Posted on Aug 31 2008 10:00 AM
Wow, check out this cool response from Prof. Sludge from the Ultras:
Professor Sludge
Hi Brian,
just listened back to Rocket Jockey. Here is my recollection.
The Ultras were hired by the music director of the project (forgot his name - I don't have the packaging box handy).
He had his own surf group (I don't know the name of the group or if it even had a name. I think it was basically just him and a friend).
The Ultras contributed 6 tracks all together.
3 were previously recorded by the Ultras and licensed by Rocket Science. (2 of these were from Surf Pop Sludge)
The other 3 tracks were recorded by the Ultras for the occasion at a recording session Rocket Science set up.
In my track listings I have excluded the original track 1 which was all the video encoding for the game.
Track 7 (1:25) Surrounded By Assassins - an Ultras original we had previously recorded but not released.
Track 8 (2:43) was written by the music director and performed and recorded for the occasion by The Ultras. It may be called "Vashton"
Track 9 (2:32) (dont know the title) - was also written by the music director and performed and recorded for the occasion by The Ultras.
Track 10 (2:52) Magic Wand from Surf-Pop-Sludge
Track 11 (4:14) Death Tube - from Surf-Pop-Sludge
Track 12 (4:41) UltraMan - an Ultras original performed and recorded for the occasion by The Ultras. (never recorded or released anywhere else)
Tracks 3, 4, 5, 6 all sound like Dick Dale to me - at least a couple of those were previously released by him, maybe all I dont know.
I believe Tracks 1, 2, and 13-20 are all the music directors band.
Some other notes Rocket Science went out of business not long after Rocket jockey was released.
The Ultras opened a bunch of shows for Dick Dale in the 90s at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, at Slims in San Francisco, in San Jose, and elsewhere. Dick Dale was particularly amazing at the Phoenix Theater.
The Ultras (actually just me on guitar and Trey Sabatelli on drums) collaborated with Morey Goldstein (keyboards, sax, producer) on another video game soundtrack from 1995 called Jet Ski. I dont think it ever got released.
Hope this clears up some of the confusion.
Best,
Eric Lenchner
P.S. The Ultras never jammed or recorded with Dick Dale, though we did submit Magic Wand and Death Tube to him through our mutual producer, Scott Mathews. My guess is that Dick never listened to the songs.
I have Surf-Pop-Sludge, and while not all of it may be considered surf, it has some KILLER surf tunes on it, like Magic Wand and Death Tube. Highly recommended! 
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