Dinosaur Jr Reissues Articles

[AGAP]

Theres a few so I thought I would post them in one thread…

billboard.com

Edited By Jonathan Cohen. December 14, 2004, 4:05 PM ET

Merge Unearths Dinosaur Jr. Reissues

Merge will on March 22 reissue Dinosaur Jr.’s first three albums "Dinosaur," "You’re Living All Over Me" and "Bug." Previously released by the Homestead and SST labels, the sets have been remastered and include a smattering of bonus tracks and rare photos. Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, Mike Watt and Guided By Voices’ Robert Pollard contributed to new liner notes.

The Massachusetts-based trio’s 1985 Homestead debut, "Dinosaur," introduced the template of Neil Young-influenced guitar leads from J Mascis and a balancing act between noise and melody. The new edition is bolstered with a live version of album track "Does It Float."

The group made a dramatic leap on 1987’s "You’re Living All Over Me," featuring future college radio staples such as "In a Jar" and "Little Fury Things," as well as "Poledo," a track penned by bassist Lou Barlow that foreshadowed his future work in Sebadoh. The new edition features videos for "Little Fury Things" and "Just Like Heaven."

Released a year later, "Bug" became the band’s best-selling album to date on the strength of such tracks as "Freak Scene" and "No Bones." Videos for both are included on the reissue.

With Barlow having left to form Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr. signed to Sire in 1990 and released four albums for the label before splitting at the end of the decade. Mascis has subsequently released albums with his band the Fog for Artemis and Ultimatum.

In an unusual twist, Barlow is now also signed to Merge, which will in late January release his new solo album, "EMOH." The set sports a cover of Ratt’s "Round and Round" plus guest spots by Sebadoh colleagues Jason Loewenstein and Russ Pollard.

— Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

soundthesirens.com

Merge announce Dinosaur Jr. reissues
by Billy Maulana
12.14.2004

Ah, the reissue; they’re either a great way to get your hands on material seemingly lost in music’s endless caverns or a cheap way for labels to make a buck. But don’t tell seminal indie label Merge about how to make a quick buck- after a year of some truly quality albums (The Arcade Fire, American Music Club), the label has released a statement that in March 2005, they will be reissuing three albums from Dinosaur Jr.’s catalog.

Merge will be re-releasing Dinosaur, You’re Living All Over Me, and Bug in March, remastered with booklets that feature new photos, a live track, videos from the Jr. vault, and interviews with such luminaries like Thurston Moore, Mike Watt, and Bob Pollard.

Dinosaur Jr. first emerged in the early eighties and reshaped indie/alternative rock for many future artists. Primary songwriter J Mascis was the creative force behind the outfit, releasing quality albums on legendary label SST, including what some would say is their best effort, 1987’s You’re Living All Over Me. When the group disbanded, Mascis went on to release several solo albums.

The Merge reissues are due in stores March 22nd, 2005.

chartattack.com

*I don’t understand why they always put a pic of George & Mike when talking about early Dinosaur Jr *

Early Dinosaur Jr. Albums To Be Unearthed
Tuesday December 14, 2004 @ 04:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Dinosaur Jr.

While ’80s and ’90s college rockers like Sonic Youth have managed to sustain lucrative careers up until this very day, the men of Dinosaur Jr. have remained relatively low-key. Dino Jr. leader J Mascis continues to be a underdog hero, as does bass player Lou Barlow (who went on to form Sebadoh — and recently underwent a reunion tour of his own), but the original batch of Dinosaur Jr. albums haven’t been treated to a proper re-release. Until now.

The people at Merge Records are planning reissues of the first three Dinosaur Jr. albums: Dinosaur, You’re Living All Over Me and Bug. The albums were initially released on the Homestead and SST labels, but haven’t seen much action outside of the used record store circuit in some time. In fact, the original issues have been fetching a pretty penny on eBay as of late, proving that there’s a demand for vintage college rock anthems like "In A Jar," "Little Fury Things," "Freak Scene" and the Dino Jr. cover of The Cure’s "Just Like Heaven."

The new reissues will commemorate Dinosaur Jr.’s 20th anniversary — the band formed in Amherst, MA way back in 1984. In celebration of that milestone, the Merge people have spiffed the old recordings up, remastering all the music. As for the packaging, each disc will come with the original cover art and new booklets full of fancy liner notes by rock journo Byron Coley. Coley talked to the likes of Thurston Moore, Mike Watt and Robert Pollard to compile his notes, adding to the indie rock cred of the packaging.

In addition to the 20th anniversary bells and whistles, the reissues will also feature some new material. Look for a live version of "Does It Float" (on Dinosaur) and videos for Little Fury Things," "Just Like Heaven" (on You’re Living All Over Me), "Freak Scene" and "No Bones" (on Bug).

The new versions of Dinosaur, You’re Living All Over Me and Bug will all hit stores on March 22.

[AGAP]

Looks Like Mojo will have something about the reissues in their April 05 mag…

Mojo April ’05

IN THE APRIL 2005 ISSUE OF MOJO…

REISSUES
Dinosaur Jr’s emotional power-sludge

Gonna have to pick that up…emotional power-sludge [img]http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/contrib/monsieurboo/ptitmartien.gif[/img]

[hangover]

Quote:

Looks Like Mojo will have something about the reissues in their April 05 mag…

Yeah, it’s worth checking out. There’s a full page review of the reissues (pretty predictable – Dinosaur gets 3/5 stars, YLAOM gets 5 while Bug only gets 4). Also a short interview with J about the original Dinosaur line-up (he talks about how it was "the most miserable time" in his life and is less than concilatory towards Lou: "[kicking Lou out] was resolved within a day, yet still somehow he used that for a lot of rage in his life, or to fuel his life in music. But I’ve heard from people he’s a lot more mellow now. He’s finally taking responsibility for his lashing out at me for 15 years.")

