Smells Like Alternative

Before Mother Love Bone and Pearl Jam, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard were in a band called Green River. Since Green River is reuniting for Sub Pop’s 20th Anniversary gig and I’m celebrating Pearl Jam this month, it’s a perfect time for an FYI on Green River.

• Green River formed in 1984 when Mark Arm (guitar, vocal), Steve Turner (guitar) , Alex Vincent (drums) and Jeff Ament (bass) come together.
• Later that year guitarist Stone Gossard joined the band.
• Arm and Turner were previously in the bands The Limp Richards and Mr. Epp & The Calculations, who was dubbed the the worst band in the world.
• Vincent had played drums in the band Spluii Numa, Turner had also jammed with the band.
• Ament was in the band Derranged Diction, who had shared the bill with Mr. Epp and Spluii Numa several times.
• Gossard was in the band Ducky Boys before joining Green River.
• Come on Down was the band’s debut EP released in 1985 through Homestead Records.
• Come on Down features the first recording of “Swallow My Pride”.
• Steve Turner left the band before their national tour and was replaced by Ament’s former bandmate Bruce Fairweather.
• In March of 1986 Green River contributed the tracks “10,000 Things” and “Your Own Best Friend” for the legendary compilation Deep Six which also featured tracks by Soundgarden, The Melvins, Skin Yard (which featured Matt Cameron) and Malfunkshun (with Andy Wood).
• Green River followed then recorded the single ”Together We’ll Never / Ain’t Nothin’ To Do”.
• The band’s second EP was Dry As a Bone released in July of 1987 through Sub Pop.
• In June of 1988 the band released their only full length album, Rehab Doll through Sub Pop.
• Prior to the release of Rehab Doll the band began to fight over the direction of their career and broke up in October of 1987, but agreed to first finish the album.
• A rerecorded version “Swallow My Pride” and a cover of Bowie’s “Queen Bitch appear on Rehab Doll.
• Once Green River broke up Mark Arm and Steve Turner formed Mudhoney with Melvins bassist Matt Lukin (who Pearl Jam would name a song title after) and Dan Peters. Ament, Gossard and Fairweather go on to Mother Love Bone with Andy Wood.
• In September of 1990 Rehab Doll and Dry As a Bones were reissued together as the Rehab Doll/Dry As a Bones compilation through Sub Pop.
• On November 30, 1993 at the Aladdin Theater in Vegas, Mark Arm and Steve Turner join Pearl Jam on stage (Mudhoney had been touring with PJ) and have a semi Green River reunion. They perform “Swallow My Pride”, “Ain’t Nothing To Do” and an Elvis cover of “My Way” with Terry Presley.
• The mentioned performances of “Swallow My Pride” and “My Way” are released on Pearl Jam’s 1995 Christmas Single.
• “Swallow My Pride” has been covered by Soundgarden on their 1988 EP Fopp and fellow Seattle band the Fastbacks for the compilation Sub Pop 200.
• Green River will reunite this July 12 and 13 for Sub Pop’s 20th anniversary show.

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