Won’t You Come: Soundgarden Announce “Superunknown” Box Set

Grunge legends Soundgarden will honor their most successful album, 1994’s Superunknown, with a sprawling five-disc box set.

The first band of the Seattle explosion to sign with a major label, A&M Records, in 1988, Soundgarden broke through the commercial mainstream with the release of third album Badmotorfinger in 1991, arguably the holy trinity of the genre alongside fellow 1991 albums Nevermind by Nirvana and Ten by Pearl Jam. Superunknown saw the band experimenting with an expanded sonic palette, trying on unorthodox tunings and time signatures. But the songs still remain accessible and catchy, thanks to singles like “Spoonman,” “Black Hole Sun” (the band’s first and biggest Top 40 hit) and “Fell on Black Days.” In 1995, “Spoonman” and “Black Hole Sun” won Grammy Awards for Best Metal and Best Hard Rock Performance, respectively, while the album received a nomination for Best Rock Album.

The band – singer Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Ben Shepherd and drummer Matt Cameron – would split a year after the release of follow-up album Down on the Upside in 1997, after which Cornell pursued a solo career and Cameron joined his friends in Pearl Jam. Happily, they reunited in 2010, issuing two archival projects, the compilations Telephantasm and Live on I-5, in 2010 and 2011; a new album, King Animal, was released in 2012.

Superunknown will be expanded in two forms: a double-disc expanded edition pairing the remastered album with a disc of demos, rehearsal takes and B-sides (10 of which are unreleased), and a five-disc box set including the album, a disc of 16 B-sides, a further two bonus discs of demos and rehearsals and a Blu-Ray disc featuring the album mixed in 5.1 surround sound. David Fricke pens new liner notes, while the band’s creative director Josh Graham provides newly redesigned, lenticular artwork.

A 200-gram double vinyl edition with a gatefold sleeve will also be made available, as will a 10″ box set of Superunknown-era singles as a Record Store Day exclusive – including several original B-sides actually not featured on the super deluxe box.

The expanded Superunknown is available June 3. Pre-order links are not yet available, but the full track list for all formats is after the jump.

Superunknown: 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (A&M/UMe, 2014)

Disc 1: Original remastered album (released as A&M 314 540 198-1, 1994)

1. Let Me Drown
2. My Wave
3. Fell on Black Days
4. Mailman
5. Superunknown
6. Head Down
7. Black Hole Sun
8. Spoonman
9. Limo Wreck
10. The Day I Tried to Live
11. Kickstand
12. Fresh Tendrils
13. 4th of July
14. Half
15. Like Suicide
16. She Likes Surprises (LP-only bonus track)

Disc 2: Demos, Rehearsals, B-Sides and More (previously unreleased except where noted)

1. Let Me Drown (Demo)
2. Black Hole Sun (Demo)
3. Half (Demo)
4. Head Down (Rehearsal)
5. Limo Wreck (Rehearsal)
6. The Day I Tried to Live (Rehearsal)
7. Like Suicide (Acoustic Version) (from “The Day I Tried to Live” CD single (A&M 580 595-2 (U.K.), 1994)
8. Black Days III (a.k.a. “Fell on Black Days (Demo)” – from “Fell on Black Days” CD single (A&M 580 947-2 (U.K.), 1995)
9. Birth Ritual (Original Demo Version) (from “Black Hole Sun” CD single (A&M 580 753-2 (U.K.), 1994)
10. Exit Stonehenge (from “Spoonman” CD single (A&M 580 539-2 (U.K.), 1994)
11. Kyle Petty, Son of Richard (from “Fell on Black Days” CD single (A&M 580 945-2 (U.K.), 1995)
12. Jerry Garcia’s Finger (from Songs from the Superunknown EP (A&M 314 581 255-2, 1995)
13. Spoonman (Alternate Steve Fisk Remix)
14. The Day I Tried to Live (Scott Litt Mix)
15. 4th of July (Instrumental)
16. Superunknown (Instrumental)

Superunknown: 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition (A&M/UMe, 2014)

