Dinosaur Jr. are an American alternative rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1984, originally called simply Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name. The band was founded by Murph (drums), J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter) and Lou Barlow (bass, vocals), both were former members of punk group Deep Wound. After three albums on independent labels earned the band a reputation as one of the formative influences on American alternative rock, creative tension led to Mascis firing Barlow, who later formed Sebadoh and Folk Implosion. His replacement, Mike Johnson came aboard for three major-label albums. Murph eventually quit, with Mascis taking over drum duties on the band's albums before the group disbanded in 1997. The original lineup reformed in 2005, releasing three albums thereafter.
Links To Peel[]
Peel was a fan of Dinosaur Jr, who used distorted guitar sounds and vocals that were reminiscent of Neil Young, which he admired. The band did three sessions for Peel's show and on 07 October 1990 mentioned that he would even be prepared to pay for bootleg copies of their session:
"There's a piece in the current issue of Sounds about bootlegs, and very interesting it is too. Back in the 70s, when there were lots of Dylan bootlegs and Rolling Stones bootlegs, and I was into that sort of thing, I used to buy 'em, but I rather gave up after that because frankly it just became too expensive, and I couldn't play them on the radio, and I spend too much money on records as it is. I mention this because I saw sessions by the Pixies and Dinosaur Jr., both of them made available on 7 inch EPs which I would like to have been able to buy, but at £8.50 a time...I wasn't prepared to pay that much money, and it is annoying when you know that the money is going to some kind of unscrupulous entrepreneur and not even to the bands themselves, and yet the bands curiously enough, when you say, "Well, why don't we put the stuff out on Strange Fruit and legitimise it in some way?" say they don't want that to be done, so the money goes to bootleggers instead. I know at least one band actually, not one of the ones that I've mentioned, that actually bootlegged their own session, so I suppose in a sense that comes slightly closer to being right. But this isn't a bootleg, that's for sure."
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- 1988 Festive Fifty: Freak Scene #05
- 1989 Festive Fifty: Just Like Heaven #12
- 1990 Festive Fifty: The Wagon #29
- 1993 Festive Fifty: Get Me #42
Sessions[]
1. Recorded: 1988-11-08. Broadcast: 14 November 1988. Repeated: 26 December 1988
- Raisans / Does It Float / Leper / Bulbs Of Passion
2. Recorded: 1989-04-25. Broadcast: 22 May 1989. Repeated: 20 June 1989, 07 November 1989
- Budge / No Bones / Chunks
3. Recorded: 1992-11-24. Broadcast: 09 January 1993. Repeated: 17 April 1993
- Noon At Dawn / Get Me / Keeblin / Hide
Other Shows Played[]
(The following list was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive and is certainly incomplete. Please add further details if known.)
- 1986
- 11 February 1986: Repulsion (LP - Dinosaur) Homestead
- 15 February 1986 (BFBS): 'Repulsion (7")' (Repulsion) (JP: 'Ah, there's a lot of it about.')
- 12 May 1986: Repulsion (7") Homestead
- 1987
- 26 June 1987 (Radio Bremen): Tarpit (album - You're Living All Over Me) SST
- 04 August 1987: Little Fury Things (LP - You're Living All Over Me) SST
- 11 August 1987: Little Fury Thing (album - You're Living All Over Me) SST
- 19 August 1987: Tarpit (LP - You're Living All Over Me) SST
- 21 August 1987 (BFBS) (Peel 067 (BFBS)): 'The Lung (LP-You're Living All Over Me)' (SST)
- 21 September 1987: Lose (LP - You're Living All Over Me) SST
- 09 October 1987 (BFBS) (Peel 071 (BFBS)): 'Lose (LP-You're Living All Over Me)' (SST)
- 10 November 1987: Little Fury Things (LP - You're Living All Over Me) SST
- 16 November 1987: Show Me The Way (CD - You're Living All Over Me) SST
- 01 December 1987: Little Furry Things (LP - You're Living All Over Me) SST
- 09 December 1987: In A Jar (12" - Little Fury Things) SST
- 1988
- 14 September 1988: Keep The Glove (7" - Freak Scene) Blast First
- 20 September 1988: Freak Scene (7") Blast First
- 27 September 1988 (BBC World Service): Freak Scene (7") Blast First
- 28 September 1988: Freak Scene (single) Blast First
- 30 September 1988 (BFBS) (Peel 091 (BFBS)): 'Freak Scene (7")' (Blast First) (JP: 'And what a splendid record that is!...The release version of that has a rude word in it, the same rude word twice...so if you buy it, you'll be able to hear it. Don't do anything silly now.')
