette, though it is unclear which.
  • The tape was recorded on a TEAC A-2340 four-track recorder.