Superunknown
Soundgarden
1994
Album Summary
Superunknown is the fourth studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on March 8, 1994, through A&M Records. It is the band's second album with bassist Ben Shepherd, and features new producer Michael Beinhorn. Soundgarden began work on the album after touring in support of its previous album, Badmotorfinger (1991). Superunknown captured the heaviness of the band's earlier releases while displaying a more diverse range of influences. Superunknown was a critical and commercial success and became the band's breakthrough album. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 310,000 copies in its opening week. The album also topped the Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand charts. Five singles were released from the album: "The Day I Tried to Live", "My Wave", "Fell on Black Days", "Spoonman", and "Black Hole Sun", the latter two of which won Grammy Awards and helped Soundgarden reach mainstream popularity. In 1995, the album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. The album has been certified six times platinum by the RIAA in the United States. In April 2019, Superunknown was ranked No. 9 on Rolling Stone's "50 Greatest Grunge Albums" list.
WikipediaChris Cornell is one of the greatest rock singers ever. This album has some of the best riffs of all time (Spoonman, Fell on Black Days). It's filled with metaphors about loneliness and depression (Black Hole Sun, Day I Tried to Live, Like Suicide). The album is filled with great, memorable choruses that have the staying power and melody of pop, without sacrificing the heaviness of the subject matter and genre of grunge. In my opinion, it's a top 4 grunge album with Nevermind, Dirt, and Ten.
Soundgarden was my favorite of the grunge bands because of Chris Cornell (RIP) and his ridiculous vocals. Hits hard all around. Love it.
Absolutely essential grunge album. It will rock the fuck out of your soul from the first track to the last. Chris Cornell was an unparalleled talent and killer vocalist, a tremendous credit to the genre. This album is a stone cold masterpiece.
Disclaimer: Can't be objective about this one. This is literally the first record I ever purchased. I just finished the new Chris Cornell biography Total Fucking Godhead... I'm a bit of a fan of this band. What a classic album! Love the sort of dark, evil psychadelia of this record. Huge riffs, Matt "Fucking" Cameron on drums with bizarre time signatures, and one of the all-time greatest rock voices... it just doesn't get much better. On my all time favorites.
Nothing but bangers, a lot of distortion, reminding me of the roots of what rock is today.
There's been a weird influx of latinx music in the past week after not getting any previous to that. Overall it was pretty cool, though I really hated the parade song (perhaps because I don't really enjoy actual parades either). Some of the other songs were a bit cloying as well. This works really good as a kids album, but I don't think that's how it was intended. It's fine, but I don't ever see myself coming back to it 3/5
Like the Pumpkins' album I saw earlier, this one was a staple for anyone in school when I was. It's a classic, and the songs are amazing. Kim Thayil's guitar sound is unique, and Chris Cornell's voice is unmistakable.
Some albums are great because they meant a lot at a specific point in your life. Some albums are just great. This one is both.
This album is full of jams. Sometimes I think I like Badmotorfinger better, but goddamn, this album fucking rules
Well, I’m guessing there’s no way now we’re getting Loud Love or (still my personal fave) Badmotorfinger, but I fuckin’ love this band. Great voice over an even better rhythm section. I could probably listen to an entire record of just Kim farting around with a wah wah pedal and be a happy camper. So I’m a little biased over here. This album though has always felt like a bit of a weird mix of tunes, (even when you just compare the singles) but I think it was the first thing I ever bought on CD and I really, really love the production. This shit sings through headphones. Soundgarden was at their best, imo, when they were trudging through the chugs and then just randomly would shift into some weird tinkly melody that somehow made the whole tune come together. This record has a bunch of those moments: “Mailman,” “Head Down,” “4th of July,” etc. But yeah… at the end of the day, it’s the “Black Hole Sun” record. There are worse legacies.
Initial Critique - Chris Cornell is a vocal god. A masterclass in 90's rock. Despite listening to many of the songs on the album as singles, had never listened to it as an album.
Este disco es más que un disco para mí, es parte una época. Desde el "Let me drown" pasando por las guitarras del "Head Down" y las míticas "Black Hole Sun", "Spoonman", "The day I try to live", "Kickstand" o "Like suicide". Puros noventa, puro sonido grunge.
