Ultramega OK
Ultramega OK is Soundgarden's debut studio album, released on 31 October 1988 through SST Records. It arrived after two EPs for Sub Pop, Screaming Life in 1987 and Fopp in 1988, so this was the band's first full-length record and their first release on a new label.
The music mixes psychedelic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and hardcore punk, which gives a good picture of where the band stood before Louder Than Love, Badmotorfinger and Superunknown. Soundgarden toured the United States in support, then made their first trip overseas. The album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance in 1990, a reminder that it was noticed beyond the underground. It is well worth hearing for the early, rougher shape of a band on its way up.
Ultramega OK: tracklist, credits and charts
13 tracks · 42:49Tracklist
- 1FlowerKim Thayil and Chris Cornell3:30
- 2All Your LiesThayil, Yamamoto, Cornell3:52
- 3665Hiro Yamamoto and Chris Cornell1:37
- 4Beyond the WheelCameron, Cornell, Thayil, Yamamoto4:22
- 5667Hiro Yamamoto and Chris Cornell1:04
- 6Mood for TroubleChris Cornell4:26
- 7Circle of PowerKim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto2:06
- 8He Didn’tMatt Cameron and Chris Cornell2:51
- 9Smokestack LightningHowlin’ Wolf5:08
- 10Nazi DriverHiro Yamamoto and Chris Cornell3:58
- 11Head InjuryChris Cornell2:26
- 12Incessant MaceKim Thayil and Chris Cornell6:27
- 13One Minute of Silence1:02
- Produced by
- Drew Canulette, Soundgarden, Matt Cameron
- Recorded at
- Dogfish Mobile Unit, Dogfish Mobile Unit, Seattle, Washington, and Newberg, Oregon
- Recorded
- Spring 1988
- Engineered by
- Drew Canulette, Lance Limbocker
- Label
- SST Records
- Length
- 42:49
Line-up
- Matt Cameron · drums (drum set) · guest
- Chris Cornell · guitar, vocals · guest
- Ben Shepherd · bass · guest
- Kim Thayil · guitar · guest
Singles
- “Flower” · 5 May 1989
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2017 | 122 |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Also released on 31 October
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 31 October 1988 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 31 October 1988 | |
| Wikidata | 31 October 1988 | |
| US release | 31 October 1988 | earliest US date |
12 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 October 1988 | US | SST Records | 018861020129 | original |
| 31 October 1988 | US | SST Records | 018861020143 | original |
| 31 October 1988 | US | SST Records | 018861020112 | original |
| 16 March 1994 | JP | KING | 4909346705081 | other |
| 10 March 2017 | XE | Sub Pop Records | 4059251078227 | other |
| 10 March 2017 | US | Sub Pop Records | 098787117219 | deluxe |
| 10 March 2017 | US | Sub Pop Records | 098787117264 | deluxe |
| 10 March 2017 | US | Sub Pop Records | 098787117240 | deluxe |
| 10 March 2017 | XE | Sub Pop Records | 098787117226 | deluxe |
| 10 March 2017 | XW | Sub Pop Records | 0098787117288 | other |
| 2 August 2017 | JP | Sub Pop Records | 4526180422433 | other |
| 6 September 2019 | US | Sub Pop Records | 098787117219 | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| deezer | 1800×1800 | native |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 953×953 | upscaled |