Soundgarden

This is a great album. I like all these songs.

Love the 1.99 download price ;-)

This album has occasionally been referenced as "Led Zeppelin for the 1990's" and, truth be told, there is quite a Zep influence here (the middle-Eastern stylings, heavy guitar riffs, Cornell's extended Plant-esque wailing). But what sets this album apart from other Soundgarden offerings is the craftsmanship of the songs themselves. Thankfully, the usual "woe is me" lyrics are only present in one or two of the songs. Cornell keeps the lyrics lighter than usual and in perfect pitch during delivery. The result is a comparatively uplifting experience (one notably absent from any Pearl Jam album except "10"). Kim Thayall's diverse guitar playing finds a perfect outlet here - from the intense overdriven blues solos on the title track and Like Suicide to the alternative, lowered-pitch grind tunings of 4th of July. Nothing is out of place. This was not always the case for Soundgarden, whose albums tended to be somewhat uneven.

having to admit that I was introduced to soundgardern through Audioslave, because of Chris cornell, it is a great rock band from the 90s!! hit after good hit, that makes the listener beg for more!! one of the best albums I have ever heard!!

Amazon is so full of gushing fanboys bloating on about their favorite childhood music, movies, actors. This will not be one of those type of reviews.

Superunknown stands the test of time from repeated listening and never shows its age. My kid (12 and 10) love the album and request it on road trips.....by singing the chorus...."ALIVE IN THE SUPERUNKNOWN"

On my list of greatest albums of all time. The experimental songs work well, the radio hits work well. The mix, the sound, the quality, the lyrics...all perfect. All of these new crappy bands should listen to this to find out what rock is all about.

Like a punch to the face, this disc comes at you. From the opening track, "Rusty Cage"(my fave),it bulldozes it's way right over you, never letting up till the end. Heavy, down-tuned riffs pummel ones brain on the brilliant "Outshined", to the hair-raising wails of Cornell on "Face Pollution". This is the CD I put in when I feel like getting a speeding ticket! For someone looking to discover Soundgarden for the first time, this is the CD to get first. Highly recommended!!

it doesnt get much better than chris cornell for rock singers. and kim thayil/matt cameron are pretty much virtuosos... but most of this album sounds more or less the same. superunknown is the flawless album u want to get...then down on the upside. but badmotorfinger is still great for that classic grunge sound and godly vocals. but i dont really see it standing the test of time as well as superunknown.

First came out in 1991, looks to be Soundgarden's third record. Believe I caught them on this very tour as support band for Skid Row. Talk about an odd match. Their first CD with bassist Ben Sheppard. Even though I followed Soundgarden through out their entire existence, I hate to admit that I rarely pull out their music anymore to play at random. Tracks I'll always prefer off of 'Badmotorfinger' are the one-time Mtv late night favorite "Rusty Cage", "Outshined", the over-played "Jesus Christ Pose", "Searching With My Good Eye Closed" and "New Damage". Know I probably need to dig up my copy of their 'Ultramega OK' disc - that was my favorite Soundgarden title. A true grunge classic.

With the release of this album Soundgarden established their place on the music world map. Sure Chris Cornell's screeching wails -- which are a Soundgarden trademark -- haven't changed, but on this album the band's growth was apparent. The production and the songs are much more polished and tight, unlike on their previous releases Louder than Love or Screaming Life" & "Fopp.

The Black Sabbath influence is still well heard here but the Soundgarden members step up the pace a bit with multi-colored metal melodies in the songs. Songs like "Outshined" and "Rusty Cage" are highlights on the album with their iron hitting guitar riffs by Kim Thayil and catchy choruses that mend perfectly together. Drummer Matt Cameron is a powerful contribution to the band as well as new addition bassist Ben Shepard. "Jesus Christ Pose" is a highlight on the album with it's intense fierce vocals and lyrics over razor sharp guitars.

This album would appeal to any hard rock fan but Singer Chris Cornell does have that voice that you either love or hate (high-pitched and screeching). I just fell in love with him and his music.

How they got this down on tape is a mystery.

Really, people, it's a crazed maniac on the loose -- with a roaring chain saw -- and no escape in sight.

But, let me settle down a bit and concentrate -- realistically -- on one aspect of this work that must be known: This has got to be the greatest end to end, album length, vocal performance ever recorded. After what Chris Cornell put into these vocals it's a wonder that he was able to ever speak again -- let alone record more albums.

