Down on the Upside is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Soundgarden, released on May 21, 1996, through A&M Records. Following a worldwide tour in support of its previous album, Superunknown (1994), Soundgarden commenced work on a new album. Self-produced by the band, the music on the album was notably less heavy and dark than the group's preceding albums and featured the band experimenting with new sounds.
Down on the Upside | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 21, 1996 | |||
Recorded | November 1995 – February 1996 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 65:56 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Producer |
| |||
Soundgarden chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Down on the Upside | ||||
|
The album topped the New Zealand and Australian charts and debuted at number two on the United States' Billboard 200, selling 200,000 copies in its opening week and spawning the singles "Pretty Noose", "Burden in My Hand", "Blow Up the Outside World", and "Ty Cobb". The band played the 1996 Lollapalooza tour and, afterward, supported the album with a worldwide tour.
Down on the Upside was Soundgarden's last studio album until 2012's King Animal, as tensions within the band led to its break-up in April 1997. The album has sold 1.6 million copies in the United States.
Recording
editRecording sessions for the album took place between November 1995 and February 1996 at Studio Litho and Bad Animals Studios in Seattle, Washington. Studio Litho is owned by Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard.[2] The members of Soundgarden produced the album themselves. On the choice of not working with a producer, frontman Chris Cornell said that "a fifth guy is too many cooks and convolutes everything. It has to go down too many mental roads, which dilutes it."[3] Drummer Matt Cameron added that, while working with Michael Beinhorn on Superunknown had good results, it was "a little more of a struggle than it needed to be", and self-production would make the process go faster.[4] Adam Kasper, who previously had worked with Soundgarden as an assistant engineer on Superunknown,[5] worked with the band as a production collaborator and mixed the album.[6]
Work on the album began in July 1995.[7] The band took a break to perform at festivals in Europe, where new material was road-tested.[8] Afterward, the band did more songwriting for about a month and then recorded most of the album at Studio Litho.[5] The overall approach to songwriting was less collaborative than with past efforts, with the individual band members having brought in most of the songs more completely written.[9] The band sought to try things it had not done before and to use a greater variety of material.[10] They tried to create a live atmosphere for the album,[11] and looked to leave in sounds that producers would normally try to clean up, such as feedback and out-of-tune guitar parts.[12] The overall time spent working on the album was less than what the band had spent working on Superunknown.[13] Cornell described the album-making process as "way faster and way easier".[2]
Most of the material was written by Cornell and bassist Ben Shepherd, the latter having already worked on six of the sixteen album tracks. Reportedly, tensions within the group arose during the recording sessions, with guitarist Kim Thayil and Cornell allegedly clashing over Cornell's desire to shift away from the heavy guitar riffing that had become the band's trademark.[14] Thayil's only contribution to the album was the song "Never the Machine Forever", for which he wrote both the lyrics and the music, and which was also the last song the band recorded.[15] The song initially came out of a jam session Thayil had with Seattle musician Greg Gilmore.[16] In the liner notes, Thayil credits Gilmore for inspiring the song. He stated that he had a lot of incomplete music ideas that were missing lyrics and were not arranged, so they did not make the album.[16] Thayil said: "It can be a little bit discouraging if there isn't satisfactory creative input, but on the other hand, I write all the solo bits and don't really have limitations on the parts I come up with for guitar."[16] Cornell said: "By the time we were finished, it felt like it had been kind of hard, like it was a long, hard haul. But there was stuff we were discovering."[11]
Music and lyrics
editThe album's songs placed emphasis on vocals and melody over the heavy guitar riffs that were found on the band's earlier LPs.[7][18] It also features a rawer sound than Soundgarden's previous album Superunknown, as the band members produced the record themselves.[19] Cornell summed up the changes by saying: "What we've lost in sonic precision we've gained so much in terms of feeling."[20] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said Soundgarden "retained their ambitious song structures, neo-psychedelic guitar textures, and winding melodies but haven't dressed them up with detailed production."[21] The songs vary in tempo throughout the course of the album, with Thayil describing the album as having a "dual nature".[22] He stated, "It keeps listeners on their toes and lets them know they're not getting the same album over and over."[22] Shepherd called the album "the most accurate picture of what Soundgarden actually sounds like", stating: "It's way more raw. It's way more honest. It's way more 'responsible.'"[19]
The band stated at the time that it wanted to experiment with other sounds,[23] which included Shepherd and Cornell playing mandolin and mandola in the song "Ty Cobb".[18] This experimentation can be heard to a lesser degree on Superunknown. Soundgarden used alternative tunings and odd time signatures on several of the album's songs. For example, "Never the Machine Forever" uses a time signature of 9/8.[24] "Pretty Noose" and "Burden in My Hand" were written in C-G-C-G-G-E tuning.[25]
The overall mood of the album's lyrics is not as dark as on previous Soundgarden albums.[26] Cornell even admitted "Dusty" was "pretty positive for a Soundgarden song", describing it as an opposite to the previous album's "Fell On Black Days".[27] According to Cornell, "Pretty Noose" is about "an attractively packaged bad idea",[28] and "Ty Cobb" is about a "hardcore pissed-off idiot".[29] Cornell said the songs "Never Named" and "Boot Camp" are based on his childhood.[19] Thayil said the lyrics for "Never the Machine Forever" are about "a life-and-death match between an individual and a less specifically defined entity".[7] Cornell referred to "Overfloater" as "self-affirming".[26]
Packaging
editThe album's cover art, photographed by Kevin Westenberg, features the members of the band in silhouette. Reportedly, at one point the photo of caterpillars eating a tomato that was used for the "Blow Up the Outside World" single was considered for use as the cover of Down on the Upside.[30] The album was also released in a limited edition with the Into the Upside interview disc.
