Kurt Cobain’s influence went beyond just the music he created with Nirvana. He also put the masses on to some of his own favorite artists. One particular document from his journals has been instructive to many fans – his top 50 albums. Each week, The Cobain 50 podcast digs into albums from this famous list and how they may have influenced Cobain and Nirvana. While learning the individual histories of the different albums on the list, we gain new insights into artists on the fringes as well as some of the biggest groups of all time. The podcast takes us through the legacies of acts like Sonic Youth, Pixies, The Breeders, Public Enemy, PJ Harvey, Black Flag, Mazzy Star, The Shaggs, Shonen Knife, and more. Episodes drop weekly starting January 10, 2024.
Chart trend
Position in the Music History chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#74#147JunJulAugSep
#9
all-time peak
2
days in the top 10 since Nov 2024
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
Come As You Are: A Live Finale Episode
This episode marks the end of The Cobain 50 and El Cancionero de Kurt. After going through all 50 albums from Kurt’s list, we celebrated with an event in KEXP’s Gathering
May 2 2025 1 h 13 min
Daniel Johnston – Yip/Jump Music (1983)
On our penultimate episode—and the final album on Kurt Cobain’s list—Martin Douglas dives into Yip/Jump Music by Daniel Johnston. Johnston rose from obscurity by self-rec
Apr 23 2025 50 min
Half Japanese – We Are They Who Ache with Amorous Love (1990)
Janice Headley chats with frontman and co-founder Jad Fair for this in-depth look at the Half Japanese album We Are They Who Ache with Amorous Love. Plus, KEXP presents t
Apr 16 2025 45 min
Butthole Surfers – Pee Pee the Sailor (1983) and Locust Abortion Technician (1987)
On this week’s episode of The Cobain 50, Dusty Henry digs deep into the two Butthole Surfers albums from Kurt’s list – Pee Pee The Sailor (also known as their self-titled
Apr 9 2025 34 min
Swans – Young God (1984)
In this week’s episode, Dusty Henry digs into one of the more caustic bands on Kurt’s list – Swan’s and their 1984 EP, Young God. The band has one of the more abrasive so
Apr 2 2025 31 min
Bonus: Ray Farrell’s Journey Through Indie and Major Labels
This week on The Cobain 50, we share one last bonus episode before we hit the final stretch of albums on Kurt Cobain’s top albums list. Ray Farrell may not be a familiar
Mar 26 2025 1 h 06 min
Bonus: A Deeper Listen with Matt Cameron
This week on The Cobain 50, we’re taking a quick break from our regularly scheduled programming to share an interview with another Seattle music icon – Matt Cameron.
Ca
Mar 19 2025 42 min
The Frogs - It's Only Right and Natural (1989)
Roddy Nikpour speaks with Josh Modell about It’s Only Right and Natural by The Frogs. By modern standards, The Frogs created cancel-able album after cancel-able album. So
Mar 12 2025 32 min
What Records? - What Is It. (Compilation) (1982)
What Records? might not be a household name, but the small Los Angeles-based punk label had a cascading effect on punk-yet-to-come. Dusty Henry digs into this somewhat ob
Mar 5 2025 37 min
Young Marble Giants – Colossal Youth (1980)
Janice Headley talks with Stuart Moxham of Young Marble Giants about Colossal Youth. This album from the Welsh post-punk trio may seem like a surprising entry on Kurt's l
Feb 26 2025 37 min
The Faith and Void – The Faith/Void Split LP (1982)
Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas dive into The Faith/Void Split by The Faith and Void. In our last entry from the D.C. punk scene, we relive the youthful spirit that drove
Feb 19 2025 37 min
Flipper – Album – Generic Flipper (1982)
Martin Douglas dives into Album – Generic Flipper by Flipper. Despite the name, their debut album is anything but generic. Krist Novoselic (who briefly joined the band in
Feb 12 2025 39 min
Bonus: The Gits on Sound & Vision Live
Following KEXP's recent event celebrating The Gits and Martin Douglas's recent Throwaway Style newsletter, we want to tell you more about these contemporaries of Kurt Cob
Feb 5 2025 32 min
The Saints – Eternally Yours (1978)
