You're Living All Over Me

One of the great albums of the late-1980s US indie scene, 1987's YOU'RE LIVING ALL OVER ME is a pre-grunge guitar rock masterpiece. Clearly as influenced by, say, Black Sabbath as the nascent Seattle scene was at the same time, guitarist J. Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow (whose "Poledo" is the album's weirdest song), and drummer Murph temper the sludgy guitar roar with speedier tempos, better melodies, and more incisive lyrics than most of the Seattlites could ever master. The result is spellbinding, and, unlike most indie albums of its era, this record doesn't sound the least bit dated. "Raisans", "Little Fury Things", and the aptly-named "Sludgefest" are the archetypal tracks, but there's not one dud to be found here. A classic.
(Note: Most CD reissues include a contemporaneous B-side, a jokey but surprisingly good cover of the Cure's "Just Like Heaven" that also appears on the FOSSILS compilation. Some versions, however, feature a take on Peter Frampton's "Show Me the Way", instead.)|