Ultraelectromagneticpop! is the debutstudio album of the Filipino alternative rock bandEraserheads, released by BMG Records, 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.
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, 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 Munji. Freedom! Experimentation. Everything we wanted. Good food, sound, equipment
Release
The album was released by BMG Records 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. The album was remastered by Grammy award-winning American audio engineer Bernie Grundman. 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. 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.
