Badmotorfinger vs Superunknown vs DOTU

cornellisgod

All three are deemed classic albums but which one do you think is the best out of the 'big three' and why?

I always thought Superunknown was the best however the more people i speak to the more people tell me that Badmotorfinger is superior. I find this a little odd to be honest because it's rather poorly mixed and doesn't have the diversity of the other two.

Personally if i had to order them it would be as follows...

1) Superunknown
2) DOTU
3) Badmotorfinger

*Has anyone ever wrote a song as good as 'Head Down'?

Marie Curie

Same answer as you

1) Superunknown
2) DOTU
3) Badmotorfinger

reditalian

you've got my vote as well.

Klumpie

1. Badmotorfinger
2. Superunknown
3. Louder Than Love

DOTU have some good/great songs on it, but also some weak songs.

reeferchief

BadMotorFinger
Down on The Upside
Superunknown

If BMF had Birth Ritual on it, it would be my favourite record of all time.

intodeep

Klumpie wrote:

1. Badmotorfinger
2. Superunknown
3. Louder Than Love

DOTU have some good/great songs on it, but also some weak songs.

you got it right man

but since LTL was not for the original post

Badmotherfuckinmotorfinger
superunknown
down on the upside

Badmotorfinger sounds perfect to me. I love the grind and sludge of it. If anything the albums after that sound over produced to me.

Superunknown is a cool album i think it wanders. I guess what you like in diversity i don't care as much for. Badmotorfinger feels like someone is punching you the face (that is a good thing)

I'm really not a fan of DOTU.

I'd be interested to know the age of those who like the later albums. I'm 28 and got badmotorfinger about the time it came out and grew up with it. to me that was soundgarden at their peak. I wonder if the superunknown lovers are a little younger and got in on the second wave of the soundgarden phase that MTV pushed. (i'm not saying this as a bad thing, but when you grow up on something you do tend to have more sentimental feelings for it)

momofglynn

for Louder than Love. That by far is my favorite.

so my order would be
1. Louder than Love
2. superunknown
3. badmotor finger
4. DOTU

soulsinging

cornellisgod wrote:

I always thought Superunknown was the best however the more people i speak to the more people tell me that Badmotorfinger is superior. I find this a little odd to be honest because it's rather poorly mixed and doesn't have the diversity of the other two.

becos inevitably people, in an effort to seem hip and outside the mainstream, claim that albums that didn't make the band famous are always better than albums that did. badmotorfinger was before they hit huge with superunknown. the flipside is pearl jam, where everyone's "best" album has to be after vitalogy to show they're cool.

reeferchief

soulsinging wrote:

becos inevitably people, in an effort to seem hip and outside the mainstream, claim that albums that didn't make the band famous are always better than albums that did. badmotorfinger was before they hit huge with superunknown. the flipside is pearl jam, where everyone's "best" album has to be after vitalogy to show they're cool.

V's for me thanks.:)
To explain in a bit more depth I love all three, I've probably listened to Ultramega OK more than Superunknown though, I find these days I need to be in the right mood for SU, with BMF I find it really accesible, stick it in and rock the fuck out till it finishes.
With DOTU I find it to be a lot more smoother than any of the other SG albums, and for that purpose tend to play it quite a lot to chill to so to speak.

whygo

1Superunknown
2Down on the Upside
3Badmotorfinger
4Ultramega OK
5Louder than Love

DOSW

Currently it's:

1. DOTU
2. Superunknown
3. Badmotorfinger

All brilliant albums. But talk to me in a couple days and Superunknown will probably be on the top. I'm really getting into that album now, for some reason.

chrisopalooza

so tough!

badmotorfinger was a great representation of soundgarden
superunknown had the most hits
down on the upside was fucking amazing, but was the furthest from what they sounded like

i can't decide.

...cornell's vocals on badmotorfinger are A+ though.

smartass1235

this is easy for me,
1. motorfinger( i have the double disc version with "SOMMS") 1.-12. this might be best album of the 90's

2. superunknown - If half was left off this would give motorfinger a bigger run for its money.

