Dinosaur
by Dinosaur

This is one of those albums that is better than the sum of its parts. The first song on each side is the best individually, but I can listen to the entire thing without feeling the need to skip a track. Even the out-of-place "Mountain Man" has a charm to it. An album that grows on you.

if we both kind of stumble
maybe i’ll say hi (Severed Lips)

why won’t you be my friend
I’d love to hold you now even it was just pretend (Quest)

Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd. In the rush to (deservedly) fawn all over Living All Over Me, everyone seems to forget that Dinosaur Jr’s sound arrived fully formed on this stunning debut. This is the most vulnerable J would ever sound, with the best lyrics of teenage self-loathing and isolation ever put to record. (Admittedly the single Freak Scene would be J’s crowning achievement in this vein.) Most importantly, it contains some of the most drop-dead gorgeous guitar solos in all of alt.rock history. Guitar solos to happily drown in. And despite what is bantered about like gospel, it beats the Pixies by a couple of years at crafting that loud-soft-loud dynamic that would influence, oh, I don’t know, EVERYTHING in alternative rock for the next decade plus.

Essential Tracks: Forget The Swan, Leper, Repulsion, Severed Lips, Quest

Aside: Bulbs of Passion, the track which used to end the album leaving you in a cathartic , dripping mess, now leads off the album on the latest reissue. However the remastering on this track is amazing! Captures how great Dino sounded live in the late 80s.
Bside: Skip, by all means, the track Mountain Man. Shit, anyone can make a mistake when taking this many chances. This was fucking 1985 remember. Still a decent hardcore meets metal song. Just sounds a bit juvenile compared to everything else. This is what underground rock sounded like in 1985 right before grunge exploded. You can hear the spectre of grunge to come living all over this song.