The only record store in the small college town I lived in in 1991 was at the small mall at the center of town. While it didn't carry any of the stuff I was reading about in my mail order fanzines they did occasionally stock the music I saw on MTV's 120 minutes (which was loaned to me on vhs by one of the other art major students and my community college) I was at the mall store with a cashed dishwasher check burning a hole in my pocket. This ep was affordable and the band #dinosaurjr resonated favorably with me. At the time CDs were rare treats and I completely devoured anything I bought. J Mascis's slacker drawl and loud guitar were welcome and I really liked this disc, it led me to buy their earlier work and as usual my entry point to the catalog remains my favorite. One thing about me is that I very rarely like guitar solos. It's not that I don't appreciate guitar heroics, I just prefer them in the context of the song not as a "look at me" flashpoint tacked on to the composition. But the solo/outro on the live version of "thumb" on this release has me holding my imaginary lighter aloft. The lack of a rhythm guitar allows the rhythm section to shine during the solo. The bass growls and is tasteful and locks step with the awesome live drums. The solo isn't just a blistering scale, it's a soulful excursion into counter harmonies. It actually feels narrative. Something guitar lovers have tried explaining to me (especially jam band fans) is that you have to let the guitar be narrative, that never really happens for me during solos. Except on this track. I used to put songs from this cd on mix tapes and it's occurring to me now that I don't think I ever put this song on one. That's weird to me now.
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