Disc 1: Original remastered album

Disc 2: B-Sides and More

1. The Day I Tried to Live (Scott Litt Mix) +
2. Spoonman (Alternate Steve Fisk Remix) +
3. Beyond the Wheel (Live @ Exhibition Center, Toronto, Ontario – 8/18/1993)
4. Fell on Black Days (Live @ Pine Knob Music Center, Clarkston, MI – 8/16/1993)
5. Birth Ritual (Original Demo Version) +
6. Jesus Christ Pose (Live @ Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, Rapid City, SD – 8/11/1993)
7. Like Suicide (Acoustic Version) +
8. Kickstand (Live @ Jones Beach Amphitheatre, Wantagh, NY – 8/20/1993)
9. My Wave (Live @ Jones Beach Amphitheatre, Wantagh, NY – 8/20/1993)
10. Spoonman (Steve Fisk Remix)
11. Exit Stonehenge +
12. Kyle Petty, Son of Richard +
13. Black Days III (Fell on Black Days (Demo – Early Version)) +
14. Ghostmotorfinger (Motorcycle Loop (Short Version))
15. Jerry Garcia’s Finger +
16. Fell on Black Days (Video Version)

Disc 2, Tracks 3-5 from “Black Hole Sun” CD single (A&M 580 753-2 (U.K.), 1994)
Disc 2, Tracks 6 and 9-10 from “Black Hole Sun” CD single (A&M 580 737-2 (U.K.), 1994)
Disc 2, Tracks 7-8 from “The Day I Tried to Live” CD single (A&M 580 595-2 (U.K.), 1994)
Disc 2, Track 11 from “Spoonman” CD single (A&M 580 539-2 (U.K.), 1994)
Disc 2, Tracks 12 and 16 from “Fell on Black Days” CD single (A&M 580 945-2 (U.K.), 1995)
Disc 2, Track 13 from “Fell on Black Days” CD single (A&M 580 947-2 (U.K.), 1995)
Disc 2, Track 14 from “Fell on Black Days” CD single (A&M 580 897-2 (DE), 1995)
Disc 2, Track 15 from Songs from the Superunknown EP (A&M 314 581 255-2, 1995)

Disc 3: Demos (previously unreleased)

1. Let Me Drown +
2. Fell on Black Days
3. Superunknown
4. Black Hole Sun +
5. Spoonman
6. Fresh Tendrils
7. 4th of July
8. Half +
9. Like Suicide

Disc 4: Rehearsals (previously unreleased)

1. Black Hole Sun
2. Bing Bing Goes to Church
3. Half (Instrumental)
4. Head Down +
5. Kyle Petty, Son of Richard
6. Let Me Drown
7. Limo Wreck +
8. My Wave
9. Fresh Tendrils
10. Like Suicide
11. Ruff Riff-Raff
12. Spoonman
13. The Date I Tried to Leave
14. The Day I Tried to Live +

Disc 5: Blu-Ray with original album in 5.1 surround sound (same as Disc 1)

+ denotes track available on 2CD deluxe edition

Superunknown: The Singles (A&M/UMe, 2014)

LP 1

1. Spoonman
2. Fresh Tendrils
3. Cold Bitch
4. Exit Stonehenge

LP 2

1. The Day I Tried to Live
2. Like Suicide (Acoustic Version)
3. Kickstand (Live @ Jones Beach Amphitheatre, Wantagh, NY – 8/20/1993)
4. Limo Wreck

LP 3

1. Black Hole Sun
2. Jesus Christ Pose (Live @ Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, Rapid City, SD – 8/11/1993)
3. Beyond the Wheel (Live @ Exhibition Center, Toronto, Ontario – 8/18/1993)
4. Fell on Black Days (Live @ Pine Knob Music Center, Clarkston, MI – 8/16/1993)

LP 4

1. My Wave
2. Spoonman (Steve Fisk Remix)
3. Birth Ritual (Original Demo Version)
4. My Wave (Live @ Jones Beach Amphitheatre, Wantagh, NY – 8/20/1993)

LP 5

1. Fell on Black Days
2. Kyle Petty, Son of Richard
3. Ghostmotorfinger
4. Fell on Black Days (Video Version)
5. Girl U Want
6. Black Days III