Green River had little impact outside of Seattle, but their influence within Seattle's music scene would eventually be felt around the world. Their influence reached to both of their contemporaries (Soundgarden, The Melvins) and later Seattle bands (Nirvana, Alice in Chains) sharing the Sub Pop label. Green River's impact continued to live on through the bands who formed after their break-up in 1988: Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam, Love Battery, and Mudhoney.
They were possibly the first band in Seattle to mix metal, punk, and glam, leading to the sound known later as "grunge." Mark Arm, the group's singer, is widely credited as being the first person to use the term, although in a different manner that is widely used. He has since shown contempt for the label.
They were heavily influenced by the still-obscure Californian proto-grunge/hardcore punk band Tales of Terror, something Green River themselves were not ashamed of or subtle enough not to wear on their sleeves; as they covered Tales of Terror's song 'Ozzy' (re-titled 'Ozzie') from their sole album on their 1987 EP, Dry as a Bone. Tales of Terror, at some point; through touring, wound up in Seattle during the early 80s and played gigs Green River members attended. Apparently they were so 'blown away' by the band that they derived a significant amount of their own style from Tales of Terror. Kurt Cobain himself, as a fan of Green River; also ended up acknowledging Tales of Terror's music as an influence, as evidenced by their presence on his Top 50 albums ever. This influence even still reached Mark Arm and Steve Turner's subsequent band Mudhoney, as decades later, they named a song after Tales of Terror for their 2008 record 'The Lucky Ones'.
Green River had three official releases: Come On Down (EP, 1985), Dry As A Bone (EP, 1987), and Rehab Doll (Full-length 1988). They have an anthology album as well from 1990 entitled Dry as a Bone/Rehab Doll that as its name suggests, combines the two releases plus some bonus material. They have also been included on nine compilations, spanning from the late 80's to the mid 90's.
A Green River reunion occurred on November 30, 1993 during a Pearl Jam concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. Participating in the reunion were Arm, Turner, Gossard, Ament and Chuck Treece, who filled in on drums for Vincent, who at that time was living in Japan. The band performed the songs "Swallow My Pride" and "Ain't Nothing to Do" before leaving the stage.
Green River reunited for four shows in 2008. The line-up for the shows included Ament, Arm, Turner, Vincent, Gossard, and Fairweather. The first show was a warm-up show on July 10, 2008 at the Sunset Tavern in Seattle. The band next played on July 13, 2008 at Marymoor Park near Seattle to honor Sub Pop's 20th anniversary. Green River played another live show on November 28, 2008 at Dante's in Portland, Oregon. Afterward, the band played on November 29, 2008 at the Showbox in Seattle to celebrate The Supersuckers' 20th anniversary. Green River played on May 22, 2009 and May 23, 2009 at the Showbox in Seattle to celebrate the Melvins' 25th anniversary.
Green River was said to have tentative plans to record a new studio album when the band members' schedules permit, to possibly tour and to release remixed and remastered versions of the band's output containing bonus material.
So far only the latter has occurred. In 2016 they released a remixed and remastered version of their 1984 Demo Tape that was never officially released. Most notably, it contains the Green River original song 'Leech' that was subsequently given (or 'stolen' by) to the Melvins and re-titled 'Leeech' because they felt the song 'wasn't of much use' to them but that some people actually consider to be one of or simply their 'best' (hence the Melvins wanted it).
2018 saw the reissue of their debut EP, Come on Down with a demo version of their Deep Six compilation song 'Your Own Best Friend' from that same session as a bonus track. A year later, in 2019, Deluxe versions of Dry as a Bone and Rehab Doll were released; which included a good amount of unreleased material as well as a third release from their personal archive: A live recording from their 1984 era entitled 'Live at the Tropicana 1984'.
Bazaar
Green River Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got to understand
There's something inside you
I got to have
There's something inside you
That spawned me
There's something I'm trying to see
I want you to open up and bleed
I rummage through your fiber
Like old ladies at a church bazaar
Keeping everything to myself
Disappeared is
I got
Is this all there is to you?
I could see this
In some big octopus
God, I hope there's more to me then I see inside you
God, I hope there's more to me
Now I gotta take a look
I taste my brain in the back of my mouth
My curiosity told me to kill the cat
Remnants of you slip through my hands
Like so many, so many grains of sand
My slowly drift inward
I feel them turn on myself
My slowly drift inward
Turning on myself
Also appears on Another Pyrrhic Vitory compilation
The lyrics to Green River's song "Bazaar" suggest an obsession with the inner workings of someone else's mind. The repeated use of the phrase "There's something inside you" indicates a desire to understand the subject on a deeper level, to uncover what makes them tick. The singer compares their search to rummaging through items at a church bazaar, further emphasizing a sense of voyeurism and possibly even a lack of respect for the person they are trying to decode. However, the lyrics also suggest a sense of self-reflection and doubt, as the singer questions whether there is more to them than what they can see in the other person. The mention of tasting their own brain in the back of their mouth and feeling the remnants of the other person slipping through their hands suggests a sense of confusion and frustration in the pursuit of understanding someone else. Overall, "Bazaar" is a dark and introspective take on the complexities of human relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
There's something about you
The singer is intrigued by the person they are addressing.
I got to understand
The singer wants to know more about the person.
There's something inside you
The singer believes there is more to the person than meets the eye.
I got to have
The artist desires to get closer to the person and learn more about them.
That spawned me
The person has had an impact on the artist's existence.
There's something I'm trying to see
The singer is searching for deeper meaning within the person.
I want you to open up and bleed
The singer wants the person to reveal their true self, vulnerabilities, and emotions.
I rummage through your fiber
The artist is exploring the person's being or identity.
Like old ladies at a church bazaar
The action of exploring is likened to the thoroughness and curiosity of the elderly women at a church sale.
Keeping everything to myself
The artist is not sharing their discoveries or thoughts about the person with anyone else.
Disappeared is I got
The singer is losing their sense of self as they become increasingly interested in the person.
Is this all there is to you?
The artist questions whether the surface level they are observing is all there is to the person.
I could see this in some big octopus
The singer compares the complexity of the person to that of an octopus, which has many layers to explore.
God, I hope there's more to me then I see inside you
The singer hopes that there is more to themself than just being intrigued by the person.
God, I hope there's more to me
The singer wishes to be more than just captivated by the person.
Now I gotta take a look
The artist feels compelled to explore their own identity and desires further.
I taste my brain in the back of my mouth
The artist is contemplating deeply and it is affecting them physically.
My curiosity told me to kill the cat
The singer's intense desire to explore has led them down a dangerous path.
Remnants of you slip through my hands
The singer is struggling to fully understand or grasp the person they are intrigued by.
Like so many, so many grains of sand
The person's complexity is vast and difficult to comprehend, with many parts making up the whole.
My slowly drift inward
The artist is becoming introspective and less focused on the person.
I feel them turn on myself
The artist is turning their focus inward, attempting to understand their own identity.
Turning on myself
The singer is redirecting their attention from the person to their own self-discovery.
Contributed by Aaron T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.