It's one of those special albums that come around all too rarely.

This is Soundgarden's final album and I can see why. It is depressing to see the final album of a band that had a good run from Ultramega OK, Louder Than Love, Badmotorfinger, and Superunknown, end their career together with this downer of an album.

Pretty Noose, the first single is a very energetic song but that song is contrasted by the rest of the album (except Ty Cobb) that is basically an interview to be admitted into a depression clinic. The songs are heavily produced and they seem like they were written by the band on the fly. Kim Thayill is let loose and his sonic guitar wizardry almost hurts ones ears because of it's random character. Contrast this album with Superunknown where Kim was held in check and the band sounds a lot better.

If you are a Soundgarden fanatic and you must have all of their albums then pick this up and enjoy the band unraveling before your eyes. If you're a casual fan of Soundgarden and don't have any of their albums yet I suggest picking up Superunknown or Badmotorfinger first to get a sense of what these guys are really capable of.

An incredibly underrated record. Of course, there's no way it can compare to the double-play of the last two records, but that isn't for lack of trying. It's as ambitious as anything else the group's ever done, and it's got a lot of my favorite Soundgarden tracks: the radio-ready rocker "Pretty Noose", which nonetheless is an intelligent summary of the group's last two records; the complex funk-metal "Rhinosaur"; the Pearl Jam-like power ballads "Zero Chance"; the moody, acoustic "Dusty", the slow, trippy, almost Beatlesque "Blow up the Outside World" (the best song on the album, by the way - guitar solo, chorus, cool vocal effect in the verses, and that Beatles sound that I love because the Beatles OWN), and the mellow folk-grunge combo "Burden in My Hand", as well as some other good stuff, like the psychedelic dirges "Applebite", "Overflow" and "Tighter and Tighter". However, there is a ton of underwritten punk here ("Never Named", "Ty Cobb", with a stupid banjo; "Never the Machine Forever"; "No Attention"), and it seems like they've caught U2 Frontloading syndrome - all the absolute best tracks are found within the first eight songs. Plus I don't know what they were going for with "Boot Camp", but they struck out regardless. Despite all that, this still stands as one of Soundgarden's better records, and probably the last significant album of the grunge boom.

In my mind this is the album that closed the door on the grunge thing entirely, and may possibly be the last time a current band released an album that I sprung out to get. Oh, the days when radio music was still cool. Over and over I hear this album compared to the prior release, and whatnot. But some of you need to realize that this album was released in '96, and to many it was a whole different world than it was two years earlier when that previous record was released. Alternative rock had blazed and now was blazing out to move foward into other territories, but in the summer of that year it was like all the bands that helped it flourish put out some of their best ( even if slightly different) music; just to tip their hat to the whole scene. And is one of the fondest summers music-wise that I can remember.

Soundgarden released late in May with this gem... DOWN ON THE UPSIDE... which included some familiar grunge stuff for sure, but also took on some new territory, with the light sounding BURDEN IN MY HAND, rocked the F out with the killer BLOW UP THE OUTSIDE WORLD (which was amazing when I first watched it on MTV...ssssh, yes I did enjoy MTV once) and even got into some of that early nineties confusion/metal rock that they had slugged out earlier in the decade with tunes like TY COBB. This was a pretty solid Soundarden release for sure, unfortunately still, was also their last... but don't dwell, just put this on, and understand that for a brief moment in the nineties, rock music had reigned supreme once again, even in '96 as it was going down, it was going down on the upside.

No this isn't the "Superunknown", like every other follow up album that comes after the best album of your career everyone wants compare it to the previous album.
Instead people should judge this album on it own merits, don't get me wrong I think the "Superunknown" is probably one of if not the best album of the 90's.
But I also think this album is a good change of pace, it would get old if they made every album sound like the "Superunknown".
I think if your going to listen to this album keep a open mind and don't compare it to the "Superunknown"!!
I rate this album a 8 from 1to10!!

Soundgarden was the band that never quite got the props it deserved, and like the cover depicts on their final album, which was released in 1996, they often ended up in the shadows compared to Seattle Grungenauts Pearl Jam and Nirvana.

