Green On Red

 

Always wary of their paisley underground tag, it was only Green on Red's debut EP that leaned on the

psychedelic sounds of the '60s before they traded it in for a boozy, all-American sound. They have been credited as latter-day forbears to the No Depression sound forged by Wilco and Son Volt. Singer and songwriter Dan Stuart, Chris Cacavas (keyboards), and Jack Waterson (bass) formed their first group in Tucson, AZ, in 1979. After the band relocated to L.A., drummer Alex MacNicol joined up and Green on Red released their debut EP on Steve Wynn's Down There label in 1982.
                                       

By 1983, they had dumped the trippy psychedelic stuff for Gravity Talks, their Slash debut. By the time

1985's Gas Food Lodging rolled around and the band had added guitarist Chuck Prophet, Green on Red were earning critical accolades, but their greatest success came overseas with the release of 1985's No Free Lunch (Polygram).
                                 

Between albums, Stuart paused to work with Steve Wynn and a smattering of their respective

bandmembers under the Danny & Dusty moniker, a side project that allowed Stuart to play on his "drunken bum" persona. Prophet and Stuart continued to hone their darkish, down-and-out loser blues on The Killer Inside Me (1987, Mercury) and Here Come the Snakes (1989, Mercury), but by the time 1989's This Time Around (also on Mercury) came out, interest in their work stateside had ceased.
                                     

Cacavas then left the fold to begin what had become a consistent, albeit overlooked, solo career.

Prophet and Stuart found an audience for their music in Europe for Scapegoats (1991, China) and Too Much Fun (1992, Off Beat), but ultimately traded in the madness of what had become their collaboration for quieter lives. Stuart relocated to Spain and Prophet continued the career he launched in 1990, performing as a solo artist and with his band the Mission Express (featuring his wife, Stephanie Finch, on keyboards and vocals).
                                   

As it turns out, Prophet was a sleeper, with a number of releases into the 2000s bearing little

resemblance to the ramshackle outfit that was Green on Red. However, Prophet did join a briefly reunited Green on Red -- with a lineup also including Stuart, Cacavas, and Waterson -- for a series of shows in 2005-2006. Drummer Alex MacNicol died in 2004.
By Denise Sullivan

GRAVITY TALKS  1983

 
                    

Label: Wounded Bird Records – WOU 3964
Format: CD, Album, Reissue  2003
Country:US
Released: 1983
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Paisley Underground

TRACKS

01. Gravity Talks  (Written-By – Cacavas, Stuart)  2:38
02. Old Chief  (Written-By – Stuart)  3:31
03. 5 Easy Pieces  (Written-By – Cacavas, Stuart)   2:23
04. Deliverance  (Written-By – Stuart)   5:47
05. Over My Head  (Written-By – Stuart   3:06
06. Snake Bit  (Written-By – Stuart)   4:30
07. Alice  (Written-By – Stuart)   4:11
08. Blue Parade  (Written-By – Stuart)   4:32
09. That's What You're Here For  (Written-By – Cacavas)  2:12
10. Brave Generation  Written-By – Stuart)   4:17
11. Abigail's Ghost  (Written-By – Stuart)   2:42
12. Cheap Wine  (Written-By – Stuart)   4:11
13. Narcolepsy  (Written-By – Stuart)   5:38

MP3 @ 320 Size: 114 MB
Flac  Size: 298 MB

NO FREE LUNCH   1985

                                                       

Label: Acadia – ACA 8054
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: UK
Released: 2003
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Alternative Rock

TRACKS

01. Time Ain't Nothing    3:15
02. Honest Man    2:08
03. Ballad Of Guy Fawkes    3:53
04. No Free Lunch    3:12
05. (Gee Ain't It Funny How) Time Slips Away    3:12
06. Jimmy Boy    4:10
07. Keep On Moving    4:09

BONUS TRACK
    
08. Smokestack Lightning    13:31

BONUS TRACKS FROM THE KILLER INSIDE ME  1987

                                

