This is a bit of an odd Digging For Fire because well I’d like to think Saturation is hardly obscure to most people. I was originally contemplating throwing up Urge Overkill’s Steve Albini produced debut EP Strange, I… but I then noticed that their 1993 major label debut Saturation is out of print. An injustice worthy of a Digging For Fire way more so than Strange, I…

I’m sure anyone who spent anytime in the 90s listening to the radio or watching MTV is familiar with this album’s two singles “Sister Havana” & “Positive Bleeding” and if those don’t ring a bell, at the very least you must recognize Urge Overkill for their cover of “Girl You’ll be a Woman Soon” from Pulp Fiction. But before their brief 15 minutes of mainstream fame, Urge Overkill were one of Chicago’s, Nay the country’s best Indie Rock bands of the 80s

Coming up from the same scene that produced the likes of Big Black & The Jesus Lizard, Early Urge Overkill spent two albums curbing their sloppy assault before producing a masterpiece by the name of Supersonic Storybook for Touch & Go. By then their cocky lounge lizard swagger was unmistakable. At that point Urge Overkill were fully infusing their indie rock with some serious soul and power-pop against their already rich and noisy storytelling. Following Supersonic Storybook, UO released the Stull EP which featured their cover of “Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon” and signed on with Geffen soon after.

While ridiculously slick,  Saturation had all of the very same ingredients that made  Supersonic Storybook and Stull so compelling. The major difference was that this time the album was wrapped up in a nice little bow for commercial radio. And while some saw Saturation as “selling-out”, to think that just meant you didn’t really know the band all that well. If there was any band out there begging, kicking and screaming for this sort of polished touch-up as the missing ingredient to not only their sound but image it was Urge Overkill. And boy did they took full advantage of the opportunity in crafting this little bit of ear candy.

As I mentioned, Saturation drew two minor radio hits and in 1994 with the release of Pulp Fiction the album received a double-shot of attention because of “Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon”.  Unfortunately they never parlayed that attention into joining the ranks of  90′s Alterna-juggernauts. In 1995 they released their final album Exit the Dragon and amongst rumors of infighting and drug abuse, they called it quits soon after.

Sadly Saturation has never really been stamped as a bonafied classic of the 90′s Alternative era, but it is. In a time when most bands making the jump were only good for one or two radio hits and an album full of filler, Urge Overkill stayed true to themselves and delivered one of the most solid and satisfying albums of not only their career but the decade. If you haven’t ever, now’s a good time as any to get familiar with it.

Urge Overkill – Saturation

- My Pal the Crook