More Dinosaur

Every few months I do another Dinosaur Jr. catch up post, and as usual I know nothing about the pressing info. All I know is that quite a few exist. 

First up is two copies of The Wagon, on the Blanco Y Negro label. Considering I don't even own every Dinosaur Jr. album or single, I now own 4 copies of this. Between the Sub Pop White copy, Glitterhouse Black and now the 7'' and 12'' of this Euro press. I prefer the art to this one, and it probably remains my favourite art from this band to date. I bought the 12'' cheap off Music Stack, and the 7'' was part of a bundle I bought on eBay along with the rest of the records in this post.

Next up is the Whatever's Cool With Me 12''

The whole bundle cost about what a copy of this is fetching at the moment, and again I'm a big fan of the art.

This is only the second coloured piece of Dinosaur Jr. vinyl that I own, and I'm still lusting after a copy of that Splatter I Bet On Sky, but this looks lovely in person with the bright pink labels as a cool contrast. 

Back Cover // B-Side 

This is the first of a couple records that come numbered. I'm not sure how many were made, but I ended up with number 6973. The poly sleeve also came stickered. I assume 10,000 is a safe number, but I really don't know for sure. 

Finally from this bunch is the Feel The Pain 7'', making a bunch of records all from Blaco Y Negro. 

The sleeve folds out into this super weird poster, as was the way with a few 7''s back in the day. I want to say it's weird but I'm into it, but that pretty much sums up my opinion of Dinosaur Jr anyway. 

5362/? 

Cheers!

Dino Post

On the never ending search for Dinosaur Jr. records, I've come to the point where I am quite happy to have just one of everything; however if something is there for cheap I just can't help myself. Considering at this point I don't even own every DinoJr. LP on vinyl yet, it seems odd to be buying doubles of singles I already own. But the heart wants what the heart wants right? 

Dinosaur Jr. - Little Fury Things - SST Records - 1st Press - Black/? 

Quite possibly my favourite Dinosaur Jr. single and although I already had the repress 7'' from the 'Visitors' Box Set, I had to have this when I saw it show up on eBay for cheap. Oddly enough this was pressed at 33rpm as opposed to 45, but look at all that dead wax! 

Back Cover // B-Side 

The centre label on the A-Side is also this colour, but the light may have caught it a bit strange is my only explanation. This record is about as mint as you're going to find a copy, and still had the shrink on the sleeve. 

If anyone has a Little Fury Things colour copy or shirt, let me know! 

Dinosaur Jr. - The Wagon - Glitterhouse Records - 1st Press - Black/? 

Again, I already own a White Sub Pop press of this, but at 99p I couldn't turn it down. The seller was cool and adjusted the shipping for both of these to come together too. This was the German release of this single and contains the same tracks, but the Sub Pop labels still state just Dinosaur as opposed to Dinosaur Jr. 

Back Cover // B-Side 

I have no clue about the sticker on the sleeve, but I know there isn't one on the Sub Pop press. Maybe an import or promo thing? 

Both together. 

One thing I will say is that both of these records are older than I am. At least by a couple of years. However, the sound quality is great, not a crack or hiss on any of the four sides. I have records that are only months old that sound pretty mediocre in comparison to these; and again my hearing (or setup) isn't exactly the best in the world either. The older I get, the more of an appreciation I develop for this band, and I can't wait to spend more time delving into what they have to offer. 

Cheers!

Another Dinosaur Jr. post

There's little explanation to this one, I bought a few Dinosaur Jr. 7''s and thought you all should see them. Nothing crazy rare or expensive, but definitely worth having. I kind of got into this band way later than I should have, and so my DinoJr collection is massively lacking. Most of the LP's I own are represses and until recently, the only singles I owned were from the 'Visitors' box set I did a post on some time back. It seems a day now doesn't go by nowadays when I'm not sticking on something by this great band; so I thought I'd start hitting on some of the singles that weren't already in the box set. There's a few to go through, so we'll get to it.

Dinosaur Jr - The Wagon - Sub Pop - 1st Press - White /9800 

I believe this is the last record that Maura jasper designed for the band, and is a world away from the standard caliber of her work for Dinosaur Jr. I still dig it though! Green Mind is a way better album than most people give it credit for.

I want to grab some of the Sub Pop 7''s, and this seemed like a good place to start. I don't really know why, but there's a real sense of history in a Sub Pop release from this kind of time frame. 

B-Side // Back Cover 

Notice that although the cover states the name change of Dinosaur Jr. both the A and B Side labels have only Dinosaur printed on them. Large Hole 7''s too, and I believe all came this way. It's easier to see on this side that the artwork is based from a photograph that has then been over-painted to create all these weird effects. It looks super strange, and the red text over the top really throws things too. Sub Pop logo in the bottom left. 