Super underrated grunge album, one of the trendsetters of it's time. Plus Chris Cornell's voice is in another level
Super from beginning to end. This would have been a double album only a few years earlier. It certainly is on vinyl.
I really dig this. I like how it was heavy, but also clear what they wanted to get across and not overcrowded. Great songs, black hole sun is a classic obvi
Beetje oneerlijke competitie want dit is wel een van de hoekstenen van de ontwikkeling van mijn muziekale voorkeuren. Geen slecht nummer op dit album!
Great album, already listened to audioslave but never Soundgarden. Will give this another listen
Okay, this is badass. Grimy and heavy and with a distinctive feel. This is great workout or writing music.
Psych and prog infused grunge; this album was so formative to my musical tastes when I first discovered it back in freshman year of high school. I may not go back to Soundgarden as often as I did back in those days, and there is definitely some valid criticism here (particularly about it being a long and exhausting listen for one sitting) but this album could never be anything but a 5 for me.
What a bomb album. Chris Cornell is the main star here with his incredible vocal performances, but the rest of the band does a commendable job creating that heavy, grunge-y sound throughout. Everyone knows 'Black Hole Sun' and 'Spoonman', but there's so much here to enjoy - 'Head Down', 'Superunknown', 'Fell on Black Days', 'Let Me Drown'. Yeah, really terrific. I would give it 4.5, but I'll round up to 5.
RIP Chris Cornell - in his softer moments sounds a lot like Josh Homme, whose voice I adore. "Mailman" could be QOTSA song. Soundgarden have such a distinctive sound, different from what was going on in the 90s, it's not metal it's not grunge, it's not stoner rock. Really enjoy "Head Down" - sweet singing Obvs "Black Hold Sun" is an absolute classic. "Spoonman" driving rhythm is so great High 4 / 5
Possibly the second or third best grunge album of all time, depending on how I'm feeling about In Utero that day. Haters will say it's too long, and yeah they probably could have cut the song Half, but this is the rare hour-plus album I'll actively choose to listen to.
A sprawling, expansive grunge/stoner masterpiece. So much variety and depth with amazing song and riffs coming one after the other. Great singing and musicianship. Like a lot of long albums I can't help but feel it would have been better if it were shorter, I'm just not sure what I would cut.
Having relistened to this album after having last listened to it over 20 years ago, it's incredible how current it still sounds. I remembered how heavy it felt back then, and I was afraid it would lose its magic in the current landscape of today's music. This is not the case.
Really enjoy this album when I'm in the mood for some moody, grungy rock. Super unknown is a great song as well as black hole sun.
My haiku: My Wave, Spoonman best, Day I Tried To Live best too, How good is grunge rock.
Chris Cornell is probably my favorite rock singer after Freddie Mercury, so talented and so much range. I just happened to listen to his collection this weekend, not knowing this album was upcoming (I was behind and stuck trying to decide on Sonic Youth so turned to Cornell). I know most call this album their magnum opus but I always wondered if it was really that good...despite the fact that Spoonman, My Wave, and The Day I Tried to Live are some of my all-time favorite alternative songs (the chords & guitar progressions & drumwork on all three...brilliant). I really got into music in college, mostly listened to radio and didn't own many albums in high school so I didn't own this. Even now I don't own it, even though I profess to be a late Soundgarden fan. I saw Jeremy's review and I feel the exact same way about Black Hole Sun. Maybe that's why I have these hesitations, like some of it is overplayed and overhyped. Nah. I have listened to it a fair number of times since college, but finally listening to it really intently here, it's awesome. Like my favorites, the other songs have awesome guitar work, humming basslines, solid percussion, Cornell's vocals (of course), and profound lyrics. Even the non-hits are great (e.g., Let Me Drown, Mailman, Fresh Tendrils, 4th of July). Shame on me for ever thinking this was less than amazing.
