First it steals your mind and then it steals your... your POLL: SUPERUNKNOWN

I remember this CD as being something like 80 or 90 minutes long which was frightening because I didn't think you could press a CD with that capacity, but it also sounded really muddy, so those two things combined made me suspect there was some shenanigans they were pulling to fit that many minutes on a CD at the cost of audio quality. Is that what they did?

it's just 70 minutes.

really talk, this is by far my favorite grunge album, and i like a lot of grunge albums. "Head Down" and "Fresh Tendrils" and "Like Suicide" are all massive, and aside from "Black Hole Sun" I never really get sick of the singles.

may toss a coin to decide between "Head Down" and "Limo Wreck" later

At the time it was Kickstand or Spoonman - I'm going to need to listen to this again though before voting.

Black Days then, dunno what now.

I'm pretty impressed - with the album rather than myself, I think - how I can really vividly recall all the songs despite not listening to this for years. 4th Of July might just edge it due to hueg chorus

9. "4th of July" – 5:08

Love this album, love it more than any Nirvana album. I re-bought it last year after not hearing it for probably 10 years. It didn't leave the CD player in my car for about a month. Never really known what any of the songs are called though - think I'll give it a listen over the weekend before voting.

First instinct is to vote for Head Down, though.

the day i tried to live

When Helgeson bigged up "Pretty Noose" on that "Spoonman" thread, he wasn't wrong, as I'm now discovering. Put that song on here instead of "Let Me Drown" and we've got another contender.

Hmmm, probably Black Days, but I might have to think about it. Let Me Drown is a great opener IMO.

"Mailman" is probably the only track here I have no real time for.

(and listening to it now, it's not that bad!)

I never need to hear Black Hole Sun again as long as I live.

i definitely had a spell with this way back (though not all the way back). vote for "The Day I Tried to Live" because of the part where cornell shreeks and the guitar fades in. or is it the other way round? maybe i should listen to it again...

Also need to listen to this again, I know every note of it but several of the songs have obscure titles and I want to be sure...

"Fell On Black Days" or "Spoonman."

or "My Way"! Lots of good songs here.

i love "My Wave," at first it kinda felt like the lightweight pop song of the album but there's so many layers to the riffs and the rhythms and the whole outro is awesome.

the outtake/international bonus track "She Likes Surprises" is pretty awesome too

fell on black days.
i never want to hear "Black Hole Sun" again especially dont want to see the overplayed video.

She Likes Surprises is a great little song, yeah.

Lots of good songs here

no shit!!!!!

im voting for "Kickstand"

I'm voting "My Wave" for the twisty bass/drum interplay in the middle and the weird E power chord tuning that Kim Thayil used. (E-E-B-B-B-E)

How are you listening to these songs? My Wave (all the singles really) always seemed to sound much better on the radio than on the CD -- more peppy if that makes sense.

Also which riff is Spoonman taken from? It's a 70s song and Rikki Rachtman busted Chris Cornell's chops for it on MTV, and he's all "shucks, you're right" but it's not very confrontational -- they're kicking back, bowling.

The Day I Tried To Live

This record was a monster in every sense of the word. And it's aged really well.

I remember part of Cornell's score for Singles included an acoustic version of the "Spoonman" riff, but I know that's not what you mean...really the rhythm/time signature makes the riff, if what he ripped it off from doesn't have that then he still made it his own.

My favorite album when I was fourteen- consistently strong songwriting for such a long album. And all the dudes in the band contributed to the songwriting. Ben Shepard wrote Head Down, definitely one of the high points. Haven't heard it in years, maybe I'll download it tonight. Anyway, I guess I'll vote for Let Me Drown just over the title track and Like Suicide. I'm kinda sick of the singles which there seemed to be a lot of for one album.

Listening now for the first time in years and really enjoying it. I'd forgotten how good Head High is.

Sorry, I mean Head Down.

hardly seems fair to unvote "Black Hole Sun" for overplay... not a prob for me though since 4th of july low/high vox take the biscuit

this record is flawless imo. i'm voting 'half' w/ 'the day i tried to live' a close 2nd

i always meant to check out Ben Shepherd's other bands based on all is songwriting credits on some of SG's best songs, anyone have any reccomendations?

argh argh argh Head Down or Limo Wreck....with a late run from The Day I Tried To Live :-/

fell on black days

4tth of July, Head Down, Limo Wreck, Mailman, and The Day I Tried to Live in five-way tie for first...

Soundgarden = easily the most underrated band of the '90s...

best thing out of seattle since jimi amirite

Not a letdown, but not what I was hoping for after Badmotorfinger. "Fell On Black Days" was the disappointment- the first song that sounded like grunge was falling into it own cliches of power-balladry (moaning, soft to loud build-up, awkward bad poetry for a hook). (I mean, Pearl Jam was already there, but no one respected them at that point...) But so much of this is great. (and in retrospect, "Black Days" is strong stuff considering Audioslave and Part of Me lay ahead) Because I've long had a weakness for Krawling Kromatic Kashmir riffs, I'd have answered "Day I Tried to Live" until recently. But for some reason, that spell has lifted. 'Cause I've rationed playing this record and don't hear the track on the radio, I'm voting for the Dingley-Jingly-Dear Prudence riffery of "Black Hole Sun." Tho' my single favorite Soundgarden song is might be "Pretty Noose".

down on the upside is mightily underrated

i have been feasting on "pretty noose" today

I hope Thayil gets a second wind someday.

Aw, he's only got 79 myspace friends. Good for him.

He was the brains of that operation.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Surprised myself a bit by going for Head Down. I've been coming back to it a lot these past few days.

am about to spin a coin to decide on "Limo Wreck" or "Head Down"

("Head Down" is tails, obv)

Limo Wreck wins.

