Dinosaur Jr. - Where You Been
Listen to an audio version of this review by Greg
“Simple but melodic with sharp edges”. This is my description of most 90s music. I’m not looking to insult musicians or fans from this era by calling it simple, but the style of music we were hearing in the 90s was different. It’s kind of like fashion. I always wonder; what makes something stylish? Many fashion designers may strike me down here. I think fashion trends many times are started by someone, yes, just one person, saying, “Screw it! I’m going to wear these shoes and I’m going to present myself as if I don’t care what you think. While in public, I’m going to present myself as sorry for you that you don’t also have these shoes”. What usually happens? People laugh at this person for a time, but eventually notice their confidence and become drawn to the shoes. The next thing you know, everyone on the planet is wearing them.
Perhaps this can also be said for music trends and genres. I think there is always one or two bands/artists/musicians who say the same thing the fashion “trendsetter” said, “Screw it! I’m going to play this music and I’m going to present myself as if I don’t care what you think”.
For popular music, especially rock n roll, or “pop rock”, the dominant genre in 1989 and 1990, was hard rock or “hair metal”. Yes, there were other popular genres outside of what we call “rock” music, but the Poisons and the Motley Crue’s of the world were a dominant force. But in 1990 and even 1991, you started to see this shift. The radio was playing music with more of an edge. The artists were not as concerned about their physical image. Many times they just wore dark jeans and a dark-colored t-shirt. Their music exemplified this new trend. Pretty soon, by 1992, hard rock bands were highlighted less, and bands that would eventually be dubbed, “grunge” were ruling the popular music scene. Bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden; all from Seattle by the way, were leading this charge, and virtually every grunge band from Seattle was being offered record deals.
Within this forest of grunge, an edgy, gritty band from Amherst, Massachusetts called Dinosaur Jr. was plotting their eventual takeover of the alternative music scene. Formed 8 years earlier, in 1984, the band’s original name was Dinosaur. Band leader, lead singer, and guitarist J. Mascis later changed the name adding the “Jr” to the end of Dinosaur. See, the problem was, there was already a band called Dinosaurs and they presented the band with a cease and desist. Dinosaurs was a supergroup made up of members of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna, and Country Joe and the Fish. The band’s management presented a lawsuit stating Mascis and company were in trademark violation. Rather than fight the suit, Mascis just said, “ehhh….what the hell….let’s just add a Jr at the end and call it a day”. But before the name change, the band would release their self-titled debut, Dinosaur in 1985 before the name trouble popped up on their radar.
Originally called, Deep Wound, the band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1984, they would later change the name to Dinosaur while attending the University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst. UMass Amherst is a place I frequented in the mid–late 90s, visiting childhood friends attending college there. To me, at the time, compared to where I went to school, UMass or ZooMass was a completely different world. A vast, wide campus so spread out they had busses from one end of campus to the other. The dorms were co-ed, which usually meant parties were frequent and large. And it always seemed like the “dorm proctors”, or “resident advisors”, the people who would act as the “police” were never around.
UMass was the perfect backdrop for this band, as their music fit the profile of what I envisioned a student from UMass liking. From 1985 to 1991, the band would release four albums. But it wasn’t until their fifth studio release, Where You Been, that they caught my attention.
In most of my previous reviews, I describe where I was or what I was thinking at the very moment I first heard each album. In the case of Where You Been, I honestly cannot remember where I was when I first heard it. But I can remember being the only fan among my friends, which as a teenager, made me like a band even more.
Getting back to the fashion trend topic, like those “off-center” shoes I was referring to earlier, band leader J. Mascis brings a unique sound to the band. His voice can be considered to contain “vocal fry”. By 1993, I was deep in my investigation phase of music. Bands like Anthrax, White Lion, and Warrant were not as interesting to me anymore. I still listened from time to time, but after being knocked over the head with a Pink Floyd record, I wanted to explore the dark side. I wanted to explore this alternative music everyone was talking about. I wanted to ask everyone in the room what they were listening to and what they liked, and THEN, go in the opposite direction. Of course, I soon realized that I yearned for like-minded fans of these groups that I discovered late at night after some libations.