The title Down on the Upside comes from a line in the song "Dusty". The lyric is "I think it's turning back on me/I'm down on the upside". Cornell said the title represents the different feels on the album.[5] In an interview, he explained how the name was chosen:
"I brought it up at some point because the song that the title came from was 'Dusty', but my title for it was 'Down on the Upside', but Ben wrote the music and he called it 'Dusty'. So since we don't really like having song titles being the title of the record, 'cause it brings this weird, undue focus to the song, I thought it would be cool to call it Down on the Upside. We started thinking about all these other titles, and worrying about them describing the whole record without excluding anything ... So it was the last minute and we were at a photo shoot for Spin and someone called and said, 'We need your title now so we can start doing the record package,' so Matt [Cameron] brought up the title again, and everyone went, 'yeah, that's it.'"[31]
In an interview given by the band, Cameron and Shepherd jokingly said that two other titles considered for the album were Mr. Bunchy Pants and Comin' At Ya![10]
Release and reception
editReview scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [32] |
Chicago Tribune | [33] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[34] |
The Guardian | [35] |
Los Angeles Times | [17] |
NME | 3/10[36] |
Pitchfork | 7.0/10[37] |
Rolling Stone | [38] |
Spin | 8/10[39] |
USA Today | [40] |
Down on the Upside had a 10,000-copy limited edition vinyl release on May 14, 1996, one week prior to its main release on CD and cassette.[4] It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 album chart with 175,500 units sold, behind only The Score by the Fugees.[41][42] The album has gone on to sell 1.6 million copies in the United States,[43] and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.[44]
Ivan Kreilkamp of Spin gave the album an eight out of ten, saying the album is "as sprawling and generous-spirited as Superunknown, but ... is a looser and live-er-sounding affair, not seeking the same level of aural precision".[39] Alternative Press gave the album a three out of five, saying Soundgarden are "now fully capable of penning some damned spiffy pop songs", and adding that "they sound more human here, like they're playing in your living room".[45] Rolling Stone staff writer David Fricke gave Down on the Upside three out of five stars, observing that the album has "some quality frenzy", but criticizing it for "lack[ing] defining episodes of catharsis", and saying: "Soundgarden seem to be digging in their heels rather than kicking up dirt, relying too much on drone-y impressionism and clever (as opposed to cleaving) guitar motifs."[38] Neil Strauss of The New York Times called the album the "rawer, looser follow-up to Superunknown", adding: "Generally, identifying with animals in song lyrics is a sign of low self-esteem, and Soundgarden is no exception. For all the virility and macho power that rock singers have tried to wring from the [snake], Soundgarden remains more interested in the fact that it is the only animal cursed to spend its days slithering on the ground."[46]
David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+, saying: "Few bands since Led Zeppelin have so crisply mixed instruments both acoustic and electric." He praised several songs as being "as powerful as anything the band has done", but criticized the album's production, saying that, "like many self-produced efforts, it shows." He added: "With arrangements that crest and fall to the point where a road map would have helped, the overlong (16-song) album is often unwieldy and could have benefited from judicious trimming."[34] AllMusic staff writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three out of five stars, saying that "it might seem like nothing more than heavy metal, but a closer listen reveals that Soundgarden haven't tempered their ambitions at all."[21] The reviewer for Melody Maker said that "their roots don't matter now. All I care for now is the immediacy of their pop moments."[47] Critic Robert Christgau gave the album an honorable mention of one star, describing it as "brutal depression simplified" and highlighted by the songs "Ty Cobb" and "Applebite",[48] while Jason Josephes from Pitchfork called it a "double shot of grunge, no foam but plenty of caffeine."[37] A negative review came from Johnny Cigarettes of NME, who gave the album 3/10 and said: "Throughout this record the mood of dark, demon-wrestling introspection continually rings hollow ... the lack of gut-level resonance [Soundgarden] create reveals all this as mere dark stylistics, the modern equivalent of a scary monster on an Iron Maiden T-shirt."[36]
