Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name.
The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlow (bass, vocals), and Murph (drums). 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 four albums thereafter.
Mascis’s drawling vocals and distinct guitar sound, hearkening back to 1960s and 1970s classic rock and characterized by extensive use of feedback and distortion, were highly influential in the alternative rock movement of the 1990s.
Fossils is a compilation album by indie rock band Dinosaur Jr., released in August 1991 on SST Records. It contains three 7″ singles the band had previously released on SST, as well as three covers. (by wikipedia)
A brief, eight-song compilation of the group’s SST singles, Fossils effectively sums up the power and vision of Dinosaur Jr.’s early work. Not only does it contain the two masterpieces from You’re Living All Over Me and Bug — “Little Fury Things” and “Freak Scene,” respectively — but it also gathers several excellent B-sides, including sardonic covers of Peter Frampton’s “Show Me the Way” and the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” making it an excellent retrospective of Dinosaur’s influential and erratic indie recordings. (by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)
Personnel:
Lou Barlow (bass, ukulele, vocals)
J. Mascis (guitar, vocals)
Murph (drums)
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Lee Ranaldo (background vocals on 01.)
Tracklist:
01. Little Fury Things (Mascis) 3.07
02. In A Jar (Mascis) 3.30
03. Show Me The Way (Frampton) 3.49
04. Freak Scene (Mascis) 3.36
05. Keep The Glove (Mascis) 2.52
06. Just Like Heaven (Gallup/Smith/Thompson/Tolhurst/Williams) 2.55
07. Throw Down (Mascis) 0.49
08. Chunks (Kelly/Perez) 2.11
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