I think this was a growth phase. I was maturing…..sort of. The teased-up hair and leather no longer impressed me. This music had one thing in common and it was obvious when you watched and listened, it was all about the music. Not the show. It was about the music and only the music. That turned me on and inspired me to tune in and drop out (not literally, I didn’t drop out of school. I just explored music more).
So getting back to the album, released on February 9th, 1993, Where You Been is Dinosaur Jr’s fifth studio album. Listening to this record, you can feel the classic rock influence, mixed with J. Mascis’ use of amplifier feedback, on top of his sometimes-mumbling vocals.
The band would admit early influences would include punk bands like Black Flag and Minor Threat. To best describe Dinosaur Jr.’s music, I think the owner of their first record company, Gerald Cosloy said it best. He noted,
“It was its own bizarre hybrid. It wasn’t exactly pop. It wasn’t exactly punk rock. It was completely its own thing”.
The album cover depicts a space alien hitchhiker in jeans thumbing his request for a ride by the highway. The hitchhiking alien is painted with a revolver in his belt as he’s standing next to a flattened dog, recently a victim of roadkill. The band gives credit to a painter named Angry Johnny.
The album kicks off with Out There. Personally not my favorite track on this album, but the chorus gives you a bit of a kick. However, this track does give you a good feeling for what’s in store on this record. Although, if I’m planning to convince my friends Dinosaur Jr is worth a listen, I would start with the next track, Start Choppin’. This riff-happy melody hooked me to the band, quite honestly when I first heard this in ’93. The song is by far their biggest radio hit, which is not surprising. Although it does include J’s, perhaps off-putting screech and howl, Start Choppin’ is solid. It’s a grunge rock n roll song consisting of happy vibes from its roots through to its core. Mascis named the song after a comment he made to the producer during a recording session. They were piecing together different takes. In the 90s, many bands were still recording on actual tape. In most cases, they’d have to cut or “chop” the tape up to piece together the best parts. Mascis told the guys to “start choppin’” which eventually gave birth to the title.
What Else is New is another strong track. An honest song containing Mascis’ lyrics about someone’s last-ditch effort to save a broken relationship on the verge of collapse. Just when you think it can’t get any better, it ends with a beautiful, melodic acoustic guitar that whisks you off into the clouds.
On the Way picks you back up once the acoustic guitar of What Else is New commences. You notice J. Mascis recorded his voice on two tracks, one low, and one in his real high screech. This seems to be a theme on this record. Bassist Mike Johnson assists with backing vocals along with some guitar and piano.
Listening to early Dinosaur, before they changed their name, the music doesn’t appeal to me. But one thing was certain, these guys were cutting edge. The music that would become “mainstream” in the 90s and get the tag “grunge” was started by bands like Dinosaur later called Dinosaur Jr. in the mid-80s. When everything in my world then was The Police, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, there were bands like Dinosaur that were taking punk but putting more of a melody to it. This wasn’t done by accident. Bands wanted to weld classic rock together with late 70s/early 80s punk and skater music. The formula equaled the edgy sound that Dinosaur Jr. would put out night after night at music halls around New England.
With a singing voice like Neil Young and Nick Cave, J Mascis was destined to direct the sound of this band towards an alternative movement. This movement was quietly taking place in small towns throughout the United States. Not just the big city.
For their first big tour, in the mid-late 80s, the band opened for Sonic Youth, who, like Jane’s Addiction, could be considered among some of the earliest alternative bands that achieved national success. It was during this time bands like Nirvana took notice of J and Dinosaur Jr.
Of course, like most bands, these guys had their fair share of in-fighting. In the documentary Freak Scene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr, there is footage of bassist Lou Barlow and J fighting each other on stage during a gig. By 1987, after years of touring, Lou and J grew extremely tired of one another. Things came to a head one night when Lou decided to play one note during an entire song, neglecting the changes. Things were already heated between Lou and J. They both knew they’d hit rock bottom when they fought on stage during a gig.
