Customer Reviews

Down on the Upside

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2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I own every full-length Soundgarden release, but Down on the Upside is without a doubt the best of them. To understand its greatness, one must look at their earlier work.

Soundgarden's early work on Sub Pop and SST certainly stands on its own as genre fare but isn't as accessible and therefore isn't always as listenable as their major-label releases; Badmotorfinger, Soundgarden's first, was a brilliant album technically and lyrically but is really a 'one mood' album which seems to paint itself into a corner fairly quickly; Superunknown, their second, was a commercial smash hit and has some nice tunes, but is a little too easy and too overproduced, weaker than Badmotorfinger artistically and radio-friendly enough that the ultimate 'conversation' gets lost beneath the gloss and the hooks.

Down on the Upside, on the other hand, is an absolutely stunning, mature album. Down on the Upside covers lots of ground -- from post-punk aggro to trippy, swaying, sighing laments to hook-laden, heavy Seattle-esque grooves that easily outshine the best hooks on Superunknown -- and each new note is easily taken in stride. It is on Down on the Upside that Soundgarden finally sound like veteran, established musicians. Production is perfect for the material -- showcasing Thayil's sunlight-tinged riffs and Cornell's voice while managing to stay loose and natural, not forced or clinical as their earlier major-label releases (especially Superunknown) could sometimes sound.

I find Down on the Upside to be reminiscent of Faith No More's Angel Dust, Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti or Sonic Youth's Washing Machine -- all are albums which demonstrate a kind of confident, relaxed subtlety and mastry that can take your breath away. They are the albums on which you feel like you can really hear what the band is saying to you...

In my original review, I said that I wouldn't name any favorite tracks because the entire CD is excellent. However, after reading another review about tracks that supposedly "fall flat" I've decided to edit my review and name my three favorite tracks on the disc. Zero Chance is achingly ennui-laden and has two of the best lines ever in rock music; if you loved the Pumpkins' Mayonaise or STP's Still Remains then Zero Chance might make you cry (or drink) as well. Switch Opens is lovely also, hinting at the incredible untapped genre-expanding potential posessed by Soundgarden, something that has unfortunately probably been lost to us. Finally, Boot Camp, the last track on the CD... is absolutely stunning... dreary... devastating... deceptive in the allusion everywhere in the song to some kind of hope... that is never found. Three minutes long, but feeling like only ten or fifteen seconds, Boot Camp may be the ultimate summary of Soundgarden's career, of the '90s and grunge as a whole, even of the entire post-Vietnam era. I own nearly a thousand CDs but I've never heard anything like it before or since: "There must be something else... must be something good... far away... far away from here... far away... far away..."

It's a lyric and a line outside of time, a thought outside of history. It is anthropology and praxis rolled into one. It makes your hair stand on end, makes you close your eyes and swallow.

Those are my favorites on the disc.

But (my closing remains the same), this is a disc that tells its story best as a whole, from beginning to end. Don't miss one of these gems for years because you happen to hit skip the first time you listen and then never manage to stop...

Compared to other Soundgarden albums, this one tends to be more raw and bass-heavy than others. It also tends to be a bit more slower and psychodelic than its predicessors, which is why it will take you 3-4 times to really get used to the feel of this release. I honestly didnt care for DOWN ON THE UPSIDE that much after its first two listenings, but being a hardcore Soundgarden fan, I HAD to give it another chance.....And Im glad I did.

PRETTY NOOSE is your typical radio-friendly type of rock with its upbeat tempo, but after that, Chris Cornell & Company take you on a journey through psychadelic songs (BLOW UP THE OUTSIDE WORLD, APPLEBITE, SWITCH OPENS), a punk song (TY COBB), acoustic laidened tracks (BURDEN IN MY HAND and ZERO CHANCE) and my favorite track, NO ATTENTION has the energy and brutality to leave you wanting more.

