Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil discusses the band's critically acclaimed 1994 album "Superunknown."
Soundgarden's fourth album, Superunknown, had several hits, including "Black Hole Sun," "Spoonman," "The Day I Tried to Live," "My Wave," and "Fell on Black Days." It became the group's debut and only number one album on the Billboard 200, and the RIAA has certified it platinum six times.
In an interview with Guitar Player, Thayil said "I also have no problem with people who say it's our best album.
He added, "I particularly like Superunknown, not because of its success and songs like 'Black Hole Sun' or 'Spoonman,' but because of its ambience and feel. It's got everything a rock band should bring to an album, namely songwriting and performances."
"It's not a dance record on which the producer means something," he continues. "It's not a record from the '60s where you find some singer to actualize the songs you've written on piano and you find an arranger to throw other instruments in. This is a rock band, and all the work is done by the rock band."
Despite Superunknown's considerable success, Thayil says he wishes he could have savored it more at the time. Apart from Thayil's personal struggles, Supernknown was released barely one month before Kurt Cobain, the leader of Nirvana, passed away.
"My personal life and things involving our colleagues and peers hit their nadir, but our professional life was at its zenith with the record hitting number one and [us] being on the cover of Rolling Stone," Thayil says. "I know the success should have meant something, but it didn't budge the meter from everything sucking. I wish we could have had the experience at another time."
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Superunknown will celebrate its 30th anniversary on March 8.
Last year, those who were expecting to see the late vocalist and his Soundgarden compatriots inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year were sorely disappointed.
The Seattle rock stars were not one of the 13 music legends that were admitted, according to the Rock Hall's announcement of its 2023 class.
Last year's honorees include Rage Against the Machine, Motown/Philly soul staples The Spinners, country legend Willie Nelson, rapper/producer Missy Elliott, George Michael, country-rock crossover star Sheryl Crow (who plays Chateau Ste. Michelle this summer), and Kate Bush, who is enjoying a surge in popularity after her 1985 hit song "Running Up That Hill" was heavily featured in Netflix's "Stranger Things."
In addition to the acts who were chosen by popular vote, the Rock Hall bestowed accolades on a select group of musicians and industry professionals.
DJ Kool Herc, the father of hip-hop, and guitarist Link Wray were recognized for their musical contributions, while Bernie Taupin, a lyricist for Elton John and a discreet partner of Brandi Carlile, producer and session player Al Kooper, and seven-time nominee Chaka Khan were honored for their musical excellence.
Don Cornelius, the host and originator of "Soul Train," received the Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performer industry professionals elsewhere.
Soundgarden has now missed two chances to be inducted into the Rock Hall; their first attempt to join Seattle icons Nirvana and Pearl Jam was unsuccessful in 2020. But that does not mean they are any less successful!
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