Soundgarden
Ultramega Ok (expanded Reissue)
REPRESSED! This remixed and expanded reissue of Soundgarden's Ultramega OK is a long-planned "correction" of the legendary band's Grammy-nominated debut full-length. The album was originally recorded and released in 1988 on SST Records. In 2016, after worldwide success, a breakup, a reunion, and many albums and tours, the band finally acquired the original multi-track tapes to Ultramega OK and carved out time to dig into the remix. They handed the tapes over to longtime friend and engineer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Skin Yard), who worked with the band to create a fresh mix of the album that, for the band, ties up this persistent loose end and remedies the sound of their debut album. While they were at it, the band dug out six early versions of tracks that wound up on Ultramega OK. The songs were recorded in 1987 on 8-track tape by Jack Endino and Chris Hanzsek at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, and mixed by Jack Endino in 2016. These versions feature the band in raw, powerful form - sonically closer to the band's Endino-recorded debut EP Screaming Life - and provide a fascinating window into the development of songs that eventually became staples of the band's set. The six songs comprise what the band refers to as Ultramega EP, and they are included in this reissue. The album comes packaged in a foil-stamped gatefold with custom dust sleeves, features liner notes from Kim Thayil and Jack Endino, and includes a previously unseen photo from renowned photographer Charles Peterson. Includes download card.