Sound As Ever was recorded in America at Pachyderm Studio in rural Cannon Falls, Minnesota from July 27 - August 3, 1993. (Nirvana had recorded their final album In Utero there just months earlier.)

It was engineered by Wayne Connolly and produced by Lee Ranaldo, (Sonic Youth) who also contributes some guitar, vocals and keyboard to the album. He had worked with the band previously producing the Coprolalia EP.

Tim wrote several songs off the album in the studio to complement those he'd brought with him.

It was during this time in the studio that tensions began to esculate with Tim and then drummer Mark Tunaley. Tunaley apparantly became obsessed with having a greater say within You Am I and insisted that his own composition Off The Field, which he also sang, be included on the album. Tunaley wanted to be in a heavy rock band and wasn't happy with the 'pop' direction the band were heading towards. After returning home from the States, Tim rang Tunaley and asked him to leave the band. For weeks later, Tim had pondered whether to end You Am I. He decided to continue and asked fellow West Australian expatriate Russell 'Rusty' Hopkinson to join. He accepted.

The American version of Sound As Ever does not contain Off The Field and David Bianco was also brought in to remix some tracks for its release.

You Am I picked up their first ARIA award for the album in 1994 for 'Best Alternative Release'.

The album was dedicated to the late Stephen Gray, better known as Goose, frontman for Sydney band Box The Jesuit, a major influence and close friend of Tim's who died of leukaemia in 1993. He was also the inspiration behind the song Gray from Hi Fi Way.

"We've been dismissive of Sound As Ever as most bands are of their first records, but there were other reasons - the main being the circumstances in which we made it," explains Tim.

"Lee Ranaldo, as producer, was all we could ask for, a lovely, caring, enthusiastic , drinkin', renaissance man as was Wayne Connolly, our engineer, and long-time friend. But we never travelled, we're not renaissance men, and were bumping over each other a lot; stupid, petty arguments became huge...you know, the usual stuff. More importantly our close friend Goose died back in Australia. He championed the band when no one else would and gave us a lot of what we became, not least the deep belief that rock 'n' soul played from somewhere near the heart or pants could lift you out of anywhere. It was sad as hell. But y'know, making record and travelling is the greatest thing - we had some big laughs, discovered Maker's Mark Bourbon, cheap Milkwaukee beer, and I got to say I never, never thought Berlin Chair was ever going to be a single!"

"The album was going to be called Sound As Never ...thank God for small mercies..."

Sound As Ever Lyrics