In 1985, novice guitarist J. Mascis experimented with unconventional chords, employing the smallest number of fingers, paving the way for Dinosaur Jr.'s groundbreaking debut that would profoundly influence fellow musicians.
Dinosaur Jr.'s 1985 debut album, Dinosaur, marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey for the band, with guitarist J Mascis attributing his initial experiments to his fledgling skills on the instrument. In a characteristic casual tone, Mascis shared, "I was simply learning guitar, aiming to write songs and start a band, so whatever I was writing... that's all I could play, mostly."
Though seemingly lacking structure and virtuosity, Dinosaur had a guiding light, albeit inadvertently. Mascis recalled, "I wasn't well-versed in guitar tone. I remember I had this Yamaha [G-100] solid-state amp because I observed Bob Mould [of Hüsker Dü] using one. I thought, 'If Bob Mould uses it, it can't be that bad.'"
The quintessential Dinosaur Jr. guitar tone was born from this discovery, although Mascis, uncertain of his band's desired sound, continued to experiment with various genres and approaches during the recording process. "I'm not certain the record had a cohesive direction," he admitter. "We were essentially hurling ideas against the wall and seeing what stuck. We didn't have a defined 'sound' yet - each song felt distinct. There was a country song, a Joy Division song."
Mascis humorously acknowledged, "A lot of the chords had only two fingers because I couldn't play Barre chords - they were painful for my hands. I'd merely create chords with the fewest fingers needed."
Despite the album's seemingly scattershot impression, the band appeared to find their footing on the track Repulsion. Mascis shared, "That was the first song we recorded where I sensed we discovered our sound. It was the first song I was actually excited about."
After completing Dinosaur, Mascis, then 20, bassist Lou Barlow, and drummer Emmett Jefferson Murphy III (aka "Murph") were pleased yet recognizing room for improvement. Mascis conceded, "We thought it was alright - nothing sensational, but I found it acceptable."
Forty years on, Dinosaur Jr.'s "acceptable" debut album, recorded for around $500 in a cabin in the woods, has grown into a fan favorite. Initially, it sold only 1,500 copies. However, Sonic Youth's discovery of the album could have potentially spelled the end for Dinosaur Jr., as they invited the band to tour as openers in 1986, attracting a wider audience and propelling the album's sales to more successive releases, culminating in a highly successful career.
"That was our first tour," Mascis remembered. "And it was probably our best tour. We weren't tired of each other then."
Ultimately, Dinosaur served its purpose effectively. It provided Mascis with valuable guitar experience, allowing the young band to define their distinct sound and ultimately carve out a significant niche within the indie and alt-rock scenes. Mascis described it as an "interesting artifact," adding, "We were attempting to form a band, searching for our sound, and exploring various directions. We still perform many of the songs live now, and audiences seem to appreciate them more, I suppose, even though they sound much heavier now."
If given the opportunity, Mascis mused, "I don't know if I would reconstruct Dinosaur - that's tough. I might alter everything on every track if I could. But we simply allowed it to unfold and hoped for the best."
Mascis plays a Yamaha [G-100] solid-state amp, modeling it after Bob Mould's setup, on the guitar that forms the quintessential Dinosaur Jr. sound. His limited finger dexterity results in many chords consisting of only two fingers, a characteristic that remains evident in the band's music even today.
