Throwback Thursday: Dinosaur Jr. – Green Mind
Posted April 10th, 2008 · Artists: Dinosaur Jr.
Dinosaur Jr. – Green Mind – Blanco y Negro/Sire – 1991
Well, since I have updated the site to include music I thought I would spend a little time each week if I can going through my vast back catalog of material and finding a classic album from the days of yore and trying to bring a little attention to the great albums of yesteryear. And there would be absolutely no other selection for my first post on Throwback Thursdays than the greatness of Dinosaur Jr. The real debate is which album to focus on though, because I want to limit myself at least somewhat and not have meandering songs all over the fucking place. The debate on Dinosaur focuses on the old (original lineup) vs new (non-original lineup). Of course by now they have reunited and are touring ever since 2005 with the original lineup. Most die-hards will tell you the original lineup is the only way to go, but I think it all is awesome, and in the interest of my love of the later material (or as wikipedia calls it, the major label years) I am going to go with the great album ‘Green Mind’, the first album in the post-Barlow era. I’m sure as I continue to do this thing that the other albums will creep back into the fold.
This album just rules in so many ways, and is kind of a transition between the early days and the solo J Mascis album-making experience, and journeys into more extreme riffage. I think because of that it is maybe oft overlooked compared to “Where Ya Been” or “Without a Sound” in the later offerings, and that’s why I want to post this one first, because I love it.
Dinosaur Jr. – The Wagon – From Green Mind
This is just an awesome track, the first track on the record, and kind of showcases very chop-oriented rhythm mastery from J that became a staple of the later records. It also comes in with the solo less than halfway through the song and is a very melodic/loud kind of solo that also became a staple of the later years. Both of these things kind of combine into I guess a more poppy/upbeat kind of sound to kick off this record than older Dinosaur (which is probably why some people don’t like it). This also feature some classic J falsetto vocals that would also become commonplace in the later albums. But this song is pure awesomeness, I love this song.
Dinosaur Jr. – Green Mind – From Green Mind
A truly legendary song in the Dinosaur back catalog, mainly because I’m not sure that it has ever been played live. I may be exagerating here, but I remember reading an interview with J a long time ago where they asked him about this song and why he never plays it, and he gave some response about how no one could play the drum part right, so that’s why he never played it live. Like I said above, this is a very groovy kind of song you didn’t really see on earlier Dinosaur records. It really is too bad he won’t play it live because this song is pure gold. If you only listen to one of these songs, check out this one.
So there you go, a look back at one of my favorite albums of all time from a bygone era. Hopefully I will be able to keep doing this, because even though the thrust of 99% of music blogs in the world is to find or write about the new sound or the next big thing, I still have a soft spot in my heart for a face-melting J Mascis solo, and that will never change. Stay tuned for next week.
