Soundgarden – Down On The Upside

well remastered by the master himself Bob Ludwig, great reissue.

I have the later 2019/2020 repress of this German press. Thought I’d leave my comments here since they use the same plates.

What a relief finally listening to a Soundgarden modern remaster that doesn’t sound uber compressed! This record is not an audiophile record but it’s packed with punches, high dynamic and great instrument separation. The soundstage is great as well. This is super rare for a reissue of a 90s record. What I really love about this remaster is that it doesn’t have the smiley face EQ (mid scooped) which I believe was quite a big thing in the 90s (with Soundgarden being a major victim).

The only reason I say it’s not an audiophile record is because the remaster has some modern day polishing that may make it sound a bit too smooth. It doesn’t sound sterile but just lacks a bit of bite.

It just breaks my heart how uber compressed the Superunknown 2014 vinyl reissue is compared to this. It’s one of those records I own only because there’s no better alternative. Hopefully one day we will have a good sounding version of that record.

For now, I am so happy to own this. I needed a tipping point to embrace this album and that tipping point for me was this specific mastering done for vinyl.

Highly underrated 90s gem!

My copy has a big gash on one of the sides. Such a shame. It’s going to go back to the store.

This blows the US press out of the water. What a difference another pressing plant can make. Vinyl dead silent and everything just hits harder. After owning the US copy for several years, I feel robbed. Get this one

Love this album. Very unique in style diversity and songwriting. Unfortunately, it sounds overly compressed. I think that's how alot of albums in the 90s were including Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots.

Maybe Analogue Productions or MOFI can reissue it. I've actually messaged in Soundgarden to have Kevin Gray or Bernie Grundman master their albums from the master tapes. I figure it's a long shot, but they need the best, maybe even a remix.

Cut and pressing do sound great. It's the album itself that's somewhat midling, and I say that as a big fan ever since I bought this on CD when it was released in '97. For all the incredible soaring Soundgarden highs on this album, there is an equal proportion of uninspired mediocrity. Superunknown it is not. I'm deciding if i think it's good enough to take a position in my collection. But yes, it's a wonderful reissue and a much more cohesive, essential work than KING ANIMAL.

Hype used to specify "remastered from original analogue tapes." Maybe the fallout from MoFigate convinces them it might be better without a hype that implies, but doesn't explicitly state, "cut from tape."

Does anyone have reason to believe this was, in fact, cut from tape?

I have a 2016 edition with a yellow sticker. Earlier I wrote that the sound on it is muddy. I didn't like the sound so much that I wanted to sell my copy. But I recently upgraded my equipment. And I decided out of curiosity to listen to my most "bad" records. Not everything has started to sound better. But this record sounded right. Just enjoying the sound. I can say I rediscovered the album (I haven't listened to it for a very long time).

Even if the matrix is the same the copies now on sale are not the 2016 press, so why sell them as if they were?

About halfway through my first listen, and I have to it - this pressing sounds awesome! My press of "Superunknown" suffers from oversaturated highs, but "Upside" is a completely different story. Very balanced and dynamic. Very easy to hear the quality when shifting from a crazy track like "Ty Cobb" right into something more subtle like "Blow Up The Outside World."

Like others have expressed here, my copy did not have a hype sticker or DL card (honestly, more bummed about the lack of hype sticker) but it has the exact same matrix. Dated 2016 on the back cover - assuming they used the same stampers, just didn't bother with the sticker and card. I found this sealed for just over $30 with free shipping on eBay from Europe, so I'm not complaining. Happy with my purchase - snag this one if you can find it.

Just got (what appears to be) the reissue. It looks the same as this one, except it doesn't come with the hype sticker or the card. Same matrix numbers / codes