Superunknown was the first Soundgarden album I picked up. I had read an early review that said that it was going to be an amazing album, groundbreaking even. I was into Pearl Jam & Nirvana, they had broken right around college. But somehow Soundgarden had slipped me by when I was in college. When I did hear it back in March of 1994, my mind was blown. Listen to the original, not the remastered version (they boosted the volume too much, gah.). I go back and forth between my favorites on this album. Sure "Black Hole Sun" is overplayed, but there's a reason for that: it's a damn good song. I don't skip it when I listen to the whole album, but I don't listen to it by itself. They play songs with odd time signatures so flawlessly, it doesn't sound as clumsy as in other bands. I would steer clear from the Super Deluxe Edition version, only because the Demo & Rehearsal versions... like, how many times can you hear the songs in one sitting? I know fans of the band frown on this album, thinking of it as the "sell out," but honestly I think of it as a progression from their previous album. "Down On The Upside" is a fantastic album as well. Highly recommended.
GRUNGE. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEES. In seriousness, I grew up refusing to believe the grunge era ever ended. Soundgarden are a foundation of this genre. Rest in Peace, Chris Cornell.
Easy, easy 5. Up there with some of my most listened to albums of all time and a shining example of top tier grunge. Love it
Is this really a 5 or am I giving it that rating because of nostalgia and it's really a 4? Who cares, this album is great. More polished and mainstream than Badmotorfinger and, thus, not my favorite but still really solid.
My favourite band, my favourite voice, I can't score this anything but top marks. I'd double it if I could. I saw Soundgarden a few times, including once a few days after this album release, a VIP show in London. It's still one of the best days of my life. The first track they played was Let Me Drown and I was in a state of awe from the first note. This is all perfect, everything about it. I am very biased, but music doesn't come much better.
This is probably the grunge masterpiece; the heavy metal White Album of the 90s. The song-writing is sophisticated, tuneful, heavy, and insightful. I know some critics (Christgau, for example) finds their lyrics asinine, but, by the measure of heavy metal lyrics, they are not stupid. Cornell's voice was rarely better, Thayill's playing inventive but less reliant on pure noise than on previous records, and Matt Cameron's drumming is best in class. His ability to make even a weird time signature sound like a straight four (until you listen closely) is masterful. Dynamic, tuneful, with classic rock influences that are not mere pastiche, I really think this is Soundgarden's masterwork (even if I have nostalgic preference for some o their other records). The best metal album of the decade, and certainly top 3 for the entire grunge oeuvre.
Goddamn I miss when rock and roll had some emotion to it. There’s equal parts emotion and power to everything happening. Cornell’s voice is next level and the production makes this an absolute favorite.
I love this record. It’s the peak of Soundgarden. The songs are their strongest and they really found themselves here.
What a way to start a 1001 albums to listen to before you die! It feels like such a long album - but in all the best ways. Albums quite often have 3, maybe 4 great tracks but this is one that just keeps on giving - Spoonman, Fell on Black Days, Superunknown, The Day I Tried to Live, Black Hole Sun, 4th of July... Listening to this on Spotify I kept going back and thinking I'd maybe finished the album and it had started a 'best of' track listing. This is an album released in the MTV heyday, and I distinctly remember the videos accompanying the tracks being of equal quality - Black Hole Sun and Spoonman in particular. Chris Cornell was special, nobody does sing like him anymore. If you're looking for the perfect introduction to Soundgarden, there is arguably no better place to start than this album.
It’s hard for me to be objective about ‘Superunknown, an album I listened to religiously as a teenager. Personal bias aside though, it’s honestly great, and despite its 70-minute length, it’s strangely concise, probably owing to the deliberately polished production that still manages to retain the bands trademark heavy rock sound, without sacrificing their raw edge and grim, despairing outlook on life. There are genuinely few weak spots to be found, and it’s one of those records that gets better the longer it goes. It’s up there with the best of the 90s grunge era albums, and a genuine counterpoint to the likes of Nirvana and Pearl Jam, in that this a band gunning for mainstream popularity, not deliberately trying to shun it like those two.
