{{Short description|1993 debut studio album by Eraserheads}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}} {{Use Philippine English|date=December 2022}} {{Infobox album | name = Ultraelectromagneticpop! | type = studio | artist = Eraserheads | cover = ultraelectromagnetic.jpg | alt = | released = July 1, 1993 | recorded = July 1992 – April 1993 | venue = | studio = *AD & AD, Manila *JR, Makati | genre = {{hlist|Pinoy rock|jangle pop|indie pop|alternative rock}} | length = 44:54<ref name="Allmusic">{{Cite news|last = Gonzales| first = David|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/ultraelectromagneticpop%21-mw0001248021|title=Ultraelectromagneticpop! - The Eraserheads|work=AllMusic|access-date=December 5, 2021}}</ref> | label = * Musiko Records * BMG Records (Pilipinas) Inc. | producer = * Dem{{efn|name=dem|The Eraserheads used the pseudonym Dem under production duties.}} * Ed Formoso | language = {{hlist|Filipino|English}} | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = Circus | next_year = 1994 | misc = {{Extra album cover | header = Alternative cover | type = Studio album | cover = EHeads-uemp-25thAnniv.jpg | border = | alt = | caption = 25th anniversary teaser cover }} {{Singles | name = Ultraelectromagneticpop! | type = studio | single1 = Ligaya | single1date = 1993 | single2 = Pare Ko | single2date = 1993 | single3 = Toyang | single3date = 1993 | single4 = Shirley | single4date = 1994 }} }}
'''''Ultraelectromagneticpop!''''' is the debut studio album by the Philippine alternative rock band Eraserheads, first released on July 1, 1993, by BMG Records (Pilipinas) Inc. It was produced by the band (credited as “Dem”) and Ed Formoso.
Eraserheads formed in 1989 at University of the Philippines Diliman and signed a recording contract with BMG in 1992. They recorded ''Ultraelectromagneticpop!'' from July 1992 to April 1993. The recording was hampered by several reasons such as frequent brownouts and Formoso leaving the studio for undisclosed reasons.
The album spawned hit singles such as "Ligaya”, “Toyang”, and “Pare Ko”, best known for its explicit lyrics. It is often credited with revitalizing the alternative rock genre in the Philippines during the 1990s.
==Background== The members of Eraserheads met while attending University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City. They formed a band in 1989 and named themselves Eraserheads, a nod to the David Lynch film ''Eraserhead'' (1977).<ref name="pep">{{cite web |title=The Eraserheads saga: The making and unmaking of a rock n’ roll dream |url=https://www.pep.ph/lifestyle/15446/the-eraserheads-saga-the-making-and-unmaking-of-a-rock-n-roll-dream?s=22359ud59vi9uaikuerholufau |website=PEP.ph |access-date=22 August 2024}}</ref>
On January 26, 1991, the band recorded a nine-song demo tape at the house garage of drummer Raymund Marasigan, in Candelaria, Quezon. The demos were said to be influenced by The Cure as well as ska and reggae genres.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Guerilla |first1=Abomenable |title=ERASERHEADS: unreleased, totally underground tracks recorded January 26, 1991 (Philippine Collegian, January 26, 1991) |url=http://www.schizo-archives.com/eraserheads/press/music-review_garjam_1991-3-7_philippinecollegian.html |website=Schizo Archives |access-date=9 August 2024}}</ref> The demo tape was distributed and circulated around record labels, although it was dismissed; one record label commented that the demos were “not pop enough”. Marasigan gave a copy to his Humanities professor Robin Rivera, who assisted them in remixing the demo recordings to a higher quality. The polished demo tape was titled ''Pop-U!'', as an irreverent response to those who turned them down.<ref name="pillbox 1">{{cite journal |last1=Ramos |first1=Redel |title=The Story of the Inverted E |journal=Pillbox |date=1996 |volume=1 |page=2}}</ref>
''Pop-U!'' earned the band a spot at Club Dredd, where they initially saw little success. They decided to write their own material which soon earned them a cult following. One song, "Pare Ko", became popular for its explicit lyrics. The band soon landed an out-of-town gig as an opening act for Introvoys in Cebu. Buendia wrote the song “Combo on the Run” about their experiences there.<ref name="pep" />
Meanwhile, Buendia worked as a copywriter for BMG and wrote songs with the band at night. Their material later caught the attention of A&R director Vic Valenciano, who commented that they were "technically very raw but that there was something promising in them."<ref name="sony-bmg">Panaligan, J. [http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/08/06/ENTR2006080671019.html "A trail of blazing hits at Sony-BMG"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027045501/http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/08/06/ENTR2006080671019.html |date=October 27, 2007 }}, ''The Manila Bulletin Online'', August 6, 2006. Accessed last February 25, 2007.</ref> In 1992, BMG signed the band into a three-year record deal.
