The Green Pajamas | Interview | ‘Just to This’ – 40 Years of Unreleased Tracks and Live Gems
To mark 40 years of making music, The Green Pajamas have unveiled ‘Just to This,’ a stunning 2-LP compilation via Sound Effect Records.
Handpicked by Jeff Kelly, this 23-track journey offers a rare glimpse into the band’s evolution, with previously unreleased songs, digital-only rarities, and freshly mastered gems that bring their storied catalog to life.
Spanning from the raw energy of ‘Thinking Only of You’ (1984) to the luminous ‘Something About the Light’ (2024), ‘Just to This’ is a celebration of The Green Pajamas’ enduring creativity. Highlights include a searing 1994 live version of ‘Kim the Waitress,’ stripped-down demos of ‘Ghosts of Love’ and ‘Tess,’ and a heartfelt cover of The Kinks’ ‘A Long Way from Home.’ Fans can also enjoy today’s premiere of the live classic, ‘Thinking Only of You.’
“Looking at ‘Just to This,’ it’s very much about the live band and its evolution”
The Green Pajamas have had a unique and diverse musical journey over the last four decades. Looking back, how do you feel the band’s sound has evolved over the years? Is there a specific moment or album that you believe marks a turning point in your musical direction?
Jeff Kelly: Yes, there have been a lot of, almost, eras for the band. Pop psychedelia gradually grew a bit darker and more gothic in the 2000s, then transitioned into the more Americana style of the Northern Gothic stuff, and everything in between. But it always seems to come back to pop songs in the end—”pop” in the old sense of the word. I don’t think I’d know how to write songs like the ones on the radio today!
‘Strung Behind the Sun’ was not so much a change of musical direction as the first album in which almost all of it was recorded at home. The ease of home recording gave the Green Pajamas a kind of restart. It was a much-needed spark, instigated by Tony Dale and Camera Obscura Records in Australia in 1997. I had total artistic freedom with that album, and it was well received. Thanks to the kind notices in magazines like The Ptolemaic Terrascope in England, news of it got out, and we gained a new audience. Simultaneously, we were able to reconnect with people who had liked our earlier records.
This new 2-LP compilation, ‘Just to This,’ spans a vast period in the band’s history. Can you walk us through the curation process? What were the key considerations when selecting tracks, especially since some are being released for the first time ever on vinyl or CD?
When Emilios at Sound Effect Records asked about doing another LP, I told him it was the 40th anniversary of the band and asked if he would be interested in a compilation of unreleased stuff, and he said yes. My Bandcamp compilation, ‘Under the Radar’ (Volumes 1, 2, and 3), had proven popular, and I felt like we’d missed the boat a bit by not releasing it as a three-CD set. So, I gathered what I think are some choice tracks from that project but also included some things that had never been heard before.
It is, admittedly, a historical document, put together with Green Pajamas fans in mind, as opposed to, say, our last album on Sound Effect, ‘This Floating World Is a Dream,’ which might more easily capture new listeners who appreciate a more consistent and contemporary sound. So, I very much had our long-time fans and supporters in mind—some of whom I’ve been in contact with since the ’80s, back in the days when we actually wrote letters and licked stamps!
Maybe the key consideration was: is it going to entertain those guys? That said, I think there are things here that could turn on new listeners as well.
The compilation includes a blistering live version of ‘Kim the Waitress’ from 1994. What role has live performance played in shaping the band’s identity? Were there particular live shows that left a lasting impression on you?
Looking at ‘Just to This,’ it’s very much about the live band and its evolution. I’m not positive, but I think the majority of the songs are truly band recordings, not just me making tracks at home alone. Some of the best are from the scarcely recorded lineup of Karl, Steven, Joe, and me, captured in live performance from around 1990 until the mid-’90s.
In the ’80s, the “live band” and the “recording band” were the same. After ‘Strung Behind the Sun,’ the “live band,” in a sense, became a cover band, learning and performing the songs I had recorded at home by myself. So by the late ’90s and beyond, I was the ‘recording band,’ occasionally joined by the others, especially if we were recording a Joe, Laura, or Eric song. Then there was the “live band”—all of us going out and playing shows.
Those shows shaped the band’s identity by giving the Green Pajamas a visual—a group of people to identify and relate to, as opposed to trying to connect with this kook holed up in his basement recording all this stuff alone. Joe recently likened me to a mad scientist.
More importantly, the five of us playing live was beneficial because it was often fun, a pleasure to meet and entertain, and a chance to get closer to people. Some of my favorite shows were the four Terrastock festivals we attended or going to Texas for SXSW. But I also have a lot of fond memories of moments that occurred in small bars around Seattle.
Beyond the “official” bootlegs on my Bandcamp site and a live CD called ‘Lust Never Sleeps,’ there is one pretty great “live band” album featuring the current lineup from 2004, called Ten White Stones. Recorded in a studio, it’s a nice record of what Scott, Laura, Eric, Joe, and I sounded like on stage at the time.