Is it perfect? Nah. Does it have Black Hole Sun and Spoonman on it? Yesh. Five stars. SPOOOOONMAAAANNNN
Not only is this Soundgarden’s best album, I would say it would have the genre’s tour de force if it wasn’t for Nevermind that simply got there first. Regardless, the album is loaded with original and creative tracks that have become the signature music of the era (and still do very well today, thank you very much). When I fall on black days, this album knows how to pick me up. I will also note my favourite tracks are not your Black Hole Suns, but rather the songs at the album's end (4th of July, Half, Like Suicide). It is as if, by that stage of the album, Soundgarden stopped caring about the hit factor and was just producing groovy (if melancholy) music. P.S. Chris Cornell: what a voice! Probably one of the best modern male singers of recent times.
Excellent grunge. Thought I'd like it based on the tracks I knew but the whole album exceeded my expectations. Not sure why I never really took the time to listen to more Soundgarden before. I'm giving it 4.5 stars, but heck, I'll round up as a 'pleasantly surprised' bonus. SPOONMAN!
Soundgarden's best album, and defines an entire decade of music. Every single track is solid - 5/5
Honestly thought I would hate this album, mostly based on the cover art. Being uninitiated with Soundgarden, I thought it was going to just be bad screaming and obnoxiously loud instrumentals, but wow, did I wind up loving this. Great, great vocals on this album, and the entire thing was just what I needed this morning: some fantastic grunge rock and roll. Even though it was over an hour, I never got tired, as the quieter moments intertwined nicely with the louder sections. Great variety that shows these guys know how to make a comprehensive album.
One of the Mount Rushmores of grunge. Especially chilling final track given Chris Cornell’s passing a few years ago. RIP.
Dijk van een Album! Fell on Black Days, Spoonman maar vooral Black Hole Sun. manmanman. Episch RIP cornell
Incredible sonic voyage from start to finish. This album was a massive paradigm shift for Soundgarden and forever cemented their place in rock history.
It's difficult to describe how important this record was to a 15-year-old me. The angular rhythms, Chris Cornell's growl-into-a-wail, it all just made sense to me. Still does. I haven't listened to this record in years, but man, these tracks still kill. I'd say I'm biased based on my youth, but I revisited another album that was important to me when I was younger (Franz Ferdinand's self titled), and that one didn't hold up. Everything about this one still works for me. Favorite tracks: "Limo Wreck", "The Day I Tried to Live", "My Wave", "4th of July"
Classic, not one I would have listened to all the way through without this, but I'm glad I did! Spoonman and the peerless black hole sun are the best known, but every track has its own charms. Loved it
This album is a belter. Reminds me of good times. Songs of note: Black Hole Sun Spoonman Let Me Drown is a brilliant opener. Love the drums, the driving basslines and Chris Cornell’s vocals are iconic. Absolutely one of my top 100 albums.
Not sure how to describe this album and ive known it for most of my life. Very human of an album. Its a perfect mix of the grunge sound, hard rock ballads, psych sludge sound, heavy stoner riffs, and really catchy choruses. Chris Cornells voice is unreal with how talented it is.
Chris Cornell is criminally underrated. To me Soundgarden is every bit as good as nirvana.
Mix of Kurt Cobain inspired lyrics and poised get heavy guitar combined to create an unforgettable album. Favourite songs were Black hole sun and my wave.
Thoroughly enjoyed. Only listened to the singles off this album and never the whole thing.
Some amazingly heavy moments, and gets pretty trippy at points as well. Disorienting and emotive, but it feels pretty organic. I'm generally not a fan of Chris Cornell's singing, which puts me off a bit. This album features possible the best example of spoons-playing in rock, which has to give it bonus points.
Legendarisch album met de bekendste tracks erop: spoonman, fell on black days en black hole sun. Eigenlijk zou ik deze op LP moeten hebben
A seminal album in grunge rock. Soundgarden >> Pearl Jam Black Hole Sun, The Day I Tried to Live, Fell on Black Days, Spoonman, Superunknown
Never been a big SG fan and this album didn’t change that but I have a better appreciation for them now. Cornell has such a great voice. Black hole sun, Spoonman and Fell on black days are such classics, especially BHS (90s Seattle anthem). I actually really love Fell on Black Days; sounds like a Pearl Jam song (a bit reminiscent of softer nirvana songs too, I think)! My Wave, minus vocals, sounds like a Fugazi song! Stand out tracks: fell on black days, my wave, the day I tried to live and 4th of July.
