Dinosaur Jr. bassist Lou Barlow said he never thought the classic, three-man lineup for the band — which includes guitarist/vocalist J Mascis and drummer Murph (Emmitt Patrick Murphy) —would ever get back together.
"It never seemed likely," said Barlow during a phone call from Kansas City, Mo.
And he should know, since he and Mascis formed the seminal distortion-laced band in 1983, when the two were still in high school. (They were joined by Murph later.)
As the years went on, animosity gripped the trio, and one by one, they went their separate ways.
The album "Bug," released in 1988, was Barlow's last with the band, and 1993's "Where You Been" marked Murph's last session.
However, time has a way of healing wounds.
In 2002, Barlow and Mascis began sharing stages with each other. Then in 2005, the three officially reunited for an April 15 taping of "The Late Late Show."
One thing led to another, and before they knew it, Dinosaur Jr. was recording its first full-length album since "Bug." The album, titled "Beyond," was released in 2007.
Earlier this year, the band released its follow-up, "Farm."
That album is the band's most successful on the Billboard charts, debuting at No. 29 on the Billboard 200.
Barlow said the album was pretty easy to make because of Mascis' tendency to overwork.
"I kept asking myself if J created demos every day," Barlow said, "because every day he'd come in with batches of new songs."
The abundance of material only added to the group's feeling that they needed to record the music as quickly as possible.
"There was a sense of urgency that led to the high and intense pressure on us all," Barlow said. "I think that's why the album sounds more up-tempo. I think the hardest thing for J to do was to get Murph to do the drums right."
Barlow said being in Dinosaur Jr. again feels good and natural, but it is definitely J's band.
"He has a gift for melody, and he has the ideas," Barlow said with a laugh. "And our live shows are mostly his ideas. It's just easier for Murph and I to sit back and let J do it. But if there are some songs that Murph and I feel strongly about playing, we will bring them up."
Going back and playing songs from two decades ago — or more — wasn't a problem for Barlow.
"The songs are imbedded in me," he said. "All the finger patterns, the notes, they're all there. And when we rehearsed for the first time back in 2005, everything came back to me more vividly than anything I remember."
Barlow said the reason the songs have a tendency to stick with him is their arrangements.
"They are so memorable," he said. "J has a gift for melody, like I said. And the melodies themselves are tenacious, and that's why they have survived more than 20 years."
IF YOU GO …
What: Dinosaur Jr.
Where: Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East
When: Oct. 31, 8 p.m.
How much: $20
Phone: 801-467-8499, 800-888-8499
Web: www.24tix.com or www.smithstix.com
e-mail: scott@desnews.com