Ultra Payloaded

Ultra Payloaded

Ultra Payloaded

Ultra Payloaded is the debut release from Perry Farrell’s Satellite Party.  It was released on May 29, 2007 on Columbia Records in North America and on June 6, 2007 in Europe on Sony BMG.  The album was originally set to be released on May 15, 2007, but was delayed two weeks to finalize the album artwork.

This album’s artwork has been heavily lambasted by media critics, including coming in second place on the worst album covers of 2007 by Gawker blog Idolator.  Prior to this album’s release, a working version of the album cover was leaked.  It is fairly similar to the final artwork, however it included a slightly different logo and a smaller picture of Perry and Etty and the addition of members of the band and some other characters displayed in the background.  Even once the final artwork was released, the controversy did not end.  Many felt the cover appeared thrown together and was uninspired, especially compared to some of the legendary artwork that had graced the covers of albums by prior projects that Perry Farrell was involved with.

This album includes an unreleased song written by The Doors titled Woman In The Window. The track includes an unreleased vocal recording from the late Jim Morrison.

The following is from the album’s liner notes:

The Ultra-Payloaded Satellite Party. “The Solutionists,” are an elite group who master the art of public assembly and demonstration. Police intercept the location of one of their private parties and “Insanity Rains.” Many of the partygoers are arrested. The Chief Solutionist, a musician, escapes after being beaten. he is taken by his compatriots to a downtown hospital. A beautiful night nurse is assigned to his room. Friends come to visit the musician in the hospital. They bring him a care package that includes dames, booze and a radio. The Chief Solutionist called the night nurse into his room. Looking up at the sky from out of the hospital window, he claimed a cluster of stars was winking at him. “There is a party up there, ” he said. He names the place in the sky “Milky Avenue.” They fall asleep, lulled by the low-humming radio. Coming through the radio that night was “a vast visitation of energy.” A voice from the heavens sending out an invitation. Their souls transcend up high to “The Satellite Party.” A the “Ultra Payloaded Satellite Party,” the are reborn, and re-adorned. People are sipping sweet elixirs delivered by skater-waiters. A grand entrance is made by a space brother known as “Dog Star.” He and his entourage strut down a dance line in soul motion. “The heavens are a myriad of parties, sprawled out across deep space.” In this delirium we float. They have refined the essence of sexual pleasure into fragrance. With the entourage in tow, the go and visit the Heavenly Host, “Jim.” It was his voice that beckoned to them through the radio frequency. He shows them a view of their own planet Earth from the vantage point of a Satellite. Jim points to the polar caps. he likes to sculpt ice swans with his laser beams. “You realize they are melting? You must do something!” “Just try and top us. We’re going to love!” The two lovers go to the window and peer down. They only word to describe it is “Awesome.” They feel an overwhelming passion to return to Earth and design a future together. The sun starts coming up in their neighborhood. Riding back upon the waterfall of sound waves, they are drawn down and awaken in each other’s arms, under the sheets of the hospital bed. Hundreds of fresh new posters are plastered up on city walls. They read, “Just try and stop us, we’re going to love!”. He still stares out of the window for long periods of time looking up at the stars. She asks him, “How are you doing Tiger?” And he says, “You’ve made my hard life easy.”
The back of the album has an excerpt from the above:
The Chief Solutionist called the night nurse into his room. Looking up at the sky from out of the hospital window, he claims a cluster of stars was winking at him. “There is a party up there,” he said.

Alternate Versions:

The iTunes version includes a bonus track titled Nightbloom.

The Japanese version is an Enhanced CD that includes two remixes of Wish Upon A Dog Star as bonus tracks, as well as the music video for Wish Upon A Dog Star as bonus digital content.

Album Charting:

Ultra Payloaded entered the Billboard 200 at number 91, with approximately 8000 units sold in the album’s debut week.

Track Listings:

  1. Wish Upon A Dog Star (feat. Hybrid)
  2. Only Love, Let’s Celebrate
  3. Hard Life Easy
  4. Kinky (feat. Hybrid)
  5. The Solutionists (feat. Thievery Corporation)
  6. Awesome (feat. Hybrid)
  7. Mr. Sunshine
  8. Insanity Rains
  9. Milky Ave.
  10. Ultra-Payloaded Satellite Party
  11. Woman In The Window (feat. Jim Morrison)

iTunes Version:

  1. Wish Upon A Dog Star (feat. Hybrid)
  2. Only Love, Let’s Celebrate
  3. Hard Life Easy
  4. Kinky (feat. Hybrid)
  5. The Solutionists (feat. Thievery Corporation)
  6. Awesome (feat. Hybrid)
  7. Mr. Sunshine
  8. Insanity Rains
  9. Milky Ave.
  10. Ultra-Payloaded Satellite Party
  11. Woman In The Window (feat. Jim Morrison)
  12. Nightbloom

Japanese Version:

  1. Wish Upon A Dog Star (feat. Hybrid)
  2. Only Love, Let’s Celebrate
  3. Hard Life Easy
  4. Kinky (feat. Hybrid)
  5. The Solutionists (feat. Thievery Corporation)
  6. Awesome (feat. Hybrid)
  7. Mr. Sunshine
  8. Insanity Rains
  9. Milky Ave.
  10. Ultra-Payloaded Satellite Party
  11. Woman In The Window (feat. Jim Morrison)
  12. Wish Upon A Dog Star (Mix B Remix)
  13. Wish Upon A Dog Star (The Passengerz Coven Remix)
  14. Wish Upon A Dog Star (Music Video)

Personnel:

Perry Farrell’s wife, Etty Lau Farrell performs backing vocals on tracks 1-4, 6-7, and 9-11.  Nuno Bettencourt performs backing vocals on tracks 1-5, 8, and 10-11, and bass on tracks 2, 5, 7-8, and 10-11.  Nuno is also credited as a co-producer, mixer and engineer.  Kevin Figueiredo performs drums on the album.  Carl Restivo performed backing vocals on track 10, as well as bass and additional programming on the album.

This album boasts a huge number of guest appearances.  Peter DiStefano performs acoustic guitar on Wish Upon A Dog Star, Kinky, and Awesome.  Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson of the Black Eyed Peas performs backing vocals on Wish Upon A Dog Star and Ultra-Payloaded Satellite Party.  Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order wrote and performed bass on Wish Upon A Dog Star and Kinky.  Flea wrote and performed bass on Hard Life Easy and Milky Ave. The electronic band Thievery Corporation wrote and programmed on The Solutionists.  Harry Gregson-Williams, famed movie scorer and member of Rambient arranged and conducted strings for a 30 piece orchestra on The Solutionists, Awesome, Mr. Sunshine, and Woman in the Window. The electronic band Hybrid programmed on Wish Upon A Dog Star, Kinky, and Awesome. The Gibb brothers, Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, and Robin Gibb, also known as the Bee Gees wrote music for Mr. Sunshine. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ guitarist John Frusciante performs guitar on Hard Life Easy.  An archival recording of Jim Morrison is used on Woman In The Window. Jack Irons, former drummer for both the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam, performs on the album, but is uncredited for his contributions.

Release Date: 05/29/2007 (North America), 06/03/2007 (Europe), 06/02/2007 (Australia)
Released By: Columbia Records (North America), Sony BMG (Europe)
ID Number(s): 87523 (North America), 88697109532 (Europe), SICP 1408 (Japan)
Medium(s): CD, 12″ Vinyl, iTunes, Amazon MP3
Time: 47:14, 51:26 (iTunes)

Artwork:

Related Releases & Album Singles:

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.