09. Clarkesville   04:10
10. Mighty Gun   04:17
11. Jamie   03:34
12. Whispering Wind   01:53

MP3 @ 320 Size: 120 MB
Flac  Size: 353 MB

THIS TIME AROUND   1989

 
                

Label: China Records – 841 519-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: France
Released: 1989
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Country Rock

TRACKS

01. This Time Around    3:39
02. Cool Million    3:44
03. Rev. Luther       4:06
04. Good Patient Woman  (Acoustic Guitar [Second] – Bernie Leadon)   4:20
05. You Couldn't Get Arrested   (Mandocello – Bernie Leadon/Piano – Spooner Oldham)   5:48
06. The Quarter  (Organ [Hammond B3] – Spooner Oldham)  4:20
07. Foot  (Bass [6 String] – Bernie Leadon)   4:08
08. Hold The Line  (Piano – Spooner Oldham)   3:54
09. Pills And Booze  (Mandolin – Bernie Leadon)   3:14
10. We're All Waiting    3:48

BONUS TRACKS FROM THE KILLER INSIDE ME

                                    

11. Ghost Band   02:47
12. Sorry Naomi   04:25
13. No Man's Land   04:48
14. Track You Down (His Master's Voice)   3:21

MP3 @ 320 Size: 131 MB
Flac  Size: 347 MB

SCAPEGOATS  1991

 
                 

Green On Red – Scapegoats
Label: China Records – WOLCD 1001
Format: CD, Album
Country: Italy
Released: 1991
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock

TRACKS

01. A Guy Like Me    2:54
02. Little Things In LIfe    3:41
03. Two Lovers (Waitin' To Die)    3:51
04. Gold In The Graveyard    3:51
05. Hector's Out    5:09
06. Shed A Tear (For The Lonesome)    3:06
07. Blowfly    3:02
08. Sun Goes Down    4:22
09. Where The Rooster Crows    3:27
10. Baby Loves Her Gun    3:45

MP3 @ 320 Size: 88 MB
Flac  Size: 208 MB

TOO MUCH FUN  1992

 
     

Label: China Records – WOLCD 1029
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: 1992
Genre: Rock
Style: Country Rock, Alternative

TRACKS

01. She's All Mine    3:46
02. Frozen In My Headlights    3:14
03. Love Is Insane    3:57
04. Too Much Fun    3:23
05. The Getaway      4:44
06. I Owe You One (Banjo – Rainer/Lead Guitar – Bobby Soto)  4:46
07. Man Needs Woman    2:45
08. Sweetest Thing  (Composed By – Spooner Oldham)   2:33
09. Thing Or Two  (Dobro – Rainer)   4:01
10. Hands And Knees  (Backing Vocals – Randy McReynolds)   3:10
11. Wait And See    4:35
12. Rainy Days And Mondays  (Lyrics By, Composed By – Paul Williams, Roger Nichols)   3:03

MP3 @ 320 Size: 101 MB
Flac  Size: 263 MB

BBC SESSIONS  2007

 
              

Label: Maida Vale Records – MVRCD002
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: UK & Europe
Released: May 3, 2007
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Country Rock

TRACKS

01. Busted    2:25
02. Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?    4:06
03. D.T. Blues    4:58
04. Fading Away    5:04
05. Reverend Luther    2:41
06. Good Patient Woman    4:27
07. Itch And Shout    2:54
08. Pills And Booze    3:41
09. Little Things In Life    3:26
10. Hair Of The Dog    3:17
11. Two Lovers Waiting To Die    3:06
12. Zombie For Love    4:12
13. Billy    7:10
14. Baby Loves Her Gun    3:49
15. Little Things In Life    3:34
16. Sun Goes Down    5:06
17. Frozen In The Headlights    3:27
18. Too Much Fun    3:29
19. Man Needs Woman    2:28

MP3 @ 320 Size: 168 MB
Flac  Size: 462 MB

More Green On Red On URBAN ASPIRINES HERE