Close up of the back text. 

Dinosaur Jr. - Get Me - Blanco Y Negro - 1st Press - Black /?

This record is one big colour clash. Purple text on a messy green cover, I guess it is what it is. I believe this release only ever saw a Euro pressing with no American counterpart. Barcodes on centre labels are a weird idea. I don't like them at the best of times, and the upside of not interrupting the art is a bonus I guess? It just makes the centre label seem really jammed with information this way though. This single was from the Where You Been LP. I bought their albums in a super strange order, but I like the poppier edge on this record quite a bit. It kind of was all Mascis at this point though. 

Back Cover // B-Side 

Promo sticker on the back sleeve. This is probably going to get ripped off as it makes it no more or less special; and I kind of like this back cover art. Which brings me on to the point of why have the barcode on the centre label if you're just sticking it on the sleeve anyway? It's strange to think that this 7'' is nearly as old as I am, there's honestly a couple months in it. The mushy green text in the centre of the sleeve sets out the track-listing and backing vocal credits. 

Dinosaur Jr. - Almost Ready - PIAS - 1st Press - Black /? 

Next up, things take a little bit of a left turn. We jump forward 15 years or so, get back to the classic  lineup, release a single sided one track promo and house it in a dust sleeve. 

The information on the centre label is mostly licensing credits, and next to it is a PIAS (Play it Again Sam) logo. Being a promo I'm not sure if that would affect the pressing numbers, or even a guess at what they are. This band are pretty big, surely a couple thousand at least are kicking about? 

Back Cover 

About as plain as you can get, black labels and no grooves. Not even some art or text to talk about! 

What more needs to be said? This band are brilliant, and I know it's going to take a good long while before I even have one of everything. Three 7''s from vastly different points in Dinosaur Jr.'s lifespan; and once I grab a few more singles, you can bet I'll be doing another similar post!

You're Living is Confusing Me

So let's talk about a band that I like a lot, but know very little about? There are people out there that know way more than I do, and that is fine, I can't expect to know anything. But I'm heading into this, knowing little more than you do. I'm sure Alan will be able to tie up any loose ends for me. 

Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me - SST Records. 

Everything else is a mystery to me. I know it isn't a 1st press, as the 1st press hasn't got the 'Jr.' added to the names. I assume it isn't a particularly rare press, as it isn't Green. However, I know it isn't new as it has SST labels and not Jagjaguwar ones like most of my Dinosaur Jr. records. 

Story time. Paraphrasing, I bought Bug from Alan at Different Kitchen, and fell in love. Pretty soon after that I was bugging him for anything Dinosaur Jr. related he could get in. A few weeks later, I get an email saying he got an SST copy of You're Living All Over Me for about the same price as a Jagjaguwar re-press, did I want in? I assumed it was a good thing and said yes. It looked like a new record, played like a new record, smelled like an old record. I was pretty intrigued. 

B-Side // Back Cover. I honestly could not tell you how many of these were made, but as it was SST in the late '80's, I'm assuming it was a fair few. SST went through a phase of being super up there in terms of popularity and were pressing some quite 'out there' stuff and people were loving it. I'm guessing that this was slightly more listener friendly than some stuff, and they made a bunch of 'em. 

At this point, I may quickly apologise for the slightly grainy and somewhat weird lighting on these photos. It's getting dark pretty early nowadays and I had missed the boat on photographing some stuff so had to stick a lamp on.

The cover art was designed by the fantastic Maura Jasper. I've been over this a little, but in short, Jasper handled all the Dinosaur Jr. art for a number of years from the mid '80's to the early 90's, and then didn't work with them ever again. Her and J. Mascis still remain good friends, but I think some of the artwork created in this period was absolutely perfect. You're Living All Over Me is a personal favourite. 

With this record, there is no insert, and all the information you need to know is here. I feel that as a consequence of this, the artwork on the back cover was scaled down to accommodate this space. This has upsides and downsides I guess. At least the art stays intact and doesn't have a bunch of writing over the top; however the downside is that the art may have been cropped slightly. I guess I'll never know. I do like the SST logo in pink though.

I don't know if this was a legitimate mistake, or whether it was Dino // SST sticking a sneaky middle finger to someone. Either way, I have seen that on the spine of the sleeve, despite the cover name change to Dinosaur Jr., this stays true to the original name of Dinosaur. It could just be an overlooked and honest mistake. I'd like to think differently though. 

