Crawling out of the same noisy, punk and hardcore indie underground of the early 1980s, Dinosaur Jr. and the Jesus Lizard took somewhat similar paths on the road to becoming two of the most influential bands of their generation. Both had members who served time in under-appreciated bands (J Mascis and Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr. were in the hardcore band Deep Wound, while some members of The Jesus Lizard had also been in Scratch Acid). Dinosaur Jr. went from the indie SST to the majors, while Jesus Lizard tried their hand at bigger success after four LPs on Touch and Go. Dinosaur Jr. had one hit in the middle of the alt-rock explosion with 1994’s “Feel the Pain,” while the Jesus Lizard became know for the split 7-inch they released with Nirvana before they signed with Capitol Records. Both bands kept playing despite the lack of mainstream success, and both bands broke up in the late ’90s. Since then, the Jesus Lizard reunited for a handful of well-received reunion shows, while Dinosaur Jr. accomplished the rare feat of getting back together and picks up where they left off, delivering a new round of great studio albums one after another.
Now the two bands have something else in common: books. Two beautiful volumes, The Jesus Lizard Book (Akashic) and Rocket 88‘s Dinosaur Jr. scrapbook, which features cover art by the band’s artist of choice, Marq Spusta and looks something like a classic tome you’d find in a library with wooden walls. Both are loving tributes to two very unique bands. After the jump, check out samplings of each book.
Dinosaur Jr., via Rocket 88
Dinosaur Jr., via Rocket 88
Dinosaur Jr. ,via Rocket 88
David Yow (photo by Steve Gullick)
The Jesus Lizard (photo by Whitney O’Keeffe)
The Jesus Lizard (photo by Pat Graham)
David Yow (photo by Steve Gullick)