After listening to the solo release of Chris Cornell, I can see why Soundgarden broke up...This is truely a release that was done completely as a band. You have slower, emotional songs (BOOT CAMP) and heavy rockers (RHINOSAUR) all in the same breath...A very good final studio recording by the best band in the 90s.

Just give it a chance.

Compared to other Soundgarden albums, this one tends to be more raw and bass-heavy than others. It also tends to be a bit more slower and psychodelic than its predicessors, which is why it will take you 3-4 times to really get used to the feel of this release.

I honestly didnt care for DOWN ON THE UPSIDE that much after its first two listenings, but being a hardcore Soundgarden fan, I HAD to give it another chance.....And Im glad I did.

PRETTY NOOSE is your typical radio-friendly type of rock with its upbeat tempo, but after that, Chris Cornell & Company take you on a journey through psychadelic songs (BLOW UP THE OUTSIDE WORLD, APPLEBITE, SWITCH OPENS), a punk song (TY COBB), acoustic laidened tracks (BURDEN IN MY HAND and ZERO CHANCE) and my favorite track, NO ATTENTION has the energy and brutality to leave you wanting more.

After listening to the solo release of Chris Cornell, I can see why Soundgarden broke up...This is truely a release that was done completely as a band. You have slower, emotional songs (BOOT CAMP) and heavy rockers (RHINOSAUR) all in the same breath...A very good final studio recording by the best band in the 90s.

Just give it a chance.

DOWN ON THE UPSIDE is the finale album from one of the Seattle Three that typified the Grunge Age (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Nirvanna) - and can be seen as the swan song of Grunge itself. It eschews the vaguely Zepplinish angle of its predecessor SUPERUNKNOWN, in favor of a raw, up-front approach that befits its genre.

First and foremost in its songs are straight rock like "Pretty Noose" or "Rhinosaur" (the former has an almost Tool-like sound - think "Undertow").

But this album has another side. Songs like "Zero Chance" "Burden in My Hand" and "Switch Opens" are largely acoustic, and keep the album from grating. or becoming too monotonous. The former two, in particular, are wonderful in their simplicity and heartfelt lyrics. The latter is done in a very strange rhythm that gives it a catchy, experimental feel.

On the note of experiment, there is "Applebite", a five-minutes-odd song that seems to be built from third or fourth-generation recordings.

"Ty Cobb" is an angry song that is its own chapter in the album. It begins with 22 seconds of peaceful acoustic music and then, with absolutely no warning, lunges into punk at breakneck speed. Strangely enough, one can hear a banjo or mandolin somewhere in the mix, about halfway through the song, that gives it a sarcastic tinge of folk.

The album builds up to "Tigher and Tighter", which is probably the conceptual peak of the album. From there we find several angles ("No Attention", a song of loathing, and "Overfloater", which rails against dismal, sluggish apathy).

However, in my opinion, the high point of the album is "An Unkind", a protest against the pathetic viciousness of the majority of mankind.

The album closes out with "Boot Camp", a plea for nonconformity that is at once wistful and sad.

All in all, DOWN ON THE UPSIDE is a fitting and worthy end to the age of Grunge, an age that had far more highlights, I might add, than our current one.

This is the kind of album that makes me wish Soundgarden was still around - about the only memory I had of them when they were still together (when I was still a kid) was the video for Black Hole Sun. Happens with a lot of bands with me, really; by the time I listen to their albums and appreciate their music, they've been well broken up.

Anyhow, although I only have this, Badmotorfinger, and Superunknown, this is by far my favorite, and probably still would be if I owned Ultramega OK and Louder Than Love. Took me a while to get used to it, but I find that the album has incredible diversity that just blows away the already considerable diversity present on its two predecessors - with a range from metal (or grunge, whatever you want to call Soundgarden) (Pretty Noose, Rhinosaur, possibly Blow Up The Outside World, and Never The Machine Forever), punk (Dusty, Ty Cobb, No Attention, Never Named), and psychedelic / Soundgarden's strange but great mix of metal and psychedilic / acoustic-tinged ballads (Zero Chance, Blow Up The Outside World, Burden In My Hand, Applebite, Tighter & Tighter, Switch Opens, Overfloater, An Unkind, Boot Camp). These are just general ideas of the kind of genres that Soundgarden touch upon here - it's tough to lump all these songs into one specific genre, it's more like a blending of a bunch of them on most of the songs.

