Green River was the mid-'80s supergroup that introduced members of both
Mudhoney and
Pearl Jam to the alternative world. Despite their Seattle pedigree, this album is exactly what you would expect from a pairing of the two groups.
Mudhoney fans will probably not like the heavy metal dynamics of the group, while
Pearl Jam fans might not appreciate the raspy voice of
Mark Arm and the sleazy guitar work from Steve Turner. But in reality, it is a good album from a band that never quite gelled together. "Come on Down" might be the best song here; with its descending riff and
Arm's passionate wails, it sounds like a distant cousin to
Mudhoney's "Here Comes Sickness." "Swallow My Pride" would go on to be their "biggest" song, featured on a few compilations and covered by
the Fastbacks. Oddly enough, the version found here is not that exciting, mostly because
Arm just does not sound like he cares. Although this problem arises a few more times, the rest of the album is like a heavy metal version of
Mudhoney, which is not really a bad thing. Bassist
Jeff Ament and guitarist
Stone Gossard, both self-proclaimed
Iron Maiden fans, wrote most of the riff-oriented music.
Mark Arm keeps this from really going too far into metal territory with his
Iggy-like screaming. But in the end,
Green River is a worthwhile listen but not something that points towards the bright futures that its band members would enjoy. ~ Bradley Torreano