Customer Reviews

Ten White Stones

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If most of the Green PJs albums are underappreciated, for some reason this album has gone especially unnoticed. It's certainly eclectic, from the countryish opening track, the fuzzy pop psychedelia of Mrs.Cafferty, to delicate ballads, like She's Still Bewitching Me. And yet for all its variety, this is a routinely strong batch of songs. I bought this over a year ago and find myself going back to it over and over again. It's worth noting that this was recorded live in the studio, which is not to say it is lo-fi, and part of its charm is its first take professionalism. Like most of the PJs work, this deserves more recognition.

If this album had come out in the 1960's we would be comparing it with Electric Ladyland, Volunteers, the Who Sell Out, and Let it Bleed. Instead it came out in the 1980's and few have even heard of it. The problem: Green Pajamas play 1960's style classic rock and came from Seattle at a time when everyone was into flannel, torn jeans, and thinking Kurt Cobain was the "greatest genius ever." This isn't grunge, it is simply one of the best rock albums ever released (If you want to include Appetite for Destruction and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, you can quit reading now, you exist in a different universe than I do). Cruel Night is like the best of Jefferson Airplane, with Richard Thompson on lead guitar. Gazelle is the great outtake that U2 might have put on The Joshua Tree, but for some reason they chose not to. Blue Eyes to Haunt Me lives up to its name, the hook will be with you for days. The bass player plays the best best bass lead since John Entwhistle joined Janis, Moon, and Hendrix to form that great rock band in the beyond. The next three songs are lighter, but still solid and listenable. The group is back into greatness with For S, Bewitching Me, and Lost Girls, the last of these songs will stay in your head while you try and figure out if it is about sex or death. Unfortunately the album closes on a weak note, which is a fairly straight and decent cover of Hank Williams. I think it is songs like this that give the GPJ's their reputation as alt country. They don't really belong in that category, but it is difficult to classify them. As I indicated above, had they existed in the 60's they would be classic rock, but their late entry into the field and their too cute name have kept them out of the public eye. Despair not, however, they have more albums in release than any of the 60's classic groups including the Stones and they can hold their own with any of them. I hope that I have not given the impression that they are simply copiers of the Who, The Airplane, U2 or any other group. Unfortunately comparisons are the stock and trade of reviews, GPJ are like all of these groups and none of them. If you like that type of music start with this album and work your way through their repertoire, you won't regret it.