Dinosaur Jr - WHERE YOU BEEN Warner, 1993. ---------------------------------------------------------------- By the time Where You Been surfaced, Seattle had completely exploded, and given that Dinosaur Jr.`s sound, attitude, and more were as proto-slacker as could be, the temptation must have been great to cash in. But J Mascis stuck to his guns, and there`s little about Where You Been that would have seemed out of place on Green Mind or even some earlier records. Recorded with a full band throughout, Mike Johnson and Murph lay down does-the-job rhythm tracks while Mascis tackles almost everything else. Where You Been is occasionally moody and dark but otherwise is more rough fun. Opening track `Out There` is one of the most mournful things Mascis has recorded, with an especially yearning chorus, but his fiery solo still makes it classic Dinosaur Jr. `Start Choppin` immediately follows, its quick, catchy lead riff helping to make it as close to a radio hit as the band ever had -- and, of course, a big ol` solo or two adding to the fun of it all. From there on in it`s a puréed blast of punk, classic rock, and more. It may be business as usual, but it`s good business just the same, whether it`s the gentle `Not the Same,` on which Mascis does his best Neil Young impersonation, or the stuttering feedback snorts and rips on `Hide,` on which he borrows a bit back from disciple Kevin Shields. Other highlights include `Get Me,` a melancholic, steady cruncher with another trademark solo of the gods, and the unjustly ignored `What Else Is New,` which sounds like a mid-`70s rock ballad with louder volume and none of the crud, right down to the concluding string section. Ned Raggett, AllMusic.com