A-Sides (CD - 1997)

Producers include: Soundgarden, Drew Canulette, Terry Date, Michael Beinhorn.

Engineers: Jack Endino, Crew Canulette, Lance Limbocker, Terry Date, Jason Corsaro, Adam Kasper.

Includes liner notes by Jonathan Poneman.

Personnel: Chris Cornell (vocals, guitar); Kim Thayil (guitar); Matt Cameron (drums, percussion).

Audio Mixers: Michael Barbiero; Ron Saint Germain; Soundgarden; Steve Thompson ; Brendan O'Brien.

Recording information: Dogfish Mobile Unit, Seattle, WA; London Bridge Studio, Seattle, WA; NewBurg, OR; Reciprocal Recording, Seattle, WA; s.

Photographers: Larimie Garcia; Mark Seliger; Jan Van Oldenmark; Michael Lavine; Kevin Westenberg; Charles Peterson ; Steve Gilbert.

For an act that was one of the definitive album artists of the late '80s and '90s, Soundgarden was a surprisingly effective singles band. Their singles effectively conveyed all of their best ideas, from their sludgy early Sub Pop recordings to the elaborate, post-metal psychedelia of their last two albums, Superunknown and Down on the Upside. That's the reason why the 17-track compilation A-Sides is such a successful overview of the band's too-brief career. Most of their peers wouldn't be well represented by a compilation that concentrated solely on singles, but Soundgarden are, because their singles do capture what they're all about. There are many great songs left off A-Sides, from "Big Dumb Sex" to "My Wave," but it's hard to argue with what's here. Each single from every album -- from the 1987 debut EP Screaming Life through SST's Ultramega OK, to their four records for A&M -- is here, with the Down on the Upside outtake "Bleed Together" added as an enticement for collectors. Almost every one of the group's best-known songs are here, including "Hands All Over," "Loud Love," "Jesus Christ Pose," "Outshined," "Rusty Cage," "Black Hole Sun," "The Day I Tried to Live," "Spoonman," "Fell on Black Days," "Pretty Noose," "Burden in My Hand," and "Blow Up the Outside World," resulting in a near-definitive summary of one of the most important and influential bands of the '90s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Ten years after crawling from the muck and mire of the Seattle grunge scene, Soundgarden's farewell compilation hits all the high points of an impressive career. Nirvana may have taken grunge public, but Soundgarden got there first. Starting with the grinding of SCREAMING LIFE's "Nothing To Say," A-SIDES demonstrates the band's evolution from muscular musical brutes to a unit whose might was tailored by an innovative use of hooks and melodicism.

This collection finds them journeying all over the musical map, utilizing a more percussive assault ("Spoonman"), delving into the depths of psychedelia ("Black Hole Sun"), and even bringing their trademark aggressive style to the decidedly un-rock mandolin on "Ty Cobb," a song the Ramones might have written had they grown up in Kentucky instead of Queens. A-SIDES stands to prove that throughout their career, Soundgarden remained fervently ambitious in their musical endeavours. minimize