The Heavy LP "Badmotorfinger" and the breakout album "Superunknown" will always be the feathers in their hat, but for some reason there is still so much to be said about "Down on the upside", which was released at the end of the band's tenure. Vocalist Chris Cornell would later go on to release two solo albums, and in between those releases form the band Audioslave with former members of Rage Against the Machine. Cornell's efforts towards this CD was to get into a more sonic and ethereal approach, to further push away from heavy riffs and dark, moody lyrics and atmospheres that made the albums Badmotorfinger and Superunknown popular with millions of fans.

The result is an album that contains a nice dose of everything the band could offer, with sixteen tracks that range in style and substance. Take for instance, songs like "Pretty Noose", "Rhinosaur" and "Dusty" which incorporate bombastic openings and dynamite guitars, with Dusty being a slower, more reflective song of the three. The recognizable radio friendly singles found on the album are "Blow up the outside world" and "Burden in my hand" which has the signature opening lyrics of "Follow me into the desert, as thirsty as you are". Pretty Noose, which was mentioned earlier, was also a popular single at the time of the albums release. Tracks like "Ty Cobb" and "Never Named" are a trip, rocketing on a fast pace with almost humorous, light feelings to them.

The track "Applebite" is probably one of the least heard tracks from the band, and yet it is such a timeless one, with semi-haunting guitar tones and a soft, slow atmosphere that has Cornell's vocals at practically a whisper, where normally they are a signature volume of a much higher level and intensity. Parts of this song, and I mean just parts, might remind one of a Doors song like "The End" or a psychedelic instrumental from Pink Floyd in the late sixties. That is not to compare the talents and achievements of those bands to Soundgarden, but to show more how differing this band could be at times. No track listing they ever did was as varied as this one, and yet there is not a single track on the entire album that can be viewed as weak, not belonging or filler.

At times when bands are on the verge of breaking up, they tend to concentrate more on instrumental noodling instead of tight, focused lyrically based tracks. The Van Halen album Balance was evident with this with its three quickly thrown in instrumental tracks. With Soundgarden's swan song, The track "Tighter and Tighter" has vocals, but seems to drone on more in the spirit of Applebite more than say, the catchy toe-tapping beat of "Spoonman" (from the album Superunknown).

The final song of the sixteen song track listing is called Boot Camp, and it has a great emotional undertone to it that is also mixed in with a nice groove, and it is here that we hear perhaps a little bit of that Led Zeppelin influence that the band was labeled with so long ago. Down on the upside was really the end of an era, but in many ways the beginning of something else. Soundgarden will always remain one of the more under appreciated bands to emerge from the grunge days, but some fans would like to think this band, and this album, had a lot more going for it to be put into any particular label or slot.

Soundgarden have easily succeeded with A-Sides, this is the best compilation I've found from a grunge band. With a whopping 17 songs this is worth every dollar. Adding the unreleased "Bleed Together" is a great addition and the chronological order is fascinating. You can really notice the band mature and craft better songs. You can spot their more commercially successful songs halfway through, so you get a lot of their older sound stirred in a bit. Most greatest hits lack older material from bands and strive on their most appealing songs.

Highly appealing for the price. "Black Hole Sun" is a classic, but take a deeper look into songs like "Flower" or the epic "Jesus Christ Pose" (Chris Cornell hits his highest note in his career in the songs later moments!)The sound is great, the song selection offers a variety of well produced tunes to metallic throwbacks. Their is fast songs, their are slow songs, their are even punkish songs!

Soundgarden are on the biggest grunge bands and remains obvious when looked upon this album!

Soundgarden may be a bit overrated, but who cares? They are cool. I'm not big on their early work, but Badmotorfinger and Superunknown were easily two of the coolest releases of the '90s, and guess what? Half this album is taken from those two releases! DUDE! These are some classic songs! I don't think ANY '90s frontman, except for maybe Eddie Veder, had more old-fashioned charisma than Chris Cornnel, and few of the guitarists could play like Kim Thayil. Just listen to "Spoonman" (which is actually very, very funky stuff, especially for a grunge band), and you'll know what I mean. It's damn intelligent, too. It's got this really tricky, really complicated rhythm. Soundgarden was charismatic AND smart - in my eyes, a great combination. And the songs here rule! The psychedelic grunge of "Black Hole Sun" is my favorite, because Cornel does some great wailing near the end, and Thayil totally rocks out. Plus their drummer, Matt Cameron, loses his mind. It's great. But hey, just about all of this is! Have you heard these songs? "Jesus Christ Pose"? "Pretty Noose"? "Rusty Cage"? "Outshined"? "Fell on Black Days"? "Burden in My Hand"? "Flower"? "Loud Love"? Whoa... it's hard-rockin', intelligent, good music! A few songs I think are greatest-hits quality are missing - "Superunknown", "Room a Thousand Years Wide", "Big Dumb Sex" ("Hey, I know what I'll do! Fork you, farg you, fjordk you!" Funny song!), "Fourth of July", "Head Down", and so on - but that can only be expected on a greatest-hits album, and besides, this is a very specific one. It's all a-sides. Good 'uns, too! Pick this up if you're a '90s rock fan. I know I am.