More cool guitar work than I remember. Very cool 90s moods. Heavy, drop-tuned riffage. Black Hole Sun, Spoonman, and other SG hits on this one.
Na tapete leci czwarty album albumik bandy zwanej jako soundgarden pod tytulem supeunkown, jest to moje pierwsze podejscie do ich tworczosci, poza oczywistymi kawalkami, jak black hole sun, ktore staly sie hymnami muzyki rokowo alternatywnej, a dodatkowo byla hajpowana przez wszelakie stacje muzyczne pokroju mtv, gdy jeszcze leciala tam muzyka, a nie dzieje zycia ludzi bogatych i glupich, wiec chocby to daje wskazowki, ze album jest mocno popowym krazkiem w znaczeniu, ze plyta zostala tworzona z mysla o uzyskaniu jak najwiekszych zasiegow, ale rownie dobrze mozna to powiedziec co wiekszosci tworow w muzyce popularnej, a co za tym idzie na tej liscie, bo jednak muzyke tworzy sie glownie dla zysku, wiec sam album o brzmieniu rokowym w ktorym slychac mocne powiazane z grungem, hardym rokowaniem, czy nawet metalowymi rifowaniami, ale same brzmienie ciezko okreslic gatunkowo, bo poszczegolne traki byly stylizowane na roznych stylach, jak najbardziej rozpoznawalny black hole sun w swojej lini melodycznej mocno inspirowany jest tym co grali beatelsi, half wprowadza bardziej orgientalno wschodnie klimaty, czy nawet trak nagrany z pomoca grajka ulicznego, ktory operowal na lyzkach, stad nazwa spoonman, tresci przewijajace sie na plycie niosa ze soba dosc negatywne emocje, bo spiewanie o problemach, smutku, samobojach, ktorych tworca byl frontmen bandy chris cornell, ktoremu nie tak dawno udalo sie walnac tego samoboja ktorego tak prorokowal chocby na tym albumie, bo w 2k17 postanowil ze soba skonczyc, cos takiego nadaje wedlug mnie drugiego dna sluchanemu trakowi, bo pomimo swojej komercjalnosci, to jednak wylewal samego siebie na traki tworzac je, nie dziwne ze soundgarden jest stawiany czesto w porownaniu z nirvana, bo okres podobny i wywodza sie z tego samego nurtu, a podobienstwa slychac nawet na wokalu, ktory jest mocna strona plyty, plyta idealna na odsluch na doomersko/gloomerski nastroj, 70 minut rozlozone na 15 trakow sprawia, ze jest to przystepny odsluch, na plejke dodalem obok black holowego suna, ktory juz tam byl, fell on black days, the day i tried to live, no i najbardziej orginalny trak czyli spoonmana, nie spodziewalem sie cudow po tej plycie, a milo sie zaskoczylem
Dit is echt jeugdsentiment. Lang geleden dat ik de plaat in zijn geheel heb geluisterd. Erg goed en wat een sterke nummers.
Heerlijk, helemaal niet zo super onbekend. Meerdere keren geluisterd gisteren, dat was lang geleden..
Sounds like Soundgarden set out to make an album just full of bangers: heavy riffs, superb production, even Cornell's singing (God rest his soul) works well in this hazy grunge environment. Another 70 minute album makes it a bit overly long, but with songs like these you can't go wrong.
Finally, an album from the actual best decade instead of another album from the 70s. RIP Chris Cornell. What a voice!
Good album with some string singles. I'm more partial to Badmotorfinger myself, but it wasn't hard to get sent back into my 90s grunge phase with this one.
A sprawling, adventurous rock album full of hooks and luscious riffs. It sounds rich and gorgeous and Chris Cornell soars above it all with his incredible vocals. The brilliant, inescapable Black Hole Sun showed a new side of Soundgarden and Spoonman a fans favourite in their live sets but these are far from the only standout moments on the album. Yes it’s long, but it’s an effortless listen and always enjoyable.
