Tag: Dan Stuart

When I was recommended this band years ago ,it led me to a much bigger picture. They came from the Paisley Underground Scene of the 1980s, which caught my attention. The more I hear them, the more they interest me. 

What makes this band so appealing is that they were not trying to write top 40 hits; it’s just natural music. They were not trying to force a style in this to make it fit the status quo on the radio at the time. The guitars are raw but melodic, with a raw sound; no overproduction on this. This song has been covered by The Bo-Weevils and Rain Parade. 

Green on Red started in Tucson, Arizona, as The Serfers, a teenage garage band that was influenced by the Stones. Dan Stuart (vocals/guitar) had the charisma, while Chris Cacavas (keys) brought that carnival-organ swirl that would become a trademark. They eventually packed up and headed for Los Angeles, where the Paisley Underground scene was starting around bands like The Dream Syndicate, The Bangs (pre-Bangles), and The Rain Parade.

They changed their name to Green on Red (TV test patterns), they became the scene’s ragged outsiders, more Neil Young & Crazy Horse grit than chiming ’60s Rickenbackers, more bar than ballroom. They were never the most famous band of the scene, but probably the most unpredictable, which is a plus in my book. What set them apart was Dan Stuart’s writing and singing. 

This song was on their 1983 debut album, Gravity Talks, released in 1983. Green On Red has been described as Desert Rock, Paisley Underground, Alternative Country-Rock, Garage-Country, and Country-Punk. They made their mark in the 80s, touring college towns on the circuit with REM, the Replacements, and other alternative bands.

They never pigeonhole themselves into one style. They would be produced by some great producers such as Jim Dickinson, Glyn Johns, and Al Kooper, but could not connect with the masses; however, they connected with people like me who wanted something more than the top 40. 

Here is the band live in 2006, and they open up with Cheap Wine.

Cheap Wine

I can’t seem to clear my mind
Foreign seeds and cheap wine
I’m drifting back in an awful way
The cartoon is real this is what it says

I’m just a man who doesn’t know
Right from wrong who can tell
I’m just a man who cannot see
Just dissed so easily, as you

It’s late at night
All the booze is gone
I see the light through my window at home
I stare right in, to the rising sun
My God what kind of pain, what have I done?

I’m just a man who doesn’t know
Right from wrong who can tell
I’m just a man who cannot see
Just dissed … so easily

If i had a boat, man I would sail
away from this town
To save my soul
All the trees are dying
All the faces are glowing
With the pain of life
Man it keeps flowing

I’m just a man who doesn’t know
right from wrong who can tell
I’m just a man who cannot see
Just missed so easily as you