Out of The Vaults #11 - Green River - Come On Down

Each week or so my wife will dive into our CD cabinets (The Vaults) and randomly pull out one of the thousands of CDs. The chosen album will then be given to me and I will talk about the Cd for awhile no matter how good, bad, obscure or embarrassing the chosen disc is. Where did I buy it, when did I buy it, what was my first reaction to hearing it, do I still listen to it today etc.

Out Of The Vaults #11 - Green River -Come On Down

I always thought Green River was like the movie The Outsiders of bands. Just like in the movie where all these actors who had not really done much acting at the time would go on to pretty big careers, Green River was made of up guys who had never really done too much musically before but would all go on to be major players in the Seattle scene and music in general

Although Come On Down (Homestead Records) and Green River’s later Ep Dry as a Bone and album Rehab Doll (both on Sub Pop Records) were all released between 1985 and 1988, I first picked them both up circa 1991 when some of their later bands and bands they influenced were in full effect. Listening to Come On Down you can almost pick the different places in these songs those later bands drew inspiration.

The Title Track is a song told from the point of view of the person who the band took their name from, The Green River Killer. The song’s heavy guitars played slightly sloppy with heavy bass and thundering drums set the precedent for the sound bands like (early) Soundgarden, Tad and other bands of Seattle/Sub Pop scene would use as guidelines for their own sound. Being released in 1985, the Green River Killer was still at large. This song gives the listener a frightening image of what his 48+ victims may have experienced. The bubbles at the end of the song are a very nice touch

“New God” is a continuation of the sound of the title track with an even heavier tidal wave of guitars, but it’s at Track 3 where we find one of the songs most important to Pacific North West Rock and Roll: “Swallow My Pride”. This song keeps the heaviness of the bass and drums but now the guitarist breaks out the “Superfuzz” and “Big muff” effects  pedals which would become the signature of his later band as well as half the bands in Seattle. “Swallow My Pride” also has load of hooks and can almost be sung along too. This would be further proven when Seattle’s great Power/Punk/Pop The Fastbacks would cover it on the legendary Sub Pop 200 compilation. Soundgarden would also cover the song on their second Ep FOPP (now on the Screaming Life/FOPP CD).

Three more songs, including the 7+ minute opus “Tunnel of Love” close out what many consider the first release by a “Grunge” band.

After one more Ep and an album, now available as the Dry as a Bone/Rehab Doll CD, Green River dissolved over a few of them wanting be major label rock stars and few wishing to remain independent. Singer Mark Arm and guitarist (on Come On Down, not later stuff) Steve Turner would go on to form the long standing (and one of my favorite bands) Mudhoney. Guitarist Stone Gossard, Bassist Jeff Ament, along with later Green River guitarist Bruce Fairweather  would grab Malfunkin singer Andrew Wood to form the more rock sounding Mother Love Bone. After Wood fatally OD’ed on heroin, Stone and Jeff found drummer Matt Cameron, guitarist Mike McCready and a guy named Eddie Vedder and formed some band named Pearl Jam. Ever hear of 'em?

I couldn't find a decent video of Green River when they were originally together but I did find an AWESOME video of them reformed performing "Come On Down" at Sub Pop's 20th Anniversary July 13th 2008. Check it out!