Soundgarden was a good band but they won't make history.
If you like grunge rock, you'll like it.
To me, few songs are unforgettable like "Outshine", "Black old sun" or "Burden in my hand" but it takes a lot more to remains in the major league of rock music.

A best-of album from Soundgarden is like a best-of album from Led Zeppelin: it's ridiculous. In many ways Soundgarden is the Led Zeppelin of the grunge era. Both bands are about power and mystique, each offering up a relentlessly heavy edge that overshadowed their contemporaries like Manute Bol standing next to Spud Web. Also, both bands went extinct way too soon. In Soundgarden's case, they issued only five albums and two eps. While their earlier work (1985-1989) was an inchoate combination of sweaty hard rock and shifty punk music, sometime during the process of the "Louder Than Love" album (1989) the band just locked into a sound that can never be duplicated. Everything that followed this period (-1997) was simply brilliant. So, who can argue with a greatist hits collection? My main gripe is that their record label has been incredibly stingy about their treatment of Soundgarden's catalogue, not to mention the Temple of The Dog album, which should be remastered and offered with live tracks/outtakes. This is not just great music, it's music that defines an era, defines a feeling. It's the exalted prototype for an entire movement. And why is the awesome "Birth Ritual" from the Singles soundtrack or "Heretic" from Pump Up The Volume missing? Whatever bohemeth now owns Soundgarden's catalogue needs to remaster everything and release something from the live vaults. It's been a decade since this, their most recent offering, was released. Gimme a break.

If you don't already own Superunknown, then you might as well pick up this album as opposed to buying three or four Soundgarden albums. There are some great tunes missing, but there always are. All the major hits are here.

This is without a doubt the best Soundgarden album ever!!! I love this album, I love Soundgarden. If you're a fan this is a must have!!!

this album is where the soundgarden sound start to develop into what would make great albums like badmotorfinger and superunknown.. Problem is the songwriting was not a par yet. Also, Chris Cornell vocals despite what other reviewers say are not there yet either. Often sounds screechy and annoying on this one. Where as on badmotor and superunknown, Cornell had one of the best voices in this genre of music. That being said this is worth buying used, if you really like there later stuff, this is an interesting addition to your collection to see their evolution. 2.5-3 stars.

While just graduating from high school I was looking for something different musically and Soundgarden was what I found and they turned me on to tons of other bands. The Seattle big "grunge" movement was happening with bands like Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, and the Meat Puppets, changing the course of music for good, away from the typical and boring metal bands.

This album is in the same vein as their previous release of two E.P.'s combined: Screaming Life" & "Fopp. It had a raw, garage sound that I loved. They got compared to the great Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, which I can hear the influence of, but Soundgarden make a more modern version adding their own "grunge" style.

My favorite songs on this album are "Hands All Over", "Loud Love" and "Ugly Truth" which all display Chris Cornell's screeching and intense vocals over Kim Thayil's experimental, yet bold guitar riffs. I also liked the funny, yet in a more punk-ish style of "Full On Kevin's Mom" showing humor and irony.

