Along with REM and Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr were one of the first "alternative" bands I got into as a teenager. I bought 'Where You Been' on a whim as a Christmas present to myself in 1993 having previously only heard the band's name being mentioned elsewhere, and I loved what I heard. The appeal lay in J Mascis' laid back, stoner drawl and his expressive guitar solos, and it was enough to make a fan of me.
Shortly after that, I started getting into metal and stopped listening to most of the alternative bands I'd been into, but even as I transitioned to heavier music, Dinosaur Jr continued to be a mainstay regardless. By this point, I'd amassed a few of their albums, but then, some time into my first year at uni, a then-friend played me 'Bug' for the first time.
Up until then, the Dinosaur Jr stuff I owned followed 'Bug' (in other words, their EastWest era) and whilst enjoyable, none were quite like this. 'Bug' was rawer, noisier and had more teeth than anything I'd heard from them before, and before long, it became my favourite album from them.
Some years later, my metal fixation behind me, I picked up 'You're Living All Over Me' and their eponymous debut. I wasn't too keen on the latter (too under-developed), but I came to enjoy the former almost nearly as much as this album. However, I prefer 'Bug', partly I think because I heard it first and also because I just think it sounds better overall, (due in part to the superior production).
I read somewhere that 'Bug' is Mascis' least favourite Dinosaur Jr, record, mostly due to the well-documented tensions between him and Lou Barlow during its development. I can certainly understand that, but for me, 'Bug' is a cherished album that has stayed with me consistently through my years and shifting musical seasons, making it a worthy entry here.
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