Soundgarden – Down On The Upside

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?

This is lightyears better than the Superunknown anniversary pressing, and subjectively, I personally like this album better overall. It sounds great on wax - everything comes through really clear, and the low end thumps. Definitely worth picking up, and it seems like they are starting to resurface again.

About halfway through my first listen, and I have to admit - 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 download card. Same matrix numbers / codes

This is how a repress should sound, it's absolutely perfect. Not able to find a single flaw

Does anybody know if there are unofficial versions of this? I went to a store the other day and saw a copy with a different yellow sticker on the cover. The text reads:

AUDIOPHILE
180G VINYL
Newly Remastered from
Original Analog Tapes
00602547924469

The sticker doesn't mention the download card at all. I didn't buy it cause I wasn't sure it's the real thing.

The sticker looks like the one on this: https://www.hhv.de/shop/en/item/soundgarden-down-on-the-upside-493244

Any idea?

Sounds fantastic - I confirm! And all the extras in the gatefold made me even more happy.

My two cents worth: After listening to a 1996 Euro original that I own and this version I'd say this is the better sounding. Don't get me wrong the original sounds great, just this one is a bit more dynamic, Bob Ludwig has done a good job here. 1996 Original - 8/10, 2016 Remaster - 9/10.