The album included the singles "Pretty Noose", "Burden in My Hand", and "Blow Up the Outside World", all of which had accompanying music videos. All three singles placed on the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts. The album's other commercially released single, "Ty Cobb", did not chart, however its acommpanying B-side, "Rhinosaur", also from the album, did chart. "Burden in My Hand" was the most successful song from Down on the Upside on the rock charts, spending a total of five weeks at number one on the Mainstream Rock charts and reaching number two on the Modern Rock charts.[49] At the 1997 Grammy Awards, "Pretty Noose" received a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance.[50]
Tour
editThe band played the 1996 Lollapalooza tour with Metallica, who had insisted on Soundgarden's appearance on the tour.[51] Thayil said the band wasn't interested in doing the tour until it became a "Metallica tour".[13] During the Lollapalooza tour, the band members reportedly took separate flights and then met at the gigs.[52]
After Lollapalooza, the band embarked on a worldwide tour, supported by Moby.[53][54] Tensions continued to increase and, when asked if the band hated touring, Cornell said: "We really enjoy it to a point and then it gets tedious, because it becomes repetitious. You feel like fans have paid their money and they expect you to come out and play them your songs like the first time you ever played them. That's the point where we hate touring."[29] The band was criticized for its lack of energy while performing.[14] Cornell said that "after a number of years, you start to feel like you're acting. All those people who criticize us for not jumping around should shut the fuck up, and when they come to our shows they should jump around and entertain us for a while."[55] Thayil had an issue with how the band's audience had changed, stating that "nowadays, you also have the kids and the housewives, the casual fans. With your casual fans, you say, 'Thanks for the money.' And they say, 'Thanks for the song.'"[52] The band's concerts in December 1996 were postponed for a week due to Cornell's throat problems.[52]
At the final stop of the tour, in Honolulu, Hawaii, on February 9, 1997, Shepherd threw his bass into the air in frustration after suffering equipment failure, and subsequently stormed off the stage.[56] The band retreated, and Cornell returned alone to conclude the show with a solo encore.[57] On April 9, 1997, the band announced its disbanding. Thayil said, "It was pretty obvious from everybody's general attitude over the course of the previous half year that there was some dissatisfaction."[58] Cameron later said that Soundgarden was "eaten up by the business".[59]
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Chris Cornell, except "Never the Machine Forever" by Kim Thayil and "An Unkind" by Ben Shepherd.
No. | Title | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Pretty Noose" | Cornell | 4:12 |
2. | "Rhinosaur" | Matt Cameron | 3:14 |
3. | "Zero Chance" | Shepherd | 4:18 |
4. | "Dusty" | Shepherd | 4:34 |
5. | "Ty Cobb" | Shepherd | 3:05 |
6. | "Blow Up the Outside World" | Cornell | 5:46 |
7. | "Burden in My Hand" | Cornell | 4:50 |
8. | "Never Named" | Shepherd | 2:28 |
9. | "Applebite" | Cameron | 5:10 |
10. | "Never the Machine Forever" | Thayil | 3:36 |
11. | "Tighter & Tighter" | Cornell | 6:06 |
12. | "No Attention" | Cornell | 4:27 |
13. | "Switch Opens" | Shepherd | 3:53 |
14. | "Overfloater" | Cornell | 5:09 |
15. | "An Unkind" | Shepherd | 2:08 |
16. | "Boot Camp" | Cornell | 2:59 |
Total length: | 65:56 |
Outtakes
editVarious versions of the "Burden in My Hand" single featured two B-sides from the Down on the Upside recording sessions that were not included on the album: "Karaoke" and "Bleed Together". "Bleed Together" was included on the band's 1997 greatest hits compilation, A-Sides, and was released as a promo CD single in 1997. Thayil said the song was not included on Down on the Upside because the band was not pleased with the mixing that was done on the song and the band already had enough songs for the album.[60]
Another song that was written and recorded for the album is "Kristi",[61] which Cameron has said is one of his favorite Soundgarden songs.[61] "Kristi" was finally mixed in 2014 and included on the compilation Echo of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across the Path, along with both "Karaoke" and "Bleed Together".
