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<\/a>Formed in Seattle in 1984 and imploding during the recording of their debut album in 1987, Grunge pioneers Green River left a small but indelible mark on the music world during their brief existence, yet they went on to influence a whole host of bands and define a whole musical movement.<\/p>\nPut together by singer\/guitarist Mark Arm, guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Jeff Ament and drummer Alex Vincent, (soon to be completed by guitarist Stone Gossard), Green River were part of a growing post-hardcore evolution in Seattle spearheaded by the likes of Sonic Youth, The Replacements and Butthole Surfers. Green River\u2019s genre defining sound straddled post-hardcore punk, blues and, dare I say it, classic rock.<\/p>\n
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Recorded in June 1986 and released the following year, \u2018Dry as A Bone\u2019 was Green River\u2019s second EP. Produced by the now legendary Jack Endino and released on a fledgling label called SubPop. It was a sludgy mix of hard rock, punk and metal, promoted as \u201cultra-loose grunge that destroyed the morals of a generation\u201d.<\/p>\n
Yet, band in-fighting was already rife by the time the band entered the studio to record their debut album. Ament and Gossard wanted to pursue a major label deal while Arm wanted to stay fiercely independent. They agreed to complete the album, but Ament, Gossard and guitarist Bruce Fairweather had already decided to quit. By October 1987 the band was over and \u2018Rehab Doll\u2019 finally surfaced the following year.<\/p>\n
By this time Arm and Turner had formed Mudhoney and recorded their debut single \u2018Touch Me, I\u2019m Sick\u2019, while Ament, Gossard and Fairweather were already making waves across Seattle with Mother Love Bone. And the rest as they say is history.<\/p>\n
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While these two releases previously surfaced as a single CD back in 1990, they have been unavailable on vinyl for many years. Now, they have been given the long overdue deluxe reissue treatment, with a whole host of previously unheard songs and 8 track demos recorded at Endino\u2019s Reciprocal Recordings studio, which capture the true energy of the band live.<\/p>\n
If you weren\u2019t aware of Green River at the time, on first listen you may wonder what all the fuss was about. While in 2019 the sound of these two albums has aged remarkably well, to the casual newcomer they may sound derivative of a genre that was, let\u2019s face it, oversaturated. But you have to think back to 30 years ago, and listen to them in the context of an 80\u2019s musical climate and how fresh they must\u2019ve sounded up against the mainstream US radio and the glam metal that was coming out of LA and beyond.<\/p>\n
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Originally a 5 track EP, \u2018Dry As A Bone\u2019 has a whopping additional 11 tracks on this re-issue. Some only previously available on much sought after and long deleted compilation albums. Sludgy, garage rock chaos, the brooding riffage and rambling Iggy-like vocals laying the blueprint for what would define the sound of Grunge a few years down the line. The likes of \u2018Searchin\u2019 and the dark, psychotic \u2018Bazaar\u2019 are just as essential as \u2018This Town\u2019 and \u2018Unwind\u2019. This is the raw punk delivery of a band trying to channel the energy of The Stooges to mid 80\u2019s America. A storming cover of The Dead Boys \u2018Ain\u2019t Nothin\u2019 To Do\u2019 just goes to seal the deal really.<\/p>\n
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Considering the band were falling apart at the time, their one and only full length album \u2018Rehab Doll\u2019 sounds more focused and together than the raw sounding EP. Production wise, the hardcore elements have been polished up giving a more alternative sound.<\/p>\n
The title track has a 70\u2019s rock swagger and the first tastes of the signature sound that would propel certain members to mega stardom a few years later is evident. The acoustic slide and cowbell of \u2018Take A Dive\u2019 make way for a cool as you like, sleazy Stooges workout. And the brooding \u2018One More Stitch\u2019 has the sort of stripped-back, dark acoustic feel that Alice In Chains would make their own on 1994\u2019s \u2018Jar Of Flies\u2019.<\/p>\n
While the demo versions are not sonically that far removed from the album versions, the addition of the boisterous \u2018Somebody\u2019 and a killer version of Bowie\u2019s \u2018Queen Bitch\u2019 make them essential listening.<\/p>\n
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While Ament and Gossard got the major label, muliti-platinum success they desired with Pearl Jam, Mudhoney still remain influential, and match Pearl Jam with album releases and world tours. Whether either band are better or more essential than Green River is open to debate, but one thing\u2019s for sure, Green River were pioneers of the Grunge movement and remain the most rock \u2018n\u2019 roll of the bunch.<\/p>\n
These two re-issues have been lovingly restored by original producer Jack Endino and are a snapshot of an exciting period of musical history. They show the raw beginnings and the evolution of musicians in a scene that would go on to do bigger and better things. But wherever they went the legacy of Green River would always follow.<\/p>\n
Essential listening for both Grunge aficionados and any casual fans of garage-based rock \u2018n\u2019 roll.<\/p>\n
Buy Dry As A Bone Here<\/a><\/p>\n Buy Rehab Doll Here<\/a><\/p>\n Author: Ben Hughes<\/p>\n