Superunknown turns 20, re-release coming in June

By early 1994, the alternative music scene out of Seattle was at its peak, and Soundgarden certainly had a hand in stoking that fire with the 1991 release of Badmotorfinger.  So, once they released their fourth, full-length album with Superunknown on March 8, 1994, it debuted No. 1 on the Billboard chart.

The following year, the music industry showered the band with accolades – garnering a Grammy for Best Metal Performance (“Spoonman)  and Best Hard Rock Performance (“Black Hole Sun”), and earning an MTV “Spaceman” award for Best Metal/Hard Rock music video (“Black Hole Sun”). Twenty years later, the album has sold more than nine-million copies across the globe, and is still considered by many music fans as the band’s finest accomplishment.

The album was recorded at Seattle’s Bad Animals Studio and produced by Michael Beinhorn.  Beinhorn had earned relative success by producing hit records for Red Hot Chilli Peppers (Mother’s Milk – 1989) and Soul Asylum (Grave Dancers Union – 1992). At the urging a friend, Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam, the band also brought on Brendan O’Brien to mix. Today, O’Brien is popularly associated with producing many of Pearl Jam’s albums.  However, at this time, he had only just finished his first with Pearl Jam, with Vs.

Track Listing:

Every song is a masterpiece. (4^th of July is my favorite.)  Shame on you if don’t have this album.  Any metal fan or anyone who just appreciates music in general should own this album. However, should you be looking to buy, you will soon be presented with a few more options when “Superunknown” is re-released June 5th.

The re-release promises two different versions from which to choose.

The Deluxe Edition is a 2-CD package featuring the remastered album along with disc two consisting of demos, rehearsals, B-sides and more.

The Super Deluxe Edition is a 5-CD package featuring the remastered album, additional demos, rehearsals and B-sides and the fifth disc is the album mixed in Blu-ray Audio 5.1 Surround Sound. The Super Deluxe Edition is incredibly packaged in a hardbound book with a lenticular cover, liner notes by David Fricke and newly reimagined album artwork designed by Josh Graham. It also features never-before-seen band photography by Kevin Westerberg. A 2-LP gatefold of the original 16 vinyl tracks remastered on 200-gram vinyl in a gatefold jacket will also be made available.

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