Janice Headley dives into Eternally Yours by The Saints. (In his list, Kurt wrote the name of a single from the album, “Know Your Product.”) This is the story of how The
Jan 29 2025 39 min
Scratch Acid – Scratch Acid (1984)
Dusty Henry dives into the self-titled debut from Scratch Acid. This vein of — ahem — “alternative music” helped Nirvana in their own quest to balance abrasiveness with s
Jan 22 2025 38 min
Public Image Ltd. – The Flowers of Romance (1981)
Martin Douglas dives into The Flowers of Romance by Public Image Ltd. After he left the Sex Pistols in 1978, John Lydon created Public Image Ltd. under the influence of d
Jan 15 2025 50 min
Rites of Spring – Rites of Spring (1985)
We're back! This week, Dusty Henry dives into the self-titled debut from Rites of Spring. They represent the earliest iteration of “emo” music, proving that it would neve
Jan 8 2025 41 min
It's Christmas in Seattle: We'll Be Back in 2025!
The Cobain 50 returns with new episodes January 8, 2025. We’re taking the month to rest with our families and listen to good music. We hope you’ll do the same!
In the
Dec 4 2024 4 min
Fang – Landshark! (1983)
Disclaimer: This episode deals with topics including domestic abuse, drug use, and murder.
Dusty Henry dives into Landshark! by Fang. Vocalist Sam “Sammytown” McBride
Nov 29 2024 20 min
Saccharine Trust – Paganicons (1981)
Martin Douglas dives into Paganicons by Saccharine Trust. Written in Kurt’s list as “1st EP,” Saccharine Trust’s debut is one of the most original releases from the SST c
Nov 20 2024 27 min
Chart positions
Where The Cobain 50 ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 9, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
One of the best music podcasts, turning what could easily have been a clickbait for mindless classic rock worship into something much more exciting and thoughtful, bridging eras and genres and making a passionate stand for Cobain (and by extension, much of the punk and alternative music built on his example) as being on the right side of history in both taste and social cobscience more than we often remember (even if less often than would ideally have been the case). One important correction though: Hope Sandoval’s amazing psychedelic band of 2001 to present is called the Warm INVENTIONS. All three of your hosts made the weird mistake of calling it the “Warm Intentions” almost as if you never actually listened to the band, which, if you like Hope as much as you purport to, is your loss.
melodie-c · Oct 2024
Enjoyed this entire podcast during my first trimester expecting. I couldn’t watch or read anything due to nausea— but I made it entirely through this podcast. I learned so much! Thank you!
brazil_2 · Jun 2024
What a cool way to examine an artist as influential as Cobain. I like listening to it while I draw and paint. I enjoy all the host’s takes, including international perspectives! Give it a listen—it’ll make you excited about the bands you love and may introduce you to new sounds.
M. B. Gonzalez · Apr 2024
Nicely produced and in digestible installments, this is a fantastic overview of roughly 20 years of music leading up to Nirvana’s short, brilliant reign in music.
If you’re well acquainted with this era and style of sound, yeah, you’re not going to hear anything too revelatory. But that’s not the point. This is an accessible and even inspirational breakdown, curated by Cobain himself (in a slightly removed way) that leads the curious headbangers among us to dig in to the discographies and stories of some awesome artists. It got me to seriously reconsider The Clash and to get into PJ Harvey in earnest! Loving it!
ravencrowgracklecaw · Mar 2024
Why ignore the well-documented severe homophobia and misogyny of the Bad Brains in your episode on them? The hosts repeatedly mention Cobain’s political and social views in the context of the 50 albums, yet conveniently ignore the bigotry of the Bad Brains. Biased journalism, simply put.
Maiden M · Mar 2024
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
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Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of The Cobain 50, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