For the opposition: All of these songs are sludgity sludgity sludge that could've been played by any sludge band.
For the defense: Who cares? It's good! These are great riffs! It's not as intelligent as later albums, no, but it's still quite good. I mean, these riffs are so damn cool! "Ugly Truth", "Hands All Over", "Gun", "Power Trip", and "Get on the Snake" all have uber-riffs. "Ugly Truth" and "Hands All Over" are especially awesome, because of Chris Cornell's charismatic vocals. They also send up hair metal sex-god stupid stuff on "Full on Kevin's Mom", "Loud Love", and "Big Dumb Sex", and I like all of them! They're really funny! "Full on Kevin's Mom" especially rules - Cornell does a very accurate parody of Robert Plant's crappy voice, and the guitar solo is awesome too. And there's this one part where it slows down, which is awesome, because they put more effort into structuring a goof track than the Eagles spent with "Hotel California". But "Loud Love" has a great intro full of lush, smooth, high-pitched guitar passages, before it becomes an amusingly sleazy heavy near-boogie. And once again, that is a super riff. And the chorus is funny! "Can't resist loud looooove..." Plus "Big Dumb Sex" is even funnier than either of those two combined, and has a better riff. You know those stupid metaphoric sex power-ballads all the hair bands were forcing on people in the '80s? This is the antithesis of that. Oh yeah, and speaking of hair-metal parody hilarity, "Full On (Reprise)" takes this generic power-ballad riff and has Chris Cornell and all the other guys singing "Full ooooon... Kevin's moooom..." over and over again. Good times. And for a change I'm not saying that sarcastically. Now, the bad news is that Soundgarden has this annoying habit of filling their albums out with songs no one freakin' needs. In this case, we get three songs that any sub-par metal band could've pulled out of the air and called their own. Specifically, I'm talking about "No Wrong No Right", "I Awake", and "Uncovered". Out of them, only "Uncovered" really sucks, but all three are about as useful as an appendix. And yes, I'm aware that scientists recently discovered appendixes have uses, but I have, like, no interest in science. English, history, and world myth all the way! Oh yeah, and music. I kinda like that stuff, too. But the album? Probably the most underrated in Soundgarden's history!

In my humble opinion, this cd is good but not great. If you like new rock, you should like it. I stick with older stuff like Led Zep or Deep Purple, they have stood the test of time. If you want to discover the band, you should go with "Badmotorfinger" or "Superunknown", that would be a better choice I believe.

this is my favorite soundgarden record. the recording is not very good at all, but the vibe of the record is magic, the songwriting is fantastic, and the performances are raw and inspired. i really wish they had continued in this direction as it is the most experimental of their records, with the psychedelic and post-punk elements more pronounced, whereas the laster albums were more metal. i would love to hear "mood for trouble," "flower," "nazi driver," and "incessant mace" with screaming life's production. rumor has it that all of these songs were recorded w/ jack endino after the fact because the band wasn't happy with the way the album sounded. i would love to hear that. (c'mon kim - put it on the box set!)

Don't waste your time on this one unless you like SG's early punk sound, which is neither good punk nor good grunge.

In 1988 I walked into Tower Records on South Street in Philadelphia sporting a mohawk, a leather, and Doc's. I was looking for the latest Charged GBH album. As I strolled the isles I heard this album playing in the background. I stopped dead in my tracks. I listened to three songs and then asked the dude at the register who was playing. He smiled, reached under the counter, and pulled out this record. I immediately bought it and life changed forever.

Disregard reviews that compare this album with Superunknown or Badmotorfinger. You simply can't compare this (or "Louder than Love" for that matter) with their later works. It's like comparing Dark Side of the Moon with The Wall and declaring one inferior.

Listen to the samples and judge for yourself. In my humble opinion this is one black, hard, and raw album and also happens to be one the best rock-n-roll records of the 1980s.

What else is there to say about Soundgarden? From 1987 to 1997 this insanely talented band made some of the best rock music in decades. The combination of virtuoso guitarist Kim Thayil and the eerie, nearly inhuman wailings of Chris Cornell made for some truly cutting edge rock, the likes of which have never been replicated.

Where else are you going to hear musicianship and composition like that in Beyond the Wheel and Mood for Trouble? While not as polished as the band's later releases, Ultramega OK is ultimately a mind-bending and ear-shattering listening experience. It's not for everyone, but then again no ingenious music is.

you can hear the seeds of later soundgarden songs. they really came into the sound they were known for later on with the album Bad Motor Finger. if you are a completist then by all means purchase this album. if you are just discovering Soundgarden and like what you have heard on the radio or where ever then pick up the later albums. Superunknown, Down on the upside, Bad Motor Finger all have the same feel yet they have their distinct sounds. you can really see where the band was going over the course of these albums. this album is not terrible it's just that the songs lack individuality and technical skill that the band would demonstrate on later albums.

Hello people,this album is destructive.They dominated through out.I still need to get the rare singles on itunes and I will have all SoundGarden music.

