Oct. 2013: The Green Pajamas – November

Here we go.

November in October – WTF you say? Well it’s true. We are getting out the Green Pajamas’ November on CD for the first time ever. It was recorded live in the studio in November 1987 by Jack Endino and mixed by Jeff Kelly and me in a weekend. Made 200 or so cassettes and that was that. A couple of “November” songs got included on the Green Monkey Records Anthology in 2009.

In 1998 when I wasn’t paying any attention Joe Ross took the 8-track reel-to-reels and remixed ‘em all with Jack. Then those sat around doing nothing for 15 years. A year ago or so after releasing four Pajamas or Pajama related projects in a 12 month period, I asked the people whatchu want next? The people said “November.”

Well dammit Ethel, I say twenty-five years is enough aging. Time to crack the cask and bust it loose.

So what do we have here?

1. Official CD with 19 songs recorded live with Jack on knobs and mixed by Jack. Never before released. Ever. This is the same version of the PJs that recorded “Book of Hours,” but it doesn’t sound much like it. While BoH was a studio beast, with little concern given to being able to do it live “just like the record,” November is this band 100% like you would hear them live in those days, all one-take, straight up rock. Beautiful cover made from paintings of the band by Susanne Kelly that Joe Ross rescued out of the garbage pile and hung on to for some unknown reason. Thanks Joe.

2.Bonus download of the original 1988 mixes Jeff and I did. We debated which mixes to make the CD and which the bonus. Jeff said Endino mixes on CD and so it is. At GMR the artist is King (or Queen)! If you were to ask me the biggest difference, these have louder keyboards. Some songs sound better with the mo’ keyboard thing (Down,Wish That It Was Xmas) in MHO, but we didn’t mix and match. You can listen and decide.

Made a nifty cover out of the original cassette cover, you can print if you’re like me and want to burn these to a CD.  To get the bonus tracks, just go buy the album from GMR and when you’re done buying it through PayPal, it will take you to the download. Buy it in a store and there is a download address on the sticker. If you want the neato cover drop a line and it shall be sent.

3. Like most of our Pajamas releases, the first 100 copies from Green Monkey are numbered and signed by Jeff, so get on board quick. Won’t last.

To celebrate The Pajamas will be playing the Official Record Release Party at Slim’s Last Chance, Seattle, Saturday, October 5 at 9:00 PM (they will play first). As there is nobody left in the band that knows these songs but Jeff, they probably won’t play many (any?) but it will be a great show and is their last show of 2013.

And of course I would be remiss in my duties if I did not inform you of the entertainment alternative of seeing Mr. Gary Minkler playing with Red Dress over at the Royal Room on Rainier at the EXACT SAME TIME. Who say we don’t know how to plan? If you haven’t grabbed Gary’s Little Trailer Ruby yet, you should now.

What else do you need to know? I have put out the official call for entries for this year’s Xmas album and it looks like we have no shortage of interested (and jolly) parties, so that will happen once again.

td

October 2013

November (GM1021)

1. Mary Magdalene (Kelly)
2. Strange City Days (Lawrence)
3. Get Away (Haedt)
4. What in the World (Kelly)
5. I Wish That It Was Christmas (Kelly)
6. Dance Away (Kelly)
7. Expand The One (Haedt)
8. Just Like Seeing God (Kelly)+
9. This Tyme (Lawrence)
10. The Sickness Lovers Despise (Haedt)
11. Susanne (Kelly)
12. Temple Sisters (Haedt)
13. Down (Kelly)
14. Far Away (Lawrence)
15. Manna (Haedt)
16. Stephanie Barber (Kelly)
17. Pony and Me (Kelly)
18. Green Pajamas (Kelly)
19. Michael Row the Boat (Traditional)

The Green Pajamas (1987):

Jeff Kelly–Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Piano+
Steven Lawrence–Vocals, Guitar and Bass+
Bruce Haedt–Vocals, Keyboards and Guitar
Karl Wilhelm–Drums
Margaret Farler–Oboe+
Kristen Bergy–Bassoon+

Credits:

Produced by Tom Dyer
Engineered Live at Reciprocal Recording by Jack Endino.
Vocals, oboe and bassoon recorded by Tom Dyer at TDS Productions.
CD Re-mixed by Jack Endino and Joe Ross 1998.
Original mixes 1988 (download only) by Tom Dyer and Jeff Kelly.
Mastered by Tom Dyer at TDS 2013, Seattle, WA
Cover Design by L7 Graphics. Layout by TD.
Cover paintings by Susanne Kelly
© Half the World Publishing.

Jeff’s notes from 1988:

On a recent trip to Victoria, BC, I came up with the bright idea of recording a live show and releasing it on a cassette only. This, I theorized, would be a quick and cheap way of finding a home for some of the old songs that weren’t recorded in the studio and the ones that weren’t scheduled for recording in the near future. Of course Tom hated the idea and the two of us spent an hour or so on the ferry ride back to the mainland debating it. Finally Tom agreed to the project – but only if it was recorded in a studio, where the sounds going down on tape could be properly monitored.

One November night a small group of friends and supporters gathered to listen and dance to this slightly eccentric grouping of ancient (Far, Far Away, Mary Magdalene) aging (Get Away, I Wish That It Was Christmas) and infant (Dance Away, Just Like Seeing God) songs at Reciprocal Recording. A few weeks later Tom and I mixed and that was that. I thought.

As the weeks went on I listened to the mixes and became increasingly apprehensive about releasing them, I started as I sometimes tend to do, to nit-pick every song (bad vocal on this song, bad piano sound on this song, funny guitar sound) on and on until I came completely around  to agreeing with the stand that Tom originally took on the Victoria ferry. That this wasn’t the way to follow up “Book of Hours.” That the next release should be something grand, a step up from the first album. This cassette was more of a step sideways. Why do it? Of course by this time Tom supported the project 100% and “Baby Go Down” was his favorite song of the month. “It’s just a cassette, Jeff. It’s like you said – a way of getting this rock-and-roll stuff out of your system.”

So, I agreed on the condition we remix most of it. We spent several hours one Saturday remixing and beautifying it with delays and such, only to find that we preferred the original, rougher version. Typical. Herein, then, lies a fairly representative record of our live show circa 1987 (not including “Book of Hours” or “Summer of Lust” material). It’s raw, untampered with, and gets better with volume.

JEFF

P.S. This was Steven’s last show.

Joe’s notes on the Remix thing:

Jack rode down with us in my van when we went to Terrastock in San Francisco in April 1998. “November” came up in conversation and we made a plan to have a go at re-mixing.  Jeff and I had recently re-mixed “What In The World” and “Manna” for “Indian Winter” (though they were ultimately not included there) so I was familiar with the “November” master tapes at hand. We remixed the entire session over two days at Jack’s North Seattle home on July 27-28, 1998. – JOE ROSS

“sort of the great lost Pajamas album”. – JACK ENDINO