Godsmack

Godsmack is the major label debut album by American rock band Godsmack. It was released by Republic Records and Universal Records on August 25, 1998. The album's recording was initially paid for by the band, at a cost of $2,600, at New Alliance Studios in Boston, and released through the band's own record label E. K. Records Company under the title All Wound Up... in February 1997. When the band was signed to Republic/Universal in June 1998, All Wound Up... was partly edited and remixed, fully remastered at Sterling Sound in New York, and given a new artwork and layout before being re-released. The album was certified Gold on April 13, 1999, and Platinum on June 15, 1999, the latter only nine days after it was controversially banned from several leading chain stores due to questionable lyrics and imagery. A Parental Advisory sticker was quickly added before the album resumed distribution, ultimately reaching 4× Platinum on December 4, 2001. Background The album differs from All Wound Up... by splitting the song "Get Up, Get Out!" into two tracks (the intro portion being re-titled "Someone in London"). "Whatever", which was recorded in February 1998 as a separate single and was added as a bonus track to later pressings of All Wound Up..., was edited into the album itself and served as the lead single after the reissue. The band had originally planned to keep "Whatever" for its next album (which later took shape as Awake), but included it on Godsmack. An entire sample lifted from the 1995 film Murder In The First, was removed from the ending of "Moon Baby" because actor Gary Oldman would not grant permission of its use. Another sample was also removed from the intro of "Bad Religion". The song "Going Down" was removed from the main edition of Godsmack, though it was included as a bonus track on the Japanese edition. It was later re-recorded for the band's second major album Awake, under the slightly modified title "Goin' Down". Another song recorded at the same time as "Whatever" in February 1998, "Bad Magik", was only included as a Japanese bonus track on Godsmack, and was also later re-recorded for Awake, with the slightly modified title "Bad Magick".