I already had the cassette, and finally found the CD on here...I love this CD. I love Soundgarden & absolutely adore CC. If you're a fan, I recommend this CD.

This is some good music. It is much more stripped-down than their later stuff, but the songwriting is still strong. The song quality is inconsistent, though. Very raw, it probably wont appeal to most people.

Released in 1990, this compilation consists of Soundgarden's first two EPs, "Screaming Life" (1987) and "Fopp" (1988). While at this early stage the band had yet to really hit its stride and evolve into a truly great band, early Soundgarden is definitely worth checking out if you're a fan. While the songwriting on these two EPs isn't as tight or memorable as their later albums, these early works are still quite good. One can hear a bit of the Stooges and Sabbath in Soundgarden and earlier Soundgarden in particular. Along with Tad, Green River and Mudhoney, early Soundgarden exemplifies the "grunge" sound: distorted guitars, intense drumming, and "the fuzz." Although Soundgarden was always a bit more metallic than some of their Seattle peers. And while these two EPs are angrier, more aggressive and unadulterated than Soundgarden's later work, the band knew how to write good hooks even at this early stage.

....at least in the case for Soundgarden, who made their music debut with "Screaming Life/FOPP" in 1987. Gosh, how long ago does that time seem? Long before Grunge-Music was established as the popular alternative-rock stuff that many different types of people love and could relate to. At the time, I'm sure Soundgarden (like most other artists starting out on their career path) had no idea where this little ditty would lead. As a longtime fan of the band, I can say with complete confidence that I'm glad this disc has landed in my hands! I enjoy every track enormously, but probably "Nothing To Say" and "Hunted Down" would classify as a tie between the title of 'Favorite Album Track.'

On the surface, one could look at this album as an extended demo. The band clearly had a flair from the outset for producing great guitar/bass riffs and solos, plus phenomenally moving vocals. What I heard here not only shows the greatness that would follow in the years and albums ahead, but also stands there as a fine monument to a great piece of work on its own. All the tracks flow together nicely, and there is alot of time on each track for just instrumental jamming (which allows the listener to drift off into energized meditation). I like the fact that the lyrical content was not altogether deep, because truly the SOUND of Soundgarden is what makes them who they are. The band creates an almost water-color-painting feel of harmony with each tune they play. One may not understand the full lyrical meaning behind the action, but they will love the action itself as fun and uplifting. This album makes you want to run around and dance (perfect to play when exercising).

Surprisingly, I find myself enjoying it alot more than their other LPs (which is not to say the rest of the classic stuff doesn't have staying power on its own, because it certainly does). For a "new" group on the Seattle music scene, Soundgarden sounds incredibly polished and gifted with their introduction EP. And what I admire the most is what they would later release is not that far removed from their beginning roots (that shows true artistic sensibility and truthfulness to the work).

I give "Screaming Life/FOPP" 5 stars easy and would raise the bar if I could. If you are a fan of Soundgarden, Chris Cornell or Audioslave or just heavy rock fans in general with powerhouse playing and singing, I would urge you to pick up this great item and add it your everyday listening life. One can hear the Black Sabbath/Led Zeppelin roots, but also 70s hard rock too (like Alice Cooper) in this disc. I assure you that you won't be disappointed, and once the disc is done playing you will have a smile on your face and will gladly press the start button again .... ENJOY!!

Soundgarden have easily succeeded with A-Sides, this is the best compilation I've found from a grunge band. With a whopping 17 songs this is worth every dollar. Adding the unreleased "Bleed Together" is a great addition and the chronological order is fascinating. You can really notice the band mature and craft better songs. You can spot their more commercially successful songs halfway through, so you get a lot of their older sound stirred in a bit. Most greatest hits lack older material from bands and strive on their most appealing songs.

Highly appealing for the price. "Black Hole Sun" is a classic, but take a deeper look into songs like "Flower" or the epic "Jesus Christ Pose" (Chris Cornell hits his highest note in his career in the songs later moments!)The sound is great, the song selection offers a variety of well produced tunes to metallic throwbacks. Their is fast songs, their are slow songs, their are even punkish songs!

Soundgarden are on the biggest grunge bands and remains obvious when looked upon this album!

