Ultramega OK is the debut studio album by Soundgarden, released on October 31, 1988 by SST Records. Following the release of the EPs Screaming Life (1987) and Fopp (1988), both for the Sub Pop record label, Soundgarden signed with SST and went to work on their debut full length. The resulting album contained elements of heavy metal, psychedelic rock, and hardcore punk. The band supported the album with a tour of the United States, as well as its first overseas tour.
In 1990, the album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal Performance. The album was recorded in spring 1988 in Seattle, Washington, and Newberg, Oregon, with producer Drew Canulette. Frontman Chris Cornell said that during the recording sessions the band wasn’t on the same page with Canulette. He said:
“Material-wise we went through the process that we always do, but the producer wasn’t used to the sound we wanted and didn’t know what was happening in Seattle.”
Later, in a 1995 interview, Cornell admitted “we made a huge mistake with Ultramega OK, because we left our home surroundings and people we’d been involved with and used this producer that really did affect our album in a kind of negative way. The producer was suggested by SST because they could get a good deal. I regret it, because in terms of material, it should have been one of the best records we ever did. It actually slowed down our momentum a little bit because it didn’t really sound like us.”
Around that same time, veteran Seattle producer Jack Endino, who also produced Soundgarden‘s first EP, Screaming Life, began the process of remixing the album, and actually completed a rough mix of Flower. But, due to the band wanting to move on and the financial costs involved with re-pressing and redistributing the record, it was put on hold. The project resumed in 2014 by Jack Endino and Kim Thayil, and was completed in 2017.
Tracklist:
- Flower
- All Your Lies
- 665
- Beyond the Wheel
- 667
- Mood for Trouble
- Circle of Power
- He Didn’t
- Smokestack Lightning (Howlin’ Wolf)
- Nazi Driver
- Head Injury
- Incessant Mace
- One Minute of Silence
Soundgarden
Chris Cornell: lead vocals, rhythm guitar (6, 8, 9), bass (7)
Kim Thayil: lead guitar
Hiro Yamamoto: bass, lead vocals (7)
Matt Cameron: drums
Production
Drew Canulette: production, engineering
Gardener: back cover photo of Chris Cornell
Lance Limbocker: engineering
Lance Mercer: cover photo
Kathryn Miller: art direction and design
Soundgarden: production, art direction and design
Sydney Taylor: insert photo
Susan Silver: management
Chris Cornell (July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017).
