Ah yes, the age-old tale of the un-releasable album. How many times have you sat back in your chair, staring longingly at the glossy inserts wondering how many channels it had to pass through to end up in your hands? Here, we take a look at three albums that, at the time of their release, were deemed un-releasable by one person or another, whether it be because of the mix, the direction of the sound, or the speed of the album. Lets take a look, shall we, and thumb through these three albums that almost didn't make it out at all.

1) Nirvana – In Utero

While Kurt Cobain said this album would alienate most of Nirvana's fans, In Utero debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Prior to its release, Nirvana's label, DGC, deemed the album un-releasable because of two tracks" "All Apologies" and "Heart Shaped Box." When the band hired Scott Litt of R.E.M fame to remix the two tracks, they caused quite a stir with the album's original producer, Steve Albini. Not only was In Utero deemed un-releasable, but it was also pegged as un-listenable. Apart from the sound of the album, the front and back cover were scrutinized as well. The front features a transparent woman with wings, her insides exposed to the world. Big name retail stores found this image offensive, much like they did with Nirvana's previous album, Nevermind, which featured a naked baby swimming under water. The back cover shows plastic figures of babies In Utero, turtles, body parts, flowers, and other randomness along with the track listing. Track four, "Rape Me," was changed to "Waif Me" so that the album could be sold in WalMart, K-Mart and other larger retailers. The back cover was airbrushed as well so that the only visible items were a turtle and flowers; all other "offensive" material had been removed. Both versions of the album are available with the airbrushed back cover and the song title change in addition to the un-edited version. Un-mixed versions of "All Apologies" and "Heart Shaped Box," have sprouted up on bootlegs since the albums release back in 1993.

This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2010.