Best of three?

UOK is the only Soundgarden I like from start to finish.

'Hands All Over' still kicks all kinds of arse.

For me it goes:

Superunknown > BMFR > DOTU > UMO > Louder Than Love

Never spent much time with Fopp/Screaming Life, and I remember really liking the new one when it came out, but I haven't played it much since.

i gotta say that i think that this band benefits from the songs sounding huge, which is why i've never really warmed to UMO; it just sounds too tepid and wishy-washy.

I blasted Badmotorfinger this morning- that record is wall-to-wall badass.

Yeah if they remaster it right one day I may consider it over SU

listening to it now, Louder than Love kinda strikes me as a strangely by-the-numbers cock-rock anomaly amidst a bunch of interesting, unusual, and occasionally abstract records.

The tune by Soundgarden I was always obsessed with was "Room a Thousand Years Wide". It's got such a cool drony sound and that riff is very hypnotic.

Ultramega > Badmotor > Louder > SOMMS > Loudest Love >> Screaming Life/Fopp >> Superunknown >>>> King Animal >>>>>>>Down

yeah, i love Room a Thousand Years Wide. the voluminous sound & presence of the song reinforces the implications of the title in a metaphysical kinda way.

back listening to Superunknown now. never noticed before how Jane's Addiction-y Half is.

can't believe i let you guy trick me into listen to Louder Than Love...

anyways the one Soundgarden track that was always my secret personal fav was the one off of the Basketball Diaries soundtrack, "Blind Dogs"

Can anyone explain the Soundgarden/Jesus Lizard beef

Seems Yow and co really hated them

I think Soundgarden may be ILX's favourite grunge act, threads on them are always overwhelmingly, enthusiastically positive.

so overwhelmingly enthusiastically positive that i feel like talking about how much i've grown to like king animal

how did you know that this would be your fate?

this song rules so much

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcqghwWu2Vs

yeah it was not bad. i really just wish they never broke up and had half a dozen more Down On The Upside/King Animal-quality decent albums, i would've been fine with those kind of diminishing returns as much as i am with Pearl Jam. better that than Audioslave and Scream, anyway.

they're a band that sound great together, they could put out hookless whatevers forever and i'll be down. was surprised that my favorite songs on king animal are all cornell-written though

i think he probably missed playing with people that could handle the weird tunings and time signatures and had a whole bunch of ideas saved up that he couldn't really put to much use for a decade.

bones of birds def my favourite off king animal

is 'black days' the best song ever to have used 'whatsoever' in a lyric

it's the only best song to use "whatsoever" in a lyric

undisputed champion

also scores big in the whomsoever category

Am utterly confused by how unremarkable album track "Fell On Black Days" has won this tbh.

― leigh exodus (country matters), Friday, 20 March 2009 14:50 (5 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

During this song I always feel like I'm just waiting for Mailman to start (I don't like to skip tracks)

srsly

Mailman is the one I really came around to

Man, 4th of July was robbed, such a massive song. Idk how that track was received at the time but it's weird to me hearing something so doomy on a relatively mainstream rock album.

my friends and i were teenagers, we just took it all ine

*nedlike flip of the hair*

uug relentlessly otm rn

yes!! fresh fucking tendrils!!

― forkshighwaytopoopon (some dude), Tuesday, August 16, 2011 11:01 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark

― i wanna be a gabbneb baby (Hungry4Ass), Sunday, June 30, 2013 5:58 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Tuesday, July 2, 2013 9:29 AM (11 months ago) Bookmark

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Tuesday, June 3, 2014 7:48 PM (3 months ago) Bookmark

hi brad

Fresh Tendrils getting one vote is insane.

AND THE WRECK OF YOU

WHILE THE REST OF YOU HARVEST GOLD

WHILE THE REST OF YOU HARVEST THE SOULS

yes!! fresh fucking tendrils!!

― forkshighwaytopoopon (some dude), Tuesday, August 16, 2011 11:01 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark

― i wanna be a gabbneb baby (Hungry4Ass), Sunday, June 30, 2013 5:58 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Tuesday, July 2, 2013 9:29 AM (11 months ago) Bookmark

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Tuesday, June 3, 2014 7:48 PM (3 months ago) Bookmark

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Sunday, September 28, 2014 3:39 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark

cuz i fell awwwwnnnnnnnnn

4th of July best song they ever did. Best album is Badmotorfinger. Drawin flies and face pollution baby.

yes fresh fuckin tendrils

/sponeman/

http://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1745&context=etd_hon_theses

Exploring the Superunknown: Composition and the
Music of Soundgarden

yes!! fresh fucking tendrils!!

― forkshighwaytopoopon (some dude), Tuesday, August 16, 2011 11:01 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark

― i wanna be a gabbneb baby (Hungry4Ass), Sunday, June 30, 2013 5:58 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Tuesday, July 2, 2013 9:29 AM (11 months ago) Bookmark

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Tuesday, June 3, 2014 7:48 PM (3 months ago) Bookmark

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Sunday, September 28, 2014 3:39 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Saturday, February 7, 2015 2:50 PM (four years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Fell on Black Days winning is as weird to me now as it was four years ago

25 YEARS

Wow. I just started listening to this album this week. I had always had something against SG when I was a kid that I never got over (excepting the Singles soundtrack songs), but I finally found my way in. 25 years too late I guess.

https://www.stereogum.com/2034893/17-essential-songs-in-74/franchises/ultimate-playlist/

respeckt to whiney

me: i have a lot of different drumming inspirations but i wonder who my favorite drummer of all time is

*listens to superunknown*

me: oh, it's matt cameron

Man, I feel bad for Mailman - what a monster tune!

I swear the echo on the vocals on the title track sound just like Nilssons jump in the fire