Soundgarden, Superunknown

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by vinylphile, Jan 1, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Soundslave

    Soundslave Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tomsk,Russia
    That's how I feel too, even though Audioslave cover on Spoonman (along with in my opinion far superior to original Loud Love) was the first experience for me in that case :)
     
  2. ripping corpse

    ripping corpse Forum Resident

    Location:
    IN
    While not terrible sounding I have to admit my blue US pressing sounds decent at best on my set up.
    Guess I'll have to hunt down a German 320 press.
     
  3. Leviethan

    Leviethan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    This is one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded. It was the first new vinyl record I bought with my own money in 1994. I hadn't listened to it in at least a decade, but I gave it a spin when Cornell passed. It hasn't aged a bit, but I think "Spoonman" could have been dropped off the album. "She Likes Surprises" is a far better song. Soundgarden inspired me to use alternate tunings and non-4/4 time signatures when I was writing on guitar.
     
  4. Chrome_Head

    Chrome_Head Planetary Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA.
    Bought this on CD the day it came out--at nearly 80 minutes, it's like their Physical Graffiti on one disc.

    It is marvelous, must have spun it hundreds of times. Probably one of the last great albums of this era in rock (though Down On The Upside had some incredible moments too).

    And "Spoonman" was the lead off single!

    I think it's a bit stronger than "She Likes Surprises", which I also adore.
     
  5. Guapito

    Guapito Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Such an amazing album. Just wished they had fitted in the second part of “Half”, known as “Second-Half” to the band. They used to play this live and it’s amazing.
     
    notesofachord likes this.
  6. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I played the crap out of this album when I bought it on release. I had the cassette and would play it in my apartment over and over at loud volume. Somebody called the management on me! :laugh:

    Great album, but I like stuff like “Fresh Tendrils”, “Head Down”, “4th of July”, and “Just Like Suicide” better than the more popular tunes these days. Superunknown is a really nice album in that it’s so varied; has great pop hooks along with more dark, menacing material as well.
     
  7. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    ..... and? Did they come up for a beer?:cheers:

    Great story! Nothing like a little tasteful noise pollution:righton:
     
  8. Crimson jon

    Crimson jon Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston
    An all time classic for me...I was early teenager and this one blew me away. Only complaint is it could use little trimming as its too long with some lesser quality tracks being too long. I have CD, the uber loud compressed new version, and the digital version. Never gets old.
     
    MrGrumpy likes this.
  9. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    Nah, they just told me to turn it down. I think it was the hot girl that lived across the way that complained. I wish she had come over for a beer instead of griping to management! ;) :laugh:
     
  10. Mr. Pleasant

    Mr. Pleasant Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Yes, one of my all-time favourites and in my opinion one of the best rock albums ever made.
     
  11. tkl7

    tkl7 Agent Provocateur

    Location:
    Lewis Center, OH
    Bought the blue vinyl on the day of release.
     
  12. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Did your neighbours like it? :uhhuh:
     
    303 Squadron and GodShifter like this.
  13. Hardy Melville

    Hardy Melville Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Yes, a fantastic album. Still very current sounding.

    As for the Zeppelin comparison, I certainly don't think there are consistent parallels. Cornell had a very different, I think better, voice than Plant's, but then there are few bass players as great as Jonesy.

    I think one reason people see parallels is the willingness to use different time signatures and off tempo rhythms. True the time signatures other than 3/4 and 4/4 are more common to Soundgarden, but the Ledsters did their fair share. (Not that they were the only ones of course.)

    So many great songs. Sometimes I think Like Suicide is the best.
     
  14. Roberto899

    Roberto899 Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    Personally I think that is the high point of the album. Love the acoustic version too.
     
    GrayMouser, SirMarc and GodShifter like this.
  15. Guapito

    Guapito Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    “Fresh Tendrils” has one of CC’s best vocal performances IMHO.
     
  16. Yesternow

    Yesternow Forum pResident

    Location:
    Portugal
    Pearl jam, nirvana, alice in chain... Rock and grunge was great at the time. But when this came out it seemed something else.
    Distinct time signature compositions and guitar playing, world top level vocals and druming. That loose string sound on the acoustic guitar and eastern motifs spread allover. Even a bit psychedelic at some points. More mature, professional, sounded like a masterpiece.
    Maybe a bit too long but I loved it. The sound quality was also great.
    One of Rock & Roll best albums ever.
     
