A-Sides

A-Sides
Greatest hits by Soundgarden
Released	November 4, 1997
Recorded	1987–1996
Genre	Grunge
Length	79:10
Language	English
Label	A&M
Producer	Michael Beinhorn, Drew Canulette, Terry Date, Jack Endino, Adam Kasper, Soundgarden
Professional reviews
Allmusic [1] Robert Christgau [2] Entertainment Weekly (A)[3] Pitchfork Media (7.5/10)[4] Q [5]
Soundgarden chronology
Down on the Upside (1996) A-Sides (1997)
Singles from A-Sides
"Bleed Together" Released: November 1997

A-Sides is a compilation album by the American alternative rock band Soundgarden with songs spanning the band's thirteen year career. It was released on November 4, 1997 through A&M Records.

Overview

The album was released in 1997 on A&M Records and was Soundgarden's last album. It debuted at number 63 on the Billboard 200 album chart. A-Sides has sold over 500,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan and over 700,000 copies worldwide, but has not yet been certified by the RIAA. It peaked at number 51 on the UK Albums Chart, number 39 on the Australian Albums Chart, and number 6 on the New Zealand Albums Chart.

It contains one song absent from previous albums ("Bleed Together") which appeared on import copies of the "Burden in My Hand" single. Interestingly, the opening track "Nothing to Say" was originally not an A-side. It appeared as the B-side to the band's first single "Hunted Down" on Sub Pop in 1987. In addition, "Get on the Snake" from Louder Than Love was never released as a single. Also, the 1990 Sub Pop single "Room a Thousand Years Wide" does not appear on A-Sides, nor the 1994 single "My Wave" from Superunknown.

Allmusic staff writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album four and a half out of five stars. He said, "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."^[1] Entertainment Weekly reviewer David Browne gave the album an A. He said, "Pruning their best early songwriting ("Hands All Over", "Nothing to Say") and wisely highlighting chunks of their last two (and best) albums, A-Sides presents the band in all its evolving, bridling-horses glory and thunder. When all those Hanson fans grow up and want to educate themselves on the flannel era they missed, here's where they should turn."^[3]

Track listing

All songs written by Chris Cornell, except where noted:

1. "Nothing to Say" (Cornell, Kim Thayil) – 3:56
   • Originally from Screaming Life.
2. "Flower" (Cornell, Thayil) – 3:25
   • Originally from Ultramega OK.
3. "Loud Love" – 4:57
   • Originally from Louder Than Love.
4. "Hands All Over" (Cornell, Thayil) – 6:00
   • Originally from Louder Than Love.
5. "Get on the Snake" (Cornell, Thayil) – 3:44
   • Originally from Louder Than Love.
6. "Jesus Christ Pose" (Matt Cameron, Cornell, Ben Shepherd, Thayil) – 5:51
   • Originally from Badmotorfinger.
7. "Outshined" – 5:11
   • Originally from Badmotorfinger.
8. "Rusty Cage" – 4:26
   • Originally from Badmotorfinger.
9. "Spoonman" – 4:06
   • Originally from Superunknown.
10. "The Day I Tried to Live" – 5:19
    • Originally from Superunknown.
11. "Black Hole Sun" – 5:18
    • Originally from Superunknown.
12. "Fell on Black Days" – 4:42
    • Originally from Superunknown.
13. "Pretty Noose" – 4:12
    • Originally from Down on the Upside.
14. "Burden in My Hand" – 4:50
    • Originally from Down on the Upside.
15. "Blow Up the Outside World" – 5:46
    • Originally from Down on the Upside.
16. "Ty Cobb" (Cornell, Shepherd) – 3:05
    • Originally from Down on the Upside.
17. "Bleed Together" – 3:54
    • Originally from the "Burden in My Hand" single.

Personnel

Chart positions

Album

Singles

References