Green Mind [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: Dinosaur Jr.
Engineer: Paul Q. Kolderie; Sean Slade
Producer: Jim Mascis; Matt Abels (Reissue)
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Dinosaur Jr.: J. Mascis (vocals, guitar); Don Fleming (guitar, acoustic bass, background vocals); Murph (drums). Personnel: Joe Harvard (guitar, recorder, tapes); Sean Slade (Mellotron); Jay Spiegel (drums, drum, tambourine, tom tom); Matt Dillon , George Berz, John Agnello (background vocals); Don Fleming (guitar, acoustic bass, background vocals). Audio Mixer: Paul Q. Kolderie. Liner Note Author: Byron Coley. Recording information: Ft. Apache North; Sorceror Sound. GREEN MIND (1991) is Dinosaur Jr.'s major-label debut, following five years on the esteemed indie SST. It's kind of surprising that the band made it to the majors at all, because the original lineup of guitarist/singer J. Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow, and drummer Murph had imploded quite publicly and viciously in 1989. Though Murph drums on three tracks and noise-scenester Don Fleming plays acoustic bass on one, GREEN MIND is almost entirely a one-man show. The results are surprisingly tuneful and assured, with the leadoff single "The Wagon" being the catchiest, poppiest song Mascis had delivered to that point. Elsewhere, "Puke and Cry" and the pummelingly hypnotic "Thumb" are as powerful as any of the noise-pop roars on indie releases like YOU'RE LIVING ALL OVER ME. Quite possibly the most consistent Dino Jr. album, GREEN MIND is a powerful and melodic grunge-pop nugget. After temporarily suspending the band, J Mascis first snuck out "The Wagon" as a Sub Pop single, then a little while later released the group's first major-label album, Green Mind. More of a solo project than a group effort -- Lou Barlow was out and then some, Murph only drums on three tracks, a few guests pop up here and there -- it's still a great album, recorded and performed with gusto. Such a judgment may seem strange given Mascis' legendary image as the �berslacker, but clearly the man knows how to balance how to convey himself with getting the job done. "The Wagon" itself kicks off the album, an even quicker and nuttier sequel to the peerless "Freak Scene" -- Don Fleming of Gumball fame adds some of the music and background vocals, but otherwise it's Mascis and Murph cranking it and having a blast. When Mascis goes into one of his patented over-the-top solos, it all feels just right -- this is loud rock music for putting a smile on your face, not beating up people in a pit. The remainder of the album floats and rumbles along in its uniquely Dinosaur Jr. type of way, as apt to find poppy hooks, singalongs, and soft strumming as it is to blow out the Marshalls. Sublime moments include the contrast of sweet acoustic guitar and loud drums on "Blowing It," the fun thrash of "How'd You Pin That One on Me," and the Mellotron-as-flute-tinged stomp "Thumb." If nothing on the album is completely as freaked-out and over the top as "Push" from Bug, it's still a fine translation of Mascis' art for the commercial big boys. The song titles alone sometime say it all -- "Puke + Cry," "I Live for That Look," "Muck." Mascis throughout sounds like his usual self, cracked drawl ever as it was and shall be. [In 2006, Green Mind was reissued in an expanded and remastered edition, containing three B-sides: a cover of Gram Parsons' "Hot Burrito #2," "Turnip Farm," and "Forget It."] ~ Ned Raggett

Rolling Stone (6/27/91) - 3.5 Stars "...guitar playing will nail you to the wall..." Spin (3/91) - "...GREEN MIND negotiates the dreaded major-label debut with unusual grace. You might miss some of the semi-uncontrolled fury of earlier efforts, but Mascis's always-astonishing guitar mastery is fair compensation..."

Formed in Amherst, Massachusetts during the mid-1980s, Dinosaur Jr. crafted punky, ramshackle songs that featured J. Mascis' sleepy vocals and meandering, feedback-drenched guitars. After a series of well received indie releases, culminating with 1988's BUG, bassist Lou Barlow departed to form Sebadoh, and the band (Mascis and drummer Murph) signed with a major label. In 1991, the group released their masterpiece, GREEN MIND, an album that displayed a poppier, dreamier sound. However, Dinosaur Jr. was essentially a Mascis solo project by this point, and although Murph and other musicians appeared on subsequent albums, Dino Jr. remained a Mascis-driven vehicle until he officially went solo in the late '90s.

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