Ultraelectromagneticpop!
Ultraelectromagneticpop! (officially written and stylized as ultraelectromagneticpop!) is the debut studio album of the Filipino alternative rock band Eraserheads, released by BMG Records (Pilipinas), Inc. in 1993. Ultraelectromagneticpop! spawned hit songs such as "Ligaya", "Toyang", and "Pare Ko". The album brought the underground Philippine college rock scene into public awareness and the emergence of "Eraserheadsmania" because of successive hit singles and sold-out concerts.
| ultraelectromagneticpop! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
| Studio | JR Recording Studios (tracks 5, 6, 9, 12) and Ad & Ad Recording Studio (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11) | |||
| Genre | Pinoy rock | |||
| Length | 43:32 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer |
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| Eraserheads chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 25th anniversary teaser cover | ||||
| Singles from ultraelectromagneticpop! | ||||
| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
Background
Though Ultraelectromagneticpop! was their debut album, most of the songs were recycled from original compositions that were written since their college days in 1989. Hoping to have their songs published, the band recorded a demo tape in 1991 and shopped around record labels and radio stations, only to be rejected at every turn. A friend-professor, Robin Rivera, from their school, UP Diliman, helped them record an improved version of the demo tape which was named Pop U!, a play on the invective "fuck you," in response to the people who turned them down. After a year of being passed around the underground music scene, the demo tape made its way to the hands of BMG Records (Philippines), who signed a three-year contract with the band.
The title of the album is a pun on ultraelectromagnetic tops, a fictional weapon from the anime serial Voltes V, which was immensely popular in the Philippines.
Recording
The recording of Ultraelectromagneticpop started on July 1992 to April 1993 with crazy working titles like "Lutong Bahay", "Pekaloid", "The Klasik Kapums Konsert Kookout", and "Eraserheads Greatest Hits Vol. 5". at Ad & Ad Recording Studio and JR Recording Studio.
Based on their production notes, they somewhat had a hard time during their recording sessions. It was stated that there are two things on their recording sessions : Heaven and Hell.
Hell: Ac and Ad. Brownouts, floods, rain, wait ancient equipment, No DAT, Ed Formoso, master recording machine kept slowing down and breaking up.
Heaven: JR Recording. Groovy engineer, Mr. Willie (the screen) Munji. Freedom! Experimentation. Everything we wanted. Good food, sound, equipment (d-drums! effects! sofa!)
Release
The album was released by BMG Records ( Pilipinas ) under the label's local division, Musiko Records in July 1993. The album was originally issued on both compact disc and cassette tape formats with the respective catalog numbers: MRCD-032 and MRMC-032. Original issue cassettes featured full-color sticker labels on both sides.
In 2008, the album was re-released together with the band's other albums.
25th anniversary remastered version
Coinciding with the album's 25th anniversary, a remastered edition of Ultraelectromagneticpop is set to be released on November 21, 2018 under Sony Music Philippines and Offshore Music. Ely Buendia made the first announcement on his Instagram and Facebook accounts.[1] The album was remastered by Grammy award-winning American audio engineer Bernie Grundman.[2] In January 2019, Buendia revealed through his independent record label, Offshore Music, along with Sony Music, that the master tapes of the Eraserheads' first album, Ultraelectromagneticpop!, are currently being archived by the University of the Philippines Center for Ethnomusicology for the album's cultural significance.
Track listing
NOTE: Tagalog song titles are provided with English translations enclosed inside the parenthesis.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Easy Ka Lang (Just Be Easy)" | Ely Buendia | 4:23 |
| 2. | "Maling Akala (Wrong Intentions)" |
| 4:11 |
| 3. | "Pare Ko (My Pal)" | Buendia | 5:11 |
| 4. | "Shake Yer Head" | Buendia | 3:52 |
| 5. | "Ganjazz" |
| 0:37 |
| 6. | "Toyang" |
| 3:45 |
| 7. | "Ligaya (Happiness)" | Buendia | 4:16 |
| 8. | "Tindahan ni Aling Nena" | Buendia | 3:04 |
| 9. | "Honky-Toinks Granny" | Adoro | 1:04 |
| 10. | "Shirley" |
| 4:00 |
| 11. | "Walang Hiyang Pare Ko (My Shameless Pal)" | Buendia | 5:11 |
| 12. | "Combo on the Run" |
| 3:58 |
| Total length: | 43:32 | ||
All tracks produced by Ed Formoso except "Maling Akala", "Ganjazz", "Toyang", "Hoinky-Toinks Granny", "Shirley", and "Combo on the Run", which were produced by Dem.
Legacy
The release of Ultraelectromagneticpop! gave way to other Filipino bands to splash onto the Philippine Alternative Music Scene and also saw the emergence of the so-called "90's Rock Revolution" in the Philippines.
Notes
- "Pare Ko" and "Walang Hiyang Pare Ko" are actually the same song. The latter is a clean, radio-friendly version of the former.
- "Walang Hiyang Pare Ko" does not appear on the 2018 remastered version of the album.
- "Toyang" was slightly inspired by "Too Young," a composition written by Sylvia Dee and Sidney Lippman which was well known for Nat King Cole's rendition. The song also makes reference to several Filipino folk songs and as well as the Paul McCartney-penned "Silly Love Songs". Buendia's inspiration behind the song was his then long time college girlfriend, Victoria Cayago.
- "Ganjazz" was a jazz version of "Honky-Toinks Granny" and was recorded with Jojo Bacasmas on vocals.
- "Honky-Toinks Granny" was a country version of "Ganjazz".
- The album has a modified version of the Parental Advisory sticker in the cover art of the original release (see infobox). It reads:
- "Parental Advisory: Some songs may not be suitable for children (but there isn't anything in this album that your kids haven't heard before!)"
- The Parental Advisory is removed in the 25th Anniversary edition cover.
References
- Cruz, Romy Peña. "The Eraserheads to re-release Ultraelectromagneticpop!". Retrieved 2018-11-21.
- "Eraserheads' debut album marks 25th year, to be released anew on Spotify, digital platforms". GMA News Online. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
