10 Albums That Created Grunge Music

A criminally underrated Seattle band, Green River helped shape grunge in more ways than one. First, there’s the sound, which almost bridges the gap between the excessive ‘80s glam metal bands and the harder edged music to come.

Tracks like “Swallow My Pride” are gritty and grimy, but with a swagger and an almost-macho confidence that grunge tended to avoid. The production is polished - it’s a fantastic album - but the playing sounds loose and freewheeling in the best way. “Together We’ll Never” combines barroom grooves with ghostly, anguished cries.

Aside from the songs themselves, though, Green River may be best remembered for what its members went on to do. From the ashes of the short lived act grew Mudhoney and Pearl Jam, both of whom can be heard in Rehab Doll’s tracklist. The thudding, maximalist music and sense of humour are all over Mudhoney’s early work.

Meanwhile the slick, anthemic quality of songs like the title track are Pearl Jam all over. It’s an impressive lineage for a band that aren’t spoken of too often, though Green River should be remembered for more than just what they became.