Greta

In the 1990s, Los Angeles alternative rock outfit Greta pulled off one of that decade’s most striking mid-career pivots. Singer-guitarist Paul Plagens, lead guitarist Kyle Baer, bassist Josh Gordon, and drummer Scott Carneghi initially favored a grungy hard-rock approach. Their 1993 debut, No Biting, aligned closely with Alice in Chains and early Pearl Jam, its lyrics carrying a tone explicit enough to prompt the separate issuance of a “clean” CD edition.

Even so, the group never seemed fully committed to the heavy, raw sound; the tracks felt constricted by an ill-matched grunge veneer in the production. After regrouping, they delivered their follow-up, This Is Greta!, in 1995. Echoing the fresh-start message of its title, the album emerged as a bright, energetic power-pop effort helmed by Ed Stasium, whose earlier work with the Smithereens it strongly evoked. Boasting markedly stronger and more melodic material, This Is Greta! marked a substantial advance over the uneven first record.

Yet, like its predecessor, the album drew almost no commercial attention, prompting Mercury Records to release the band without fanfare. Greta dissolved soon afterward.