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April 17, 2005
Our Band Could Still Be Your Life
This is a reunited Dinosaur Jr. performing on last Friday's episode of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. The trio played a pretty blistering version of "The Lung" from one of the greatest albums ever recorded, You're Living All Over Me (SST, 1987). And despite what some of us may have been jokingly predicting, the band members did not actually "live all over" each other on stage. There were no fistfights or displays of passive-aggressive behavior. No one called anyone else an asshole. And J. Mascis never tried to hit Lou Barlow with his guitar.
By this point in 2005, I shouldn't really be surprised at any rock reunion, overground or underground. And yet the Dinosaur Jr reunion still strikes me as just weirder than weird, given the band's acrimonious split and all those Mascis-hating Sebadoh songs that Barlow wound up writing. I guess time can heal the deepest of wounds. Er, maybe time and a good booking agent. Dinosaur will be touring the US in July, hitting the Cat's Cradle on Sunday, July 10th. In May 1991 I was extremely thrilled about getting to see a Dinosaur Jr./Finger bill at the old BW3 Cradle....but that was a post-Barlow Dinosaur, performing a pretty Green Mind-centric set. I'm guessing that the 2005 Dinosaur simulacrum will stay very focused on the first three Dinosaur albums, which have just been reissued by local label Merge Records.
I'm probably a bit of a sucker for buying these Dinosaur albums for the 2nd and 3rd times, but once I saw that they were remastered and that there was a $33 package deal, I couldn't resist plunking down the cash. From a bonus cut/rarity standpoint, there's very little extra audio to be had. And even though it makes total sense in terms of quality control, the chronological completist in me is somewhat troubled by the fact that the hilariously bad cover of Peter Frampton's "Show Me The Way" was dropped from the You're Living All Over Me disc in favor of the far-superior-but-released-after-Bug cover of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven". Oh, and that Last Rights tune from the "Just Like Heaven" EP? Forget it! In all seriousness, Merge did a great job with these reissues and the B-side questions are a very minor nitpick. I'm guessing that Mascis and company probably chose what B-sides they did and did not want people to hear in 2005, and that was that.
The real draw of these reissues is the amazing music from the original albums, but there are some nice non-audio extras included. Byron Coley wrote some extensive liner notes for all 3 discs, and the Bug and You're Living All Over Me discs each have two Quicktime music videos apiece. If you've never seen the classic "Just Like Heaven" video featuring stuffed animals hilariously rocking out and bowing down to the sludge-rock breakdown, well, now's your chance. Oscar the Grouch in a Deep Wound shirt, can't front on that!
Posted by Tim at April 17, 2005 05:40 PM
Comments
I will liken DinoJr's reunion to Curt & Roland setting aside their differences in 2004 to put out a fantastic Tears for Fears album. Their split was very spiteful as well, both of them writing mean songs about eachother. Too bad their coming back together wasn't as well received as it should have been, here in the US at least. I saw them in October in DC and they kicked much arse.
Posted by: jenn at April 18, 2005 04:30 PM
Tim,
So, I was out of town this weekend, so that means I missed the Apple Chill. I'm looking forward to your Summer Jamz predictions....what are you feeling? I think its gonna be a soulful John Legend summer. Akon might also smoke up the charts. Hook me up with the knowledge!
Posted by: Fred at April 20, 2005 11:41 AM
After-Chill 2005 post is coming soon. And to give you a little hint, "coming soon" is actually a favorite phrase of one of this year's big winners...
Posted by: Tim R ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tubafrenzy.org/weblog/nav-commenters.gif)
at April 20, 2005 02:49 PM
My vote's for Mike Jones' "Still Tippin"... Swishahouse may become the next Cash Money- That would make "Still Tippin" the "Back that Ass Up" for the 05.
That Trillville song with the mattress squeak is pretty hot too. On the radio a lot out here.
Posted by: Stuart at April 20, 2005 09:26 PM
Mike Jones...who? Seriously, though, you called it. Especially since Who is Mike Jones? is no longer just "coming soon" but actually in record stores as of yesterday. More thoughts coming soon...
Posted by: Tim R at April 21, 2005 12:01 AM