Soundgarden - Louder Than Love and Down on the Upside Vinyl Reissues

Just got an email about this:
Soundgarden will re-release a standard single LP vinyl of their second full-length studio album, 1989’s Louder Than Love as well as a two-LP 20th anniversary reissue of their seminal 1996 album, Down on the Upside.

Both LPs have been newly remastered from the original analog tapes and will be released by Ume on August 26 with original artwork, together with download cards including 320kbps MP4 AACs.

Louder Than Love, Soundgarden’s second full-length studio album and major label debut was originally released by A&M Records on September 5, 1989, and was the last to include bassist Hiro Yamamoto. UMe is now releasing Louder Than Love in a single-LP 180-gram vinyl edition.

Down on the Upside, Soundgarden’s fifth full-length studio album, released on May 21, 1996, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200, represented a significant stylistic departure away from alternative metal into a more experimental sound with an emphasis on vocals, melody and more diverse instrumentation. Now, UMe has made Down on the Upside available for the first time as a two-LP 180-gram vinyl set.

Soundgarden Official Store »

 

ARRRRGHHH!

All I want is the Ultramega OK remaster/deluxe edition that Kim Thayil keeps talking about...I've heard lightly remastered versions of those tracks on some A&M promo comps and know how good they can sound....

 

But will they be CUT from the original analog tapes...and by whom?

Please, if you're on Facebook, look for any comments specifically about this and "LIKE" them so they become the most popular and maybe we'll get an answer.

 

How was the 20th anniversary vinyl of Superunknown? I know the digital versions were super loud/compressed. I'd love to own Down On The Upside on vinyl, but not if it's brickwalled.

 

Astonishing. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Pre-ordered DOTUS!!!!!

 

I'd prefer an AAA Superunknown. I have the original Down on the Upside LPs and they are fine.

 

I also have the original Down on the Upside LP and yes, it sounds nice, the CD sounds quite nice as well. But... It is my understanding that the original LP was cut from the same 16/44 master that was used for the CD, so even if the reissue isn't cut from the analogue master (which would be flippin awesome if it was) could there still be the potential for improvement over the original LP if this time around it is done in a higher resolution, 24/96 or whatever it is now?

 

Yes, good point. Though sadly Soundgarden have a solid record of brickwalling everything. It would be nice if there was a little transparency with these reissues. I get the feeling that Cornell and co aren't very hands on (or 'Hands All Over') with the reissues. (Except Kim seemed to have something to do with the B-Sides stuff.)

 

According to the press release, it says "Both LPs have been newly remastered from the original analog tapes and will be released by Ume on August 26 with original artwork, together with download cards including 320kbps MP4 AACs."

So, to answer your question, these will be NEW remasters from the original master tapes.

 

i view down on the upside as their sell out album...

it was made to be more radio friendly....my fav tracks are burden in my hand and blow out the outside world....pretty noose is ok.
idk....album is a bit too sweet (pop) for me to get behind it..

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as for louder than love...i already have an original press and dont put it on that often....idk

 

Great!I

I know some people get all over the Superunknown remaster here, but it sounds absolutely fantastic on my system (if one is playing through computer speakers or something, I could see how the drums and bass upfront in the mix might fuzz it out)

 

Which still tells us nothing other than they've been newly remastered from the original analog master tapes, the end result could be digitally mastered, loudness wars 24/96 files cut to vinyl by an undisclosed engineer.

The lack of transparency is bothersome.

The 20th anniversary of Superunknown was cut from digitally mastered 24/192 files prepared from the original master tape, why not go AAA if you've taken the time not only to source the original stereo master but ALSO found the original analogue multitracks (there was a 5.1 mix on Superunknown box set but it was pretty awful, Adam Kasper should NOT mix 5.1 studio material)

ALSO - look at the running time of SIDE A of Louder Than Love, 27m37s! How does putting this as a single LP get greenlit in 2016? This absolutely should have been a 2LP set.

When you miss the mark on running times so completely, it doesn't induce much confidence that they'll handle the source material carefully.

 

looking forward to these two re-releases! yes!

 

According to elusive disc the remasters are being done by Bob Ludwig from the original analog tapes. So...at least the digital part of the remaster should be in good hands. Hopefully the vinyl gets cut by someone like Chris Bellman, Bernie Grundman, or Kevin Gray although I would imagine it will be cut from a high rez digital file. We shall see...

 

Louder Than Love is great. My opinion of SG $uck$ after Badmotorfinger.

 

The LZ reissues were all transfered from the original tapes to digital and then were used & they sound amazing. I'm not obsessed with AAA, but rather with good quality work. SU reissue sounds fantastic. And, as to 27 on one side, RHCP One Red Hot Minute is a single vinyl LP and it sounds truly amazing...

 

DOTU is my favourite soundgarden album, so I'm all over this reissue. If Bob Ludwig is doing the remastering, even in the digital domain, it can sound great. The Tragically Hip's Fully Completley vinyl reissue is a great example of what a well cut record from Bob's digital files can sound like.

 

I have the LZ III remaster LP (and the 2496 files and Diament CD) and think it pales in comparison to the Classic 33rpm, I also think the SU remaster is pretty poor.

Have you compared the red OHM to the 2LP black? I would have no interest whatsoever in the 1LP red when a 2LP black exists cut by the same team, most vinyl engineers and pressing houses would agree.

I'm not fixating on AAA, but tend to find heavily compressed mastering creeps in much quicker whe digitally mastered, so my main point is...this "mastered from the original tapes" is more buzz phrasing than useful information. Compare that to the info we got about Beatles in Mono. We shouldn't have to wonder "what does that mean?"

 

It depends on what the record company wants Bob Ludwig to do. I think he mastered all of the Nirvana 'Nevermind' 20th anniversary material, and it's horribly loud and compressed.

 

fair point well made. But I hope for the best

 

I am in for Down On The Upside. Great album, still have 1996 CD.

 

ill be interested to see how these turn out. already have the original DOTU, ill be in for Louder if it turns out nice for sure.

 

Haven't heard the 2 disc OHM - my point was that even for a long album, it sounds pretty good. I thought the SU reissue sounded really good to my ears. And as for the LZ, well, we'd all like to have the Classic 45 RPMs, or RL originals, but the reissues were the closest I was going to get to "excellent" without spending thousands of dollars.

 

Whoa! I didn't even know they released a SuperDeluxe Box Set of SU! Don't know how often I'd listen to all that though...

 

That's been confirmed? Superunkown 20th Anni. cut from Digital? Was that a source online?
Jeez, I've been on the hunt for one of those for sometime. I was about to settle for the repress that Acoustic Sounds just came out with a month or 2 back. I was hesitant because it's continuously being advertised online at 200 g like the first pressing and with out the 200 g sticker in stores. My fear was they were pushing it like the Jimi Hendrix , Are you experienced 200g that went for repress at under 180 g with no sticker, and now has 180 g sticker. Save me a lot trouble hunting if we could get confirmation of that. I totally believe it, thanks for the heads up!!!!