On this day in 1991, Dinosaur Jr released its fourth album, ‘Green Mind,’ featuring the single “The Wagon”
Despite the ongoing lineup turmoil, Dinosaur Jr. signed with Sire Records in 1990. They made their major-label debut Green Mind in 1991. The new record was virtually a J. Mascis solo album, with Murph playing drums on only a few songs, as well as minimal contributions from Fleming and Spiegel, who were out of the band by the time the album was released. Mascis, whose first instrument was a drum kit, recorded many of the drum parts by himself, layering the various instrumental parts through overdubbing. While Mascis’ guitar, voice and songwriting ensured that the album had its share of the band’s old sound, it was much quieter and more layered, with more use of keyboards and acoustic guitar, and with a noticeable lack of the power-trio roar for which the original lineup had been known.
For touring purposes, J Mascis first added Van Conner, and then Mike Johnson to handle the bass parts and embarked on several tours to support “Green Mind”, with support acts that included Nirvana. In 1991, Sire Records released an EP titled “Whatever’s Cool with Me“ that featured old B-sides coupled with one new track. In 1992, the band was part of the Rollercoaster Tour, a package tour based on the successful Lollapolooza festival, which featured The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and Blur.
The band found their live shows well received in the changing musical climate of the early ’90s, and decided to record new material with the new lineup. This time, the recording sessions were with full participation from Murph and Johnson, with the former playing most of the drums and the latter playing all of the bass parts, singing harmony vocals and even contributing a few guitar solos. This material represented the peak of the band’s commercial success, with the single “Start Choppin'” reaching the top 20 in the UK, and the album that followed, Where You Been, reaching the UK top 10 and the US top 50. The opening track, “Out There”, had an accompanying video and was aired on MTV for a short time, as the show 120 Minutes was still popular as a late-night “alternative” video show. Although the new material was more accessible than the band’s 1980s albums, in terms of playing it represented a partial return to the more unrestrained power-trio sound of the original lineup.
The Fat Angel Sings 