- 05 October 1988: Freak Scene (single) Blast First
- 10 October 1988: No Bones (LP – Bug) SST
- 11 October 1988: They Always Come (LP – Bug) Blast First
- 13 October 1988 (BBC World Service): No Bones (LP - Bug) Blast First
- 17 October 1988 (BBC World Service): No Bones (LP - Bug) Blast First
- 18 October 1988 (Radio Bremen): They Always Come (album - Bug) Blast First
- 18 October 1988 (Radio Bremen): Let It Ride (album - Bug) Blast First
- 19 October 1988: Yeah We Know (LP – Bug) Blast First
- 31 October 1988: The Post (LP - Bug) Blast First
- 01 November 1988 (Radio Bremen): The Post (album - Bug) Blast First
- 09 November 1988 / John Peel Selection ~ BBC Radio 1 ~ November 1988: Let It Ride (album - Bug) Blast First
- 28 December 1988: Freak Scene FF #05
- 1989
- 30 January 1989: Tarpit (LP - You're Living All Over Me) SST
- 19 April 1989: Just Like Heaven (split 7" flexi with Lunachicks - Get Off The Road / Just Like Heaven) The Catalogue
- 26 April 1989: Just Like Heaven (7") Blast First
- 26 April 1989: Throw Down (b/w 7" - Just Like Heaven)
- 26 April 1989: Chunks (A Last Rights Tune) (b/w 7" - Just Like Heaven) Blast First
- 02 May 1989: Just Like Heaven (10") Blast First
- 10 May 1989 (BFBS) (Peel 103 (BFBS)): 'Just Like Heaven (single-sided 12")' (Blast First)
- 11 May 1989: Just Like Heaven (10") Blast First BFFP 47T
- 17 May 1989: Just Like Heaven (7") Blast First
- 06 June 1989: I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better (v/a album - Time Between - A Tribute To The Byrds) Imaginary
- 15 June 1989: I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better (v/a album - Time Between - A Tribute To The Byrds) Imaginary
- 26 June 1989: The Lung (LP - You're Living All Over Me) SST
- 17 July 1989: The Post (LP - Bug) SST
- 24 July 1989: Lose (LP - You're Living All Over Me) SST
- 07 August 1989: Lotta Love (v/a album - The Bridge - A Tribute To Neil Young) Caroline
- 26 August 1989 (BFBS) (Peel 114 (BFBS)): 'Lotta Love (Compilation LP-The Bridge - A Tribute To Neil Young)' (Caroline)
- 18 October 1989: Bulbs Of Passion (v/a LP - Nothing Short Of Total War (Part One)) Blast First
- 30 October 1989: Bulbs Of Passion [v/a LP - Nothing Short Of Total War (Part One) - A Blast First] Blast First
- 11 November 1989 (BFBS) (Peel 122 (BFBS)): 'Bulbs Of Passion (Box set-Devil's Jukebox)' (Blast First)
- 19 December 1989: Lose (album - You're Living All Over Me) SST
- 27 December 1989: 'Just Like Heaven (7 inch)' (Blast First) FF #12
- 1990
- 06 February 1990: In A Jar (album - You're Living All Over Me) SST
- 26 April 1990: Bulbs Of Passion [v/a LP - Nothing Short Of Total War (Part One) - A Blast First] Blast First
- 29 May 1990: The Wagon (7") Sub Pop SP68
- 04 June 1990: 'The Wagon (7")' (Sub Pop)
- 14 June 1990: Just Like Heaven (single) Blast First
- 07 July 1990 (BFBS) (Peel 152 (BFBS)): 'The Leper (LP-Dinosaur)' (Homestead)
- 19 July 1990: The Lung (v/a LP - Vera Groningen - Beauty In The Underworld) VERA
- 06 August 1990 (Ö3): The Lung (live) : LP (Compilation) Vera Groningen - Beauty in the Underworld Vera/Semaphore Records