Finally, if I had to pick a few of the songs on here to dissect, it'd be these:

Pretty Noose - the one I know that got radio play, since it had that familiar feeling when I first heard it. Catchy, yet abnormal, riff and great vocals by Chris Cornell; rhythm section keeps it together pretty well.

Burden In My Hand - on of the more radio-friendly songs on here, like Pretty Noose, but still certainly not a sell-out. Nice acoustic touch with Kim Thayil's guitar coming in after the first few minutes to add some diversity. Just plain good combination of acoustic and electric guitar, and it really shows me that Soundgarden knows there stuff; maybe it's just me, but I find it difficult for bands to get a good blend of both together and keep it interesting.

Tighter & Tighter - besides Burden In My Hand, this is the one that jumps out at me the most, I don't there's another song similar to it on the album. Matt Cameron starts it off loudly in sync with Kim Thayil's catchy guitar riff, a great way to get the listener's attention. Goes on in a psychedelic fashion (with Kim Thayil's guitar solo about 2/3 into the song interrupting the slow tempo) that's captivating and never boring, with the beginning riff slightly altered for the verses and Chris Cornell singing without going overboard. The tempo resumes slightly after Thayil's solo before errupting into another one as the tempo of the song picks up a lot until the end of the song (with Thayil, Cameron, and Cornell practically going crazy there at the end).

Boot Camp - probably my favorite song on here, and just so different than the other songs on here (although doesn't quite grab the listener the same was as Tighter & Tighter). Opens with light, psychedelic-sounding electric guitar until the vocals start - my favorite of Cornell's, as it fits the song just perfectly in how melodic it is. One of the lines: "There must be something else, there must be something good, far away, far away from here", would be a perfect description of where I'm at in life and how I feel about that. I find it oddly ironic that this song also serves as an almost biography of Soundgarden - in the underlying tone, one can literally feel the impending break-up of the band. Would be a perfect song for 2006 / 2007, with the state of an America still engaged in the Iraq War, too.

There's not really many songs on here that I don't like - can't say I care much for Never Named, and No Attention seems sort of bland with not as much interesting happening compared to the other songs.

Hope everyone that sees this enjoys this review - it's actually my first one on Amazon.

At the time of Soundgarden's amicable breakup in 1997, "Down on the Upside" appeared to be their finale, but then "A-Sides" was released later that year. Though "Down on the Upside" is not my favorite Soundgarden CD ("Superunknown" still takes that title), it definitely has its highlights, including such hits as "Pretty Noose," "Blow Up the Outside World," and "Burden in My Hand." Another two of my favorites are "Applebite"--a slow and eerie track with minimal words and great bass--and "Ty Cobb." This latter song (as well as a few others) took awhile for me to enjoy, basically because I was impatient with its deceptively slow beginning. But after 20-odd timid seconds, it erupts into a fierce bluegrass romp complete with mandolin/mandola (played by Chris and Ben) and a catchy f-word chorus. Once I heard it all the way through, it soon become an unexpected favorite.

As usual, Chris Cornell is in charge of most of the singing/songwriting on this CD and does an excellent job of it. Kim Thayil (lead guitarist) and Ben Shepherd (bassist) also try their hand at songwriting with "Never the Machine Forever" and "An Unkind." Lyrics are included in the booklet, though not all of them match the words actually spoken. Still, this a great CD and a must-have for any Soundgarden fan.

