Classically Dinosaur
by Shea Roney
Reunions in the music industry are and should be handled with heavy skepticism at this point in time. With legendary rock bands like Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, and even the Velvet Underground reuniting and quickly failing, a reunion tour acts mostly as a sarcastic joke. Reasons can be from washed up acts trying to cash grab on the glory days or even an honest attempt which ends up reinviting the inner quarrels of the band. With these rock giants reuniting and quickly falling back into myths, what was to become of a band like Dinosaur Jr. to reunite?
The scraggly and secluded original lineup of Dinosaur Jr. consisted of J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Patrick ‘Murph’ Murphey. J and Barlow met in high school in Massachusetts. With their shared love of music along with their social nameplate as outsiders, they decided to form a punk band called Deep Wound, where J played drums and Barlow played guitar. Shortly after forming, J left the drums to take over lead guitar and song writer duties. They recruited a friend of a friend, nicknamed Murph, to play drums and in 1984 the lineup for Dinosaur Jr. was formed. In a span of 4 years, Dinosaur Jr. released three albums, one being the indie powerhouse You’re Living All Over Me.
Underneath the great music was a very problematic band. J was very strict when it came to Murph and Barlow’s playing on his songs. Constant touring led to heated arguments and lack of patience. And lastly, it came down to Barlow sabotaging the shows with abstract bass playing on stage. Due to problematic personalities and little to no communication, J and Murph decided it was time to fire Barlow in ‘89. Without Barlow, J and Murph continued on to sign to a major label where they released four albums, most of which contained radio hits. After 1997’s Hand it Over was released, Murph decided it was time for him to leave. J then retired the Dinosaur name and worked on a solo career spanning three studio albums.
It wasn’t until 2005 when the thought of Dinosaur Jr. ever being a band again came into people’s minds. For a time it felt like that was an unnecessary question to ask. Barlow wrote many songs and did interviews where he trashed J’s name. The friendship seemed to be completely obliterated. But in 2005, J’s ambitious manager tossed up the idea of reuniting Barlow and Murph to be Dinosaur Jr. once again. Completely reluctant, J agreed, and shortly after, both Barlow and Murph agreed as well. They played a string of shows in 2005, and in 2007 the album Beyond was released, two decades after the band first formed and the first album with the original lineup since 1988’s Bug. Since then, the band has released five albums with the original lineup, all ranging from good to great.
Going back to basics is such an overused term in the music world for bands that want to rehash the glory days. But the basics for Dinosaur Jr. only helped make their songwriting process timeless while evolving with age. With melodically generous songs, Dinosaur Jr. was still able to put out catchy but classically Dinosaur songs. A classic Dinosaur song wouldn’t be anything without J’s rather enthralling guitar playing that made the extended guitar solo credible again in the underground scene in the early 80’s. Lou’s chord playing bass drives formulate the song structure while J goes into solos. Murph’s drumming conducts the compelling use of dynamic shifts with energetic runs. The Dinosaur Jr. sound offers hope building melodies that conflict with the dark, fuzz-filled sound of the band. The estranged dynamic shifts and complicated chords show a band with hardcore-punk roots with classic influences. Each album contains exactly two songs that Barlow wrote. An unspoken formula that has been followed ever since their second album was released.
2007’s Beyond carries over the intense fuzz filled songs that offer up some fresh intake on the band’s life. The opening track titled “Almost Ready” shows the hesitation that presented itself with J and Barlow working together again. 2009’s Farm has a song titled “Over It”, narrating J’s feelings towards the verbal lashings from Barlow over the years. And since then the band has released three more albums, including their most recent one in 2021, Sweep It Into Space.
So what makes a band like Dinosaur Jr. more worthy of surviving a long awaited reunion when countless and more successful bands have failed time and time again? It could be the fact that they mellowed out after all becoming family men. It could be that they just decided to put everything aside and just play music. Although Murph had his issues with the other members, the real rotten core was between J and Barlow. Barlow let personal issues sidetrack him from working along with J, while J was extremely strict and stubborn about his music. The band now has a manager that plays the middleman and helps push communication into the foreground of the band.
One thing that the band has been consistent on is their intention of not changing a thing when it comes to writing music. In the mid 80’s, Dinosaur Jr. offered something to the kids that liked punk music, but not the intense and violent hardcore scenes that ran the underground. Dinosaur Jr. gave their listeners a warm blanket of fuzzy noise to experience punk in a new fashion. On their newer works, they still look to function on what they know best, but they also incorporate influences on whatever they are listening to at that point in time. Their consistency to stay classically Dinosaur while pushing the boundaries of their own musical talent is why their relevance and influence on the indie scene has not dwindled but has grown. A reunion is nothing without personal growth within the members and the music, and Dinosaur Jr. proves album after album that it is possible.