You’re Living All Over Me is the second studio album by Dinosaur Jr. It was released on December 14, 1987, through SST Records.
A refinement of the formula introduced on the band’s debut album Dinosaur, You’re Living All Over Me features drawling vocals paired with loud guitars and driving rhythms, presaging grunge. The album was well-reviewed upon release, and is now regarded as one of the greatest and most influential albums in alternative rock.
Dinosaur Jr. released their first album, Dinosaur, in 1985, largely to critical indifference and low sales; only about 1,500 copies were sold in its first year.
After the record’s release, Dinosaur would often perform in New York. The New York-based alternative rock band Sonic Youth was unimpressed by the first Dinosaur performance they saw. However, after watching them play several months later, they approached the band declaring themselves fans, and invited the band to join them on tour in the American Northeast and northern Midwest in September 1986.
The album’s title was long rumored to have been a phrase uttered by singer/guitarist J Mascis in frustration at the cramped conditions of a lengthy tour. However, Mascis has denied this story, claiming:
“I thought of it more like my sister… You know someone just like, bugging me at the time.”
You’re Living All Over Me has been primarily described as an indie rock, alternative rock, noise rock, and grunge album, and has often been noted for its influence on these genres. The album represents a refinement in the band’s sound, two years after their debut album, Dinosaur, while still being especially lo-fi.
While Mascis was again the primary songwriter, Lou Barlow contributed the last two songs, the punk-influenced Lose and the experimental “Poledo”. “Poledo” is different from the rest of the album in that the first half is a low-fidelity recording of Barlow singing and playing ukulele, much like he did with his own group Sebadoh, while the second half is a collection of sound collages and abstract noise pieces.
It was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It is J. Mascis‘ favorite album that Dinosaur Jr. made.
The album was originally issued when the band was still known as Dinosaur, before a lawsuit forced the name change to Dinosaur Jr. The album was recalled by SST a few months after release, and new copies were printed crediting the band as Dinosaur Jr. The band made a music video for the song “Little Fury Things”, which was directed by Jim Spring and Jens Jurgensen.
Tracklist:
- Little Fury Things
- Kracked
- SludgeFeast
- The Lung
- Raisans
- Tarpit
- In a Jar
- Lose (Lou Barlow)
- Poledo (Lou Barlow)
Bonus tracks - Show Me the Way (on the SST CD version) Peter Frampton
- Just Like Heaven (on the 2005 Merge and Imperial reissues) Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Porl Thompson, Boris Williams, Lol Tolhurst
- Throw Down (on the 2005 Imperial reissue)
- In a Jar (live; on the 2005 Imperial reissue)
Dinosaur Jr.
J Mascis: guitar, percussion, lead vocals
Lou Barlow: bass, ukulele, backing vocals, tape, lead vocals on “Lose” and “Poledo”
Murph: drums
Additional personnel
Lee Ranaldo: backing vocals on “Little Fury Things”
Production
Wharton Tiers: production, engineering
Dave Pine: engineering
Maura Jasper: album cover artwork
