Welcome to “Where to Start”! As always, we’ll be guiding you through the back catalogue of established bands - both obscure and relatively well known - and covering their best, worst and most middling cuts. We’ll be dividing the bands’ output into five categories: Start Here, Follow Up, Try This, For Fans Only and Avoid. This month: Dinosaur Jr.
Alt rock legends Dinosaur Jr. formed in 1984 in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts by guitarist/vocalist J. Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph. After honing in on their craft via three albums, all independently released from 1985 to 1988 on SST Records, tensions between Barlow and Mascis led to the former’s firing, who pursued further musical endeavours in Sebadoh and Folk Implosion. From here, major label Sire Records signed the group, resulting in four releases from 1991 to 1997. The latter three would feature then bassist Mike Johnson, whilst Murph eventually left thus causing Mascis to take up drums until the band’s burned out demise in 1997. Eventually, the original line up would make amends and reform in 2005. Since then they have released four independently backed albums, resuming the classic trio’s creative spark that abruptly ended after third album ‘Bug’ in 1988.
There’s the history, so what about the very core that made Dinosaur Jr. a worthy listen? The group took inspiration from 60s/70s classic rock/pop and early 80s hardcore punk, concocting it into a keystone of what is now considered to be alternative rock. At the time, it was a freshly bizarre hybrid of alternating tones, distortion, melody and loud to quiet dynamics. For the most part, this wild mix was led by Mascis’ drawlingly fragile vocals. The band were a stark revolutionary contrast to the underground hardcore and indie scene that birthed them.
To coincide with the band’s current UK tour, we thought it was only right to provide you with the means and guidance on these legendary musicians.
Start Here: ‘Farm’
If 2007’s ‘Beyond’ was the album which settled us back into the band’s original line up, then 2009’s ‘Farm’ was without question the record that the band had been striving towards in their original run before the first line up change in 1989. From start to finish, Dinosaur Jr. sound at the top of their game, silencing all copycats and proving that they are the masters of this brand of fuzzy, soul searching punk/pop fuelled indie rock ‘n roll. This is all brilliantly captured by the production work of J. Mascis himself, who manages to make his band’s songs be swathed in a crisp, grand atmosphere. Opener ‘Pieces’ sets this tone marvellously as it draws you into Dinosaur Jr.’s vunerable yet daring indie rock.
As the album continues along, one has to admire the band’s tactical interplay throughout each song. Slacker rock numbers like ‘Said the People’ and ‘Ocean in the Way’ swing through a dreamy gem of scuzzed up motions, whilst Mascis’ dreary yet reflective tone cuts through it with ease. Such layers of riffs, punk and pop flow like a living majestically built beast, breathing into your ears a sense of grandeur. Meanwhile, shorter and slightly faster fuzz pop tunes like ‘Over It’ manage to retain this method, whilst creating a spring in your step, summery vibe.
Further highlights of note include ‘Your Weather’ and ‘Imagination Blind’, both of which feature bassist Lou Barlow on vocals, providing a new sense of perspective in the band’s repertoire. In contrast to Mascis’ delivery, Barlow is re-assuring in his tone, allowing for two strong results. Yet the epitome of ‘Farm’ would have to be rewarded to ‘I Don’t Wanna Go There’. This seven minute epic is quite possibly one of the best songs Dinosaur Jr. have ever written in their overall career. It is an amazing smorgasbord of all the things that we love about the band. Welcoming fuzzy guitar, warm yet humble bass and beating drums exhale a loathsome grandiose journey to behold. It perfectly sums up why ‘Farm’ is the band’s masterpiece.
Follow Up: ‘You’re Living All Over Me’
Out of the band’s first three albums, which featured the original run of their classic line up, ‘You’re Living All Over Me’ is the sure fire stand out. Released on SST Records in 1987, this sophomore effort saw the Massachusetts band establish the signature style they are renowned for. Opener ‘Little Fury Things’ sums up the approach of the band’s delivery. It is a punk fuelled mix of woeful introspection, indie noise freak outs and a key stone for the quiet verse to loud chorus which would influence so many bands, including Nirvana and the Pixies. It was leagues ahead of their half baked debut LP ‘Dinosaur’.
Before we go further, it should be noted that the album does have somewhat of an uneven feel to it. However, Dinosaur Jr. manage to make such a flow be an engrossing experience. Songs like ‘Kracked’, ‘In a Jar’ and ‘Sludgefeast’ possess a disheartened tone which is always on the edge of breaking into an almighty mix of twisting riffs, humble bass and classically enamoured punk rock ‘n’ roll. Behind it all were just three young men brimming with what was considered to be genre defining ideas. Whether it’s the statically lost lo-fi acoustics on the Lou Barlow led ‘Poledo’ or the electrifying burst towards the end of ‘The Lung’, ‘You’re Living All Over Me’ is an album you just want to wrap yourself around.
PS: Some copies of this album contain the band’s classic take on The Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’. With this song, the trio brilliantly manage to harshen the harmonies but retain the fragility of Robert Smith’s songwriting. Further adding the intriguing skill of their craft.
