This album sucks, I listened to it once and sold it back used. Don't waste your time on this one unless you like SG's early punk sound, which is neither good punk nor good grunge.
UltrmegaOK is more than okay In 1988 I walked into Tower Records on South Street in Philadelphia sporting a mohawk, a leather, and Doc's. I was looking for the latest Charged GBH album. As I strolled the isles I heard this album playing in the background. I stopped dead in my tracks. I listened to three songs and then asked the dude at the register who was playing. He smiled, reached under the counter, and pulled out this record. I immediately bought it and life changed forever.
Disregard reviews that compare this album with Superunknown or Badmotorfinger. You simply can't compare this (or "Louder than Love" for that matter) with their later works. It's like comparing Dark Side of the Moon with The Wall and declaring one inferior.
Listen to the samples and judge for yourself. In my humble opinion this is one black, hard, and raw album and also happens to be one the best rock-n-roll records of the 1980s.
Bizarre and brilliant What else is there to say about Soundgarden? From 1987 to 1997 this insanely talented band made some of the best rock music in decades. The combination of virtuoso guitarist Kim Thayil and the eerie, nearly inhuman wailings of Chris Cornell made for some truly cutting edge rock, the likes of which have never been replicated.
Where else are you going to hear musicianship and composition like that in Beyond the Wheel and Mood for Trouble? While not as polished as the band's later releases, Ultramega OK is ultimately a mind-bending and ear-shattering listening experience. It's not for everyone, but then again no ingenious music is.
it's just ok you can hear the seeds of later soundgarden songs. they really came into the sound they were known for later on with the album Bad Motor Finger. if you are a completist then by all means purchase this album. if you are just discovering Soundgarden and like what you have heard on the radio or where ever then pick up the later albums. Superunknown, Down on the upside, Bad Motor Finger all have the same feel yet they have their distinct sounds. you can really see where the band was going over the course of these albums. this album is not terrible it's just that the songs lack individuality and technical skill that the band would demonstrate on later albums.
Unique It's pretty cool to be able to go back and hear one of your favorite bands as they were when they were still finding their sound. On this album, you can hear their experimentation with various kinds of rock; heavy, raw metal and such. And you can also hear where they found what works for them, and developed it. Thayil's heavy, raw but sonically pleasing guitar grooves that were characteristic of the band are present here, as are (less often than later on) Cornell's emotion-racked shrieks. My personal favorite is the utterly explosive vibe of Incessant Mace.
There are some missteps, but those are taste-directed; I don't really like the abstract 665 and 667 interludes and the psychopathic Circle of Power. Still, it's very worth a listen.
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