Pearl Jam & Mudhoney Supergroup Major Announcement May Be Imminent

0
142

A Green River reissue or box set appears to be in the works, as legendary Seattle producer Jack Endino has confirmed that he is remixing the band’s record. Endino wrote on Facebook, “Rehab Doll remixes are going nicely.”

Green River was an American grunge band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 according to Wikipedia. Although the band had very little commercial impact outside its native Seattle, Green River pioneered the grunge music genre. The grunge style was featured both in Green River’s own music and the music the band’s members would create in future bands including Pearl Jam and Mudhoney. Green River reunited for several live shows in 2008 and 2009.

Green River was formed in 1984 by vocalist/guitarist Mark Arm, guitarist Steve Turner, drummer Alex Vincent and bassist Jeff Ament. Guitarist Stone Gossard joined the band later to allow Arm to concentrate on singing.

Vincent, Turner, and Gossard (as well as future Presidents of the United States of America drummer Jason Finn) attended the Northwest School together in Seattle. Prior to joining Green River, each member had played with punk and hardcore groups. Arm and Turner had played together in both Mr Epp & The Calculations and the Limp Richerds. Turner had also performed with Vincent in Spluii Numa, and Gossard in March of Crimes and The Ducky Boys.

In early 1984, Vincent, Turner, and Arm decided to form a new band. They asked Ament to join after his band at the time, Deranged Diction, had broken up. They called the band Green River, taking their name from the Green River Killer, a serial killer who was infamous in Washington state. Gossard joined shortly thereafter. “We knew we wanted Ament,” said Vincent. “Stone was in another band with Jonathan Evison called March of Crimes. [Stone] got fired and we picked him up just before we recorded the first demo.”

By late 1984, the band was playing shows in and around Seattle. The band began production in December 1984 on its first record, Come on Down, which is cited by many as the first grunge record. By the time the band finished the record in early 1985, Turner had left the group, citing his distaste with the rest of the band’s heavy metal leanings. He was replaced by former Deranged Diction guitarist Bruce Fairweather.

In mid-1985, the band embarked on its first nationwide tour to promote Come on Down. Release of the record was delayed, however, thus negating the purpose of the tour. From all accounts the experience was less than positive, though it helped cement alliances with other emerging American indie rock bands. Among them was Sonic Youth, who later quoted the song “Come on Down” on its own composition “Nevermind (What Was It Anyway)”. After the tour, Come on Down was finally released by the New York-based Homestead Records. The record was released to little fanfare, and did not sell well. However it is often considered the first album to be released by a “grunge” band, as it predated both the Deep Six compilation album and the Melvins’ debut album.

In 1986, the band continued to play in and around the Pacific Northwest to steadily larger crowds (especially in the band’s hometown of Seattle). Early in the year, the now legendary Deep Six compilation album was released on the local C/Z Records label. Alongside two Green River songs, the compilation features the music of fellow Washington bands Soundgarden, Melvins, Malfunkshun, Skin Yard and the U-Men. Kathleen C. Fennessy of Allmusic stated that the compilation “documents a formative period in Northwest rock history”.

In June 1986, the band began production on its second EP, Dry as a Bone, with local producer Jack Endino. Green River chose to record Dry as a Bone for Bruce Pavitt’s new label, Sub Pop. However, Pavitt couldn’t afford to release it until the following year, and, as had happened with Come on Down, the record was delayed. In the meantime the band issued the one-off “Together We’ll Never” single on the local Tasque Force Records label. Dry as a Bone was finally released through Sub Pop in July 1987, a full year after it was recorded. It was the new label’s first non-compilation release. Dry as a Bone was promoted by Sub Pop as “ultra-loose GRUNGE that destroyed the morals of a generation”. Steve Huey of Allmusic called it Green River’s “strongest individual release…perfecting their sleazy, raucous fusion of ’70s hard rock and post-hardcore punk”.

Almost immediately following the release of Dry as a Bone, the group re-entered the studio to begin production on its first full-length album, Rehab Doll. Band in-fighting, though, took center stage over the music. A stylistic division developed between Ament and Gossard on one side, and Arm on the other.[9] Ament and Gossard wanted to pursue a major-label deal, while Arm wanted to remain independent, viewing the duo as being too careerist. The in-fighting came to a head following an October 1987 show in Los Angeles, California. Apparently, without informing the group, Ament had filled the show’s guest list with major label representatives, instead of the band’s friends; nonetheless only two of the representatives appeared. On October 31, 1987, Ament, Gossard and Fairweather stated their desire to quit the band. Although the band members agreed to complete production of Rehab Doll during the next three months, Green River had by late October 1987 ceased as a band. Rehab Doll was released in June 1988.