Try This: ‘Where You Been’
For the third album to try out, we would’ve picked the 1988 classic ‘Bug’, which was the last album to feature their classic line up until the aforementioned ‘Beyond’. However, it would be foolish to ignore the best record in Dinosaur Jr.’s major label years, 1993’s ‘Where You Been’. Not only was this the second album to be released following bassist Lou Barlow’s firing in 1989, after the stripped back ‘Green Mind’ in 1991, but it is also the only LP in this period to be recorded by a full band.
On this album, J. Mascis, Murph, and then bassist Mark Johnson, took advantage of the resources they had been given by their label Sire, to make a grand sounding album. Opener ‘Out There’ is filled with an anguished tone and slacker rock prowess, showing the band sticking to what they know best. Yet, it is subsequent song and lead single ‘Start Choppin’ that hooks you in deeper into the tantalising scale on display. Those brisk 60s tinged opening chords lead to an infectious cut of songwriting. It features a pre-chorus build up which keeps you on your toes before unloading a fever of riffs. At the time, it represented a sense of added grandeur to Dinosaur Jr.’s sound.
Adding to that sentiment are songs like the delightfully laid back ‘What Else Is New’ and the somber ‘Not the Same’, with it’s “lost in the wilderness” like atmosphere. The latter is filled with big sounding drums, chimes and a painful restraint, which echoes an introspectively bleak, yet hopeful atmosphere. Yet another definite highlight, and one of the record’s best known songs, would be the stripped back melancholic ‘Get Me’. An acoustic beginning paves the way to a resilient twang in slack rock modesty. This resoundingly proves our previous point that the band utilised both their craft and the resources provided by their label to make a very good alt rock record of it’s time. Unquestionably though, there are moments where the album ever so slightly meanders (‘Drawerings’ is a good example of this), but in contrast to the other Barlow-less offerings in the band’s career, it is by far the most accomplished.
For Fans Only: ‘Green Mind’
In terms of albums which won’t spark the interest of the average fan, we’ve chosen Dinosaur Jr.’s major label debut ‘Green Mind’. For what it’s worth, 2007’s ‘Beyond’, 2012’s ‘I Bet on Sky’ and their latest, ‘Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not’, were under consideration for this. However, unlike ‘Green Mind’, they have the benefit of featuring the classic line up and it’s fiery chemistry. For the most part, this is what squanders this fourth effort from reaching it’s full potential. This was the band’s first record without Lou Barlow, whilst drummer Murph only played on three songs, including ‘The Wagon’, ‘Water’ and ‘Thumb’. Essentially, this wasn’t too far off being a J. Mascis solo effort, since he took up most of the instrumental duties during the recording process.
In Mascis’ opinion, he has described the record reflecting a “weird” transitionary period for the group at the time. Not just with Barlow’s absence, but also in regards to the fact that this was their first release on major label Sire Records. In a couple of ways, you do get a sense of that. On one hand, the production is somewhat more refined than their earlier efforts. There are times when this weakens it a little, like on ‘How’d You Pin That One on Me’. The fuzz punk fuelled rush trying to break out here feels kind of hindered. Yet, there are times when such refinement feels suited to the straightforward approach the band are going for here. This leads us on to the next point.
From the opening track ‘The Wagon’, there is a stripped back tone on display here. The song is a sure fire slack rock number, with the band’s trademark raw scuzz taking a back seat. This is somewhat of weakness, but the delivery is done solidly well, providing a reason for one to check out this record. Other highlights include the jangle pop infused ‘Blowing It’ and the summery giddiness in ‘Puke + Cry’. All in all, despite the fact that ‘Green Mind’ doesn’t reach classic status, such solidly delivered cuts help to keep fans satisfied during the LP’s runtime.
Avoid: ‘Without a Sound’
As far as the worst album under the “Dinosaur Jr.” name is concerned, 1994’s ‘Without a Sound’ holds that title to the minute detail. Following album ‘Hand It Over’ is a close contender, but it’s ambitious experimentation manages to save it. This sixth studio effort on the other hand feels like a band at a burnt out, forgettable creative phase in their career. Don’t get us wrong, the first two tracks, ‘Feel the Pain’ and ‘I Don’t Think So’, are stalwart tracks living up to the band’s classic reputation. They reek of a country-esquire twang, whilst brimming with scuzz pop goodness.
However, what follows is a record simply going through the motions in the most tiresome way possible. Tracks like ‘Outta Hand’, ‘Grab It’ and ‘Even You’, kind of drone on in a half arsed manner. It feels like listening to a fossilised remain of a grand prehistoric beast, with no hooks to cling to the passing of memorable time. Whatever the reason for the outcome, either the somewhat overly polished production or J. Mascis being the only original member present on the record, minus the singles, ‘Without a Sound’ really isn’t worth your time.
To conclude this overview, Dinosaur Jr. were one of the founding roots to the alternative rock tree, shaping the next two and a half decades of music in their wake. They brandished an arsenal of fuzzy riffs, warm noise, and pop sentimentality to extraordinary results for the most part. If you do manage to get hooked in by their discography, then by all means bask in their musical wizardry at any of the remaining dates of their current UK tour, which you can find below.
AARON LOHAN
NOVEMBER
17 GLASGOW ABC1
18 LONDON Forum
19 MANCHESTER Albert Hall