There are two reasons why you might buy this reissue.
The first is that you don’t already own Sound As Ever, You Am I’s much-loved debut.
In this case you’re either a teenager or, tragically, you’ve been living under a rock for most of your adult life.
The second is that you’re buying it for the extra tracks – after all, this is the so-called “Superunreal Edition”.
If you fall into the latter category, you’ll be pleased to know that all the band’s Sound As Ever-era b-sides are collected here, as is the original Sound As Ever bonus disc – a dynamic live set recorded in Seattle.
Also included are previously unreleased acoustic versions of “Rosedale” and “Trainspottin’” and the David Bianco remix of “Berlin Chair”. The latter was included on the US version of the album.
Furthermore, all tracks here have been remastered and, as you’d expect, they sound better than ever before.
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The bassline on caustic opener “Coprolalia” is nothing short of thunderous while the visceral outro to “Sound As Ever” simply rocks. “Forever And Easy”, meanwhile, boasts one of Tim Rogers’ best-ever riffs, which is no mean feat.
Of course, the album’s flaws are still present – “You Scare Me” is at least four minutes too long and the sludgy Mark Tunaley-penned “Off The Field” is more than a little dull.
But, as they were in 1993, the high points are unstoppable.
There’s exhilarating punk rush of “Adam’s Ribs”, the heartbreakingly honest “Ordinary”, and “Berlin Chair”, to this day the band’s most famous song.
As document of Australian rock history, Sound As Ever is one of the most important albums of the 90s. As fate would have it, the most important would arrive 15 months later, in the form of its follow up, Hi Fi Way.
