Dinosaur Jr – Green Mind

It’s astounding to listen to Dinosaur Jr's Green Mind and realize the core of nine songs were performed, almost in their entirety, by J. Mascis alone. At just 25, this was someone with so much compositional talent he was able to conjure a full band with just his own two hands.

Green Mind‘s primary axis is a see-saw back-and-forth between pugnacious hard (punk) rock — tracks like ‘How’d You Pin That One On Me’ — and acoustic guitar-laced Americana — songs like ‘Flying Cloud’ or ‘Water’. It’s a warm and winning combination with every song deserving its place whether it’s the almost funky verses of ‘Puke + Cry’ or the chugging tone of ‘Blowing It’.

This long overdue reissue comes 24-tracks deep in bonus material, all of it worthwhile for both the newcomer and the hardened fanatic.

Gathering together the Whatever’s Cool With Me EP, along with everything from the 1991 single of ‘The Wagon’, everything here is of such quality it’s like receiving a second album rather than just random leftovers.

The live disc, too, is a decent blend of crowd-pleasers and Green Mind tracks with a rip-roaring bass-heavy edge. It’s a very satisfying overall package from Cherry Red Records.

DELUXE EXPANDED EDITION 2xLP

Tracklist:
A1 The Wagon
A2 Puke + Cry
A3 Blowing It
A4 I Live For That Look
A5 Flying Cloud
A6 How'd You Pin That One On Me
B1 Water
B2 Muck
B3 Thumb
B4 Green Mind
C1 Pebbles + Weeds
C2 The Little Baby
C3 Not You Again
C4 Quicksand (Wagon Reprise)
C5 Throw Down
C6 Whatever's Cool With Me
D1 Sideways
D2 Thumb (Live)
D3 Keep The Glove (Live)
D4 The Lung (Live)
D5 The Post (Live)