Customer Reviews

Bug

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was the end of the road for the original Dinosaur Jr. lineup, before Lou Barlow bailed out to pursue his own artistic path. BUG isn't quite as good as YOU'RE LIVING ALL OVER ME, which was released the year before, both on SST originally, but it still holds its own and deserves five stars nevertheless. If "Freak Scene" had come a few years later, during the grunge explosion, it surely would have trumped all else. That song, along with "No Bones" and "Budge", are the band at their true manic peak.

The remastering for the reissue is very good, although there is some tape distortion at the end of "Freak Scene", during the final verse, when things get quiet for a moment. It's pretty bad, and I'm not sure if the original masters were damaged or they were just blowing the levels while mixing it. Anyway, that problem might be more pervasive but I only noticed it on that track. Still sounds way better than the SST CD version.

This CD has no less impact than when it came out eighteen years ago. As Byron Coley says on the band's website, it shows their sound becoming more orderly as they were ready to burst from internal strife. Well, sad but true, but tension often makes for the best music of a band's career, and J didn't live up to the manic glory here ever again. (Now this line-up is reunited! Got to see them for the first time with Lou on bass last week. HO-LY CRRRRRAAAP!!!).

So many highlights, where do you start? I think Kurt really learned the soft/hard dynamic from J, and in many ways J's use of it sounds more fresh (likely because a trillion J wanna-be's failed to ever pop up--only a score, Kurt being one of them). The album starts with this in somewhat famous fashion on "Freak Scene," where there's a major chord strumming pattern that is mildly distorted. Within in a minute, the low E power chord is thrashed so hard that the piece resembles a form of proto-death metal. The middle part is really pretty . . . and then back to the death metal. A lot of the songs feature this dynamic & it really never gets boring. If you have the right tools, use them to make as many creations as possible. I think my favorite use of this dynamic is in "Pond Song." It starts out with a delicate picking pattern: "Long distance left you undecided/ I'd sprinkle enough to let you know," J pathetically croons to the girlfriend he never finds. Before you know it, the song is awash in fuzz, reverb, and thrashing chords. This pattern happens to match J's attitude towards his love interest, which alternates between tender yearning and murderous disenchantment, best reflected in "Freak Scene": "Sometimes I don't thrill you/ Sometimes I think I'll kill you./ Just don't let me f**k up will you,/ 'Cos when I need a friend it's still you."

There's so much more to say about this classic, but I will leave it at the guitars for now. Simply put, the interplay between J on guitar and Lou on bass remains a high watermark for alternative. Sometimes muddy, but always evocative of new and fresh emotions, there have been few power trios who have got as much out of their guitars (Rush comes to mind, tho' I know the hipster "cognoscenti" would poo-poo me for saying this). Lou ups the ante with his use of chords and arpeggios on the bass for one thing. J himself is certainly one of the top guitarists in the history of alternative. He's not a harmonic genius in the technical sense: more in the intuitive sense. His use of feedback is heartbreakingly beautiful at times (the solo in "No Bones" amply evidences this). He uses dissonance strategically, creating hooks out of repeating skronky lines after a particularly melodic run (again, the second solo in "Freak Scene" is great for this). He shreds the thing like he's, well, ready to break it in two. Oh yeah, and it's LOUD. I saw them live (without Lou) back in the early '90's. J would play solos and my head literally felt like it was being cleft at the lobes. It hurt!!! But it was the true definition of sublimity: intense pleasure mixed with intense pain. You, too, may be able to feel the pain if they come to your area and smash your head on the punk rock.

Last contrast: I played this to my girlfriend for the first time today. She liked it a lot. Of all the grunge bands in the '90's, this was a good one for the women, 'cos J writes more traditional melodies and also wears his heart on his sleeve, unlike, say, the phrygian modes and D&D bludgeonings of Soundgarden. Male/female, yin/yang, silence/noise, love/hate, within/beyond . . . _Bug_ has more than enough contrasts to keep you occupied for a long, long time to come.

Being 13 years old, I missed all the my favorite bands when they were in their prime (Sonic Youth, Polvo, Pavement etc etc), which is upsetting at times but at least I can get these sweet reissues.

I read about DJ from the coolest record reviewer,Mark Prindle [...] I liked what he had to say and looked furiously for these records. Well, it just happened to be the day that I went to the record store, that these things came out. I had to beg some guy to let me buy it, but I got it!

All the songs are fantastic. Let It Ride has to be the best song on here, in my opinion. The Post is one of the greatest noise songs ever. J is a guitar genious.

I highly recommend this and I'm waiting patiently for the reunited Dino to come down to Florida so I can finally see a great band.

Back in 1988 this record, along with Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation" and the Pixies "Dolittle", just blew everything else that came out away. Nowadays it still does. This is guitar rock at its best. Simply massive. And if you listen real close... you'll even hear the great pop melodies underneath the layers upon layers of guitars. Just buy it.

I will always be grateful to this album, and offerings by Sonic Youth and R.E.M., for slipping that first wedge into the popular music scene that eventually crushed the deplorable New Wave/Glam Rock/Hair Metal axis that dominated late '80s music. The last album from the original Dinosaur Jr, with Lou Barlow on bass, this album was the high-water mark of Dino's earlier work, melding J Mascis' supernatural songwriting talent with Barlow's noise experimentation. Often called "sludge," I call it primordial beauty. "Freak Scene," with its melodic groove and danceable beat, quickly became a college favorite, and many felt it was going to be the band's commercial breakthrough. It's a tune you'll love no matter what your tastes. My own favorite track, "Yeah We Know," has a pulse-pounding triple-beat, with one of those melancholy Dino choruses where J Mascis manages to make you feel his pain even if you don't know what the hell he's talking about. In general, the first five tracks (original Side 1), have more structure and melody, while the remaining tracks tend to be sludgier, less coherent and more experimental. This is a must-have for any serious music fan.