Not an album I would've listened to if it weren't for this site, so I guess that's a good thing right off the bat! Can't say I'm a big fan of rock music, but I have heard of Soundgarden. Going through the album, some of the songs did feel same-y or generic, but if you think about it that's probably because a fuck ton of groups have imitated this sound afterwards, so it's not really a criticism of the group itself. Chris Cornell, the lead singer, didn't really strike me as particularly captivating or exceptional, but I still enjoyed listening to him. Favourite songs would have to be Head Down, Black Hole Sun (this evidently seems to be their most popular song according to Spotify, rightfully so in my opinion). Overall, 4/5, not my type of music, but I still enjoyed it and had a few songs to add to my personal playlist, not a bad day at all!
Ich muss Alben am Wochenende wieder ausschalten, die Arbeit tötet mich, ich hatte kaum Zeit mich hiermit auseinanderzusetzen, sehr düster, Texte sehr emotional, vor ein paar Jahren der perfekte soundtrack für mein Leben, black hole sun ist ein Klassiker.
Was such a big album, this album IS 1994. The constant comparison or association was always with Nirvana and Pearl Jam but there's a significant difference. Time signature changes, more variety in mood, power and melody. I was always in the minority in not getting or enjoying Nirvana at all, but this was different and far more enjoyable for me. I'd had trouble enjoying Soundgarden's previous albums as they were either too sludgy or screamy :) Chris Cornell reeled it in for this album and fit the songs perfectly, and most of the songs became more diverse and interesting. Highlights are definitely the big hits. One of the best rock albums of the era. 8/10. 4 stars.
Wasn’t a fan of all the songs but the album finished strong. Getting some zeppelin vibes from the last couple of tracks.
Disco imprescindible para entender el grunge y el rock de los 90. Impresionante y melódica voz.
A really good album with a terrific sound and a lot of metal feels to it. I’ll definitely listen to this again.
I somehow missed Soundgarden when they were huge in the 90s -- honestly have no idea how I missed them, but there it is -- and listened to some of their songs much later. Chris Cornell is legend, to state the obvious, and I do like him as a musician, writer, guitarist, performer, etc. Listening to this album today straight through for the first time, it's some really good rock music and even though the "Seattle sound" or "grunge" or whatever it might be called has been done heavily (these guys were on the early end of it, I think, but, man, that sound was everywhere for a while), this is good stuff.
Very very good grungy sounds, standout in Spoonman. A bit of a slog, but individually I think I would enjoy every song. Also not something I would put on all the time, but it is good stuff.
Really good still but I think I prefer badmotorfinger. The hits are all time on this one
Many many hits on this one. Spoonman, Fell on Black Days (favorite), Black Hole Sun. Great grunge milestone.
If Superunknown made the list, I wonder about Ultramega OK, Louder Than Love and Badmotorfinger because those albums are the perfect Soundgarden sound. Superunknown is good, but I remember when Spoonman came out thinking they overstayed their welcome. Nevertheless, Soundgarden represent the pinnacle of the NW Grunge sound (yeah, Nirvana is overrated and had Chris Cornell done what Kurt did around the same time they'd be more revered). 3.5/5.
I almost gave this album 5 stars just because it's been so long since I got an album with teeth. But, listening to this objectively, it's not a 5-star album. So many of these tracks sound exactly like each other. They're solid for all that, though. The album is full of energy and grit and attitude and I'm here for it.
A favorite from my youth - still sounds solid. Fave track - "The Day I Tried to Live", for sure. Although "Black Hole Sun" has a special place in my heart due to its availability as a karaoke option...
I went into this expecting to dislike it, but as it turned out, I rather enjoyed it. It's heavy, but it's tuneful. 3.5/5.
