GREEN "Green" + bonus
Green arrived in the mid-1980s,
amidst a Chicago scene that included bands like Naked Raygun,
Big Black, and Ministry (and eventually, Material Issue and
Smashing Pumpkins). Green bypassed the major label-express
that many of those other bands rode to fame and fortune, and
continued to make records their own DIY way, records which
were lauded in the pages of Trouser Press, Spin, and The Village
Voice, among others. And with each passing year there are
an increasing number of folks who are convinced that their
debut LP is worthy of those Mojo/VH1/Spin/ lists of the top
50 or 100 rock albums of all time. From the first pulsating,
exuberant notes of the intro, the band knows what they want
to say: kids get ready, gotta rock steady, because they ‘Gotta
Getta Record Out,’ they are trying to ‘Curry Your
Favor,’ they play the records, and maybe most of all,
they want to be ‘Big in Japan’! One astute reviewer
said: "The band darts through decades of pop history as impatiently
as the 'Spiral Scratch'-era Buzzcocks, with band leader Jeff
Lescher’s voice ranging from Princely falsetto to gravel-tinged
field holler, but most often sounding as though someone stepped
on Paul McCartney’s toes in 1965." And as another reviewer
quite rightly said, "This is such a flawless pop masterpiece
that I’m not even ashamed to trot out terms like 'flawless
pop masterpiece.'" Green may be the bee’s knees for
anglophile power poppers, but they deserve more notice than
that; they were the kind of all-embracing band, with a taste
for punk, glam rock and soul—and with a twitchy sort
of energy—of the sort that burbled around in the late-80s,
pre-grunge underground (a little Feelies anyone?). It remains
a mystery why other bands are fixed in the collective memory
as the era's best—at the very least, Green should make
a list of top obscure pop groups of all time! Booklet has
band history and lyrics, plus many a fine photo, all courtesy
of Lescher. Seven bonus tracks, including the CD debut of
the band’s 1984 EP "The Name of This Band is Green."
Printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer
fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy.
"Their (first)
45 had two absolute masterpieces: ‘Gotta
Getta Record Out,’ which yelps and shouts along like
the best of the old Bongos or Jam or Feelies
or somebody, and ‘I Don’t Want To Say No,’ which
is the sort of white Motown that assholes like
the Replacments could never get right. This
is not a punk record, except perhaps in spirit,
but it isn’t any worse for that."—Steve Albini
Track
listing:
1. Gotta Getta Record Out (2:20)
2. She's Not a Little Girl Anymore (3:27)
3. Technology (2:17)
4. Curry Your Favor (2:56)
5. Baby Why? (1:39)
6. I Play the Records (3:13)
7. Better Way (3:43)
8. If You Love Me (2:41)
9. I Don't Wanna Say No (3:18)
10. For You (3:01); 11. Hurt You (3:27)
12. She, Probably (2:25)
13. I'm Not Going Down (Anymore) (2:15)
14. Big in Japan (3:14)
Bonus Tracks:
15. Gotta Getta Record Out (EP version)
(2:19)
16. I Don't Wanna Say No (EP version) (3:05)
17. Better Way (EP version) (3:31)
18. I'm Not Going Down (Anymore) (EP version) (2:09)
19. Something about You (2:59)
20. Autograph (3:39)
21. Away from the Pulsebeat (4:40)
Catalogue
number: LION 637
UPC: 778578063726