Green River - Dry As A Bone/Rehab Doll (1990)
If you were to trace the evolution of the alternative rock scene that sprang out of Seattle in the late 80’s and early 90’s, or grunge as some people like to call it, Green River would be one of the key bands in the evolution of that sound. But don’t worry Green River don’t sound anything like some of the more commercial bands that became associated with the ‘grunge’ tag as the 90’s wore on, their sound was a good bit closer to punk and had all the raw production and snotty vocals associated with it. But what set Green River apart from being just another punk band was that a lot of their songs were slower, darker and displayed Black Sabbath and classic rock influences. This album is a compilation of their Dry as a Bone E.P. (1987), the band’s only studio album Rehab Doll (1988) as well as a couple of b-sides and unreleased songs. This collection contains some great Sabbath-influenced songs such as ‘P.C.C.’ which could have slotted seamlessly into Nirvana’s debut album Bleach or Mudhoney’s early releases. This song clearly displays the formation of a sound that the city would become associated with and what other bands would later become more famous for. You also have the moody punk meets classic rock sounds of ‘Baby Takes’ and the menacing ‘Rehab Doll’ which go completely against the grain of popular 80’s music. There is plenty of punk rock energy on offer as well such as the snotty ‘Ain’t Nothing To Do’ and ‘Ozzie’ which give a clear indication of where the band’s roots lie and where their sound evolved from.
Dry as a Bone/Rehab Doll is a messy and often tuneless affair but that’s all part of its enjoyment. Band members Mark Arm and Steve Turner went on to do better things with Mudhoney, while Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard went on to form Mother Love Bone before hitting the big time with Pearl Jam. But Green River remain one of the essential bands to listen to if you are looking for more to Seattle than just Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
Recommended Songs: ‘P.C.C.’, ‘Baby Takes’, ‘Rehab Doll’
Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand (1994)
While a lot of 90’s indie rock bands dabbled with lo-fi production values, some sounding uninspiring such as Neutral Milk Hotel, Guided By Voices were a cut above the rest. What set them apart was that they basically had great memorable songs that effortlessly shone through their murky production, plain and simple. Bee Thousand stands up as probably the greatest lo-fi indie album of the 90’s and it was all due to the quality of the songwriting on offer here. While some of the songs on this twenty-track album sound like rough home demos, and that’s basically what they are, you also have bona-fide indie rock classics such as ‘Buzzards and Dreadful Crows‘, ‘Tractor Rape Chain’ and ‘Gold Star For Robot Boy’ which contain effortless pop hooks that will lodge themselves quite deeply in your brain. Mainman Robert Pollard also sounds just at home with only an acoustic guitar on ‘Yours To Keep’ and ‘Awful Bliss’ and demonstrates the wide range that his songwriting has. With such a large number of great songs on this album it’s very difficult to pick favourites but ‘I am a Scientist’ just seems to float above the rest. Effortless melody and wonderfully inventive and gifted songwriting combine perfectly to create the ultimate lo-fi indie rock song.
One might feel that a lot of the songs here would benefit greatly from better quality production but it’s difficult to know what the final results will be and I can’t really imagine the songs sounding any other way. You could argue that capturing the songs in their raw form captures the true emotions of the songs and that could very well be the case here. Regardless of whatever production quality what they did record was one of the landmark indie rock albums of the 90’s that still sounds brilliant to this day.
Recommended Songs: ‘Tractor Rape Chain’, ‘Gold Star For Robot Boy’, ‘I am a Scientist’