''Without a Sound'' is the sixth studio album by

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlow ( ...

, released on August 23, 1994. It is the first Dinosaur Jr. album not to feature Murph on drums, who is replaced by vocalist and guitarist

J Mascis Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. ( ; born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo arti ...

. It is also their most commercially successful album, peaking at number 44 on the Billboard Top 200. " Feel the Pain" and "I Don't Think So" were released as singles, with " Feel the Pain" reaching number 4 on the

Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart, becoming one of their biggest hits. Mascis later admitted that his father's death affected his writing and performance on this album, and he took three years to deliver the next Dinosaur Jr. LP, 1997's ''

Hand It Over ''Hand It Over'' is the seventh studio album by alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr., released on March 25, 1997, on Reprise Records. It peaked at #188 in the United States. According to a 2007 ''Magnet'' interview with band leader J Mascis, ''H ...

''. "Feel the Pain" is a playable track in the video games ''

Guitar Hero World Tour ''Guitar Hero World Tour'' (initially referred to as ''Guitar Hero IV'' or ''Guitar Hero IV: World Tour'') is a music rhythm video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the fourth main installment in the ''Guitar Hero'' ...

'' and '' Rock Band 2''.

Production and background

said he had a hard time writing the album because his father had died around the time they were making the album. The

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game (box art), music album (album art), ...

work is a painting by former professional skateboarder

Neil Blender Neil Blender (born 1963) is an American former professional skateboarder, skate company owner, and artist. His pro career began during his senior year of high school in 1981. He is regular-footed. By age 1986, Blender invented at least two tricks, ...

, an early fan and friend of the band. The album title comes from a lyric in the song "Even You".

Reception

In July 2014, ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...

'' put ''Without a Sound'' in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list. The closing song "Over Your Shoulder" was frequently used on the Japanese boxing reality show ''Gachinko Fight Club''. In February 2019, 25 years after the album's release, "Over Your Shoulder" unexpectedly charted at #18 on the ''Billboard'' Japan Hot 100 based on digital streaming. The phenomenon was credited to

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postings of clips from ''Gachinko Fight Club'' registered as containing the song. For a period, clips from the series — which was a segment of a Japanese variety show — had frequently been favored by YouTube's algorithmic suggestions in Japan for unknown reasons.

Track listing

All songs by

2019 remaster bonus tracks

In 2019, the album was reissued as an expanded 2-CD deluxe edition that contained bonus tracks, including a recording of a full live performance at Brixton Academy on October 8, 1994. A double vinyl version was also released, albeit with a smaller selection of bonus tracks.

Personnel

;Dinosaur Jr. *

- drums, guitar, keyboards, vocals * Mike Johnson - bass, vocals ;Technical *John Agnello - Engineer, Mixing *

Danny Kadar Danny Kadar (born August 15, 1969) is an American record producer, audio engineer, and mixer, living in New Orleans. While growing up in New York City, Kadar first began as a student photographer studying at Pratt Institute, he later decided to g ...

- Assistant Engineer *Mark Miller - Assistant Engineer *Brian Sperber - Assistant Engineer *John McLaughlin - Assistant Engineer *Bryce Goggin - Assistant Engineer *Bill Emmons - Assistant Engineer *Joe Pirrera - Assistant Engineer *Bob Ludwig - Mastering *Woody Jackson - Paintings *Roger Mayer - Sound Effects

Charts

Album -

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(United States) Singles - Billboard (United States)

References

1994 albums Dinosaur Jr. albums Blanco y Negro Records albums Sire Records albums {{1990s-alt-rock-album-stub