Ear-Bleeding Country: The Best of Dinosaur Jr.

by Dinosaur Jr.

Overview

The conventional wisdom on Dinosaur Jr. is focused almost entirely on their sonics, which admittedly were devastating and influential. Other bands had never relinquished the force of electric guitars -- Huesker Due were a galvanizing force, Sonic Youth reaffirmed that sheer noise had poetic power -- but Dinosaur, through their laconic frontman, J Mascis, restored not just the idea of a guitar hero, but showed that underground rock could soar with the eloquence of a guitar hero, reeling from lovely leads to sheets of noise to tranquil chords. In their early days, they relied more on sheer, overwhelming power, which tended to overshadow Mascis' subtle songwriting -- something that came to the forefront when the group, shed of Lou Barlow, shifted to Sire early in the '90s, because that also brought cleaner, precise productions. Since Rhino's 2001 compilation Ear-Bleeding Country: The Best of Dinosaur Jr. concentrates the Sire recordings, it does wind up emphasizing his songwriting, yet since those songs were always graced with Dinosaur's sonic power and grace, it does provide an accurate summary of their career. And it provides a pretty tremendous listen in doing that. Some may argue that there's not enough Homestead or SST material here, and "Raisans" should have been here (along with Green Mind's "Puke + Cry," and possibly their cover of "Show Me the Way"), but this generous 19-track collection never sags in its momentum, never has a dull spot, and pulls off a tricky move -- it makes Mascis seem consistent, which latter-day Dinosaur Jr. were not necessarily. However, as this collection proves, Mascis never lost his touch and could still write terrific songs, even as late as the group's final album. But what really stands out here is the consistency of the work -- "Little Fury Things" and "Freak Scene" may be the benchmarks of underground '80s rock, but alt-rock standards like the straight cover of the Cure's "Just Like Heaven," "Whatever's Cool With Me," "Start Choppin," "Get Me," "Feel the Pain," and the astonishing "The Wagon" are their equal, as is nearly every other song on this collection. And while the inclusion of "Where'd You Go," a cut by Mascis and his post-Dinosaur outfit, the Fog, is puzzling, "Take a Run at the Sun," a Beach Boys homage from the Grace of My Heart soundtrack that puts the High Llamas and R.E.M.'s latter-day efforts to shame, certainly isn't, since it illustrates that Mascis' genius is conscious. So, while there may be a couple of songs that maybe should have made the cut, what is here cements that Dinosaur Jr. are one of the great bands of their era, and it's a terrific listen, one of the best records in their catalog. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/07/2024
Label:	Cherry Red
UPC:	5013929172890
Rank:	166320

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dinosaur Jr.   Primary Artist
J Mascis   Primary Artist,Bass,Drums,Organ,Piano,Chimes,Guitar,Vocals,Cymbals,Timpani,Tom-Tom,Keyboards,Distortion,Percussion
Lee Ranaldo   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Tiffany Ander   Guest Artist
Sean Slade   Mellotron
Mike Johnson   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Vocals (Background),Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Tiffany Anders   Vocals
Murph   Casio,Drums,Vocals
Greg Dwinnell   Pedal Steel
Bilinda Butcher   Vocals
Greg Dwinell   Pedal Steel
Donna Gauger   Piccolo,Trumpet
Kevin Shields   Vocals,Tambourine
Lou Barlow   Bass,Tape,Casio,Ukeke,Vocals,Ukulele
Jay Spiegel   Toms,Tom-Tom
Don Flemming   Vocals (Background)
Don Fleming   Guitar,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

John Yates   Engineer,Engineer
Wharton Tiers   Engineer
Rojo   Assistant
Mark Alan Miller   Engineer
Mark Miller   Engineer,Assistant
Porl Thompson   Composer
Sean Slade   Engineer
Phil Ek   Engineer
Tim O'Hare   Engineer
Mitch Easter   Mixing,Engineer
Brian Sperber   Mixing,Assistant
Bryce Goggin   Assistant
John Agnello   Mixing,Engineer
Matt Pakucko   Assistant
Tim O'Heir   Engineer
Robert Smith   Composer
Ted Trewhella   Assistant
Randy Perry   Project Assistant
Glen   Engineer,Engineer
Dave Donnelly   Remastering
Julie Vlasak   Design,Art Direction
Chris   Engineer
Steve Rojo   Assistant
Bil Emmons   Assistant
Amy Utstein   Project Assistant
Marc Seedorf   Engineer
Tony Perez   Composer
Paul Q. Kolderie   Engineer
Steve Revitte   Engineer
Andy Wilkinson   Engineer
Steven Chean   Editorial Supervision
Kevin Shields   Engineer
J Mascis   Composer,Producer,Instrumentation
Justin Pizzoferrato   Engineer
David Bowie   Composer
Andy Zax   Compilation Assistant
Byron Coley   Liner Notes
Danny Kadar   Assistant
Dave Pine   Engineer
Hillary Bratton   Compilation Producer
Thom Monahan   Engineer
Brian Paulson   Engineer
Dan McLoughlin   Engineer,Assistant
Dan McLaughlin   Assistant
Simon Gallup   Composer
Bill Emmons   Assistant
Lou Barlow   Tapes,Composer
Shawn Amos   Liner Note Coordination
Chris Dixon   Engineer
Boris Williams   Composer
Jack Joseph Puig   Mixing
Lol Tolhurst   Composer
Larry Klein   Producer
Don Depew   Engineer
Jeff Magid   Audio Supervisor
Steve Woolard   Discographical Annotation
Joe Pirrera   Assistant
Dinosaur Jr.   Producer