Just a quick peek at the centre labels for both sides. The main photos were a little grainy, so this stuff may have been missed. All red text on black labels, I'm not sure if there was anything different on consequent or subsequent pressings. I think the first time I laid eyes on the SST logo was on a CD copy of The First Four Years by Black Flag with red text, so it's always a nice feeling of nostalgia to see it in this colour. This is definitely up there with my favourite Dinosaur Jr. material, and it's possibly the album I spin the most nowadays.

Anniversary Gift

I mentioned in my last piece that I am a sucker for a box set. Looking back through my posts, there isn't a whole lot of evidence to suggest that, so I'm writing about one now. 

This is the Visitors Box Set from Dinosaur Jr. released through Jagjaguwar and The Numero Group for Record Store Day 2014. I didn't get my copy on Record Store Day, my local shop did not have one in stock. Instead, I ended up with one a month or two after as a wedding anniversary gift. However, Alan at Different Kitchen sorted the whole thing out apparently as my wife got a bit confused about the whole thing, which is unusual. So cheers bud! This box set compiles represses of the first 4 singles, plus a bonus 7''.

Before we get into the records though, there is an essay and art book compiled by Maura Jasper. During the early years of Dinosaur Jr., Maura Jasper handled all the artwork for the band and so has some great stories to tell, alongside some cool sketches and unused art from the time. 

The book folds out in a really weird way. Pages almost unfold inside an existing page; I've not come across anything like it before but it's really quite impressive. 

The essay continues and then ends with some more art used for DinoJr. releases. The album Bug (top left illustration) is especially important to me, as it was the first LP I heard by the band. There is a bunch more in this book, but I won't go into it too much. 

The 1st 7'' in the box set is Repulsion, the first single from the band. Originally this was put out through Homestead Records, and although the centre labels are updated to the Numero Group label; they have kept the font from the Homestead press (and centre label colour). Kind of a nice touch. Also, although the band had to change their name from Dinosaur to Dinosaur Jr. pretty early on in their career, the cover is kept to the original press. 

B-Side // Back Cover. These presses still have the old mailing address on the back cover. They have really tried to recreate the look of an old 7'', down to the large centre holes and lack of a dust cover. This is the same for every 7'' in this box. Really thoughtful presentation, and both of these songs are mad good. 

2nd 7'' - Little Fury Things. Originally pressed as a 12'' and 10'' maxi single through SST Records. The labels say JAG but in the SST font. 

B-Side // Back Cover. As this was cut down to a 7'' from a 12'', one track was taken from the B-Side and added to the bonus 7''. The photo collage on the back cover is interesting to look at, J. Mascis looks so young here! 

Number 3. Freak Scene. Numero Group text under the Blast First logo. Originally through SST and Blast First. Freak Scene (track 1 of Bug) was the first Dinosaur Jr. song I ever heard, so this was an important one for me. 

B-Side // Back Cover. The font and general look of the art is really reminiscent of the Bug album art. Minimal information here, which is more than cool by me. I love how these records look. 

Just Like Heaven. Single number 4. Originally written by The Cure. This song came up again at RSD '14 on a Side by Side 7''. I don't have that though. SST // Blast First originally put this out. On this copy, there is the JAG(jaguwar) take on the SST label. 

B-Side // Back Cover. The A and B Sides were recorded at different studios with different engineers. The B-Side was recorded by the same engineer, at the same studio as the Freak Scene 7''. Chunks was also originally by a band called Last Rights, an old Taang! Records band. Cool tune. 

This is the bonus, 5th and final 7'' in the box. The art on the 7'' is similar to the box art, and I'm not sure if it has been used previously or not. The A-Side is Show Me the Way, a cover of a Peter Frampton song. I remember hearing the original on 'Frampton Comes Alive' but I prefer this version. Numero Group labels. 

Back Cover // B-Side. The B-Side is 'I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better' originally by The Byrds. This cover originally surfaced on a tribute comp called 'Time Between'. So this is a 7'' of covers. Normally I wouldn't be too into this, but I dig anything Dino Jr. put out. 

Family Photo. The bottom of the box is photographed to the right of the top of the box. This is part of the Numero Group '700 Line' (numero 705). The middle item is the front cover of the art book / essay. Sometimes RSD box sets (well, releases in general) can be a little throwaway, but this is truly a great thing to own, and really feels like you're getting more than the music. This was 'limited' to 5000. 

Finally, this was the sticker on the shrink. I still keep the box in the shrink, but I should just cut this off and keep it in there with the records. I still have the tag from when it was gift wrapped too, but I'm guessing nobody really needs to see that?