Songs from the Superunknown
Encyclopedia
Songs from the Superunknown is an EP
by the American rock
band Soundgarden
. It was released on November 21, 1995 through A&M Records
. It was released on the same day as the CD-ROM
Alive in the Superunknown.
The CD-ROM Alive in the Superunknown contains the first four tracks from Songs from the Superunknown plus a multimedia portion featuring photos of the band, a video game, four music videos ("The Day I Tried to Live
", "Black Hole Sun
", "My Wave
", and "Fell on Black Days"), a performance/special effects video of "Superunknown", and a live video of "Kickstand", among other things. Entertainment Weekly
said, "Nothing on Alive...equals the mystery, humor, sonic impact, or imagination contained on any one of the tracks on Soundgarden's Superunknown
album."
, except where noted:
Production
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by the American rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
. It was released on November 21, 1995 through A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
. It was released on the same day as the CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
Alive in the Superunknown.
Overview
The EP is the audio-only counterpart to Alive in the Superunknown. "Jerry Garcia's Finger" is featured exclusively on Songs from the Superunknown. Allmusic staff writer Greg Prato gave the EP two and a half out of five stars. He called it a "solid (albeit short) collection of Soundgarden outtakes."The CD-ROM Alive in the Superunknown contains the first four tracks from Songs from the Superunknown plus a multimedia portion featuring photos of the band, a video game, four music videos ("The Day I Tried to Live
The Day I Tried to Live
"The Day I Tried to Live" is a song by the American grunge band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "The Day I Tried to Live" was released in 1994 as the second single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown . The song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock...
", "Black Hole Sun
Black Hole Sun
"Black Hole Sun" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris finneran, "Black Hole Sun" was released in 1994 as the third single from the band's fourth studio album Superunknown . It is arguably the band's most recognizable and most popular song, and remains a well...
", "My Wave
My Wave
"My Wave" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Featuring lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music co-written by Cornell and guitarist Kim Thayil, "My Wave" was released in 1994 as the fourth single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown...
", and "Fell on Black Days"), a performance/special effects video of "Superunknown", and a live video of "Kickstand", among other things. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
said, "Nothing on Alive...equals the mystery, humor, sonic impact, or imagination contained on any one of the tracks on Soundgarden's Superunknown
Superunknown
Superunknown is the fourth album by American grunge band Soundgarden, released on March 8, 1994 through A&M Records. Soundgarden began work on the album after touring in support of its previous album, Badmotorfinger...
album."
Track listing
All songs written by Chris CornellChris Cornell
Chris Cornell is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998...
, except where noted:
- "Superunknown" (Cornell, Kim ThayilKim ThayilKim Thayil is an American guitarist best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden, which he cofounded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984...
) – 5:06- Originally from SuperunknownSuperunknownSuperunknown is the fourth album by American grunge band Soundgarden, released on March 8, 1994 through A&M Records. Soundgarden began work on the album after touring in support of its previous album, Badmotorfinger...
.
- Originally from Superunknown
- "Fell on Black Days" (video version) – 5:26
- Originally from the "Fell on Black Days" single. An alternate version, it is the one used in the music video for the song.
- "She Likes Surprises" – 3:17
- Originally from international versions of SuperunknownSuperunknownSuperunknown is the fourth album by American grunge band Soundgarden, released on March 8, 1994 through A&M Records. Soundgarden began work on the album after touring in support of its previous album, Badmotorfinger...
.
- Originally from international versions of Superunknown
- "Like Suicide" (acoustic) – 6:11
- Originally from the "The Day I Tried to LiveThe Day I Tried to Live"The Day I Tried to Live" is a song by the American grunge band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "The Day I Tried to Live" was released in 1994 as the second single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown . The song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock...
" single. Performed acoustically by Chris Cornell.
- Originally from the "The Day I Tried to Live
- "Jerry Garcia's Finger" (Matt CameronMatt CameronMatthew David "Matt" Cameron is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the American rock bands Pearl Jam and Soundgarden...
, Cornell, Ben ShepherdBen ShepherdBen Shepherd is an American musician, two-time Grammy Award Winner best known for playing bass in the grunge band Soundgarden from 1990 until the band's 1997 break-up...
, Thayil) – 4:00- Previously unreleased. Only available on Songs from the Superunknown.
Personnel
Soundgarden- Matt CameronMatt CameronMatthew David "Matt" Cameron is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the American rock bands Pearl Jam and Soundgarden...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Chris CornellChris CornellChris Cornell is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Ben ShepherdBen ShepherdBen Shepherd is an American musician, two-time Grammy Award Winner best known for playing bass in the grunge band Soundgarden from 1990 until the band's 1997 break-up...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Kim ThayilKim ThayilKim Thayil is an American guitarist best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden, which he cofounded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
Production
- Michael BeinhornMichael BeinhornMichael Beinhorn is an American musician and record producer.Beinhorn started his professional career as a musician, playing keyboards in Bill Laswell's Material during the 1980s...
, Brendan O'BrienBrendan O'Brien (music producer)Brendan O’Brien is a record producer, mixer, engineer, and musician.At age 14, O'Brien played guitar for the Atlanta-based cover band Pranks. In the late 1970s, he moved on to writing, performing and recording with the Samurai Catfish band...
, Soundgarden – productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...