  17. Heavy Music

    Heavy Music Forum Resident

    Growing up in the 60's obviously tuned my head to that era of great music. When the "70's"rock style came on the scene with bands like Nazareth and such, I just couldn't and still can't get in to it, of course there are exceptions (Van Halen, Robin Trower, etc). The 80's were the worst, and I agree and I had no interest in the hair band sound. Then came the 90's grunge/alternative music, and with the help from my teenage Son at the time, I got turned on to that decade's music. The 90's gave me new hope that rock was back with a great new twist and a lot of it was "heavy", right my alley. I now give equal listening time between the 60's and the 90's and Sound Garden's Superunknown is one of my favorites!
     
  18. erowid

    erowid Die unerträgliche Leichtigkeit des Seins

    Location:
    Vienna, Austria
    Listened to the 2014 LP yesterday night. It's really well pressed. Could maybe hear 2 or 3 small ticks during all 4 sides. apart from that, a clean, flat and smooth ride. But that was also a problem: Wasnt it too "clean"? In my memory, this album had an dark and dirty vibe on at like being on a speedy acid comedown. I've never owned the original vinyl. Pulled out my original cd from back then and compared. My ears did not prove me wrong: the original mix indeed seems to be muddier - which I like for this kind of sound, though it could also all be just a memory thing. I got accustumed to the original sound. In this context, the LP Set,as good as it sounds, is kind of an dissapointment. What do you guys think about the sound of the original recording versus the 2014 remaster? Does anybody own this album on original and remastered vinyl and can tell me about their sonic differences?
     
  19. Mike Reynolds

    Mike Reynolds Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    I remember liking Superunknown and Down On The Upside for select songs when they first came out, but I still have a preference for Badmotorfinger and all its sludgy songs like "Outshined", "Slaves & Bulldozers", "Searching With My Good Eye Closed", "Room A Thousand Years Wide" and "Holy Water". Probably because those songs sound a lot like "Ugly Truth", "Loud Love" and "Hands All Over" from their previous album Louder Than Love. But what a phenomenal band. And if there was ever a singer who captured primal scream on record, it was Chris Cornell. They're one band I'm truly sorry I missed seeing in concert.
     
    SirMarc and Soundslave like this.
  20. Evil Strawberry

    Evil Strawberry Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indiana,USA
    Great album RIP Chris Cornell
     
    WapatoWolf, Zoot Marimba and RPOZ51 like this.
  21. vinylphile

    vinylphile Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I saw them twice actually. First time on the Badmotorfinger tour and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Second on Superunknown and it was a huge disappointment. Apparently they were hit and miss, glad I saw them when they were on.
     
    Mike Reynolds and lordfalconer like this.
  22. BDC

    BDC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tacoma
    Another owner of the blue vinyl here that I bought when the album came out. I've played the cd a lot more over the years. Great album, top 5 90s.....Seen Soundgarden 5 or 6 times..

    I love every second of the album. The best song IMO---"The day I tried to live"
    A vocal for the ages........
     
  23. 808_state

    808_state ヤマハで再生中

    Finally scored a 320 and now have the following versions:

    1994 EU Orange 2LP
    1994 Brazil Black 2LP
    2004 German/EU Black 2LP
    2011/2013 EU Bootleg Black 2LP
    2014 US Reissue Black 2LP

    I can't comment on the sound of the 320 yet as I've just received it today. I can say the 1994 EU sounds good, the Brazil sounds good (save for noisy vinyl), the 2011 sounds like a hot mess and the 2014 sounds good. Now that I've heard the 1994 EU, I can say that the Brazil really sounds like it was cut from tape and not digital. The vocals have a very natural and organic sound. The 2011 bootleg is pure garbage and those who created it should be punished.
     
  24. psus2h

    psus2h Active Member

    Location:
    USA
    Agreed, the original isn't good at all, you're going to have a much more enjoyable experience listening to the original CD. The 2014 is compressed, so neither it or the original vinyl are must haves IMO. However, IF you can find it, the 2004 German 320 press is the way to go. Soundgarden - Superunknown
     
    pexie, Soundslave and JasonA like this.
  25. Ivand

    Ivand Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Matt Cameron is a great drummer and he shines on Superunknown IMO.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine