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March 29, 2024, 01:33:47 PM

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Dinosaur Jr. / J Mascis

Started by The Mollusk, July 30, 2020, 10:14:57 AM

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The Mollusk

It's taken me fucking ages to properly get into this stuff. I've had "Where You Been" on CD for ages and despite having thought it was kinda cool when I first got it, I haven't revisited it at all in the last decade. However, one of the reasons I still maintain that having a fuckoff collection of practically-obsolete media is a great thing is that it forces me to go out of my way to listen to this stuff which I've picked up over the years being vaguely aware of its reputation. So the other day I put on "Where You Been" whilst cooking dinner (a great time to listen to gut-wrenching noisy wailing 90s alternative rock, just fucking great) and wooooooooooo god damn, this shit SPANKS. The merging of country/classic rock with punk/noise is magnificent and Mascis' voice is fucking gorgeous, the way it oozes beautifully over the top of the jagged, distorted melodic bass-guitar and thundering stampede of drums, ugh just so good.

This morning I wanted something hard but also soft to listen to and so I decided to stick on "You're Living All Over Me", one that an old friend of mine always noted as being a personal favourite. It is brilliant. I instantly appreciated the scrappy, blown-out texture of the younger and more unrefined band and "Sludgefeast" in particular leapt out at me as a remarkable tune.

I read the band's wiki and concluded that Mascis is definitely a strong-headed guy but has probably been quite a dick to those he's worked with over the years. Would that be a fair assessment?

What other stuff should I listen to next? I'm thinking "Farm" and maybe his solo album "Elastic Days" too, as I've read that those are meant to be great.

jobotic

When Big came out I fucking loved it. So I bought You're Living All Over Me too and loved that. Saw them a couple of times back then too.

I didn't like Green Mind so much and moved onto other stuff. Maybe I should try again.

But get Bug and the first album.

gilbertharding

The whole first side of You're Living All Over Me is sublime. The absolute highlight for me is the moment 1 minute into Kracked when somehow the band winds itself up into a hurricane (if you play it loud enough).


I've posted this before, I think, but I really like it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9hPFvdDxhY The Fog plays Neil Young in Alaska.

spaghetamine

I liked when J Mascis showed up in this Portlandia sketch, anyone else think he looks like a wise old badger?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyL-iJQSk5A

Famous Mortimer

I saw them touring Where You Been, and then again after Lou Barlow rejoined the band (8 years ago? Something like that) Top stuff both times.

Agreed on the album recommendations too. They're a rare band who remained good after their classic-era reformation.

PaulTMA

There's also an argument for them making the best run of reunion records ever, which is rather surprising considering it seemed extremely unlikely they'd ever reform in the first place.

samadriel

I'm not very familiar with Dinosaur Jr, but Free So Free by J. Mascis + the Fog is a nice one.

Famous Mortimer

Quote from: PaulTMA on July 30, 2020, 02:58:08 PM
There's also an argument for them making the best run of reunion records ever, which is rather surprising considering it seemed extremely unlikely they'd ever reform in the first place.
I'm not sure there's much of an argument. Some bands made decent records after reformation, but I don't think any made 4, every bit as good as their original stuff. (okay, "You're Living All Over Me" is still their best).

Jockice

One truly great single. The rest of their stuff (or at least the stuff I've heard) hmm, well it's sort of okay isn't it. I saw them live not long after Freak Scene came out though. Quite entertaining from what I remember.

Goldentony

some fucking utter biff held up a blow up dinosaur right next to me the entire fucking show at an ATP once and I honestly expected to go to jail by the finish

Dr Rock

Have to mention that they did one of the best covers ever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL5biSv-_4w

Jockice

Quote from: Goldentony on July 30, 2020, 08:31:43 PM
some fucking utter biff held up a blow up dinosaur right next to me the entire fucking show at an ATP once and I honestly expected to go to jail by the finish

The last CaB post that made me GUFFAW out loud.

peanutbutter

I remember not being that impressed by their original stuff relative to the hype I came in with and then hearing the first four tracks of Beyond on myspace and being totally blown away.
The older stuff has grown on me since but I still have a super soft spot for Beyond because of that memory. Not sure I've ever heard a comeback album that delivers as well as that one, the first half of it at least.

