Dinosaur Jr: Green Mind

Dinosaur Jr: Green Mind

1991

Blanco y Negro/Sire Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. The Wagon  2. Puke + Cry  3. Blowing It  4. I Live for That Look  5. Flying Cloud  6. How'd You Pin That One on Me  7. Water  8. Muck  9. Thumb  10. Green Mind



Woah! Look at that cover! The baby from the Van Halen "1984" cover grew up...

I can't believe how irresponsible that girl's parents are! Why don't they get that kid an e-cig?!?!

 They come in all kinds of fruity flavors the kids love...

Anyway...Is it Friday yet? This week's been dragging on forever...Huh? It is?!?! Friday?!?!?!YES!!!! I think I'm going to Tucson this weekend...Forgoing the usual real-life Friday Night Record Party for a change of pace...Hey! I should do a special Tucson edition of the Friday Night Record Party blog...Kind of like when Facts of Life went to Paris...

Ahhh, here we are in beautiful downtown Tucks-son...With it's cozy shops, fine dining and vibrant music scene...

Why here's Mike from local favorites Blues Choogler...Listen to him slap and pop that funky bass...Who would have thought "Born to Be Wild" would sound so good with slap bass? Why, only a visionary like Mike from Blues Choogler could conceive of such a thing...The locals have dubbed the band's music as "Desert Rock" because it's as boring as the dirt of the Mighty Sonoran Desert...

 Hey, Blair...Let's ditch this place and go get an Eegee's...No one can visit Tucson and not get an Eegee's...Especially the watermelon flavor...They're the best (In reality, could secretly care less about any of them...Just want Ranch Fries)...

Now I'm trying to remember what I liked about Tucson...Oh yea... The restaurant where you can get a box of Cap'N Crunch in a giant bowl!!! What was that place called?

 
The Grill!! That's right...Huh? They closed down? Awww....

Hey! I used to love going to the Wildcat House on Friday Nights and getting hammered to high heaven on quarter beers!!! What?!?! That place closed down too? Shit...

 At least Lucky Wishbone is still open...That place is pretty cool...They'd deep-fry your shoes if you'd let 'em... Long Live Deep Fried Chicken Gizzards!! ...and that garlic toast they sell that's just on regular-ass white bread...That shit is the best...

What's that, Tootie? Why am I talking about Tucson when I'm supposed to be talking about "Green Mind" by Dinosaur Jr?  I dunno...I must have gotten carried away again...Here, I'll write a sentence or two about "Green Mind"...ahem...

"Green Mind" is the first album of the post-Lou Barlow (pre-Lou Barlow reunion) era...Hell, even Murph is hardly on this one...I guess it's pretty much a J Mascis solo album, which is probably the healthiest mind-set if you're stepping into this fresh from the SST albums...It's much more cleaned up and professional sounding...The bass is no-longer always distorted and bull-dozing everything in its path...This is just normal bass guitar playing, which makes Dino's sound a bit less distinct and exciting, but you almost get over that about a minute or so into "The Wagon" which is so fucking awesome that you're willing to forgive anything..

I'm calling it the band's second best song after "Freak Scene...A super uptempo pop-rock song (with a few slabs of metal riffage and some sitar thrown in for color)  with the normally drowsy J delivering one of his most exuberant vocals (complete with a falsetto chorus!):

"I ring the doorbell in your mind
But it's locked from the outside
You won't see me..."

Sure, the lyrics look a bit sullen and moody on paper (yes, this blog is printed on 100% recycled paper)  but the performance gives it a sweetly nostalgic feel...The sort of indie rock summer hit anthem, evoking long glowing days of doin' nothin', sweet nothin'...

My other favorite track has to be "Thumb," where the band (?) busts out the Mellotron and get all "Strawberry Fields Forever" on us...That is, if "Strawberry Fields Forever" had a distorted, almost industrial rock bassline and long stretches of flaming, extended guitar-hero soloing...This is good lighter-hoisting music...

 "Muck" is a nice surprise too...You get to hear the band get funky...Who knew such a thing was possible...And who would have guessed it would sound so great? Perhaps, Mike from Blues Choogler?

This is the Dinosaur Jr album I reach for the least, but whenever I play it I always think to myself, "Why don't I listen to this one more?" I thin it's always been overshadowed by the two album's surrounding it, which are two of my favorites...Still, this is a damn fine listen and I'm always psyched to hear it again..."Puke + Cry"...The title track...Come on...It's all great...I have a feeling this is gonna end up in my heavy rotation again...

Let's check out "The Wagon" by Dinosaur Jr...Friday Forever!!...