==Recording== Eraserheads recorded ''Ultraelectromagneticpop!'' from July 1992 to April 1993.<ref name="Schizoarchives">{{Cite news|url=http://www.schizo-archives.com/eraserheads/works/album_ultraelectromagneticpop.html|title=Ultraelectromagneticpop! [Album]|work=Schizo's Eraserheads Database|access-date=December 5, 2021}}</ref> They initially worked with Ed Formoso for production duties.
The recording sessions were hampered by several incidents, such as brownouts and the recording equipment breaking down. Midway through a session, Formoso abruptly left the studio for undisclosed reasons, forcing the band to finish producing the rest of the album. They expressed their displeasure by inserting a backmasked message (“Formoso sucks!”) into “Combo on the Run”.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kIREwcuTBc|title=Combo on the Run" backmasking revealed!|author=schizo's Eraserheads Video Vault|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=YouTube}} The uploader erroneously says the backmask is "Ed Formoso sucks!" despite it lacking an "Ed."</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Del Mundo |first1=Jessica |title=Eheads sa Amerika |url=http://www.philmusic.com/zine/features/2000/07/070700_eheads-usa2000/index.htm |website=Philmusic.com |access-date=24 August 2024 |archive-date=January 25, 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010125031100/http://www.philmusic.com/zine/features/2000/07/070700_eheads-usa2000/index.htm |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>
The album title is a pun on the ultraelectromagnetic tops, a fictional weapon from the Japanese anime television series ''Voltes V'', which was popular in the Philippines at the time. Working titles included ''Lutong Bahay'', ''Pekaloid'', ''The Klasik Kapums Konsert Kookout'', and ''Eraserheads Greatest Hits Vol. 5''.<ref name="javier">{{cite web |last1=Javier |first1=Robert |title=ERASERHEADS SHOOT RN'R (from "Rock & Rhythm" Vol. 4, # 69 / 1993) |url=http://www.schizo-archives.com/eraserheads/works/prod-notes_ultraelectromagneticpop.html |website=Schizo Archives |access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref>
==Music and lyrics== In ''Ultraelectromagneticpop!'', local critics found elements of alternative rock,<ref name="sallan">{{cite web |last1=Sallan |first1=Edwin P. |title=A refreshing change (Sunday Chronicle, August 29, 1993) |url=http://www.schizo-archives.com/eraserheads/press/music-review_UltraEMP_1993-8-29_SundayChronicle.jpg |website=Schizo Archives |access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref><ref name="head-on">{{cite web |title=Head-on (Movie Flash, September 16, 1993) |url=http://www.schizo-archives.com/eraserheads/press/music-review_UltraEMP_1993-9-16_MovieFlash.jpg |website=Schizo Archives |access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref> college rock,<ref name="requintina">{{cite web |last1=Requintina |first1=Robert R. |title=There's no stopping the Eraserheads (The Manila Bulletin, October 17, 1993) |url=http://www.schizo-archives.com/eraserheads/press/press_1993-10-17_ManilaBulletin.jpg |website=Schizo Archives |access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref> reggae,<ref name="head-on" /><ref name="ac-ac">{{cite web |last1=Ac-ac |first1=Mike |title=Walanghiya! (the eraserheads go ultraelectromagneticpop!) (Philippine Collegian, August 6, 1993) |url=http://www.schizo-archives.com/eraserheads/press/music-review_UltraEMP_1993-8-6_PhilCollegian.jpg |website=Schizo Archives |access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref> and rockabilly.<ref name="ac-ac" /> The album drew comparisons to the Beatles,<ref name="sallan" /><ref name="requintina" /> the Cure,<ref name="sallan" /> the Clash,<ref name="ac-ac" /> Red Hot Chili Peppers,<ref name="sallan" /> and APO Hiking Society.<ref name="sallan" /><ref name="requintina" />
