Superunknown
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| Superunknown | ||
| Image:Superunknown.jpg | ||
| Studio album by Soundgarden | ||
| Released | March 8, 1994 | |
| Recorded | October - November 1993 in Seattle, Washington | |
| Genre | Grunge | |
| Length | 70:07 | |
| Label | A&M | |
| Producer(s) | Michael Beinhorn, Soundgarden | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Soundgarden chronology | ||
| Badmotorfinger (1991) | Superunknown (1994) | Songs from the Superunknown (1995)
|
Superunknown was the fifth album by the grunge band Soundgarden and their third through A&M Records. It was released March 8 1994 (see 1994 in music). In 1995, it was nominated the Grammy for Best Rock Album.
The name "Spoonman" is credited to Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam. While on the set of the movie Singles, Jeff, who was part of the fictional band featured in the movie, came up with a list of possible titles. Chris Cornell took it as a challenge to write a list of songs using those titles, and "Spoonman" was one of them. The song and its video featured Artis the Spoonman, who is a street entertainer in Seattle, and a demo version of the song is used in the movie.
In a 1994 Pulse! Magazine interview [1], Chris Cornell said that the inspiration for the album's title came from his misreading a video that said Superclown.
The album shows a Beatles influence, particularly on "Black Hole Sun" and "Head Down". In a 1994 interview with Guitar World, Kim Thayil explains this: "We looked deep down inside the very core of our souls and there was a little Ringo sitting there. Oh sure, we like telling people it's John Lennon or George Harrison; but when you really look deep inside of Soundgarden, there's a little Ringo wanting to get out."
In 2003, the album was ranked number 336 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Superunknown also saw a limited release on 12" colored vinyl (blue, orange, and clear, among other colors), as a double-LP in a gatefold sleeve.
"Flutter Girl" was written during the recording sessions but did not appear in the record. Instead, it eventually appeared on Chris Cornell's solo album, Euphoria Morning
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
| # | Song | Length | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Let Me Drown" | Chris Cornell | |
| 02 | "My Wave" | Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil | |
| 03 | "Fell on Black Days" | Chris Cornell | |
| 04 | "Mailman" | Matt Cameron, Chris Cornell | |
| 05 | "Superunknown" | Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil | |
| 06 | "Head Down" | Ben Shepherd | |
| 07 | "Black Hole Sun" | Chris Cornell | |
| 08 | "Spoonman" | Chris Cornell | |
| 09 | "Limo Wreck" | Matt Cameron, Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil | |
| 10 | "The Day I Tried To Live" | Chris Cornell | |
| 11 | "Kickstand" | Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil | |
| 12 | "Fresh Tendrils" | Matt Cameron, Chris Cornell | |
| 13 | "4th of July" | Chris Cornell | |
| 14 | "Half" | Ben Shepherd | |
| 15 | "Like Suicide" | Chris Cornell | |
| 16 | "She Likes Surprises"* | Chris Cornell |
*"She Likes Surprises" only appears on the international versions of the album, and is also included as a bonus track on the U.S. 12" LP release.
[edit] Chart positions
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Billboard Top 200 | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Black Hole Sun" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
| 1994 | "Black Hole Sun" | Modern Rock Tracks | 2 |
| 1994 | "Black Hole Sun" | Top 40 Mainstream Tracks | 9 |
| 1994 | "Fell On Black Days" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 4 |
| 1994 | "Fell On Black Days" | Modern Rock Tracks | 13 |
| 1994 | "My Wave" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 11 |
| 1994 | "My Wave" | Modern Rock Tracks | 18 |
| 1994 | "Spoonman" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 3 |
| 1994 | "Spoonman" | Modern Rock Tracks | 9 |
| 1995 | "The Day I Tried To Live" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 13 |
| 1995 | "The Day I Tried To Live" | Modern Rock Tracks | 25 |
| 1995 | "Superunknown" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 24 |
[edit] Personnel
- Soundgarden
- Chris Cornell - Vocals; Guitar
- Kim Thayil - Guitar
- Ben Shepherd - Bass; Vocals on "Half" and "Spoonman"; Drums and percussion on "Head Down"; Guitar on "Half"
- Matt Cameron - Drums; Mellotron on "Mailman"
- Additional Musicians
- Artis the Spoonman - Spoons on "Spoonman"
- Michael Beinhorn - Producer, Piano on "Let Me Drown"
- David Collins - Mastering
- Jason Corsaro - Engineer
- Adam Kasper - Assistant Engineer
- Gregg Keplinger - Drums and percussion on "Head Down"
- Brendan O'Brien - Mixing
- Natasha Shneider - Clavinet on "Fresh Tendrils"
- April Acevez - Viola on "Half"
- Justine Foy - Cello on "Half"
[edit] External link
| Soundgarden |
| Chris Cornell | Kim Thayil | Matt Cameron | Ben Shepherd |
| Scott Sundquist | Hiro Yamamoto | Jason Everman |
| Discography |
|---|
| Albums and extended plays: Screaming Life | Fopp | Ultramega OK | Flower | Louder than Love | Screaming Life/Fopp | Badmotorfinger | Superunknown | Songs from the Superunknown | Down on the Upside | A-Sides |
| Singles: "Hunted Down" | "Flower" | "Loud Love" | "Hands All Over" | "Room a Thousand Years Wide" | "Jesus Christ Pose" | "Outshined" | "Rusty Cage" | "Spoonman" | "Black Hole Sun" | "Fell on Black Days" | "My Wave" | "The Day I Tried to Live" | "Superunknown" | "Pretty Noose" | "Burden in My Hand" | "Blow Up the Outside World" | "Ty Cobb" | "Bleed Together" |
| Related Articles |
| Temple of the Dog | Singles | Grunge music | Audioslave | Pearl Jam | Alice Mudgarden | Hater | Wellwater Conspiracy |
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