[Anthony]

"Coma Girl" wrote:

Looks Like Mojo will have something about the reissues in their April 05 mag…

I got an email from someone from mojo magazine awhile ago asking for Dinosaur Jr photos for an upcoming article.

Gave him what I had, so hopefully they’ll have some cool photos in their article

[andyfest]

"hangover" wrote:

Quote:

Looks Like Mojo will have something about the reissues in their April 05 mag…

Yeah, it’s worth checking out. There’s a full page review of the reissues (pretty predictable – Dinosaur gets 3/5 stars, YLAOM gets 5 while Bug only gets 4). Also a short interview with J about the original Dinosaur line-up (he talks about how it was "the most miserable time" in his life and is less than concilatory towards Lou: "[kicking Lou out] was resolved within a day, yet still somehow he used that for a lot of rage in his life, or to fuel his life in music. But I’ve heard from people he’s a lot more mellow now. He’s finally taking responsibility for his lashing out at me for 15 years.")

Boy, I hope releasing this quote from J doesn’t send Lou packing again. Them’s some rough words…

[crazycloud]

yeah it seems all those mag fags can write about is something that someone said 10 years ago, over the fact that no one has put out music this brilliant since… born five years later these albums would have surpassed nirvana’s popularity with the mass gentrification of college rock via the mtv paradigm….. oh’ lets just put jackie white on the cover again they’ll never know the difference….
sticker seen on car –>
MAL-MART : Making everything the same PERMANANTLY[/i]

[jeremiah]

DrownedInSound.com
Dinosaur / You’re Living All Over Me / Bug Reviews
Original source: http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/11631.html”>http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/11631.html

Immortality established, reunion imminent: what better time is there for a trio of Dinosaur Jr (nee Dinosaur) reissues?
The back story you should already know about – boy rocks out with boy, another boy bashes things, boy falls out with boy, boys become men, men gripe about each other, men finally kiss and make up – but what you might be missing is the aural documentation. Well, here it is: Dinosaur Jr’s first three records, lovingly reissued with bonus tracks, videos and excellent, informative liner notes from the likes of Byron Gadfly, Mike Watt and Thurston Moore.

The trio’s eponymous (at the time!) debut (3/5) is unlikely to tickle the fancy of newcomers to these proto-grunge legends, but old hands missing it from their collection will hear the very earliest foundations for what was to follow. The production is fuzzy and J’s vocals lack any real sense of conviction – it’s very much the sound of a band palming their way through the recording process with no real pointers or assistance; indeed, the record is mostly self-produced – but there’s a charm to the likes of ‘Does It Float’ (a bonus live version of which is included) and ‘Forget The Swan’ that can’t help but prompt a smile. Recorded in 1985, Dinosaur showcases a band trying to offer that something a little different from traditional hardcore and punk, way before the eventual big guns of Sonic Youth and Mudhoney got their acts together in a similar way.

You’re Living All Over Me (3.5/5), from ’87, is a totally different record – the ramshackle charm and rough edges remain, but production is glossier and J has overcome whatever inhibitions plagued his vocal performances an album earlier. ‘Little Fury Things’, the opener here, is the band’s first real ‘classic’ – chances are that you can hear it to this day in select indie clubs. Of course, ‘Freak Scene’ would top it, but as curtain raisers go it’s comparable to the mighty initial impact of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. ‘Sludegfeast’ is as drenched in sonic squall as its name suggests, but J’s lyrics smack of romance, turning what could be a noisy monstrosity into something altogether sweeter. ‘Just Like Heaven’, a video for which is included, balances the raw punk of the band’s formative stages with heavenly indie-pop verses to stunning effect; it’s a killer closer to an album which, to be fair, has its share of downs (‘Poledo’, for one. Sorry…) but more than enough ups to warrant immediate investigation by anyone, be they old-school fan or complete newcomer. It is, perhaps, one of the first ‘proper’ grunge records.

Bug (4.5/5) is the crossover success. If you don’t have it, you need it. It is the bona fide classic in the Dinosaur Jr cannon; the one record that still sounds enormous to this day. Indeed, if it were released today critics would fawn over it as they may well have done back in ’89 – to tell you the truth I was too busy building dens in the woods back then to care much for musical critiques. ‘Freak Scene’ needs no introduction – I already mentioned it anyway – suffice to say that you’ve heard it even if you think you haven’t. Not one to outstay its welcome, Bug is over in just 10 songs, but each of them is infinitely comparable to a number of more successful, in this country at least, grunge acts. The songwriting has increased tenfold since You’re Living All Over Me, with Barlow and Mascis really beginning to flex the grey matter muscles that would see them praised in later years as not only scene lynchpins, but spokespersons for a generation of indie rockers. A never-before seen video for ‘No Bones’ will attract those that already hold Bug close to their previously plaid-clad chests, but really, if you like music – be it grunge, indie, punk, whatever – you will love this. Period.

Go spend some money already.

Original source: http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/11631.html”>http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/11631.html

[andyfest]

Interesting article. It seems almost unanimous that critics see YLAOM as Dino’s quintessential album but this guy only gives it 3.5/5?! I think that’s the lowest I’ve ever seen it rated. It’s also interesting how much he raves about Bug in comparison. To me, they’re almost equal but YLAOM has the slight edge.

I agree with him on ‘Dinosaur’ being a little fuzzy probably because it was mastered from vinyl. The live version of Does it Float is really cool because it’s from the very early days but the recording quality is quite merky. Still, I give them all 5/5.

[AGAP]

Dinosaur was originally recorded for $500, I’ll post a link to the article later today, hopefully I can find it

Soooo looking forward to checking out the reissues!

[Author]

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