This evenings post is based on pure self-indulgence. Low impact comment backed up with enthusiasm for subject.
Before proceeding, please press play…….
I’ve mentioned before my admiration for J Mascis & Dinosaur Jr. Having seen DJ four or five times and J & the Fog once, they rate with the best of up lifting live music experiences. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mahler’s Symphony of 1000, Kate Bush singing with Peter Gabriel, John Martyn marginally sober….. J Mascis on a good night with viable amplification can step up to the plate and physically move you elsewhere.
The last time I saw J was for a gig supporting the release of ‘Beyond’. That was excellent but prior to that was a Fog gig at the Boat Club in West Bridgford, in support of ‘The Light’. Probably the loudest experience ever. A million watts of volume in a room the size of my office. A cigar chomping Mike Watt, George Berz blew the doors off the joint and had my ears spinning for days.
J is one of the most elemental forces of guitar nature and in my view is up there with Peter Green, Jimi, Santana, McLaughlin and John Martyn.
So here’s a whole load of J fun. Lou Barlow @LouBarlow announced on Twitter that Dinosaur are recording a new album which I can’t wait for. I so hope they tour it in the UK and do more than three gigs. I would happily promote a Nottingham gig and I know the local wildlife would turn out to see these guys.
I strongly suggest you hit the iTunes store, search the NPR podcasts for Dinosaur Jr at the 9.30 Club in Washington. In mArch theres a DVD of the gig and it is twisting. Songs from the entire period ‘Repulsion’ through to ‘Over It’.
Speaking of which……..
Here’s one more. ‘Feel The Pain’ live from 2007….
And for no other reason than gratiitous file sharing, a full live show. A brilliant audience recording from less than a month ago. Sorry to the original source for going all MP3 but this is about coverage not purism. Original links available on request. Excellent sound and a typically genius performance. Just remember, three blokes, analog tech, massive voltage…..
Dinosaur Jr
Grand Central
Miami, FL
January 23, 2012
Setlist:
01. tuning/intro
02. Thumb
03. The Lung
04. Budge
05. They Always Come
06. No Bones
07. noodling/banter
08. Little Fury Things
09. Out There
10. Feel The Pain
11. Kracked
12. Freak Scene
13. Forget The Swan
14. encore break
15. In A Jar
16. Just Like Heaven
17. Mountain Man
Don’t be subtle. Turn it up.
adrian4 
My Albums of 2012
It’s been a funny year for new music, not many of the old artists bringing new records out (just re-releases and re-markets) and a awful lot of new music from big contemporary artists being pretty ropey and second rate. The nastiness of X-Factor & BGT still pervades the UK airwaves and TV…..shudders….
Still there have been some interesting events and I have to thank @thisismyjam and the enthusiasm of the users for introducing me to artists that had passed me by before. So in no particular order, here are a few high points from 2012.
Bobby Womack – The Bravest Man In The Universe
Stunning comeback album for a soul legend. Assisted by Damon Albarn & Richard Russell. www.bobbywomack.com
Tame Impala – Lonerism
These discovered through This Is My Jam. Psychedelic tinged indie from Australia. They must have absorbed a lot of prog and more than a little Hawkwind to sound like this.
Dinosaur Jr – I Bet On Sky
The third album from the fully reformed Dinosaur Jr. The formula still works but this album even had keyboards. Played this a lot when it came out.
Sun Kil Moon – Among The Leaves
Another Jam discovered band. There are a lot of American artists hanging out in the folk field. These guys stand out though. Particularly liked the first album but this is from the 2012 album of the same name.
Neil Young – Psychedelic Pill
Neil back with Crazy Horse. Following up on the Americana album. A double album of long jam based songs. Maybe patchy but classic Horse.
Grizzly Bear – Shields
This kept showing up on my Amazon page as ‘recommended for you’. Once I looked it up I understood why. This the opening track is excellent.
Heavy Blanket – Heavy Blanket
I was really excited when I heard about this. Instrumental jams by J Mascis and two school friends, pre Dinosaur but re-recorded for this. Just noise, great noise though…
David Byrne and St Vincent – Love This Giant
A wonderful oddity, DB, Annie and a brass band. How could that ever work? This is my favourite track from the album. I ended up digging out the Knee Plays album after this came out.
Bob Dylan – Tempest
Bob came back with this his 35th studio album. Now in his seventies this is as dark as it gets. Utterly poetic, obviously deeply researched and referencing the history of humankind. I have played this endlessly, trying to pick through the themes. The opening track is the lightest lyrically but he undermines it with this cruel video about a stalker getting beaten up in the name of love or lust. The only one that You Tube has and probably soon to disappear.
Patti Smith – Banga
Another poet who really just gets better & better. Banga is a brilliant record that covers so much ground across many years. This song written for Johnny Depp who also plays on the album.
So there you go. A quick trawl through the thousands of hours of music I have been playing over the last year. I hope you found something you like and maybe something new.
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Tagged as Art, Bob Dylan, Bobby Womack, Crazy Horse, Damon Albarn, David Byrne, David Byrne & St Vincent, Dinosaur Jr, Grizzly Bear, Hawkwind, Heavy Blanket, J Mascis, Johnny Depp, Music, Neil Young, Patti Smith, Richard Russell, Sun Kil Moon, Tame Impala, Tempest, XL Recordings