Dinosaur Jr.

Item: You're Living All Over Me
Rating: 10
Author: V

You're Living All Over Me (1987)

V

While Dinosaur Jr is most remembered for their mid-90's stint on MTV as a post-grunge band, their roots actually lay in traditional SST punk rock. Well, not really traditional, per se -- Dinosaur Jr were never really a 'punk' band. They were pretty close to Sonic Youth in terms of sound, but unlike their peers, they actually constructed meaningful songs to go along with all the noise they were producing. Lead vocalist J Mascis took the band on a rollercoaster ride, switching up styles for every progressive album and changing gears just when the sounds they were experimenting with were catching on with the rest of the music world.

They hit a creative peak early with their second album, 1987's You're Living All Over Me. It was their first record for SST, and definitely their best. Along with the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr. were responsible for bringing noise rock and college rock together, and this album was definitely the blueprint that an entire generation followed. From the opening hints of feedback in "Little Fury Things" to the amazing acessibility of "The Lung" and "Raisins," Dinosaur Jr. rock back and forth, experimenting with indie sounds and harcore punk and somehow creating a meeting point that worked out to the band's advantage.

You're Living All Over Me was a huge change of pace for college/indie rock. It was one of the first records to show that you didn't have to sound like Michael Stipe to be cool or creative, and it ended up being even more influential than anything REM ever produced during their lifetime. It may not have been as popular, but it's impossible not to hear hints of Dinosaur Jr. in nearly every rock record being made today -- and that's the bottom line.

[This is a must have for any fan, whether you're just a big SST head or someone who is currently discovering garage rock bands like The Strokes, Longwave, and whatever else is out there. It is currently not in print, but there are many ways to get this, whether it be Amazon or Ebay. It's worth every penny.]