Total Fucking Godhead / The Soundgarden Thread

[Kevin Davis]

I never minded the production on "Ultramega OK," so maybe that's why I find the idea of a remix kind of tacky -- to me it just sounds like a big heavy rock band making an album on a low budget, not without its shortcomings but ultimately not much different to my ears than a lot of albums that were coming out on SST and Sub-Pop around that time (of course I'm not a big audiophile either so my ears may be blinder to certain differences than some).

[tragabigzanda]

[tragabigzanda]

[Kevin Davis]

Interesting -- I've never really thought of it that way. Where do early Sonic Youth albums fall for you on that spectrum, trag? Or "Bleach?"

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

[zeb]

Both of Terry Date's Soundgarden records could use some work.

[Birds in Hell]

Both of Terry Date's Soundgarden records could use some work.

I know some people find them a little thin but I wouldn't be anywhere near as keen to see either of them touched as I think they sound fine. They're of their time but not in a way that hurts the records.

That "band trying to sound huge on a limited budget and failing hard" is exactly why I find Ultramega OK borderline unlistenable and I'd be pleased to see the band try to get something worthwhile from those tapes. It was the band's only release on SST (see the trend with the early Sonic Youth and Dino Jr records, etc.) and it's my understanding that they weren't even happy with how it turned out at the time but didn't have the support to do anything about it, per Wikipedia:

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."

He later said that "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."

Veteran Seattle producer Jack Endino, who also produced Soundgarden's first EP, Screaming Life, was in the process of re-mixing 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 repressing and redistributing the record, it was put on hold. The project has since been resumed by Jack Endino and Kim Thayil.

[tragabigzanda]

[zeb]

I wouldn't even care if he fattened up the drums with some samples, so long as it was tasteful.

trag.

[tragabigzanda]

[LetMeSleep]

What if those samples were from the SuK sessions? I can't tell you guys how much I love those snares.

[zeb]

That would feel so wrong.

[LetMeSleep]

Oh for sure. It would have happened on records that you know and love already. I don't want them to do it on BMF though.

[tragabigzanda]

[zeb]

I know some drummers definitely sample all of their drums but that doesn't seem like a Matt Cameron thing to do.

[Birds in Hell]

I think there's a difference in a scenario where you're using them to help fix what were poor recordings originally, though it's certainly not preferable to a kit that was well captured in the first place.

It's just so common now to add some samples to beef up the low end...I dislike the practice for purely ethical reasons, but the fact is that when it's done well, we're none the wiser.

Absolutely, Andy Wallace famously used samples all over Nirvana's Nevermind, etc.

[zeb]

I don't like albums where every snare beat or kick drum sounds the same.

[tragabigzanda]

[Birds in Hell]

Agreed with all points.

Listening to Incessant Mace now, I think the kind of reverb applied is the biggest offender in the weak sounding drums and you would presume (or hope) that it was applied post-recording so there's no reason to think the original recordings couldn't be successfully reworked into something a little more fitting with the rest of the band's catalogue. Thankfully the band still have the multi-track masters.

[zeb]

Obligatory:



The only BMF tune with normal sounding drums.