Monday, September 11, 2006

The 11 Best Songs From Soundgarden

They were better than anyone gives them credit for. Hiding in the shadows of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Alice in Chains...were Seattle's most talented...a little band known as Soundgarden. "Black Hole Sun" made them popular for the wrong reasons. And hence, they never received the true credit they deserved. Putting out 3 of the 50 best albums of the decade in Badmotorfinger, Down The Upside, and Superunknown, they have since faded into obscurity since their 1997 break-up. Singer Chris Cornell lives on with Audioslave...but why haven't we heard anything from Soundgarden?...not a live album, a rare tracks disc, a box set (and they deserve it), just a pandering greatest hits with one measely new song (but a fantastic one at that). They were pegged as Sabbath knock-offs in their day...but as time as marched on, their music sounds more alive and sharper than ever. It's time kids today rediscover one of the 90s best kept secrets...and here's a start.

The 11 Best Songs About Soundgarden:

1. Searching With My Good Eye Closed (Badmotorfinger)
2. Burden In My Hand (Down On the Upside)
3. Birth Ritual (Singles Sdtk.)
4. Like A Suicide (Superunknown)
5. Fell On Black Days (Superunknown)
6. Hands All Over (Louder Than Love)
7. Bleed Together (A-Sides)
8. Slaves and Bulldozers (Badmotorfinger)
9. The Day I Tried To Live (Superunknown)
10. Outshined (Badmotorfinger)
11. Big Dumb Sex (Louder Than Love)

Don't forget about MP3...

1. Cold Bitch (Superunknown outtake)

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Fell On Black Days" was my theme for about a day in high school. Oh the memories of Superunknown!

Anonymous said...

whoa, no 'Jesus Christ Pose'? dang.

Unknown said...

Ty Cobb

Unknown said...

Soundgarden was one of the best bands ever existed... Just think about Cornell's great voice, Thayil's brilliant riffs, Sheperd's talent with the bass and Cameron.. Wow... pure talent. Maybe the best from Seattle.
It's very difficult to choose favorite songs but here's my 11:
1. Rusty Cage (Badmotorfinger)
2. Blow Up the Outside World (Down on the Upside)
3. The Day I tried to Live (Superunknown)
4. Mind Riot (Badmotorfinger)
5. Zero Chance (Down on the Upside)
6. Fell on Black Days (Superunknown)
7. Jesus Christ Pose (Badmotorfinger)
8. Gun (Louder than Love)
9. Somewhere (Badmotorfinger)
10. Black Hole Sun (Superunknown)
11. All Your Lies (Ultramega OK)

watesapo said...

What about 4th fo July??
Great list aniway...
Slaves and Bulldozers
Zero Chance
Like a Suicide
Searching With My Good Eye Closed
Fell On Black Days
Into the void (awesome cover!)
Blow Up the Outside World
This band kick Nirvana´s asses, but Cornell still live

Limberg said...

My list:
1. Jesus Christ Pose (BMF)
2. Birth Ritual (Singles OST)
3. Head Injury (Ultramega OK)
4. Head Down (Superunknown) (listen to it with eyes closed & in complete silence)
5. Limo Wreck (Superunknown)
6. Ty Cobb (Down on the Upside)
7. Bleed Together (A- Sides)
8. Into the Void (BMF/SOMMS)
9. Stray Cat Blues (BMF/ SOMMS)
10. 4th of July (Superunknown)
11. Slaves & Bulldozers (BMF)

Alberto Jimenez said...

They were on the shadows of Pearl Jam & Nirvana only.
Alice in Chains suffered from the same problems. Alice in Chains and Soundgarden are too ahead of their times, it's music for next generations. Too good to be accepted by the normal audience who wanted short-term drugs.

After releases like Badmotorfinger and Superunknown all I can said it's that they did created real and great music.

I go with two songs to the grave:
- Fresh Tendrils
- Head Down

And for once upon a party:
- The day I tried to Live
- Burden in my hand

BTW. When I included Alice in Chains in the same position, its bacause their CD Jar of Flies is still not recompensated in billboard as I needs to be.

aslan said...

My favourite tracks by Soundgarden;

1. Tighter and Tighter
2. Loud Love
3. 4th July
5. Room A Thousand Years Wide
6. Fell On Black Days
7. Outshined
8. Zero Chance
9. Mind Riot
10.New Damage

Beaubien225 said...

I grew up with these guy in the 1990's and followed everything and loved Audioslave. The Chris Cornell solo album kinda sucked. But you guys left out Drawing Flies (Badmotorfinger)

Unknown said...

Really?! No Spoonman, no Black Hole Sun, No Rusty Cage? Those are the very first two songs i think of when i think of Sound Garden.....

Steve Wortham said...

Glad to see "The Day I Tried To Live" up there -- probably my all time favorite from Soundgarden.

Anonymous said...

