Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 10/22/1991
Run Time: 33:59
"This is not an album," the liner notes state -- and that's true enough, but some albums are almost as long.
Whatever's Cool with Me compiles the complete
"Whatever's Cool with Me" single and the European single of
"The Wagon," making it an amiable, eight-song stopgap to keep hardcore fans happy between albums.
"Whatever's Cool with Me" itself is a loud riffer, not as memorable as
"Freak Scene" or
"The Wagon," but good enough. It's perhaps most memorable for being the studio debut of bassist
Mike Johnson, who provided the stability needed after
Lou Barlow's departure to re-establish the trio for its most commercially successful period.
Johnson also turns up on the two live tracks: a fine version of
Green Mind's
"Thumb" and a rough rip through
"Keep the Glove." One new studio track,
"Sideways," starts with one of
J Mascis' best acoustic lines, turning into a slow, relaxed full arrangement with everything from drums to vibes played by
Mascis himself. Like this song, the remaining
"The Wagon" B-sides also feature
Mascis as one-man band. In context, the acoustic
"Quicksand" is the most amusing number: originally from
David Bowie's
Hunky Dory,
Mascis changes nothing about the arrangement, but substitutes "the wagon" for "the power" in the lyrics, and begins the song with the melody from another
Hunky Dory number,
"Andy Warhol." The other songs have more of
Dinosaur Jr.'s fuzzy appeal, like the friendly roar and strum of
"Not You Again" and the screaming yelps and feedback cropping up throughout
"The Little Baby." ~Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
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