- 23 December 1990: 'The Wagon (7")' (Sub Pop) FF #29
- Peel Snubbed 1990: 'Freak Scene' Snub TV
- 1991
- 05 January 1991: The Post (album - Bug) Blast First
- 12 January 1991: Quicksand (Wagon reprise) (12" single - The Wagon) Blanco Y Negro
- 13 January 1991: Wagon (12" EP ) Blanco Y Negro
- 19 January 1991: The Wagon (EP) Blanco Y Negro NEG 48T
- 10 February 1991 (BFBS) (Peel 169 (BFBS)): 'The Wagon (12")' (Blanco Y Negro)
- 16 February 1991: Blowing It (album - Green Mind) Blanco Y Negro
- 16 February 1991: I Live For That Look (album - Green Mind) Blanco Y Negro
- 17 February 1991: How Do You Pin That One On Me (album - Green Mind) Blanco Y Negro
- 23 February 1991: Muck (album - Green Mind) Blanco Y Negro
- 24 February 1991: Thumb (album - Green Mind) Blanco Y Negro
- 09 March 1991 (BFBS) (Peel 174 (BFBS)): 'Blowing It/I Live For That Look (LP-Green Mind)' (Blanco Y Negro)
- 09 March 1991 (BFBS) (Peel 175 (BFBS)): 'Muck (LP-Green Mind)' (Blanco Y Negro)
- 16 March 1991 (BFBS) (Peel 176 (BFBS)): 'Thumb (LP-Green Mind)' (Blanco Y Negro) (JP: 'This is another golden rule about to be broken, cos I always said I'd never play a version of Hello Dolly on the radio, and also made one of those little mental notes to meself never to play a record that had got a flute on it. And then...')
- 16 March 1991 (BFBS) (Peel 176 (BFBS)): 'Green Mind (LP-Green Mind)' (Blanco Y Negro)
- 07 July 1991: Just Like Heaven (12" EP - Just Like Heaven) Blast First
- 07 July 1991: I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better (CD - Time Between: A Tribute To The Byrds) Imaginary
- 25 August 1991: Whatever's Cool With Me (7") Blanco Y Negro
- 31 August 1991: 'Whatever's Cool With Me (7 inch)' (Blanco Y Negro)
- 03 November 1991: 'Lotta Love (Compilation LP-The Bridge - A Tribute To Neil Young)' (Caroline)
- 21 December 1991: Whatever's Cool With Me (7 inch) (Blanco Y Negro)
- 1992
- 23 October 1992: Get Me (12") Blanco Y Negro NEG 60T
- 25 October 1992 (BFBS): Get Me (12") Blanco Y Negro
- 1993
- 15 January 1993: 'Start Choppin' (Single) Blanco Y Negro
- 31 January 1993 (BFBS): Start Choppin (7") Blanco Y Negro
- 04 June 1993: ‘Raisins (Promo CD – Out There)’ (Sire Records)
- 05 June 1993 (BFBS): Leper (session version) (CD Maxi single - Out There) Sire
- 14 June 1993 (BBC World Service): Raisins (Live) (CD Promo - Out There (Plus Live Tracks)) Sire
- 25 December 1993: 'Get Me (LP-Where You Been' (Blanco Y Negro) FF #42
- 1996
- 02 April 1996: Freak Scene
- 1999
- 09 February 1999: Keep The Glove (CD-In Session) Strange Fruit
- 10 February 1999: 'In A Jar (CD-In Session)' (Strange Fruit)
- 11 February 1999 (Radio Mafia): 'In A Jar (CD-In Session)' (Strange Fruit)
- 14 February 1999 (BFBS):'Leper (CD-In Session)' (Strange Fruit)
- 18 February 1999 (Radio Eins): In A Jar (album - In Session) Strange Fruit SFRSCD078
- 2004
- 16 March 2004: 'Sludgefeast (LP - 'You're Living all Over Me')' (SST)
- 16 November 2004 (Rob Da Bank): ‘Freak Scene’ (LP- Just Like Heaven) – (Blast First)