Soundgarden is one of my favorite bands ever. There aren't many albums greater than Badmotorfinger. Here's my 11:

1.Rusty Cage(Badmotorfinger)
2.Jesus Christ Pose(Badmotorfinger)
3.Outshined(Badmotorfinger)
4.Hands All Over(Louder Than Love)
5.Pretty Noose(Down On The Upside)
6.Fell On Black Days(Superunknown)
7.Burden In My Hands(Down On The Upside)
8.Spoonman(Superunknown)
9.Searching With My Good Eye Closed(Badmotorfinger)
10.Get On The Snake(Louder Than Love)

And last but not least
11.One Minute Of Silence(Ultramega OK)

Unknown said...

Both Soundgarden and Alice in Chains suffered from Nirvana's and PJ's popularity, although they were way better.
My favorite song from SG is "Beyond the Wheel"(Ultramega OK).

this awesome guy said...

Favorite band, and thus it's hard to choose just 10 songs... so I won't! Here's 30.

1. Jesus Christ Pose [BMF]
2. Fell on Black Days [Superunknown]
3. Black Hole Sun [Superunknown]
4. Rusty Cage [BMF]
5. Pretty Noose [DotU]
6. The Day I Tried to Live [Superunknown]
7. Blow up the Outside World [DotU]
8. Spoonman [Superunknown]
9. Burden in My Hand [DotU]
10. 4th of July [Superunknown]
11. Mind Riot [BMF]
12. Outshined [BMF]
13. Hunted Down [Screaming Life EP]
14. Superunknown [Superunknown]
15. Rhinosaur [DotU]
16. Limo Wreck [Superunknown]
17. Bleed Together [A-Sides]
18. Hands All Over [Louder Than Love]
19. Slaves & Bulldozers [BMF]
20. Beyond the Wheel [Ultramega OK]
21. Holy Water [BMF]
22. Black Rain [Telephantism]
23. Zero Chance [DotU]
24. Head Down [Superunknown]
25. My Wave [Superunknown]
26. Tighter & Tighter [DotU]
27. Drawing Flies [BMF]
28. Dusty [DotU]
29. Like Suicide [Superunknown]
30. Somewhere [BMF]

Honorable Mentions: Flower, Mailman, Fresh Tendrils, Loud Love, Birth Ritual, Face Pollution, New Damage

Those are just what come to mind when I think "the best of Soundgarden"

Songs that are kind of silly, overrated, or that I wish they hadn't done...

Big Dumb Sex (even if it's a parody)
Full on Kevin's Mom (disgusting topic)
Get on the Snake (pickup song much? even if it's comedic, it's still just silly)
Searching with My Good Eye Closed (it's okay, but severely overrated)
Kickstand (too short and over-rushed)
Half (the single most overrated, irritating piece of crud they ever did, I don't care what you say about this song, it won't change my mind)
Ty Cobb (I mean... it's glorifying a mean-spirited baseball player)
Applebite (it's like "Half")
Overfloater, An Unkind, Boot Camp, (and other DotU songs that didn't live up to the precedent set by songs from Badmotorfinger and Superunknown)

this awesome guy said...

Favorite band, and thus it's hard to choose just 10 songs... so I won't! Here's 30.

1. Jesus Christ Pose [BMF]
2. Fell on Black Days [Superunknown]
3. Black Hole Sun [Superunknown]
4. Rusty Cage [BMF]
5. Pretty Noose [DotU]
6. The Day I Tried to Live [Superunknown]
7. Blow up the Outside World [DotU]
8. Spoonman [Superunknown]
9. Burden in My Hand [DotU]
10. 4th of July [Superunknown]
11. Mind Riot [BMF]
12. Outshined [BMF]
13. Hunted Down [Screaming Life EP]
14. Superunknown [Superunknown]
15. Rhinosaur [DotU]
16. Limo Wreck [Superunknown]
17. Bleed Together [A-Sides]
18. Hands All Over [Louder Than Love]
19. Slaves & Bulldozers [BMF]
20. Beyond the Wheel [Ultramega OK]
21. Holy Water [BMF]
22. Black Rain [Telephantism]
23. Zero Chance [DotU]
24. Head Down [Superunknown]
25. My Wave [Superunknown]
26. Tighter & Tighter [DotU]
27. Drawing Flies [BMF]
28. Dusty [DotU]
29. Like Suicide [Superunknown]
30. Somewhere [BMF]

Honorable Mentions: Flower, Mailman, Fresh Tendrils, Loud Love, Birth Ritual, Face Pollution, New Damage

Those are just what come to mind when I think "the best of Soundgarden"

Songs that are kind of silly, overrated, or that I wish they hadn't done...

Big Dumb Sex (even if it's a parody)
Full on Kevin's Mom (disgusting topic)
Get on the Snake (pickup song much? even if it's comedic, it's still just silly)
Searching with My Good Eye Closed (it's okay, but severely overrated)
Kickstand (too short and over-rushed)
Half (the single most overrated, irritating piece of crud they ever did, I don't care what you say about this song, it won't change my mind)
Ty Cobb (I mean... it's glorifying a mean-spirited baseball player)
Applebite (it's like "Half")
Overfloater, An Unkind, Boot Camp, (and other DotU songs that didn't live up to the precedent set by songs from Badmotorfinger and Superunknown)

Unknown said...

The single greatest song ever: Beyond the Wheel. Any questions? Didn't think so.

Unknown said...

"My Wave" is a good track that I feel deserves to be mentioned and should be on the list fersure.