As joint pioneers of grunge, Soundgarden deserve their place in the history books but their version of the Seattle sound displayed their influences to a much greater degree than Nirvana ever did. You can close your eyes and imagine Black Sabbath in much of their music. It's all the better for it too
Needs to be listened to again but very enjoyable. Felt like I've heard it all already, but that could be the band wider influence
I little more than metal than grunge in sound, but this is the pinnacle of grunge culture with great lyrics covering all sorts of themes of social isolate and angst, and distinctive vocals by Chris Cornell. Stretch from "Fell on Black Days" to "The Day I Tried to Live" is perfect, with a range of heavier songs and some lighter pop songs suitable for all audiences. Starts off weak and I'm surprised "My Wave" was a single. "Kickstand" and "Fresh Tendrils" were generic. "Half" was an interest raga psychedelic song that doesn't fit in. "Head Down" is a personal favorite that I don't see mentioned too often; I just like the sound of it.
A powerful, industrial grunge album to kick off the list of 1001 albums. I haven't listened to much Soundgarden despite loving Audioslave.
Still rock but I am new to this kind of genre so I am unable to review it. Although it is clear it is somewhat pleasant to listen to.
I don't think I ever listened to this whole album, at least not while really paying attention. I loved listening to it now!
Surprisingly good! Not a huge grunge fan but the songs varied enough where it was enjoyable to listen to the whole album. Black hole sun Surprisingly isn't the best song either. Superunknown is a blast. And I don't think there is a bad track on this thing. Spoonman is probably my least favorite, but not a skip. Only not rating it a 5 because it didn't really surprise me in any way. It's a really good grunge album, better than I thought it would be. But still not transcendent out of its genre, like Smashing Pumpkins or exploratory like Violent Femmes, (which isn't grunge but they live in the same neighborhood of grunge)
First impressions- hard Rock group with pop elements Third track - shades of jeff Buckley Vocalist has metal vocalist chops Pretty interesting stuff going on in the rhythm instruments Black hole sun is a beautiful song Good stuff overall
Creo que es de mis discos favoritos de Soundgarden. Tienen el clásico 'Black Hole Sun', la brutal 'Superunknown' o 'Let me drown'. Me gustan mucho esas guitarras tan duras, hechas para desnucarte según las escuches en directo.
Classic nostalgia for me, my 14 year old self is headbanging. On a re-listen it's still quite good, but lacking a sense of progression to me. Stylistically cohesive but not necessarily progressing through any movement or dynamic shifts.
Listen sometimes I think grunge gets overrated but Soundgarden and Nirvana are always welcome in this dojo. Grunge is certainly better then the absolutely exhausting Brit Pop that was also popular in the 90s, and all that meandering Shoe Gazey stuff. This album rocks so hard and so good right from the outside. Cornell's vocals have always hit me just right. Black Hole Sun is an all timer, of course, but my money is on Spoonman for best of the album. If you aren't playing air guitar with Spoonman then you are literally not welcome in my home.
This album and band was unavoidable in the 90s with like 5 singles released off of it. its pretty solid, but overall cant give it a 5, so i will go with a 4
Mixed feelings on this album. I was a huge fan of Soundgarden from Louder Than Love on. Saw them 5 times. The first was in Houston at Fitzgerald's in 1989. Not a huge crowd. Cornell sounded like an avenging angel and was one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen. Perfect skin. It's too bad that his voice was ravaged in his later years. Superunknown came out and they played the album in its entirety on the radio in Austin, and I was pissed. It wasn't metal enough for me, but now with this listen, I can see why it was so popular in spite of Kim Thayil's Sonny Sharrock style soloing. I didn't realize at the time that people mellow as they get older and want to try new things.
Although at first I didn't love this as much as Badmotorfinger, which I reckon is their masterpiece, I ended up loving this as a reminder of my youth. Songs like Black Days and Black Hole Sun are now poignant, and given I loved King Animal, I reckon this holds it own.
Singer has great variety: he sounds smooth and pleasant in his middle range, but he's also got a ton of power and grit when he sings high. I mostly like it; there are a few times where he has an American twang that gets on my nerves a bit. I also like the way the album is produced/mixed. The bass is powerful but not overbearing. Definitely feels very 90s. A bit heavier than I expected from a band that's not really classified as metal. Sometimes I'm surprised that music with such heavy distorted guitars could have ever been top of the charts; these days you NEVER see heavy music on the top of the charts. I was gonna give a 3 since I probably won’t return much to this, but I was impressed enough to give a 4.