Weirdness Flows: The Songs of Dinosaur Jr (161-171)

A quick note before we start...

As I mentioned in the introduction, my overriding aim in writing this blog is to celebrate 40 years' worth of incredible music. I think that the Dinosaur Jr back catalogue represents a remarkably consistent body of work.

Having said that, no artist (or at least not one I've ever come across) has a completely flawless record. Even the very best and most consistent have a few dodgy moments scattered amongst their back catalogue. These are often, for example, b-sides or throwaway covers recorded for various artists compilations - tracks that the artists themselves wouldn't necessarily consider part of their 'proper' output.

I mention this because this post - which covers the bottom end of my list - is inevitably going to read rather negatively; and I want to reiterate that I am a huge fan of the band. It won't take us long to get to some cracking songs, trust me. But you have to start somewhere...

Anyway, enough waffle - let's start choppin'...

171 Solo Extractions

MP3 download only (2016)

Not a proper song – it’s actually a seven-minute collage of all of the guitar solos from Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not – and so there’s an argument for not including it in this list at all. But I do have a good reason for doing so. I have encountered more than a few people who are a bit ‘sniffy’ about Dinosaur Jr, their argument often being that the band are little more than a vehicle for J Mascis’ fretboard self-indulgence: music for frustrated air-guitarists. If you’re taking the time to read this, then I imagine you’ll know that – while J’s solos are obviously a key part of the appeal – the suggestion that that’s all that the songs are is nonsense.

‘Solo Extractions’ is a frustrating listen. Not that there aren’t some corking solos here (those from ‘Good To Know’ and ‘I Walk For Miles’, for example, are peaches), but hearing them one after the other, without context, is jarring. This isn’t a criticism of the band for releasing the thing – in these straitened times, you’ve got to do what you can to promote your stuff – but it serves as exemplification of how Dinosaur Jr are so much more than J’s solos.

170 Missing Link

Bonus track on Where You Been reissue (2019)

Taken from the soundtrack of the 1993 film Judgement Night, the song features vocals from Del Tha Funky Homosapien. No particular criticism of him, but the combination of a leaden funk-rock riff with his rapping is unfortunately reminiscent of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Perhaps it works just fine in the context of the film, but the description on IMDb (‘Four young friends, while taking a shortcut en route to a local boxing match, witness a brutal murder which leaves them running for their lives’), doesn’t inspire me to find out.

169 The Pickle Song

B-side to Take A Run At The Sun (1997)

Thankfully not a cover of this inane nonsense or this pre-school ditty. According to the sleeve notes of the single, it was actually written for the soundtrack of 1996 film Grace of My Heart; however, unlike the other two tracks on the single, it didn’t appear on the soundtrack album. (Whether it makes any sort of appearance in the film, I couldn’t say, not having seen it.)

It’s hard to know what to make of this: a queasy blend of 60s chamber pop and country hoedown, complete with banjo, Jew’s harp and theremin. According to the sleeve notes, it’s intended to evoke the spirit of Brian Wilson at his most drug-addled, but in reality the best you can say about it is that it’s a fleetingly interesting quirky footnote.

168 Flying Cloud

Green Mind (1991)

Sometimes J’s Neil Young-style falsetto is fragile and moving; here, however, it’s just whimpering and almost painful. This is exacerbated by the rather cringey lyric: ‘Hey lady, where you going? / Hey lady, why ain't it snowing?’ For many years, I neglected the marvellous ‘How'd You Pin That One On Me’ simply because ‘Flying Cloud’ made me flip the record to side two.

167 Quicksand (Wagon Reprise)

B-side to The Wagon (1991)

‘Quicksand’ is an excellent Bowie tune (as is ‘Andy Warhol’, which makes a brief appearance in the introduction here) and this is a reasonable enough cover. But the random insertion of ‘the wagon’ into the lyric soon loses its novelty appeal.

166 Lotta Love

The Bridge - A Tribute To Neil Young (1989)

Dinosaur Jr’s contribution to a worthy various artists compilation is one of those probably-more-fun-to-record-than-to listen-to moments. The instrumental thrash is entertaining enough, but the ‘comedy’ vocals quickly become grating.

165 I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better

Time Between – A Tribute to The Byrds (1989)

As above, albeit with a slightly less irritating vocal and a fairly decent guitar solo. According to this blog Gene Clark said this is his favourite cover of the song.