Lou would later leave the band, but not before they released two more albums. Around 1988, before their Bleach album was released, Kurt Cobain asked J if he wanted to join Nirvana. This is WILD. At that time, Dinosaur Jr. was a bigger band than Nirvana. So think about what would have come if J had decided to ditch his true love, his band, and go join Nirvana, who at the time was not on anybody’s radar.
But J turned Cobain down. He turned him down twice. And went on to build Dinosaur Jr. back up and keep the train rolling. Who knows how music would have been shaped if J hadn’t turned him down and joined?
Before the recording of Where You Been, Mike Johnson, former bassist for Queens of the Stone Age, replaced Lou Barlow after Mascis and Barlow agreed to part ways. Mike got along well with J and longtime drummer, Murph, and the band found some chemistry in the studio, which resulted in this album.
Get Me follows suit with the album’s formula. By the time this album was released, the band was enjoying national recognition. Actor Matt Dillon signed up to direct their music video for MTV. If you wanted national recognition as a band in the 80s and 90s, you had to create a music video and you had to figure a way to get it on MTV. In the early 90s, videos for bands like Dinosaur Jr. aired mostly on Sunday nights, during a show hosted by Matt Pinfield called, 120 Minutes. Although their videos enjoyed regular airplay on 120 Minutes, their notoriety earned them an invitation to join the 1993 Lollapalooza Festival, which was a national tour featuring Rage Against the Machine, Tool, Fishbone, Alice in Chains and Primus.
Just when you think the album might be getting a little tired. Just when you are starting to wonder whether J’s voice is getting to you, Get Me brings you right back. It sure brought me right back. The track has everything: a dynamic chorus and a harmonious guitar riff including a phenomenal solo by Mascis. This is a song I can see them closing a show with. This is the song where I can see all the lighters up in the air. This is how fans showed their appreciation at concerts before the days of smartphones.
If you’re not careful, you might mistake the next track, Drawerings, for Get Me. The tracks are eerily similar. Despite their similarities, their differences can also be heard. Drawerings is quite anthemic, causing you to slow down, raise your hand in the air, and sway back and forth left to right…..or right to left if that’s your thing!
But like Get Me, Drawerings contains a guitar solo by J Mascis that certainly makes you pay attention. Through all that loud distortion and fuzz, Mascis does have a beautiful way of playing his guitar. He can be violent with his playing, and at the same time, he can be very gentle. This is likely how he pulled me and many fans in who liked punk, but were not as drawn in by punk’s sometimes torturous vocals.
Where You Been was Dinosaur Jr.'s biggest commercial success after its release. It reached number 50 in the US and number 10 in the UK. After three albums, bassist Mike Johnson would leave, prompting J to bring an old-time friend and former bassist Lou Barlow back. Drummer Murph would also leave the band in the late 90s. Although Mascis hired another drummer, the original lineup of Barlow, Murph, and Mascis would reunite in 2005 and go on to release five more albums.
Their most recent album, 2021’s Sweep It Into Space is also solid. It’s great to see the band is still going! To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Where You Been, Dinosaur Jr. launched a global tour commemorating the anniversary, where they’ve agreed to play the album in its entirety at every show! And I have a ticket!!
I know there are a lot of fans of this band, and a lot of fans of this album out there in the world. But here at home, I’ve enjoyed Dinosaur Jr. as a band I can call my own. Over here, they are mine. I share my love for this band with a few people.
So if you’re like me, and 90s music feels just like a blanket, keeping your soul warm and keeping your memories of the FREEDOM you felt in the 1990s alive, pick up this album, Where You Been. I can’t say enough about how this music made me feel and continues to make me feel today. It makes me remember a simpler time. It makes me remember a less complicated time when all I thought about every day was when am I going to be able to finish the day and justs pick up my guitar and play. And that is priceless….