3. louder than love - I love the fact that 90% of the songs open with chris screaming at the top of his lungs. Gun rocks!

4. ultra mega ok - nazi driver is one of my faovrite songs as is beyond the wheel. too many fillers though should have been a 9 track cd.

5. DOTU- was really dissapointed when they released it. as others have mentioned, alot of weak songs.

6. screaming life/ fopp - hunted down is a good tune so is little joe. not to much else comes to mind as i havent listened in a long long time.


There is a soundgarden bootleg thread flying around, downloads from megaupload. thus far rochester 94 is the best soundgarden boot i have ever heard. I highly recommend it.

goldrush

1. badmotorfinger - classic, best 'sounding' soundgarden album

2. superunknown - classic but more polished than bmf

3. louder than love - "louder than fuck"

4. screaming life - ggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

5. down on the upside - can't remember the last time i listened to this

6. ultramega ok - can't find my copy so it's last by default

reachdown12

come on! That is impossible for me to decide! I love each album too much for different reasons. This band was impeccable. highlights from each album?:

Ultramega OK- Beyond the Wheel(aw man this is sooo heavy and haunting, unbelievable song) Smokestack Lightning(the notes he hits?! bonechilling beyond ALL measures) Flower, and Incessant Mace

Louder Than Love- This band can only age like a fine wine: Gun(heavy, thrash, vocals, one of the most incredible songs from them) Power Trip(the beginning, him hitting the notes along with the guitar and range throughout the song is amazing) I Awake(I have such a huge love for this song, just the emotion and melody; suffocating) No Wrong No Right(soooo good, the chord progressions and rhythms are fantastic, and the vocals again are haunting)

Badmotorfinger- What a GEM. Flawless through and through on certain levels. A straight 'bootkick to the ass' album. With Rusty Cage, Slaves and Bulldozers, Jesus Christ Pose, Holy Water, New Damage and more, it just sends the mind over the edge. Absolute perfection as always from them.

Superunknown- I don't care how 'popular' this album is for them, it is completely flawless as well. That album was a highlight of my freshman year, and holds tight the compact emotions and love i hold dear to it. Even when I first heard Black Hole Sun, I was floored, my god the guitar melodies and the lyrics! unbelievable. Fell On Black Days, Mailman(which hardly ever receives any credit and is amazing) Limo Wreck, Fresh Tendrils, 4th of July(sooo dynamic and heavy) and more..this album means a lot to me.

Down on the Upside- It was a picture in time. The overall appeal and emotion exerting from the album is incredible. Songs such as Zero Chance(which I adore to death, so gorgeous) Blow Up the Outside World, Tighter and Tighter, Switch Opens, An unkind, Boot Camp, it all came together and created impeccable bliss.

In conclusion? I love each one for different reasons and similar reasons alike. All they did and how beautifully they evolved and aged like a fine wine was truly a force to be reckoned with. Their music was something to grasp and hold onto and know how it makes you feel so grateful you discovered such a treasure. I know I will always be permantly bowing down to them and their amazingness(lol!).:D

mwachsman

Superunknown
Badmotofinger
DOTU

stu gee

Down on the upside
Superunknown
badmotorfinger

Dotu is my favourite SG album, was listening to it today actually. zero chance, what a tune that is!

Pearl Juli

Klumpie wrote:

1. Badmotorfinger
2. Superunknown
3. Louder Than Love

DOTU have some good/great songs on it, but also some weak songs.

Yep. I think I'll agree on this one.

huah

DOTU only gets better each time I listen to it. It's definitely reached the level of "masterpiece" to me now. All the rest are damn good, but DOTU is my favorite of any band ever ever ever.

I'd probably rank after that:
2. Superunknown
3. Screaming Life/Fopp (underappreciated!)
4. BMF
5. Louder than Love
6. Ultramega OK (although it's growing on me)

catefrances

it's badmotorfinger.