Soundgarden may be a bit overrated, but who cares? They are cool. I'm not big on their early work, but Badmotorfinger and Superunknown were easily two of the coolest releases of the '90s, and guess what? Half this album is taken from those two releases! DUDE! These are some classic songs! I don't think ANY '90s frontman, except for maybe Eddie Veder, had more old-fashioned charisma than Chris Cornnel, and few of the guitarists could play like Kim Thayil. Just listen to "Spoonman" (which is actually very, very funky stuff, especially for a grunge band), and you'll know what I mean. It's damn intelligent, too. It's got this really tricky, really complicated rhythm. Soundgarden was charismatic AND smart - in my eyes, a great combination. And the songs here rule! The psychedelic grunge of "Black Hole Sun" is my favorite, because Cornel does some great wailing near the end, and Thayil totally rocks out. Plus their drummer, Matt Cameron, loses his mind. It's great. But hey, just about all of this is! Have you heard these songs? "Jesus Christ Pose"? "Pretty Noose"? "Rusty Cage"? "Outshined"? "Fell on Black Days"? "Burden in My Hand"? "Flower"? "Loud Love"? Whoa... it's hard-rockin', intelligent, good music! A few songs I think are greatest-hits quality are missing - "Superunknown", "Room a Thousand Years Wide", "Big Dumb Sex" ("Hey, I know what I'll do! Fork you, farg you, fjordk you!" Funny song!), "Fourth of July", "Head Down", and so on - but that can only be expected on a greatest-hits album, and besides, this is a very specific one. It's all a-sides. Good 'uns, too! Pick this up if you're a '90s rock fan. I know I am.

Soundgarden was a good band but they won't make history.
If you like grunge rock, you'll like it.
To me, few songs are unforgettable like "Outshine", "Black old sun" or "Burden in my hand" but it takes a lot more to remains in the major league of rock music.

A best-of album from Soundgarden is like a best-of album from Led Zeppelin: it's ridiculous. In many ways Soundgarden is the Led Zeppelin of the grunge era. Both bands are about power and mystique, each offering up a relentlessly heavy edge that overshadowed their contemporaries like Manute Bol standing next to Spud Web. Also, both bands went extinct way too soon. In Soundgarden's case, they issued only five albums and two eps. While their earlier work (1985-1989) was an inchoate combination of sweaty hard rock and shifty punk music, sometime during the process of the "Louder Than Love" album (1989) the band just locked into a sound that can never be duplicated. Everything that followed this period (-1997) was simply brilliant. So, who can argue with a greatist hits collection? My main gripe is that their record label has been incredibly stingy about their treatment of Soundgarden's catalogue, not to mention the Temple of The Dog album, which should be remastered and offered with live tracks/outtakes. This is not just great music, it's music that defines an era, defines a feeling. It's the exalted prototype for an entire movement. And why is the awesome "Birth Ritual" from the Singles soundtrack or "Heretic" from Pump Up The Volume missing? Whatever bohemeth now owns Soundgarden's catalogue needs to remaster everything and release something from the live vaults. It's been a decade since this, their most recent offering, was released. Gimme a break.

If you don't already own Superunknown, then you might as well pick up this album as opposed to buying three or four Soundgarden albums. There are some great tunes missing, but there always are. All the major hits are here.

A generous four stars for this good EP. Superunknown is Soundgarden's magnum opus and is perhaps the greatest album from the "post-grunge" era. Soundgarden were definitely inspired by Black Sabbath, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, etc. and brought the best of these influences to the core of their songs. On this EP, "Superunknown" and "Fell On Black Days" are similar to the album versions. "Jerry Garcia's Finger" is trippy enough and funny for a couple of spins. This one is worth buying for "She Likes Surprises" from the International LP version and the excellent stripped-down acoustic version of "Like Suicide". If you like Chris Cornell singing and strumming on "Like Suicide", check out his rendition of "Black Hole Sun" on Audislave's DVD "Live in Cuba".

Soundgarden's superunknown stands out as one of the best albums of the 1990s. The Superunknown single is a great companion to superunknown mainly because it contains songs that should have been contained on superunkown such as she likes suprises available on the international version of superunkown and the acoustic version of like suicide. There is also the video version of fell on black days and jerry garcia's fingers which are also good.

The Superunkown single is good ebcause is provides some rarities from soundgarden like the acoustic version of Like Suicide and She likes suprises. It's a good comapanion disk to superunknowon.

