Dinosaur | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 16, 1985 | |||
Recorded | "At Chris Dixon's house" | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 40:25 | |||
Label | Homestead | |||
Producer | Self-Produced | |||
Dinosaur Jr. chronology | ||||
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Singles from Dinosaur | ||||
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Dinosaur is the debut studio album by the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. [2] It was released in 1985 on Homestead Records. [3] The album exhibits a folkier side of the band than on future releases[ citation needed ], but some of the tracks on the album showed off a much heavier, more hardcore punk-based side to the band in songs such as "Does it Float", "Mountain Man" and "Bulbs of Passion."
The album was originally released when the band was still known simply as Dinosaur, before a lawsuit forced the name change to Dinosaur Jr. Therefore, it was originally a self-titled album, but subsequent issues kept the Dinosaur title.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B [5] |
Pitchfork Media | 6.2/10 [6] |
Critical reception of the album was mixed to positive. In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the albums 3 stars out of a possible 5, describing Dinosaur as having a few standout songs but overall as "impressive, but uneven" due to the band's struggling to integrate hardcore punk, hard rock with touches of experimental music. [4] Pitchfork Media ranked the album at 6.2 out of 10, describing it as "a fucking mess" with overlong songs drawing on too many styles to be consistent. [6]
All songs written by J Mascis.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Forget the Swan" | 5:09 |
2. | "Cats in a Bowl" | 3:35 |
3. | "The Leper" | 4:04 |
4. | "Does It Float" | 3:18 |
5. | "Pointless" | 2:46 |
6. | "Repulsion" | 3:04 |
7. | "Gargoyle" | 2:11 |
8. | "Severed Lips" | 4:02 |
9. | "Mountain Man" | 3:28 |
10. | "Quest" | 4:27 |
11. | "Bulbs of Passion" | 4:13 |
Total length: | 40:25 |
"Bulbs of Passion" was not featured on the original vinyl LP; it was a b-side to the "Repulsion" single. Subsequent reissues on cassette and compact disc featured it as the last song. The 2005 reissue on Merge Records placed "Bulbs of Passion" as the first track at J Mascis' request. "Yeah, I asked for that," J recalls, "because [that song] gave our new direction - it felt like we were our own sound." [7] Also featured was a 1987 live performance of "Does It Float" as a bonus track to close out the album.
Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984. Originally called Dinosaur, the band was forced to change their name due to legal issues.
Sebadoh is an American indie rock band formed in 1986 in Northampton, Massachusetts, by Eric Gaffney and Lou Barlow, with multi-instrumentalist Jason Loewenstein completing the line-up in 1989. Barlow co-created Sebadoh as an outlet for his songwriting when J. Mascis gradually took over creative control of Dinosaur Jr., in which Barlow plays bass guitar.
Louis Knox Barlow is an American alternative rock musician and songwriter. A founding member of the groups Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion, Barlow is credited with helping to pioneer the lo-fi style of rock music in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His first band, which was formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, was Deep Wound. Barlow was born in Dayton, Ohio, and raised in Jackson, Michigan, and Westfield, Massachusetts.
Joseph Donald Mascis Jr., better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo artist and played drums and guitar on other projects. He was ranked number 86 in a Rolling Stone list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists", and number 5 in a similar list for Spin magazine in 2012.
Deep Wound was an American hardcore punk band formed in 1982 in Westfield, Massachusetts. They released one self-titled 7-inch and contributed two songs to the compilation LP, Bands That Could Be God, both of which are sought after by fans and record collectors alike. The band influenced the Massachusetts hardcore scene and the development of grindcore.
Where You Been is the fifth official studio album by Dinosaur Jr., released on February 9, 1993.
You're Living All Over Me is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. It was released on December 14, 1987, through SST Records.
Green Mind is the fourth studio album by alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr., released in 1991. It was the band's first release after bassist Lou Barlow's departure, as well as the first released by a major label. The record is close to being a J Mascis solo album: he played most of the instruments, with founding drummer Murph only featuring on three tracks.
Bug is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr., released in October 1988 through SST Records. Blast First and Au Go Go Records released the album in the United Kingdom and Australia, respectively. It was the last Dinosaur Jr. album with original bassist Lou Barlow until Beyond in 2007.
III is the third album by the American indie rock band Sebadoh. It was released by Homestead Records in 1991.
Emmett Jefferson Murphy III, professionally credited as both Patrick Murphy and Murph, is best known for being the drummer for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He was a member of the group from its founding in 1984 through 1993, and since the original lineup reformed in 2005.
"Start Choppin" is a song by Dinosaur Jr. written by J Mascis and taken from their fifth album Where You Been. Created after Mascis came up with the title phrase, the song was accompanied by a music video that aired on alternative rock music programs.
Weed Forestin is an album by the American indie rock band Sebadoh. It was originally self-released by Barlow on cassette in 1987, under the Sentridoh name, the solo home-recording project of American rock musician and Sebadoh member Lou Barlow, and sold at record stores in his native Massachusetts in an approximate run of 100.
Beyond is the eighth studio album by the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. It was their first LP in a decade after 1997's Hand It Over, and the first album by the original lineup since 1988's Bug.
"Feel the Pain" is a single by alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. from their 1994 album Without a Sound. Written after Mascis came up with the riff on tour, the song features a dry arrangement. It was released as the debut single from the album the same year, reaching number four on the Modern Rock charts in the US and number 25 in the UK. A music video for the song was also released, helping boost the song's popularity.
Farm is the ninth studio album by American alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. It is the band's first release on the record label Jagjaguwar.
"The Wagon" is a song by alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr., released on their 1991 album Green Mind. Featuring lyrics inspired by the band's use of station wagons for transportation in its early days, the song was written by J Mascis and was one of the three songs on Green Mind to include drummer Murph.
"Freak Scene" is a song by American alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr., the opening track on the group's third studio album Bug (1988). Written and produced by frontman J Mascis, the song was recorded at Fort Apache Studios by engineers Paul Q. Kolderie and Sean Slade. "Freak Scene" was released as a single on SST Records in the United States and was also Dinosaur Jr.'s first release on Blast First in the United Kingdom. The band also made a music video to promote the single.
Scott Helland is an American alternative rock musician, acoustic guitarist, bassist and songwriter. A founding member of the groups Deep Wound, Outpatients, and Frenchy and the Punk. He also performs instrumental music as Guitarmy of One. Helland was born in Centralia, Illinois and raised in Westfield, Massachusetts.
Fossils is a compilation album by indie rock band Dinosaur Jr., released in August 1991 on SST Records. It contains three 7" singles the band had previously released on SST, including a version of the song 'Keep The Glove' which is different from the version on the reissue of Bug, as well as three covers. A deluxe 5"x7" edition, along with an accompanying book box set, was released on Record Store Day 2014.
Compared to the scatterbrained cowpunk goth of their 1985 self-titled debut...