Sweet Apple - Love & Desperation

Sweet Apple - Love & Desperation

This came out today and the reviews so far have been pretty unremarkable. Pitchfork gave it like a five, and the AVClub gave it a C rating but, fuck that noise, this album is straight-up fun. Sweet Apple take all the best elements from 70's rock (even the ballads) and cranks the intensity up to ten. It sounds like Thin Lizzy mixed with Big Star, The Replacements and Hüsker Dü, but with J Mascis on drums (and the occasional very recognizable guitar solo and back-up vocal). I can tell you right now that this is going to be the soundtrack to my summer, dimed on the car stereo while I cruise around with the windows down screaming the lyrics out and totally bumming out squares. Get hip.

Upsidedown Cross - S/T

Upsidedown Cross - S/T

Boston doom/sludge metal band's selft tilted 1991 album released by the venerable Taang! Records label. That is British occultist Aleister Crowley (from Ozzy's Mr. Crowley fame) on the cover seated like the Buddha. J. Mascis played drums on this album and Seth Putnam from Anal Cunt played bass. To me it sounds like the perfect hybrid of Pissed Jeans and Eyehategod.

Dinosaur Jr - Out There

Dinosaur Jr - Out There

Here is a pretty great bootleg recording of the band on the European festival circuit in 1997 while touring behind Hand It Over. I came across this on the freesofree board, and it is one of the best live recording of the band I've ever heard. This is the lineup of J., Mike Johnson and George Berz and they plow through these songs with an intensity seldom found on Dinosaur Jr studio albums. Tracks 1-9 were recorded at the Water Festival in Stockholm Sweden, and tracks 10-12 were recorded a week later at the Bizarre Festival in Cologne Germany.

Dinosaur Jr - Zombie Worm

Dinosaur Jr - Zombie Worm

This is a compilation of the bands SST years. It was released in Japan only and coincided with their 2006 reunion tour over there. There are also two live songs recorded at the Metro in Chicago, Il on the initial 2005 reunion tour that are pretty killer.

Dinosaur Jr - Some Singles

Dinosaur Jr - The Wagon

Dinosaur Jr - Start Choppin

Dinosaur Jr - Get Me

Dinosaur Jr - Feel The Pain

Dinosaur Jr - Feel The Pain (Live Tracks)

Here are some Dinosaur Jr singles from their tenure on Blanco Y Negro/Sire Records. Most of the b-sides saw the light of day on the Whatever's Cool With Me EP or the Green Mind/Where You Been Reissues, but the two Feel The Pain EP's contain some rad unreleased songs. The Live Tracks EP is a high quality recording of five Dinosaur Jr tunes that stretches over 30 minutes (due to extended soloing) and has a killer track list: "Feel The Pain" (obviously), "Get Me", "Grab It", "What Else Is New", and "Sludge". The Feel The Pain single has the song "Get Out Of This" from Without A Sound with the vocals replaced by a searing solo by J. throughout the entire song. On the Get Me single Matt Dillon sings back-ups on their cover the Flying Burrito Brothers' song "Hot Burrito #2", Matt also directed the video for "Get Me", and more recently "Been There All The Time".

Dinosaur Jr - Odds & Ends

Dinosaur Jr - Fossils EP

Dinosaur Jr - Quest EP

Dinosaur Jr - In Session (BBC live recordings)

Dinosaur Jr - Goin' Blind (Kiss cover)

Here are a couple releases by the band that we haven't posted yet. Fossils compiles all the bands singles from the SST era into one package. The Quest EP was released in 1995 (Japan only) and is really a mixed bag of studio outtakes, live recordings and radio sessions. The BBC In Sessions album contains eight songs from the Bug-era of the band and two tracks with just J. on electric guitar and Mike Johnson on the acoustic, presumably recorded after drummer Murph split. The track "Goin' Blind" was selected by Gene Simmons over The Melvins version for the Kiss tribute album Kiss My Ass.

Sweet Apple - Do You Remember?

Sweet Apple - Do You Remember?

This is just one song (from the forthcoming album titled Love & Desperation due April 20th from Tee Pee Records), but man is it ever fucking awesome. It's all I've been listening to this week. John Petrovik (vocals/guitar) and Tim Parnin (guitar) both from Cobra Verde along with Dave Sweetapple (bass) from Witch and J. Mascis (vocals/guitar/drums) playing tight fucking power-pop. If this song is any indication, then this is going to be one of the year's best albums. I can't wait for this album to be released.

Dinosaur Jr - Ear-Bleeding Country

Dinosaur Jr - Ear-Bleeding Country: The Best Of Dinosaur Jr

I just realized that this wasn't included with the previous Dinosaur Jr post. If you're a fan of the band then you've heard everything on here, but if you've never bothered to check this band out (if you haven't, what's wrong with you?), this best of is a good starting point.

Witch

Witch- Paralyzed




















Witch- S/T


I see your J Mascis solo project and raise you a J Mascis side project. Amazing stoner rock with J on the drum kit. Pack a bowl and rock out to some of the face melters on these discs

Deep Wound - Discography

Deep Wound - Discography

This is a hardcore band that J Mascis and Lou Barlow formed while still in high-school. Lou plays guitar, and J is the drummer. If you like Negative Approach or the first Fix 7", then you'll dig this shit.

J Mascis - Live

J Mascis - Martin & Me

J Mascis - Live At CBGB's

J Mascis - The John Peel Sessions

Live J Mascis. These are all mostly acoustic, the exception being the first half of the Peel sessions which are electrified. The Martin in 'Martin & Me' is J's beloved acoustic guitar, a beat-up old Martin. The CBGB's recording is the first time J played a live solo set (it's mentioned on the artwork, and at the start of the album). Enjoy.

J Mascis

J Mascis & The Fog - More Light

J Mascis & The Fog - Free So Free

J Mascis And Friends - Sing And Chant For Amma

After seeing all the Dinosaur Jr albums posted I decided I'd put up J's solo records (the ones I have at least). The first two aren't much of a departure from Dinosaur Jr, but Sing And Chant For Amma is. Amma is a devotional record to J's guru the living Indian saint Sri Mata Arritanandarrayi Devi, and is just soothing songs performed on the acoustic guitar. How rad is J Mascis? The dude fronted the best band of the late 80's early 90's, played in G.G. Allin's band for a grip, and he turned down the drumming position in Nirvana. I celebrate the dudes entire career, and so should you. Grab this stuff as well as the Dionsaur Jr albums posted below.

Dinosaur Jr

Dinosaur Jr.- Farm



















Dinosaur Jr.- I Don't Wanna Go There



















Dinosaur Jr.- Beyond



















Dinosaur Jr.- Hand It Over


















Dinosaur Jr.- Whatevers Cool With Me



















Dinosaur Jr.- Without A Sound



















Dinosaur Jr.- Where You Been



















Dinosaur Jr.- Green Mind



















Dinosaur Jr.- You're Living All Over Me



















Dinosaur Jr.- Bug



















Dinosaur Jr.- Dinosaur

So the Farm Bonus 7" kind of prompted me to put everything I have up by, in my opinion, one of the best bands ever. J. Mascis is a fuckin guitar god. Do yourself a favour and get all of these albums

Dinosaur Jr. - Farm Bonus Disc

Dinosaur Jr. - Farm Bonus Disc

This came with the deluxe edition of Farm. Two covers, one is Houses by Elyse Weinberg, and the other is Whenever You're Ready originally by The Zombies. The other two songs are J. Mascis demos written and performed solo by him.