Some of the tracks such as “Pare Ko”, “Tindahan ni Aling Nena”, and “Toyang” were rerecorded from ''Pop-U!''. “Pare Ko” is a ballad<ref name="requintina" /> and became notable for its explicit lyrics, which was unheard of in Philippine music at the time.<ref name="Iwitness">{{cite episode | title = Eraserheads Banda Ng Masa | series = I-Witness The GMA Documentaries | network = GMA| airdate = March 9, 2009}}</ref> The album's initial release included both original and censored versions, with the latter named “Walang Hiyang Pare Ko” (later excluded from the album's 25th anniversary remaster).<ref name="ac-ac" /> Buendia described “Tindahan ni Aling Nena” as a “shameless Beatles parody”.<ref name="javier" /> “Toyang” features interpolated and reworked Filipino folk songs (such as the nonsensical ''Pen-Pen de Sarapen'' and the Ilocano ''Ti Ayat Ti Maysa Nga Ubing''), as well as the popular song “Too Young” (composed by Sidney Lippman and written by Sylvia Dee) and “Silly Love Songs” by Paul McCartney's band Wings; the band credited Lippman, Dee and McCartney in the album liner notes. Marasigan described the song as “an anti-pop statement against the people who said we couldn’t do a pop song.”<ref name="javier" />
"Easy Ka Lang" is influenced by the local Manila Sound genre. "Maling Akala" has reggae elements, while the final track "Combo on the Run" is an attempt at funk according to Marasigan.<ref name="javier" /> The album also features two filler tracks, “Ganjazz” and “Honky-Toinks Granny”, which feature vocals from producer Jojo Bacasmas.
==Release== {{Music ratings | rev1 = Allmusic | rev1Score = {{rating|4|5}} [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r595114|pure_url=yes}} link] | noprose = yes }}
BMG initially printed 5,000 copies of the album for its release. It ended up selling 300,000 copies by the end of the year.<ref name="sony-bmg"/>
===Reissues=== In 2008, BMG reissued Eraserheads's back catalogue, including ''Ultraelectromagneticpop!''<ref>{{cite web |title=Eraserheads - Ultraelectromagneticpop! (CD, 2009) |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/2994808-Eraserheads-UltraElectroMagneticPop |website=Discogs.com |access-date=18 August 2024}}</ref>
In November 2018, Buendia's record label Offshore Music and Sony Music Philippines released a 25th anniversary reissue of the album, which was remastered by Bernie Grundman.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Eraserheads Confirm Reissue of 'Ultraelectromagneticpop!' |url=https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/music/eraserheads-ultraelectromagneticpop-album-a00203-20181120 |website=Esquire Philippines |access-date=9 August 2024}}</ref> The reissue was later released on vinyl in November 2019, limited to 2,500 copies.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bodegon-Hikino |first1=Cara |title=The Eraserheads' Ultraelectromagneticpop! 25th anniversary vinyl is finally here |url=https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/the-eraserheads-ultraelectromagneticpop-25th-anniversary-vinyl-is-finally-here |website=Bandwagon Asia |access-date=9 August 2024}}</ref> After the band's reunion concert in 2022, it was re-released on streaming services to include 360-degree spatial sound.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Basbas |first1=Franchesca Judine |title=5 Eraserheads albums to be re-released to include 360-degree spatial sound |url=https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/5-eraserheads-album-to-be-re-released-to-include-360-degree-spatial-sound-sb19-nobita-december-2022 |website=Bandwagon Asia |access-date=11 August 2024}}</ref>
==Legacy== The success of ''Ultraelectromagneticpop!'' paved the way for other Filipino rock bands such as Rivermaya, Siakol, Yano, Teeth, Rizal Underground, and Color It Red to similar mainstream prominence in the Philippines.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Caballa |first1=Jason |title=Revisit The 1990s With These 10 Great Filipino Rock Songs |url=https://billboardphilippines.com/editorial-picks/best-of/revisit-the-1990s-with-these-10-great-filipino-rock-songs/ |website=Billboard Philippines |access-date=11 August 2024}}</ref> Its master tapes are currently in archive at the University of the Philippines Center for Ethnomusicology for its cultural importance.
