Finally - a mini power pop classic from the 80s released on CD and featuring a ton of rare, never before on CD, bonus trax! 21 songs total. 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, `his 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. "3 1/2 stars. In the mid-`80s, Chicago`s music scene was dominated by muscular, hard-edged punk-inspired acts like Naked Raygun, Big Black, and the Effigies, and in this context Green stuck out like a sore thumb, as Jeff Lescher and his bandmates wrote smart, tuneful, and energetic pop tunes and played them with the appropriate degree of spunk communicated through simple, well-crafted arrangements. Listening to Green`s first full-length album years after the fact, it often seems as if Green were pushing the aggressive factor of some of their songs in order to better fit in with their peers; the anger of "Hurt You" and the snarky attitude of "Big in Japan" and "I`m Not Going Down (Anymore)" feel forced, and while these guys could rock out when they wanted, they were always at their best when they were willing to fly their flag for the hooky stuff they loved. And there are some top-shelf pop tunes on Green`s self-titled debut; the nervy "Gotta Getta Record Out" is an anthem for every band with more ambition than experience, "Curry Your Favor" is full of heartfelt romantic yearning, the mostly acoustic "For You" shows off a folk-rock influence that fit this band nicely, "I Don`t Wanna Say No" does the same for rhythm & blues, and "I Play the Records" is a irresistible rocker with a snaky guitar line. Lescher`s guitar and vocal work is strong throughout, bassist John Diamond and drummer John Valley fill in the empty spaces and keep the music moving forward at all times, and if the production is a bit thin in spots, it captures the essence of the band very well indeed. Green may not have been the hippest band in Chicago in 1986, but the album they made that year shows they could write a great song and make it work on tape, and that`s a skill to be appreciated whatever the time, place, or fashion. "-AMG
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