Calling the future from those long underwear, denim-vest-on-the-outside-of-a-leather-jacket days of Seattle and Sub Pop yore is the fun-filled label compilation Fuck Me I'm Rich. First issued in 1990, it collects two tracks each from six bands. While it's great hearing tracks like Mudhoney's "In 'n' Out of Grace" removed from their grunge tag and the shadow of Nirvana, the album also embraces and perpetuates that very history. The title revels in Sub Pop's usual humor -- it's a play on the album-opening Mudhoney anthem "Touch Me I'm Sick," but also sets up back-leaf rants from founders Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. They're kidding -- probably. As usual, the duo mix self-congratulation with blazingly cynical humor. "Once upon a time, Seattle opened its legs and f*cked the world," Pavitt writes. "YES! Loud powerfuzz and muff shagging hair action!" Said action is represented well by Tad's sludgy "Ritual Device," the weird punk blues of Blood Circus' "Six Foot Under" (which, looking back, sounds like a PJ Harvey tune refueled with testosterone), and "Hunted Down," Soundgarden's first single from its debut EP, Screaming Life. None of the material is exclusive to Fuck Me I'm Rich; however, the set serves nicely as a concise compendium of sludgy Seattle madness through the cloudy hard gaze of Sub Pop Records. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide