Sound as Ever is the debut album by Australian band You Am I, released in October 1993 via rooArt Records.[1] It was recorded at Pachyderm Studio in rural Cannon Falls, Minnesota, over eight days from July to August 1993 and was produced by Lee Ranaldo, (Sonic Youth) with Wayne Connolly as mixer and audio engineer.[1][2] It provided three singles, "Adam's Ribs" (October 1993), "Berlin Chair" (February 1994) and "Jaimme's Got a Gal" (May).[1]

Sound as Ever
The top half of the cover is a simple white rectangle with text at about the middle of the front cover. The band's members are named in small, black, block capitals at left. The group's name is immediately below in larger, red, block capitals and followed by the album title in similar sized but blue, block capitals. Additional text in grey, block capitals is placed at right: Stereo The finest in rock since 1992 in a rectangle; the catalogue number 74321439652 in an oval; and the record label RA Records. For the bottom half there is a black-and-white photo of three men and their instruments. The man at left is seated, playing a bass guitar, his eyes appeared closed, he wears his hair over shoulder length which partly covers his left eye. The second man leans on his drum kit with both hands, on a drum and his head is close to it. He wears curly, hair and is looking down and towards the bass guitarist. Microphones are placed in front of his kit. The third man is also seated, but plays a lead guitar, cradled across his lap while staring off to his left and up. There are two stage lights visible. A can of beer is in front of the bass drum.
Studio album by
Released25 October 1993 (1993-10-25)
Recorded27 July – 3 August 1993
StudioPachyderm, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
Genre
Length49:41
Label
ProducerLee Ranaldo
You Am I chronology
Coprolalia
(1993)
Sound as Ever
(1993)
Hi Fi Way
(1995)
Singles from Comedy
  1. "Adam's Ribs"
    Released: October 1993
  2. "Berlin Chair"
    Released: February 1994
  3. "Jaimme's Got a Gal"
    Released: May 1994

Sound as Ever was a departure for Tim Rogers on lead vocals, lead guitar and organ; Andy Kent on bass guitar and backing vocals; and Mark Tunaley on drums, percussion and vocals. They are a back to basics, punk-influenced Australian rock band. Rogers described recording the album, "Lee was the sweetest man in the world and continues to be so. Nirvana had just packed up after In Utero and we were the next ones in, this bunch of little yokels from Australia."[3] Before the album appeared Tunaley was "ousted from the band"; he was eventually replaced by Rusty Hopkinson on drums.[1][2]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]

Track listing

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The Australian track listing is as follows:

All songs: Rogers/You Am I (except where noted)

  1. "Coprolalia"
  2. "Berlin Chair"
  3. "Trainspottin'"
  4. "Adam's Ribs"
  5. "Rosedale"
  6. "Forever and Easy"
  7. "Everyone's to Blame"
  8. "Jaimme's Got a Gal"
  9. "Who's Leaving You Now?" (Kent, Rogers, You Am I)
  10. "Ordinary"
  11. "You Scare Me"
  12. "Off the Field" (Tunaley, You Am I)
  13. "Sound As Ever"

When the album was released in America, "Off the Field" was omitted; while "Coprolalia", "Berlin Chair", "Trainspottin'" and "Jaimme's Got a Gal" were remixed by David Bianco.

2013 reissue

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In 2013, You Am I reissued a remastered version of Sound as Ever, with a bonus disc featuring B-sides, out-takes and live recordings. The band also released the album on vinyl for the first time.[5]

This 2013 reissue coincided with reissues for You Am I's subsequent albums Hi Fi Way and Hourly, Daily, which was accompanied by an Australian tour titled the Hi Fi Daily Double Tour.[6]

Personnel

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  • Tim Rogers – vocals, guitar, organ
  • Andy Kent – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Mark Tunaley – drums, percussion
  • Lee Ranaldo – producer, mixer; additional vocals, guitar and keyboard
  • Wayne Connolly – mixer, audio engineer

Charts

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Chart performance for Sound as Ever
Chart (1994) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] 61

References

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  1. ^ a b c d McFarlane, 'You Am I' entry. Archived from the original on 29 August 2004. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b Holmgren, Magnus (2006). "You Am I". passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  3. ^ Condon, Dan (24 November 2010). "No Struggle, No Progress". Time Off. p. 17.
  4. ^ Allmusic review
  5. ^ Cashmere, Paul. "You Am I to Release First Three Albums on Vinyl". Noise11. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  6. ^ Guppy, Sarah. "You Am I Announce Reissue & 2013 National Tour of Classic Albums". Tone Deaf. The Brag. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  7. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 308.