The album name inspired the first Eraserheads tribute album ''Ultraelectromagneticjam!: The Music of the Eraserheads'', released in 2005 and featuring 17 of their songs covered by Philippine artists.
==Track listing== ===Original release=== {{Track listing | total_length = 44:54 | extra_column = Producer(s) | title1 = Easy Ka Lang | writer1 = Ely Buendia | extra1 = Ed Formoso | length1 = 4:27 | title2 = Maling Akala | writer2 = {{hlist|Buendia|Raimund Marasigan}} | extra2 = Dem{{efn|name=dem}} | length2 = 4:16 | title3 = Pare Ko | writer3 = Buendia | extra3 = Formoso | length3 = 5:26 | title4 = Shake Yer Head | writer4 = Buendia | extra4 = Formoso | length4 = 4:04 | title5 = Ganjazz | writer5 = {{hlist|Marcus Adoro}} | extra5 = Dem | length5 = 0:41 | title6 = Toyang | writer6 = {{hlist|Adoro|Buendia}} | extra6 = Dem | length6 = 3:48 | title7 = Ligaya | writer7 = Buendia | extra7 = Formoso | length7 = 4:30 | title8 = Tindahan ni Aling Nena | writer8 = Buendia | extra8 = Formoso | length8 = 3:06 | title9 = Honky-Toinks Granny | writer9 = Adoro | extra9 = Dem | length9 = 1:11 | title10 = Shirley | writer10 = {{hlist|Buendia|Marasigan}} | extra10 = Dem | length10 = 3:58 | title11 = Walang Hiyang Pare Ko | writer11 = Buendia | extra11 = Formoso | length11 = 5:25 | title12 = Combo on the Run | writer12 = {{hlist|Buendia|Marasigan}} | extra12 = Dem | length12 = 4:02 }} *On the 25th anniversary remastered edition, "Walang Hiyang Pare Ko" is excluded from the track listing.
==Personnel== Adapted from the liner notes.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Ultraelectromagneticpop!|others=Eraserheads|year=1993|type=album liner notes|publisher=BMG}}</ref> {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} '''Eraserheads''' * Ely Buendia – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar {{small|(track 4)}}, lead guitar {{small|(track 6)}} * Buddy Zabala – bass guitar, backing vocals, acoustic guitar {{small|(track 4)}} * Marcus Adoro – lead guitar, backing vocals, hand claps {{small|(track 4)}}, tambourine {{small|(track 8)}}, lead vocals {{small|(track 9)}} * Raimund Marasigan – drums, backing vocals, melodica {{small|(track 2)}}, tambourine {{small|(track 4)}}, hand claps {{small|(track 4)}}, lead guitar {{small|(track 6)}}, piano {{small|(track 10)}}
'''Additional musicians''' * Jojo Bacasmas – lead vocals {{small|(track 5)}}, backing vocals {{small|(tracks 6–7)}} * Maryana Arinez – saxophone {{small|(track 3)}} {{col-2}} '''Production''' * Dem{{efn|name=dem}} – production {{small|(tracks 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12)}} * Ed Formoso – production {{small|(tracks 1, 3–4, 7–8, 11)}} * Willie Munji – mixing, recording * Boy Tanquinitic – recording * Jhoffer Aquino – recording * Ronnie Soriano – recording * Buddy Medina – executive production * Rudy Tee – executive production * Vic Valenciano – A&R * Annie Angala – management
'''Design''' * Mario Joson – art direction, design * Chitty Ramirez – art execution * Mitch Amurao – photography {{col-end}}
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.allmusic.com/album/ultraelectromagneticpop!-mw0001248021 Allmusic Review] *[http://www.schizo-archives.com/eraserheads/works/album_ultraelectromagneticpop.html schizo-archives.com]
{{Eraserheads}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1993 debut albums Category:Eraserheads albums