Album: Hand it Over
Year: 1997
The last album by Dinosaur Jr. for a full decade, 1997’s Hand It Over is an overlooked and underrated entry in their stellar discography. Which makes sense: whatever moment they were going to have in the post-Nirvana world was squandered with 1994’s uncharacteristically tepid Without A Sound, and by the time 1997 rolled around, the alt-rock landscape was radically different.
Which is fine. Full-blown stardom, 1990’s style would have suited J Mascis even less than it seemed to suit folks like Eddie Vedder and Billy Corgan. So, instead, he just did his thing as Dinosaur Jr. for what felt like the last time, and it was damn good.
My favorite is “Loaded” which has, of course, big thick guitars (one of which was probably played by My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Sheilds), a Zep-ish mellotron floating in the middle of the mix, and one of my all-time favorite drum parts.
“Loaded” is one of those songs where on the verses, Mascis sings a line, let’s the guitars and drums duke it out, then sings another line, and they duke it out some more. .
I know why you came here
Buddle-duh-dah
Buddle-duh-dah-dah
Buddle-duh-dah
Buddle-duh-dah-dah-boom!I know it’s the same fear
Buddle-duh-dah
Buddle-duh-dah-dah
Buddle-duh-dah
Buddle-buddlebuddlebuddle-boom!
That’s pretty much it. But that drum part, I could practically sing for you. And it’s probably my all-time favorite thing to air drum to.
Fan-made video for “Loaded”