"Down on the Upside" firmly puts Soundgarden in the "Greatest Seattle Band Ever" slot.Tracks like "Blow Up The Outside World" and "Applebite" are the stuff that would make Lennon proud.The awesome power of "Ty Cobb" and "Rhinosaur" shows that Soundgarden could rock hard without losing melody. And finally,one of the best tracks,the beautiful "Boot Camp" which is the sound of a person longing for a better.The lyrics speak for us all,feelings we all feel and the problems we must face in these times.This album makes Soundgarden's breakup even more tragic for music fans.A classic.

Its been ten years as of 2006 since this album was released.
Many consider this album the end of an era, for grunge and
alternative. Some say it was In utero that was the last and
best album of grunge. Not sure. This is my favorite soundgarden
album, I'm just starting to realize that. Its just so good,
so unique. They rock hard, "Ty cobb" "Never named" "No
attention" "Dusty" " Pretty noose." Everybody wrote songs on
this album. It was such a group effort. Chris Cornell only
wrote seven of the sixteen songs. Even Kim Thayil wrote one on
the not so favorite, " never the machine forever". But its
still interesting its on the album. Everything about this
album is great. The lyrics, although they can be depressing,
but nowhere near as depressing as superunknown songs, " like
suicide"," fourth of july"...etc. Here: " Born without a friend
and bound to die alone" [ Zero chance]
"So kil your health and kill yourself And kill everything you love And if you live you can fall to pieces And suffer with my ghost." [ Burden in my hand] I think Ben shepard wrote some of the best songs. Ben,who wrote some of soundgarden previous more weirder songs like " head down". That song is so bizarre. Here, a song like, " Switch opens" was just a great add. All the main
singles Cornell wrote, except for "Ty Cobb" by Shephard.
" Tighter and Tighter" also was a great song by chris. Brillant, catchy, creative, rocking.Matt cameron did a fantastic drumming job and wrote some great songs too. Fantastic. Cornells, " Boot Camp" is one of the best enders of any album.

"Down on the Upside" is one of the top 10 albums of all time easily. Great in the terms of "Abbey Road" and "Srgt. Peppers" by the Beatles and "Physical Graffiti" and "Led Zeppelin IV" by Led Zeppelin and "L.A. Woman" by The Doors. This album has everything going for it" Beautiful songs, masterful musicianship, and perfect production.

Soundgarden explores their dark side with this album, and their mature approach to every song takes it to great levels. There is no dud song, no bad moment on the entire album. This album ssimply passes Superunknown up without question, and it is a shame it didn't do well, and a shame it is not recognized as even a good album.

Kim Thayil shows his most mature playing yet, adding layers of color and mood to each song, and of course, rippin' out some rockin' solos as well. Songs like "Tighter and Tighter", "Boot Camp", "Blow Up the Outside World", and "Zero Chance" are as warm and beautiful as songs come by, and 'Tighter and Tighter" is just as good as any other invincible song- "Stairway to Heaven", "Day in the Life", or "Break on Through". Then Soundgarden releases all their energy out on rock songs such as "Pretty Noose", "No Attention", "Rhinosaur", "Ty Cobb", and "Never Named". The Album has perfect balance. Matt Cameron is named a Drumming God after this album: His beats are always perfect, never overpowering, and rock solid amazing (and are recorded brilliantly). Chris Cornell's vocals are at his best, and he is easily the best rock vocalist EVER- at least as good as Jim Morrison and Robert Plant.

In conclusion, this album is one of the top 10 albums Of All Time and defenitly the best of the last 25 years. Screw Nirvana from behind. Maybe one day Soundgarden will be rediscovered and get the appreciation they deserve for this album.

Years from now fans will look back at the Seattle scene of the early 1990s and they will say "man, that Soundgarden did not really get the attention they deserved." Soundgarden was true to the music all the way through. Like with this album, they could belt out the catchy tune with songs like "Pretty Noose" and then jam out on "Rhonosaur" and "No Attention." Yes, this album is maybe a tad more mellow than the first ones, probably Chris Cornell's mellowing, which would sadly lead to the founding of Audioslave. But make no mistake, just because this is their last and least talked about album, does not mean it is not great.