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Greta's Sophomore Release is worth checking out

Richard Neal Miller | Evanston, IL. United States | 08/15/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The one & only time I got to see Greta live was when they opened for Candlebox in the fall of 1993...almost 10 years ago. To say that Greta should have the headlining band would be an understatement. I had not yet heard of Greta and did not own "No Biting" (their debut album) yet, but seeing them live made me run out & get it. Songs like "Is It What You Wanted", "Off The Slug", "Fathom" and "Nature" and all full of energy, sadness and bile. These unforgettable songs are also extremely catchy. The band sounds as though they were inspired equally by Jane's Addiction, Rollins Band and R.E.M.. Paul Plagens is a great singer and it's shocking to me that this band was not more commercially successful. "This is Greta" is the follow-up to "No Biting" and is a much tamer affair overall. There are moments when it rocks, but it's much more of a pop album. My favorite tracks are "Anomaly", "Some People", "Cal Cool (You're So Whatever)" and "Nothing At All". I'm partial to "No Biting", but "This Is Greta" is certainly worth checking out. Greta was a band with massive potential, but perhaps the fact that they came out at a time where you almost had to be from Seattle to make it hurt them. In any case, both Greta albums are solid and I'd recommend buying both releases if you're a fan of well-crafted, somewhat quirky, angst-ridden rock music with intelligent lyrics."