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"Black Hole Sun" won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance, and "Spoonman" won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance. "Black Hole Sun" was also nominated for Best Rock Song, and SUPERUNKNOWN was nominated for Best Rock Album.
As the first grunge band to be signed by a major label, Seattle's Soundgarden opened the pop floodgates, and a deluge of thrash-o-rama bands began swamping the airwaves. Following a series of trend-setting releases on the independent Sub Pop and SST labels, Soundgarden's initial A&M releases LOUDER THAN LOVE and BADMOTORFINGER signaled the return of the classic guitar band to popular consciousness.
Using the time-honored Led Zeppelin/Aerosmith approach as a jump-off point--not to mention influential bands like Black Sabbath, MC5, The Stooges and Killing Joke--Soundgarden has formalized their own approach to raw power. Their stylized melodic hooks, however, along with their sometimes surreal lyrics, set them apart from the pack. Whether they get dazed and confused on the vamping "Limo Wreck," or cut loose with a wham- bam-thank-you-ma'am 4/4 cruncher like "Kickstand," Soundgarden can rock and roll with all the jet-propelled, no-nonsense crunch of all your favorite bands, from Zeppelin to the Ramones--and lead guitarist Kim Thayil's chops never outrace his melodic imagination.
But Soundgarden is doing a lot more than simply recycling their best bits for another run up the charts. With SUPERUNKNOWN, they're stretching out and putting some distance between themselves and their imitators, incorporating different styles into their own mix, and creating a fresh modern sound. Certainly, there are not many bands who could rock convincingly in 5/4 time without sounding like slumming jazzbos, but Soundgarden's "My Wave" is a fist-shaking anthem that suggests the tone of the Stones' "Get Off My Cloud." The curious mixture of psychedelic blues elements, Near-Eastern tonalities and Indian ragas which make "Head Down," "Black Hole Sun" and "Half" so distinctive indicates that Soundgarden didn't simply cop their ideas from a Hollywood soundtrack. With his guttural Steve Tyler-like growl, frontman/songwriter Chris Cornell can turn a spoon player into a street shaman on "Spoonman," give in to despair on "Let Me Drown," or rail against authoritarian types on "Head Down." With slamming production by Michael Beinhorn, SUPERUNKNOWN is the hard rock event of 1994.
Recorded at Bad Animals Studio, Seattle, Washington.
Personnel: Chris Cornell (vocals, guitar); Ben Shepherd (vocals); Kim Thayil (guitar); April Acevez (viola); Natasha Shneider (Clavinet); Matt Cameron (drums, percussion).
Recording information: Bad Animals Studio, Seattle, WA.
Soundgarden: Chris Cornell (vocals, guitar); Ben Shepherd (guitar, bass, drums, percussion, background vocals); Kim Thayil (guitar); Matt Cameron (drums, percussion, Mellotron).
Additional personnel: April Acevez (viola); Justine Foy (cello); Michael Beinhorn (piano); Natasha Shneider (Clavinet); Gregg Keplinger (drums, percussion); Artis The Spoonman (spoons).
Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.54) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's." Rolling Stone (3/10/94, p.63) - 4 Stars - Very Good - "...At its best, SUPERUNKNOWN offers a more harrowing depiction of alienation and despair than anything on IN UTERO....Although the band serves up a healthy amount of metallic bluster, Soundgarden refuse to define themselves in strict headbanger terms...." Spin (9/99, p.154) - Ranked #70 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s." Spin (12/94, p.78) - Ranked #17 in Spin's list of the `20 Best Albums Of '94' - "...turn[s] everyday teenage gloom into a prayer for divine wrath to wash the world away....When Kim Thayil locks into...visceral riffs...pure hormonal energy thunders to the rescue..." Entertainment Weekly (Spring 2000, p.166) - Ranked #6 in EW's "Top 10 albums of the '90s" Q (12/99, p.82) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s." Melody Maker (3/5/94, p.40) - "...Like IN UTERO, SUPEREUNKNOWN has a depth and maturity which isn't easily assimilated on the first few listenings ....a brilliant, brilliant album...." Village Voice (3/94, p.5) - Ranked #2 in the Village Voice's 1993 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll. Village Voice (2/28/95) - Ranked #11 in the Village Voice's 1994 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll. Q (Magazine) (p.122) - "Soundgarden dealt in unreconstructed heavy rock: a heavy guitar sound, depth-charge drumming....Yet SUPERUNKNOWN also includes more measured moments, such as the shimmering hit single 'Black Hole Sun.'" New York Times (Publisher) (1/5/95, p.C15) - Included on Jon Pareles' list of the Top 10 Albums Of '94 - "Hard rock, all muscle and sinew, that churns and howls..."
A total staple The first time I heard "Let Me Drown" I felt like I was in a horror movie. That song is so angry that it frightened me. So much so that when I put it in, I'd automatically go to the second track. If that doesn't clue you in on how powerful this album is, I don't know what will. "Mailman" and "Fourth of July" are absolutely mind blowing. One of the top five albums, EVER! Submitted by Steve (Reno, NV, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
Absolute Masterpiece Simply one of the finest rock albums ever recorded. All of the tracks are equally fantastic. Every song is amazing in its own right. Not every album is killer from start to finish but this one definitely is. Simply Soundgarden at their finest. So glad that they have reunited. It's a shame that they are not as well known as Nirvana or Pearl Jam because they have the most diverse recordings. Submitted by Tim (Richmond Hill, GA, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Absolute brilliance Easily one of the best of the 90's. I'll always associate this album, along with Pantera's Far Beyond Driven, with my freshman year of high school.
Spoonman and Black Hole Sun are ok I guess, but to me it's a shame that those are the best-known songs, because most of the others on this album are better. Check out Head Down, Limo Wreck and 4th of July and you'll see what I mean Submitted by TGSTK (Shreveport, LA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
amazing this album is just killer man. it is when they were at their best, just for the songs limo wreck and 4th of july this albums stands strong, don't get me wrong but these songs are 10s for sure. chris cornell has an amazing voice, its funny that i love this band so much and a friend of mine seen them live and he said they weren't that good. never seen them myself. i just love their songwriting. badmotorfinger is also a good album. fell on black days is another great song. like i say this album is a must for you hard grunge rockers. hope you like my review, oh, in case any of you are wondering, i don't do reviews on any album that doesn't deserve 5 stars, unless it is vh-5150, look up my review on that and have a good laugh, their is nothing but truth to that review. cya Submitted by halenroth84 (thunder bay, ontario. canada) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Soundgarden's Dark Side Of The Moon I was a huge fan of hair metal back in the day, I listened to Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Poison and all the other bands. But there was one particular sound in music that would have an even greater effect on me than hair metal. The Seattle scene was a much unexpected, yet needed change in music, during the early 1990's. It was such a diverse culture, you had a number of bands that were making music that was unlike anything that I had listened to back in the 80's. In 1994, I saw the video for Black Hole Sun, and was completely mesmerized by it. Soundgarden had changed my listening habits forever, I got Superunknown for Christmas that year on cassete, and it was pretty much all I listened to for a while. In fact, I listened to it so much that it got ate. So my mother bought me another one, I put it in, I heard only a few seconds of "Let Me Drown", and then that tape got ate too, so finally, I can't tell you how many times I've had to replace this album, I've got it on cd now, and I play it probably more than any other cd in my collection. This album stands out in my mind as one of the best rock albums of the 1990's. Whenever I listen to it, it takes me back to my early pre- adolescent years, its hard to believe that I was only 12 when this album came out, I can't believe its been that long. I give this album five stars. It just rocks. Submitted by Ryan (Weshester, Ohio) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
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