So Far, So Good… So What!
| So Far, So Good… So What! | ||||
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| Studio album by Megadeth | ||||
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| Label (s) | Combat Records , Capitol Records | |||
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Dave Mustaine, Paul Lani |
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So Far, So Good… So What! (English for: “So far, so good… so what!”) is the third studio album by the American thrash metal band Megadeth . It was released by Combat / Capitol in January 1988 . It was the only album with guitarist Jeff Young and drummer Chuck Behler, both were released after the following tour. The album was the band's commercial breakthrough , especially in the USA . The album reached platinum status in the US and Canada . Singles were In My Darkest Hour , Mary Jane and Anarchy in the UK
Emergence
Before recording So Far, So Good… So What! Drummer Gar Samuelson and guitarist Chris Poland , who had drug problems like bassist David Ellefson and band leader Dave Mustaine , were replaced by Chuck Behler and Jeff Young, the latter graduate of a music school. Among other things, the Sex Pistols cover Anarchy in the UK was recorded during the studio stay at the end of 1987 , with former Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones participating. Mustaine described the production of the album as "horrible, mostly due to substances and the priorities we had or didn't have at the time ...", as terrible, mostly because of the "substances" (drugs) and the priorities "that we have to of the time or not ”. Mustaine fell out with co-producer Paul Lani while mixing in Woodstock , New York , so Michael Wagener did the final mix in Los Angeles . The "Paul Lani Mixes" are included on the later 2004 re-release.
Track list
- Into the Lungs of Hell - 3:30 (Instrumental)
- Set the World Afire - 5:48
- Anarchy in the UK - 3:47 (Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock)
- Mary Jane - 3:41 (Music: Mustaine. Text: Mustaine, Ellefson)
- 502-3 :29
- In My Darkest Hour - 6:16 (Music: Mustaine, Young. Text: Mustaine, Ellefson)
- Liar - 3:20 (Music: Mustaine, Ellefson. Text: Mustaine)
- Hook in Mouth - 4:48 (Music: Mustaine, Ellefson, Young. Text: Mustaine)
Music and lyrics were written by Dave Mustaine unless otherwise noted. The remastered re-release from 2004 also contained the "Paul Lani Mix" pieces Into the Lungs of Hell , Set the World Afire , Mary Jane and In My Darkest Hour .
reception
Press reviews
About So Far, So Good… So What! the critics' opinions differed. Steve Huey of allmusic .com wrote that the album was "a largely uninspired undertaking," the lyrics were more under the heading of "self-parody". The cover Anarchy in the UK is disappointing in Megadeth's controlled style. The album was rated two and a half stars out of five, as was the re-release, which Jason Birchmeier saw as "not drastically improved". Holger Stratmann rated the album quite differently in what was then Rock Hard , he called it a “masterpiece”, which is no better than the “overhammer” Peace Sells… But Who's Buying? but gets full marks ten. In its later list of the best with 500 albums selected by the editorial team, So Far, So Good… So What! 75th place. Some pieces, such as the “gloomy mid-tempo stomper” In My Darkest Hour - written by Mustaine after the death of Metallica bassist Cliff Burton - are still “highlights in the career” of Megadeth, only on the vocals "Of course, the spirits still differed today".
Chart placements
| Charts | Top ranking | Weeks |
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 Germany (GfK)
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27 (10 weeks) | 10 |
 Switzerland (IFPI)
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28 (2 weeks) | 2 |
 United Kingdom (OCC)
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18th (5 weeks) | 5 |
 United States (Billboard)
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28 (23 weeks) | 23 |
Web links
- So Far, So Good… So What! at Allmusic (English)
- So Far, So Good… So What! at MusicBrainz
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Uwe "Buffo" Schnädelbach: Review. Best of rock and metal . Rock Hard, p. 193
- ↑ Band biography Megadeth, rockhard.de; accessed 2010, link no longer available
- ↑ a b Jason Birchmeier: Review So Far, So Good… So What! , Re-release.
- ↑ a b Steve Huey: Review So Far, So Good… So What!
- ↑ Holger Stratmann: Review So Far, So Good… So What! rockhard.de
- ↑ a b c d Chart sources: DE CH UK US