Without a Sound is the sixth studio album by Dinosaur Jr., 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.
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 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.
“Feel the Pain” is a playable track in the video games Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2. J Mascis said he had a hard time writing the album because his father had died around the time they were making the album. The cover artwork is a painting by former professional skateboarder Neil Blender, an early fan and friend of the band. The album title comes from a lyric in the song “Even You”.
Tracklist:
- Feel the Pain
- I Don’t Think So
- Yeah Right
- Outta Hand
- Grab It
- Even You
- Mind Glow
- Get Out of This
- On the Brink
- Seemed Like the Thing to Do
- Over Your Shoulder
Dinosaur Jr.
J Mascis: drums, guitar, keyboards, vocals
Mike Johnson: bass, vocals
Technical
John Agnello: Engineer, Mixing
Danny Kadar: 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