Episode 90 is here! We finish our review of the 1996 album by Soundgarden, Down on the Upside. Will side two have the same fate as most albums second side? Stay Tuned!
Down on the Upside is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Soundgarden, released on May 21, 1996, through A&M Records. Following a worldwide tour in support of its previous album, Superunknown (1994), Soundgarden commenced work on a new album. Self-produced by the band, the music on the album was notably less heavy and dark than the group’s preceding albums and featured the band experimenting with new sounds.
The album topped the New Zealand and Australian charts and debuted at number two on the United States’ Billboard 200, selling 200,000 copies in its opening week and spawning the singles “Pretty Noose“, “Burden in My Hand“, “Blow Up the Outside World“, and “Ty Cobb“. The band played the 1996 Lollapalooza tour and, afterward, supported the album with a worldwide tour.
Down on the Upside was Soundgarden‘s last studio album until 2012’s King Animal, as tensions within the band led to its break-up in April 1997. The album has sold 1.6 million copies in the United States.
Soundgarden
Chris Cornell – lead vocals, rhythm guitar; mandolin and mandola (track 5), Rhodes electric piano (track 14)
Kim Thayil – lead guitar
Ben Shepherd – bass guitar, backing vocals; mandolin, mandola and intro instrumentation (track 5); guitar (track 15)
Matt Cameron – drums, percussion, backing vocals; Moog synthesizer (track 9)
Additional Musicians
Adam Kasper – piano (track 9), co-production, engineering, mixing
Production
Matt Bayles, Sam Hofstedt – assistant engineering
John Burton, Tom Smurdon – additional tracking assistance
David Collins – mastering at A&M Mastering Studios, Hollywood, CA
Gregg Keplinger – drum technician
Darrell Peters – guitar technician
Soundgarden – production, mixing
Artwork
Ben Marra Studios – “cinema” photography
Helix creative inc, Seattle – art direction and design
Ben Shepherd – back CD photo
Kevin Westenberg – photography
Intro Music/Wheel Spin Music by LiteSaturation from Pixabay
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