Two new entries this week - Green on Red and Yes.
I first heard Green on Red when a music journalist (it may have been someone like Andy Kershaw or Mark Ellen) played some to Neil Young who mistook them for Crazy Horse. That was enough to warrant further investigation - I obtained No Free Lunch which was their album at the time. Actually had it on cassette and the majority of one side was taken up with an extended version of the Howlin' Wolf standard Smokestack Lightning. I was impressed and proceeded to obtain all their albums.
Sadly Here Come The Snakes and a Greatest Hits album (I think, or was it Scapegoats?) are the only LPs that have survived the transformation to CD in my collection. I must admit I haven't seen my second Green on Red CD for ages (assuming I did have it - sometimes I forget whether I had or have an album on vinyl, cassette, CD, or not at all - I don't count dreaded mp3s at all as part of my collection!). But thinking back now they were all excellent and I must reacquaint myself forthwith!
Do you sometimes go into a music shop (those of us that still buy physical music) and ponder over an album not remembering if you have it already or not?The core of the band was essentially made up of the songwriters, singer Dan Stuart and guitarist Chuck Prophet, plus full band which started out slightly more organ/keyboard orientated in the early days before becoming full on guitar driven.
Prophet is now fronting his own band with relative success (think he is on tour in the UK right now). No idea what happened to Dan Stuart - his stage persona was one of a heavy drinking angry rocker living life on the edge - hang on, let's look...
Here you go - still going as a solo artist too https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Stuart
I saw Green on Red live at that venue (wasn't it a church or something?) now called The Venue in New Cross, South East London. They were super good - heavy rocking americana/country before it became really popular. Whenever it was must have been when the LA's had their hit There She Goes (1990) as Stuart mimicked them mercilessly.
Full album discography:
Green on Red 1982
Gravity Talks 1983
No Free Lunch 1985
Gas Food Lodging 1985
The Killer Inside Me 1987
Live at the Town and Country Club 1989
Here Come the Snakes 1989
This Time Around 1989
Scapegoats 1991
Not a huge catalogue but quality over quantity.
So the early albums started out a little bit more new wave with organ. Here Comes the Snakes on the other hand is dirty blues of the Exile on Main Street variety. The very 80s production by Jim Dickinson mixes the thump of the damped snare high and the low bass is distorted which gives the record a massively ponderous sound but it actually suits the doom laden music and doesn't sound as dated as you'd expect. Zombie For Love is one of the dirtiest blues I've ever heard - so down and heavy it sounds like a car that just can't get started. Tenderloin is another song of failed relationships and urban decay straight out of a Louis Theroux documentary filmed in the underbelly of the failed American Dream:
After five years, four apartments, three abortions, two cities and a dog she left me.
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| Green on Red, early days, Chuck Prophet and Dan Stuart looking cheerful right |
1. Green on Red - Here Come The Snakes
2. Scott and Maria - Bright Star
3. 4Hero - Creating Patterns
4. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
5. Hidden Orchestra - Archipelago
6. Yes - Close to the Edge
Yes, like Soft Machine from log #58, are another curious affair. What to make of them? Were they musical geniuses or just random noodlers? Does their music have structure and form or is it all over the place without any context or continuity? How do they remember what notes to play or when to switch tempos or time signatures? How on earth did they even write this stuff?
Given all that it is not surprising that their music takes a lot of listening, and to be fair, like a very challenging novel or piece of art, doesn't make a lot of sense to begin with, but eventually with perseverance reveals hidden depth. Not to be too snobby about it (as I do like the straight forward riffage of a band like AC/DC just as much and no judgement is intended) this music is complicated (probably some of the most complex in the whole prog. canon). It's like comparing Abba with Mozart - both excellent in what they do but completely different. Each to their time and place.
Can you be bothered? Is life too short?
Ok, I admit it, I love it. It's amazing music. And the more you listen the more you get out of it. But it's not for everyone, and not all the time. You've got to be in the mood.
Close to the Edge is one of their best and what about that Roger Dean cover too? That centre fold is a teenage wet dream!
