So Far, So Good... So What! (stylized as so far, so good... so what !) is the third studio album by the American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on January 19, 1988 by Capitol Records. It is the band's only album recorded with drummer Chuck Behler and guitarist Jeff Young, both of whom were fired immediately after its subsequent tour. So Far, So Good... So What! features music performed at very fast tempos with technical ability; lyrically, frontman and guitarist Dave Mustaine addresses a variety of topics, including nuclear holocaust and freedom of speech.
The record was well received among contemporary music critics, although retrospective analysis has been less favorable. It managed to enter the top 30 on the Billboard 200 with no commercial radio play; it charted in several other countries as well. The album was eventually certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and indicated Megadeth's forthcoming emergence from the underground scene. A remixed and remastered edition of the album, including several bonus tracks, was released in August 2004.
Guitarist Chris Poland and drummer Gar Samuelson had been expelled from the band following the conclusion of the Peace Sells tour for disruptive behavior, including Poland's habit of pawning band equipment to pay for drugs. Samuelson was immediately replaced by his drum technician, Chuck Behler. However, a new guitarist would take longer to emerge. At first, the band hired guitarist Jay Reynolds from the band Malice, but Reynolds was not up to the task of recording, and was subsequently replaced by his guitar teacher, Jeff Young. Dave Mustaine has since stated his regret for the way he handled Reynolds's firing.
Work on the album started while Reynolds was in the band, but continued after the induction of Young. To mix the album, the label turned to Paul Lani, who had remixed the band's previous album, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?. Mustaine was initially skeptical, but later became very irate with Lani's "eccentricities" and his way of handling things. To mix the album, Lani relocated himself and Mustaine to Bearsville Studios, near Woodstock, New York, ostensibly for the purpose of inspiration. Mustaine decided he had had enough when he, having just awakened and made coffee, noticed Lani outside in his underwear feeding an apple to a deer. Mustaine flew back to Los Angeles later that day and fired Lani, who was replaced by Michael Wagener. Mustaine has since criticized Wagener's "pedestrian" mixing efforts, citing the album's "muddy feel", in particular. Mustaine was able to recruit Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones to perform guitar parts on "Anarchy in the U.K."
The tour that followed the album's release was the first to feature new band members Chuck Behler and Jeff Young. Bassist David Ellefson said that previous members Gar Samuelson and Chris Poland were tired of constantly being on the road and their departure was inevitable. He further revealed that drummer Behler was appointed shortly before because the band feared that Samuelson would not be able to continue touring. However, some problems occurred during the Australian leg of the tour. The band was forced to cancel some of these shows because of drug issues. Mustaine claimed that the group returned home because guitarist Young "ran out of heroin", which Young denied, stating that it was Mustaine who wanted to go back to Los Angeles and seek rehabilitation. Both Young and Behler were fired immediately after the end of the tour, in August 1988.
Megadeth started performing the album's songs live before the record was released. During 1987 they toured with other thrash metal bands such as Kreator and Overkill at a number of European venues. The following year Megadeth appeared with more established heavy metal acts such as Dio and Savatage for some shows in North America. They also headlined a European tour, with support from Testament and Sanctuary. Later in 1988 the group made an appearance at the Monsters of Rock festival, but were dropped from the line-up after one show; Megadeth was replaced by Testament. Dave Mustaine explained that the band toured quite often because they were not receiving much media exposure: "We do a lot of shows and sell records by word-of-mouth". Los Angeles Times reported that So Far, So Good... So What! sold 400,000 copies one month after its release, becoming Megadeth's fastest selling album at that point. The record eventually went platinum and indicated Megadeth's forthcoming emergence from the underground scene.
Tracklist:
- Into the Lungs of Hell 03:23
- Set the World Afire 05:48
- Anarchy in the U.K. (Sex Pistols cover) 03:01
- Mary Jane 04:25
- 502 03:29
- In My Darkest Hour 06:27
- Liar 03:21
- Hook in Mouth 04:49
- Into the Lungs of Hell (Paul Lani Mix) 03:31
- Set the World Afire (Paul Lani Mix) 05:52
- Mary Jane (Paul Lani Mix) 04:08
- In My Darkest Hour (Paul Lani Mix) 06:11
Time: 54:25
SHM-CD.
A video was made for "In My Darkest Hour".
The album reached #18 in the UK charts, and #28 in the US.
"Set the World Afire" is one of the band's earliest compositions, and was initially titled Megadeth, when the band was named Mechanix. When they switched to Megadeth, the song was retitled.
502 is U.S. police code for DUI (Driving Under the Influence of alcohol).
"Liar" is dedicated to Chris Poland, who was fired from the band for stealing Dave Mustaine's guitars.
"In My Darkest Hour" was written in late September, 1986, after Dave heard about Cliff Burton's death.
"Hook in Mouth" addresses censorship, and more specifically, the PMRC (:Parents Music Resource Center), a US organisation who campaigned heavily against metal bands' lyrics.
Dave Mustaine had originally wanted to cover the Sex Pistols' "Problems", then tried to record a medley of "Problems" and "Anarchy in the U.K. ", and eventually settled on just the latter. Sex Pistols' singer Johnny Rotten refused to provide them with a lyric sheet, however, leading to some mistakes in the Megadeth version. (Megadeth eventually covered "Problems", and it was included in the "Hidden Treasures" compilation.)
Recording information:
Mastered at Precision Lacquer, Hollywood, CA.
Mixed at The Entreprise, North Hollywood, CA.
Recorded at Music Grinder, Los Angeles, CA.
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