A number of tracks on ‘Just to This’ have never been released in any format before, including ‘Ghosts of Love’ and ‘Janine.’ How did these songs come into existence, and what was the reason they didn’t make it onto earlier releases?
Well, ‘Ghost of Love’ is a pretty rough thing—basically a demo—so we wouldn’t have thought it releasable at the time. I do like it, though, despite the fact that you can hear I was sick with a cold. ‘Janine,’ as I recall, was recorded and finished after the ‘Ghosts of Love’ album. Another Green PJs album wouldn’t come out until 1997, by which point I think I’d forgotten about it.
‘Princess Misa’ was an early version that I later refined, but I thought this take was pretty and short, so it was worth including. I think the majority of the tracks you’re asking about are live recordings, captured on cassette at one club or another, and weren’t deemed releasable at the time. They’re still sketchy recordings, but I had the ability to update and, to a degree, remix some of them (if you can call a live boom box or board recording a ‘mix’), which helps.
With one or two exceptions, none of our concerts were professionally recorded, and the sound quality isn’t worth working with. If I happen to run across a live performance that jumps out—like the ‘Kim the Waitress’ track—I might think it’s worth spending some time on.
The final track, ‘Something About the Light,’ was recorded just in the past year. Can you tell us about the process of bringing this track to life, especially with the original ‘Summer of Lust’ aesthetic in mind? How does it feel to bookend this collection with such a recent recording?
It feels very relevant to me to bookend that one with the early recording, ‘Thinking Only of You.’ Joe and I had the idea of getting together with our old friend, the first drummer of the Pajamas, Karl Wilhelm, and working the same way we did with SOL for our 40th anniversary. That is to say, in a more organic fashion, using simple recording techniques and whatever old, original instruments and amplifiers we may have lying around.
So, I brought a song with a simple chord progression, like many of the songs on ‘SOL,’ which were conceived while we jammed and I ad-libbed vocal ideas. For various life-related reasons, we’ve only completed that one song for the project so far—a sort of “test” recording Joe and I did alone. We’ll see if we have time this year to do more. I imagine ‘Something About the Light’ as a sort of melancholy sequel to the ‘SOL’ song, ‘I Feel That Way All the Time.’
One reason I was open to the idea of going back to our original aesthetic was, as I’ve noted for quite a while now, ‘Katie Lied’ from ‘SOL’ is always the most popular track on the Green Pajamas’ Spotify page! Some people still love that lo-fi aesthetic.
Some of the tracks on ‘Just to This’ were sourced from cassette tapes from the 1980s. What challenges and opportunities did working with older formats bring to the final product? How did Tom Dyer’s remastering process impact the overall sound?
I think Tom did a great job mastering and making this collection, which was compiled from such diverse sources, hold together as an album.
It was challenging trying to make some of the old things sound better than they were meant to when we first did them! Sometimes it was hard, as with ‘Such a Lovely Daughter.’ The source recording was in such bad shape that when Tom tried taking it apart into separate stems using the new technology available, there just wasn’t enough to work with. So it was deemed best to just try to EQ the original so it hurts one’s ears as little as possible! But that is such a beloved old recording to certain fans that leaving it off wouldn’t have felt right.
Some of the live recordings worked better, and I was able to remix from the original stereo, broadening the EQ, adding compression to vocal and drum tracks, enhancing the bass guitar, and things like that.
Several tracks in the compilation were previously available only through digital releases like ‘Under the Radar’ or on special flexi-discs. How do you see the role of digital-only platforms in the evolution of the band’s music, and what does it mean to now have these tracks remastered for physical release?
Over time, I’ve gotten the sense that a number of Green Pajamas fans are a little older and maybe a bit like me: if I’m crazy about a band, I would rather own an LP or CD than download files unless there is something desirable that is only available as a download. That said, we embrace the modern, and every official Pajamas album is available on Spotify and for sale digitally on the Green Monkey Records Bandcamp page. I’m very aware there are fans who prefer streaming these days. Also, there are a lot of unique releases on my Bandcamp page.
So I embrace the digital-only platforms but—with the exception of some of the recordings on my site, unavailable elsewhere, that maybe shed some light on the “artistic process” or whatever—I don’t think it has influenced the band’s music to any degree.
The collection includes personal stories and detailed track descriptions in the liner notes, alongside previously unpublished photographs. How important is it for you to share this behind-the-scenes look at the band’s history, and what are you hoping listeners will take away from it?
I think, in this day and age, more than, say, twenty years ago, audiences like to feel close to the artist they admire. The internet has brought us all closer. As a fan, I might write a message to a performer I admire via Facebook and get a personal response—sometimes overnight or the same day! That was pretty hard to do two or three decades ago.
