A tape of the songs, given to Simple Machines co-founder Jenny Toomey by Grohl, immediately became a candidate for the label's Tool Cassette Series.

Shortly after Nirvana released Nevermind in the fall of 1991, its unexpected success was large enough that Pocketwatch eventually became noticed.

[4] Grohl claimed that the big number of requests led Toomey to "literally dub them on a double cassette deck in her bedroom.

[4] The musician explained later that he refused to do a CD release because "it was never intended to be a big thing", but Grohl also joked, regarding Pocketwatch's current status as a highly sought collectible, that he "wanted to drive up the price of cassettes to $3,000".

"Color Pictures of a Marigold" appeared on the rarities collection Outcesticide III: The Final Solution, part of a popular Nirvana bootleg series on Blue Moon Records.

[5] The song also appeared on Fighting the "N" Factor, an unauthorized Foo Fighters release that included the track as a bonus, with Nirvana's Saturday Night Live rehearsals and Tunnel TV Show performance.

Prior to the Pocketwatch offering, "Petrol CB" was included on the Neapolitan Metropolitan 7" vinyl box set compilation released by Simple Machines in 1992, under the title "There's That Song" and also featured tracks from Breadwinner, Burma Jam, Bratmobile, and Lilys, among others.