This single, which serves as the soundtrack to the CD-ROM Alive in the Superunknown (now out of print and difficult to track down), is 25 minutes of rock heaven. Seriously. Minute for minute, its just as good as Superunknown. The title track, "Superunknown", is a revelation, one of my favorite songs off of Superunknown. Not only that, but its nice to have a version that doesn't fade straight into "Head Down", which is nice when assembling a comp CD...hehe.

The rest of the CD is a treat for any Soundgarden fan. You get the outstanding video version of "Fell On Black Days", which is even better than the album version-seriously. "She Likes Surprises" is from the international version of Superunknown, and is a nice treat. Its a rocking tune with more great riffs that didn't really fit on Superunknown. Nevertheless, its Soundgarden at their best; complex guitar work, Chris Cornell vascillating between a croon and a scream, and Kim Thayil soloing away.

The acoustic version of "Like Suicide" is wonderful...beautiful even. This rendition is Chris Cornell only, singing and playing his 12-string acoustic guitar. It adds an added dimension to the already great studio version, and presents a fragility rarely found in Soundgarden's music. The final track, "Jerry Garcia's Finger", is a spacey instrumental derived from a longer jam (which is split up into numerous parts on the CD-ROM). Great stuff...it may take awhile to sink in, but the song is among the most remarkable Soundgarden ever recorded.

Buy this CD while you still can; you will not regret it.

When I bought this album I was in a very low point in my life.Kurt Cobain had just died and I was quetioning the meaning of it all.This album , along with Vs. from Pearl Jam, showed my true music and gave me hope and strength to carry on . This music is otherworldly soul,spacey and etheral.Passionate , honest and heavenly.The best album and music ever made...forever.

Like a punch to the face, this disc comes at you. From the opening track, "Rusty Cage"(my fave),it bulldozes it's way right over you, never letting up till the end. Heavy, down-tuned riffs pummel ones brain on the brilliant "Outshined", to the hair-raising wails of Cornell on "Face Pollution". This is the CD I put in when I feel like getting a speeding ticket! For someone looking to discover Soundgarden for the first time, this is the CD to get first. Highly recommended!!

it doesnt get much better than chris cornell for rock singers. and kim thayil/matt cameron are pretty much virtuosos... but most of this album sounds more or less the same. superunknown is the flawless album u want to get...then down on the upside. but badmotorfinger is still great for that classic grunge sound and godly vocals. but i dont really see it standing the test of time as well as superunknown.

First came out in 1991, looks to be Soundgarden's third record. Believe I caught them on this very tour as support band for Skid Row. Talk about an odd match. Their first CD with bassist Ben Sheppard. Even though I followed Soundgarden through out their entire existence, I hate to admit that I rarely pull out their music anymore to play at random. Tracks I'll always prefer off of 'Badmotorfinger' are the one-time Mtv late night favorite "Rusty Cage", "Outshined", the over-played "Jesus Christ Pose", "Searching With My Good Eye Closed" and "New Damage". Know I probably need to dig up my copy of their 'Ultramega OK' disc - that was my favorite Soundgarden title. A true grunge classic.

With the release of this album Soundgarden established their place on the music world map. Sure Chris Cornell's screeching wails -- which are a Soundgarden trademark -- haven't changed, but on this album the band's growth was apparent. The production and the songs are much more polished and tight, unlike on their previous releases Louder than Love or Screaming Life" & "Fopp.

The Black Sabbath influence is still well heard here but the Soundgarden members step up the pace a bit with multi-colored metal melodies in the songs. Songs like "Outshined" and "Rusty Cage" are highlights on the album with their iron hitting guitar riffs by Kim Thayil and catchy choruses that mend perfectly together. Drummer Matt Cameron is a powerful contribution to the band as well as new addition bassist Ben Shepard. "Jesus Christ Pose" is a highlight on the album with it's intense fierce vocals and lyrics over razor sharp guitars.

This album would appeal to any hard rock fan but Singer Chris Cornell does have that voice that you either love or hate (high-pitched and screeching). I just fell in love with him and his music.

How they got this down on tape is a mystery.

Really, people, it's a crazed maniac on the loose -- with a roaring chain saw -- and no escape in sight.

But, let me settle down a bit and concentrate -- realistically -- on one aspect of this work that must be known: This has got to be the greatest end to end, album length, vocal performance ever recorded. After what Chris Cornell put into these vocals it's a wonder that he was able to ever speak again -- let alone record more albums.

It's one of those special albums that come around all too rarely.