Over the years, as I’ve realized how many loyal supporters the band has, and their kindness and enthusiasm across time, it’s made me feel closer to them as well. So, with this album being so much about the history of the band and with the inclusion of so many live tracks, Emilios and I thought it would be a good opportunity to share a lot of photos with our old friends and fans and to share a few details as well. I think a great deal of Green Pajamas collective album artwork does not include any photos of the band, so this one kinda makes up for that!
You included a cover of The Kinks’ ‘A Long Way from Home’ from a 2006 tribute album. What drew you to this particular Kinks song?
I always loved the album ‘Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround’ and especially that song. So when Mojo magazine asked for a PJs track for their Ray Davies compilation CD, it was a natural choice for me. Also, I figured it was probably just obscure enough that no one else would be choosing it for their contribution.
A nice story about that track is, I once heard from a guy from a band that had backed Ray Davies, and he told me that Ray had brought the song back into his stage repertoire after hearing our version. That made me happy!
The album includes demos like ‘Tess’ and ‘Ghosts of Love,’ giving fans a glimpse into the songwriting process. How do you approach writing and demoing songs? Do you find these early versions often change significantly by the time the final track is recorded?
Yes, especially in those days, as I was always recording stuff at home. So if something I had recorded a little bit rough still stuck in my mind, I might think, “Maybe we should record it properly.” Nowadays, I rarely make demos in that way. Usually, I’ll finish a song if I think it’s a good idea, and, if it doesn’t make the cut in the end, it becomes an outtake as opposed to a demo. Not sure if that makes sense?
Regarding writing, it varies for me. These days, I usually start with a melody or lyric idea and develop it on acoustic guitar. In the 2000s and ’90s, I would often just start recording music, and the lyric and melody might come about at the end of the process.
With 40 years of music behind you, how do you see the future of The Green Pajamas? Are there any unfulfilled ambitions or musical directions you’d still like to explore in the years to come?
Yes, I definitely want to keep going, and, yeah, perhaps try some new musical ideas. The next album, which should be out early next year, is a little bit different than the last two. It stretches out a bit more and is a bit less pop. The reaction by the few who have heard it is very positive, which, of course, is encouraging!
After that, yes, it would be fun to experiment even more while still keeping whatever the secret element is that attracts some people to Green Pajamas records.
We’ve also started rehearsing a more acoustic-based live set. The last time the five of us played together was 2018. It will be quite a bit different than those past live shows. My ears won’t allow me to play loud music anymore, so I thought maybe it would be a good idea to concentrate on presenting some songs we have never played live, as well as new arrangements of old favorites.
In actuality, I think our live set will sound closer to the vibe of the albums, and I’m enjoying singing live now because I can hear myself! It’s fun to let the melodies and lyrics shine for a change instead of being drowned out by electric guitar noise.
The term “Summer of Lust” has often been associated with the band’s early sound and aesthetic. What does this phrase mean to you today, and how does it tie into the ongoing creative process of The Green Pajamas?
Haha. Well, in truth, it doesn’t mean a lot to me now! The phrase sums up the time and the sounds we were making in 1984, and I suppose there can be a nostalgia associated with it, but I’m sure not the guy who once cared about whether Katie did or didn’t lie, at this point.
Those are just old songs from a long time ago that can still be appreciated and enjoyed, the same as any pop music. I’ve come around to thinking that some of the ‘SOL’ tracks are rather amazing sounding, considering the little experience we had and the equipment we had to work with. ‘Katie Lied’ still packs a punch sonically, which would be hard to replicate today. Joe and I sorta found that out when we started working on ‘Something About the Light.’ Neither one of us is young anymore, so it’s good we did that album when we did!
Would love it if you could discuss today’s premiering track, ‘Thinking Only of You.’ What makes this song stand out for you, and what does it represent in terms of the band’s early musical direction?
Listening now, the energy of that live version of ‘Thinking Only of You’ is remarkable to me. You can really tell that it wasn’t just The Beatles that informed our music, but New Wave and Punk as well. You can see that in the video, in a way — sure, the others are wearing paisley, but I look a little more like Elvis Costello, with my big pink glasses. That’s what makes it stand out to me: it’s a great representation of Joe, Karl, Steven, and myself when we were young.
Looking at the song itself now, some of my lyrics haven’t aged well. But that was the time. The fire and enthusiasm of the music is what still makes it interesting to me. It was recorded before we cut our “studio” version, and I hadn’t finalized the title yet, so I’m singing ‘…only thinking of you’ instead of ‘…thinking only of you.’
The video itself is made of edited bits of a show shot at the Gorilla Gardens in Seattle a number of months after the audio was recorded. The audio actually comes from the year before, 1984, and was recorded at Seattle University. (Somehow, we ended up playing a couple of dances there!)
And, to put this all into perspective, my daughter Tess, who is in a photo with me on one of the new LP’s inner sleeves—taken when she was a tiny baby in 1995—graduated from that very same Seattle University a few years ago as a registered nurse.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: Joe, Eric, Scott, Laura and Jeff | Photo by Susanne Kelly
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