Captain Crunch


chveik

Quote from: Famous Mortimer on July 30, 2020, 03:19:08 PM
I'm not sure there's much of an argument. Some bands made decent records after reformation, but I don't think any made 4, every bit as good as their original stuff. (okay, "You're Living All Over Me" is still their best).

SWANS mate

PaulTMA

I'd go as far as to say that the last four records are the best - there's nothing with the complexity of You're Living All Over Me etc, but to me they essentially sound like the 90s songwriting played by the classic lineup but slightly better, plus the addition of Lou songs.

Famous Mortimer

Quote from: chveik on July 30, 2020, 09:23:49 PM
SWANS mate
Blimey, it was 12 years between "Swans Are Dead" and "My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky". Good shout (although I just discovered that they've done 13 compilation albums, which seems like a few too many).

Hundhoon

Budge is one of my favourite tracks ever, fucking noise, its like a My Bloody Valentine track fronted by Neil Young



Dr Rock


gilbertharding

Quote from: Dr Rock on July 30, 2020, 08:35:04 PM
Have to mention that they did one of the best covers ever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL5biSv-_4w

The vocal stylings of Artie Sinatra, who has apparently just died of Covid, sadly.

He's also here, on Dinosaur's cover of Neil Young's 'Lotta Love': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7UGui1QOSA and it was his face as the sun on the cover of the first LP.

NattyDread 2

Love 'em. J's voice and guitar sound are a beautiful pairing. I'm ashamed to say I've not heard all the new ones. Getting on that now. Bug is tremendous. I loved this collision of a few of my favourite things - cover of Everything Flows with some Pavement and the Ruts thrown in for good measure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8IK78TNRDE

the science eel

'Freak Scene'


and some other songs

It's only a two minute snippet but I really like this version of Funkadelic's maggot brain he did, mostly because of the way it gets so close to the feeling of the original without ever really repeating any of the original's melody lines-it sort of reveals the idea behind the original.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kkGla6BKofU

(To guitarists here-I might be miles out here but is he doing something like going from a pentatonic minor scale to a melodic minor scale and back again here?)

The Mollusk

Interesting to see that a few people here really rate "Bug" as I read that Mascis believes it to be their weakest record. I'll get around to checking it out soon though.

non capisco

Quote from: The Mollusk on August 01, 2020, 03:27:37 PM
Interesting to see that a few people here really rate "Bug" as I read that Mascis believes it to be their weakest record. I'll get around to checking it out soon though.

I've read him say he feels like he was rushed into writing the songs for it, presumably after the 'Freak Scene' single was such a big indie hit. It's a good album nonetheless.

Calistan

Their cover of I've Been Waiting For You is excellent too. I wouldn't really consider it one of Neil Young's most well known songs but it's covered by some top dogs - Dinosaur Jr, Pixies and Bowie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp6-XjYRw0U

Saw them live years ago and they were obviously extremely loud. My ears were ringing for a couple of days after. Built to Spill were supporting.

Calistan

Also, I Don't Want To Go There off Farm has one of the best solos ever put to track. Must re-listen to that album - there were some crackers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qwWbVjKBR0

McChesney Duntz

The chapter on Dino Jr. in Michael Azerrad's Our Band Could Be Your Life is necessary, darkly hilarious reading. A more bizarrely dysfunctional trio, you'd be hard-pressed to find. It is indeed remarkable that they managed to get back together, or even spend more than ten minutes in the same room as each other, and keep it going at a high level to boot. Chalk it up to maturity, maybe. Or good psychoactives.

kngen

A more inscrutably laconic man you could never hope to meet.

I've met him a few times as my friend is his guitar tech (and we also played a Deep Wound song together at one point).

Which prompted this most memorable of interactions:

Me: 'Hey, do you remember a couple of months back in Sweden, a band you played with got you and Lou to sign a Deep Wound 7"?'

J: 'Uhhh ... yeah.'

Me (overjoyed at this crazy synchronicity): 'That was my Deep Wound 7"!!!'

J: '...


....


...


...


...


...


...



... cool.'