REVIEW: Dinosaur Jr., BBC In Session (Fuel 2000)
- Kerwin So
In the mid-1980s, when the American underground rock movement was starting to take off with help from labels like SST and Homestead, a little trio from Amherst, Mass., named Dinosaur, roared its way to the forefront of the scene. With an overpowering blend of squealing Neil Young guitar workouts, Black Sabbath heaviness, and the urgent whine of lead singer/songwriter/guitarist J Mascis (which somehow managed to convey both lethargy and urgency simultaneously), Dinosaur left an indelible footprint on the landscape of alternative rock, serving as both contemporaries and major influences on bands like Sonic Youth, Nirvana, the Lemonheads, and Buffalo Tom. Of course, a stray band of hippies with considerable legal power eventually forced the band to rename themselves Dinosaur Jr., but that diminished their power not a whit. Old fans and newcomers both can relive the glory days of Dinosaur Jr. now thanks to the label Fuel 2000, who have finally released the BBC session recordings of the band.
Culled from four different sessions from 1988, 1989 and 1992, this collection appropriately includes versions of tracks spanning the most influential years of Dinosaur Jr.'s career. The overall recording feel of classics like "In a Jar," "Budge" and "Raisans" [sic] is raw, intimate, and loose; very little re-mastering has been done here. And I don't think J would've had it any other way. The tracks the band produced themselves ("In a Jar" and "Keep the Glove") end on humorous notes, with J muttering "Bummer" on one, and letting his voice slide into a jokey snarl on the other. "No Bones" features vibes (!), which actually work surprisingly well in this Bug album track. The excellent version of "Raisans" (from the landmark LP You're Living All Over Me) features a high-school girl voiceover during the calm middle guitar break, very reminiscent of the Pixies' Surfer Rosa. And the final moments of "Does It Float" even include a dead-on take of the opening riff from Guns 'n' Roses' classic hair-metal ballad "Sweet Child O' Mine!"
Hardcore fans (probably in both senses of the word) will be pleased at the inclusion of debut-album favorites like "The Leper," which was constantly yelled as a request to J across the nation on the final Dinosaur Jr. tour in '97 (the result of an ambitious joke started on the Internet). And is that really Lou Barlow screaming his lungs out on "Bulbs of Passion," the same guy who would later become indie rock's wuss poster boy in Sebadoh?
But don't think that the attitude is strictly jocular on BBC In Session. Indeed, the real reasons for fans and neophytes alike to purchase this CD come in the form of the only two acoustic songs included. "Keeblin" is a different version than appeared on the Quest import, and well worth picking up for its subtly pining vocals, and another beautiful electric J solo laid over sweet steel-string acoustic chords. And finally, possibly Dinosaur Jr.'s finest song ever, "Get Me," is presented here in the stripped-down format originally heard on Quest, with a downright tear-jerking solo taking you through the most gorgeous, tortured territory you've never explored. J Mascis singlehandedly brought the solo guitar back to alternative rock, and this song proves why. There's no wankery or showboating here, just naked emotion, making the BBC version of "Get Me" - and this CD - a fitting end to Dinosaur Jr.'s long, mighty legacy.
