Soundgarden-Superunknown (1994)
Artist: Soundgarden
Title: Superunknown
Label: A&M
Format: CD
Cat #: 31454 0198-2
Year of Release: 1994
Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1994
Listed Condition: VG+/VG+
Sell Date: 5/3/25
Sell Price: $7.50
Discogs Last Sold: 5/3/25 VG+/NM $10.08
Low: $1.88
Median: $4.64
Average: $4.98
High: $10.78
Current low price: $2.99
Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 15
Have/Want: 1694/269
Where Sold: Maple Park, IL
Time it took to sell: 1 year
Where and When Bought: Facebook CD lot
Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A-
Sad To See It Go: No
Superunknown was the breakthrough hit album for Soundgarden with a half dozen bonafide hits spread over 15 tracks. I got it maybe a year or two after it came out after being "on it" for their prior couple releases Badmotorfinger in 1991 and Louder Than Love in 1988 after being won over by Ultramega OK after initially not liking it or their earlier Sub Pop stuff all that much. You couldn't escape the hits from here in the mid-90's to the point that I don't think I ever played Superunknown more than a cursory listen. That meant that reviewing this there were actually some cuts I never really knew, which was odd for such a signpost release coming off an album I played relentlessly and knew stone cold.
For this reason, the opener "Let Me Drown" was like hearing it for the first time. "My Wave," the title track, "Fell On Black Days," "The Day I Tried To Live," "Spoonman" and especially "Black Hole Sun" were inescapable. That was roughly the order I liked those songs if I heard them out and about. Everything else I sort've escaped or flat out didn't remember. The last time I saw the band was outside in Philadelphia in 2011. The setlist from that show says they played 10 Superunknown songs. The first time I saw the band was late 1989 in Boston at Axis having missed them at the Rat earlier in the year. I honestly can't remember seeing them in between save for the early 90's in Boston headlining with Monster Magnet and Swervedriver opening in 1992 and opening for Danzig in 1990.
To date 6 million people have bought this album in the US: 5 million from 1994-1996 and another million tacked on certified in 2022. You can add another million plus for the rest of the world. The "grunge" legs are certainly there. I would say there has been a bit of a 90's CD revival to the point this got $7.50 after being a $3 title for around 15-20 years even as it streamed and sold physical copies. The vinyl was a double expanded with "She Likes Surprises" at the end. The 2022 reissue with set you back $40-50.
I still feel like this album is a bit overlong and third best of band after Ultramega and Badmotorfinger. I've listened to this 4 times straight over the last couple days and a couple more songs are sticking with me beyond the obvious hits, particularly "Head Down."
Keep it off my wave.
FOR FURTHER REVIEW:
Various Artists-No Alternative (1993)
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