Remember the indie charts? Remember when the word indie actually meant that the record you had was produced by an independent record company and it didn't just mean a particular sound of music or dress. Remember when 'emo' was just By word for a mid to late 80s trend in US punk?

Those where the days when you actually had an 'alternative music' before combat pants became sold in high street stores and t shirts over long sleeves were just something worn not something you could buy stitched in.

This band just came on the tail end before record companies realised that there was a last stream of music that they have swallowed up and churned out at will. Those distorted guitars, the heavy bass and free rhythm that so personified bands like Jr, Soundgarden, Nirvana and others.

This is music at its best and most free and kids who really think Fall out Boy and Green Day are the be all and end all of alternative music meed to check this out.

"Bug" is an outstanding album on its own, though it is not-- in my opinion-- as good as its predecessor. Still, there is little to complain about on this CD. Even the uber-obnoxious "Don't" is tolerable due to J Mascis' extended jam in the background. "Freak Scene" is a Dinosaur staple. "They Always Come" is a punk delight that transforms into an orgasmic, heavenly, layered guitar burst for its second half. Even the overlooked "The Post" was good enough for the Cowboy Junkies to later cover (with questionable success). This is a must-have for any respectable Dinosaur fan, or for any fan of true indie rock.

This CD has no less impact than when it came out eighteen years ago. As Byron Coley says on the band's website, it shows their sound becoming more orderly as they were ready to burst at the seams from internal strife. Well, sad but true, but tension often makes for the best music of a band's career, and J didn't live up to the manic glory here ever again. (Now this line-up is reunited! Get to see them for the first time with Lou on bass next month. HO-LY CRRRRRAAAP!!!).

So many highlights, where do you start? I think Kurt really learned the soft/hard dynamic from J, and in many ways J's use of it sounds more fresh (likely because a trillion J wanna-be's failed to ever pop up--only a score, Kurt being one of them). The album starts with this in somewhat famous fashion on "Freak Scene," where there's a major chord strumming pattern that is mildly distorted. Within in a minute, the low E power chord is thrashed so hard that the piece resembles a form of proto-death metal. The middle part is really pretty . . . and then back to the death metal. A lot of the songs feature this dynamic & it really never gets boring. If you have the right tools, use them to make as many creations as possible. I think my favorite use of this dynamic is in "Pond Song." It starts out with a delicate picking pattern: "Long distance left you undecided/ I'd sprinkle enough to let you know," J pathetically croons to the girlfriend he never finds. Before you know it, the song is awash in fuzz, reverb, and thrashing chords. This pattern happens to match J's attitude towards his love interest, which alternates between tender yearning and murderous disenchantment, best reflected in "Freak Scene": "Sometimes I don't thrill you/ Sometimes I think I'll kill you./ Just don't let me f**k up will you,/ 'Cos when I need a friend it's still you."

There's so much more to say about this classic, but I will leave it at the guitars for now. Simply put, the interplay between J on guitar and Lou on bass remains a high watermark for alternative. Sometimes muddy, but always evocative of new and fresh emotions, there have been few power trios who have got as much out of their guitars (Rush comes to mind, tho' I know the hipster "cognoscenti" would poo-poo me for saying this). Lou ups the ante with his use of chords and arpeggios on the bass for one thing. J himself is certainly one of the top guitarists in the history of alternative. He's not a harmonic genius in the technical sense: more in the intuitive sense. His use of feedback is heartbreakingly beautiful at times (the solo in "No Bones" amply evidences this). He uses dissonance strategically, creating hooks out of repeating skronky lines after a particularly melodic run (again, the second solo in "Freak Scene" is great for this). He shreds the thing like he's, well, ready to break it in two. Oh yeah, and it's LOUD. I saw them live (without Lou) back in the early '90's. He would play solos and my head literally felt like it was being cleft at the lobes. It hurt!!! But it was the true definition of sublimity: intense pleasure mixed with intense pain. Can't wait to feel the pain for the first time with Lou helping me smash my head on the punk rock.

Last contrast: I played this to my girlfriend for the first time today. She liked it a lot. Of all the grunge bands in the '90's, this was a good one for the women, 'cos J writes more traditional melodies and also wears his heart on his sleeve, unlike, say, the phrygian modes and D&D bludgeonings of Soundgarden. Male/female, yin/yang, silence/noise, love/hate, within/beyond . . . _Bug_ has more than enough contrasts to keep you occupied for a long, long time to come. Check them out live if they are coming to your area.

This is a really great album, down to the last track. Dinosaur Jr, Pavement, Archers Of Loaf, Sonic Youth, Texas Is The Reason one thing all those artists have in common is that you can't tell a good song from the first 5 seconds of it cause all these artists are great at pinning a precise mood over a precise segment of the song, you have to listen to the whole thing and it'll take you damn near any where. J Mascis i think is the god father of that unexplainable phenemanen (or how ever you spell it) of a technique

This album changed my entire view of music. Most alternative (meaning anything not hair-metal or classic rock) seemed like ugly noise to me back in the late 80's. Then I heard this. What the hell is he doing half-way through 'No Bones'? It is the most raucous, sickening, beautiful thing I've ever heard. I was never the same--thankfully--again. Most would argue that Green Mind is their best. If you like slaved over, polished pop singles then Green Mind is their best. But if you have any sense of the wants, the needs, the lust and loss involved in the human condition, Bug is gonna getcha. Despite length and number of songs, Bug is a better value than any box set. If you want some good sound, check it out.