AxlUlrich

outta those three..i'd rank them

1. Superunknown (can't think of a bad track)
2. Badmotorfinger
3. DOTU

Pearl Jam and toast

Depends on my mood but i agree with your order generally.

lars

You´re not a real fan if badmotorfinger isn´t your first choice

DOSW

cornellisgod wrote:

*Has anyone ever wrote a song as good as 'Head Down'?

I think the real question is:

Has anyone ever written more vague and confusing lyrics than Ben Shepherd?

FreshTendrils

DOSW wrote:

I think the real question is:

Has anyone ever written more vague and confusing lyrics than Ben Shepherd?

Personally, I think its about life in the spotlight, but thats my take "Head Down."


Anyway, here we go:

1) Badmotorfinger - Kim Thayil at his best. There's more diversity on this album than most people think. A perfect album.
2) Superunknown - Another perfect album, but I like Kim Thayil's slow, sludgy riffs more than the clean, dark riffs on this album.
....
...
...
DotU - Personally, I think its their weakest. A handful of great tracks with some weak ones. Its their most diverse album, but also their most inconsistent. I find UltramegaOK and Louder than Love far superior to this album.

jeff's_the_man

i only got into soundgarden in the past 2 years, and i was only really familiar with black hole sun and jesus christ pose before i did. first album i got was their best of, then superunknown, badmotofinger, DOTU and Louder than love. superunknown blew me away the first time i listened to it, it is as far as im concerned possibly the best album on the 'grunge' era. at first i was dissapointed with DOTU but i now really appriciate alot of this album, tho it does feel a bit like superunknown II, only a bit weaker. badmotofinger is awesome, i love the fact that it takes several listens before you truly start to appriciate it, i can see why so many ppl feel this is their best album.


so for me the order is;

superunknown
DOTU
badmotofinger (tho to be honest i probably havn't listened to this enough to fully appriciate it)
Louder than Love (GUN is awesome)

gtbrown77

I came across Soundgarden at the time that Superunknown was released (I'm 28 for what it's worth). I loved that album when it came out...it was pretty different from a lot of stuff I had listened to up until that time. And when I'm in the mood, it can be a great record to listen to. However, I would say that I would currently rank them this way:

1. Badmotorfinger
2. Superunknown.
3. Down.....

I don't really care for their earlier stuff, and the only time I listen to it is if it comes up on my iTunes while listening on shuffle mode. And I would agree with those who have said that Down....has some good songs on it, but also has some pretty weak ones as well.

Pearl Jam and toast

I like their earlier stuff.. occasionally they hit absolute gold (loud love, hands all over, big dumb sex live is awesome )but it PALES in comparison to the last 3. Those 3 records are pretty much as close to perfection that has ever or will ever be reached in rock music. Not since Zeppelin I - houses of the holy has that been achieved.

tamara

From the 3 listed:
Badmotorfinger - Words simply cannot describe my love for this album. I think so many of the songs are just incredible. Slaves & Bulldozers, Mind Riot, JCP. Just an amazing, blow your ears out record.
Superunknown - Is a very very close second, but I love it for different reasons. And seriously, why did Black Hole Sun have to be the hit? Weakest song on there. Which is also a testament to how great it is in a way.
DOTU - I think someone else said it best before, has some great songs and some ah not-so-great songs.

The older albums also rate in my opinion, a little more hit and miss, but if you don't take them seriously, enjoy the sarcasm, they're worth a listen.

DOSW

reeferchief wrote:

If BMF had Birth Ritual on it, it would be my favourite record of all time.

Was that on the Singles soundtrack? I've never heard it before.

That and Chris Cornell's 'Seasons'.

Marie Curie

DOSW wrote:

Was that on the Singles soundtrack? I've never heard it before.

That and Chris Cornell's 'Seasons'.

Yes. Seasons wouldn´t fit on BMF though.