Volume 1 (CKY album)

Recording and production

Deron Miller and Jess Margera began recording Volume 1 in November 1997, while still performing under the name Oil. Recording took place at The Ground Hog Studio in Holland, Pennsylvania, where the pair met audio engineer Chad I Ginsburg. They later asked Ginsburg to join the band as a guitarist, which marked the dissolution of Oil and the formation of CKY (under the name Camp Kill Yourself). The trio continued recording of the album (with production, engineering and mixing led by the new guitarist), which by February 1998 had been completed. It was mastered by Walt Mecleary at Master Blasters, who owned The Ground Hog Studio at the time and had originally hired Ginsburg.

According to Miller, the recording process for Volume 1 cost approximately $15,000, most of which (around $12,000) was funded by his father. The band worked in increments due to financial challenges and work schedules, recording one or two songs at a time, and Ginsburg was reportedly paid around $8 per hour for his contribution. Opening track "96 Quite Bitter Beings" was the last song written for the album, with Miller noting that he wrote the riff during a session with Margera at the drummer's house after their normal rehearsal space was flooded.

For the original Distant/Teil Martin pressings of Volume 1, all songwriting was credited to Miller. This was also the case for the Volcom reissues. When the album was reissued by Island Records, however, the album notes listed "All songs written by Deron Miller with Jess Margera and Chad Ginsburg". In a 2015 interview, Miller dubbed the co-crediting of Ginsburg and Margera for songwriting as "fake", reiterating that he had written the entire album and that adding the other members was as a "cosmetic" measure.

Promotion and release

Volume 1 was originally released on February 27, 1999 by Distant Recordings and Teil Martin International limited to 2,500 copies, before another 1,000 copies were pressed from December 12, 1999. The band signed with Volcom Entertainment in 2000, who reissued the album on April 1 in a 2,000-copy run, then a month later limited to 4,000 copies, and finally on October 1 in a 20,000-copy run. Finally, after signing with The Island Def Jam Music Group in 2001, the album began to be released consistently from June 26, 2001.

In promotion of the album, CKY joined the 1999 edition of the Warped Tour, but were later removed after taking part in a protest started by fans regarding vending prices. The group also played on the 2000 tour, at which they first made contact with Island. Later in 2000, the band released an extended play (EP), Disengage the Simulator, which featured tracks from both Volume 1 and compilation Volume 2. In April 2008, a remastered edition of Volume 1 was released featuring a number of bonus tracks recorded live in 2006. The album was later remastered by Tom Volpicelli and reissued on vinyl of various colours in 2015 exclusive to Urban Outfitters.

Title and packaging

Volume 1 was originally called Camp Kill Yourself, acting as a self-titled release for the band. The original Volcom reissue credited the band as "Camp", with the album released under the name CKY, before the names were reversed on later editions. The album later took on its final name, Volume 1, once released by Island in 2001. The original album cover featured a painting depicting the infamous public suicide of politician R. Budd Dwyer in 1987. The artwork, produced by Rob Erickson, was later changed when CKY signed with Volcom, as they deemed it too offensive. For Volcom's reissues and most future releases, the cover was changed to artwork featuring a photo of Ginsburg performing on the 1999 Warped Tour. This cover photo was taken by Remy Stratton.

Commercial

According to Deron Miller, as of August 2015 the album had sold over 222,000 copies, making it the second best-selling CKY release behind Infiltrate•Destroy•Rebuild.

Critical

Media response to Volume 1 was mixed to positive. Writing for the website AllMusic, critic Bret Love praised the album for its variety of musical styles, describing it as "all over the musical map". Describing the release as "a mix of moshpit-friendly skatepunk", he awarded Volume 1 three out of five stars and highlighted the tracks "96 Quite Bitter Beings" and "Disengage the Simulator". Slant magazine's Aaron Scott was similarly positive, praising the vocal and guitar performances on the album, which he described as "more entertaining (and refreshing) than the misogyny that has plagued hard rock of late". Scott went on to note that the band's sound was "not revolutionary", but found value in their individuality.

Track listing

All tracks written by Deron Miller, except where noted.