Personnel
edit
|
|
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Singles
editYear | Single | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Air [96] |
US Main [49] |
US Mod [49] |
AUS [97] |
CAN [98] |
CAN Alt. [99] |
FIN [100] |
NZ [101] |
SWE [102] |
SWI [103] |
UK [104] | |||||||||||||||||||
1996 | "Pretty Noose" | 37 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 43 | 1 | 10 | 18 | 42 | 47 | 14 | |||||||||||||||||
"Burden in My Hand" | 40 | 1 | 2 | 57 | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 33 | ||||||||||||||||||
"Blow Up the Outside World" | 53 | 1 | 8 | 76 | 89 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 40 | ||||||||||||||||||
1997 | "Rhinosaur" | — | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
"—" denotes singles that did not chart or were not released in that country. |
Certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[105] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada)[106] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[107] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[108] | Silver | 60,000* |
United States (RIAA)[109] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
edit- ^ McCormick, Moira (April 13, 1996). "Soundgarden Digs Down to Its Roots". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 15. p. 16.
'Pretty Noose,' will be released to modern rock, album rock, hard rock, metal, and college radio April 30.
- ^ a b "Black Hole Sons!". Kerrang!. August 12, 1995.
- ^ Blush, Steven (1996). Soundgarden interview. Seconds. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- ^ a b McCormick, Moira. "Soundgarden Digs Down to Its Roots". Billboard. April 13, 1996
- ^ a b c Warden, Steve. "A Degree of Intensity". Access. June 1996.
- ^ Cross, Charles R. "The Joys of Noise: Soundgarden Throw a High-Frequency Sludgefest". Rolling Stone. February 8, 1996.
- ^ a b c "Soundgarden Man in Near Death Drama". Kerrang!. March 16, 1996.
- ^ Atkinson, Peter. "Soundgarden: From Superunknown to Superstars". Jam. May 24, 1996.
- ^ Zogbi, Marina. "Upshot on "The Upside" from Kim Thayil". Metal Edge. August 1996.
- ^ a b "Down on the Upside". The Buzz Word. August 1996
- ^ a b Appleford, Steve. "Soundgarden". Ray Gun. June 1996.
- ^ "Soundgarden's New Video Causes Controversy". Toronto Sun. May 10, 1996.
- ^ a b "Soundgarden". Hard Music. June 1996.
- ^ a b Colopino, John. "Soundgarden Split". Rolling Stone. May 29, 1997.
- ^ Turman, Katherine. "Soundgarden: Seattle's Sonic Boom". Metal Edge. July 1996.
- ^ a b c Maloof, Rich. "Kim Thayil of Soundgarden: Down on the Upbeat". Guitar Magazine. July 1996.
- ^ a b Masuo, Sandy (May 23, 1996). "Changing Their Tune--Again". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ a b "Soundgarden Sound Off". Melody Maker. March 23, 1996.
- ^ a b c Clay, Jennifer. "Soundgarden: Painting Beautiful Pictures". RIP. June 1996.
- ^ Rubin, Mike. "The Real Thing". Spin (July 1996).
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Down on the Upside". Allmusic. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
- ^ a b "Soundgarden: The Garden of Earthly Delights". Rave. May 15, 1996.
- ^ Turman, Katherine. "Soundgarden: Seattle's Sonic Boom". Hypno. 1996.
- ^ "Seattle Supersonic: The Screaming Life & Odd Times of Soundgarden's Kim Thayil". Guitar Player. July 1996.
- ^ Leonard, Michael. "Unknown Pleasures". The Guitar Magazine. December 1996.
- ^ a b True, Everett. "Soundgarden". Melody Maker. May 25, 1996.
- ^ Lanham, Tom. "Soundgarden: Overaware". CMJ New Music Monthly, July 1996
- ^ "Soundgarden Returns" Archived August 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. MTV.com. April 12, 1996.
- ^ a b "Gardener's Question Time". Kerrang!. March 1, 1997.
- ^ "Blow Up the Outside World" Archived June 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Unofficial SG Homepage.
- ^ Ewing, Jerry. "Shooting from the Hip! 20 Questions with Chris Cornell". Metal Hammer. July 1996.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Down on the Upside – Soundgarden". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ Kot, Greg (May 16, 1996). "Exploring Texture". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ a b Browne, David (May 24, 1996). "Down on the Upside". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 23, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
- ^ Sweeting, Adam (May 24, 1996). "Soundgarden: Down on the Upside (A&M)". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Cigarettes, Johnny (May 19, 1996). "Soundgarden – Down On The Upside". NME. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ a b Josephes, Jason (June 1996). "Soundgarden: Down on the Upside". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 4, 2003. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
- ^ a b Fricke, David (December 26, 1996). "Soundgarden: Down on the Upside / Screaming Trees: Dust". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- ^ a b Kreilkamp, Ivan (June 1996). "Soundgarden: Down on the Upside". Spin. Vol. 12, no. 3. p. 109. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ Gundersen, Edna (May 21, 1996). "Soundgarden gets 'Down' to powerful basics". USA Today.
- ^ Mayfield, Geoff. "Another Close One". Billboard, June 8, 1996
- ^ "The Billboard 200: Week of June 08, 1996". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2008.
- ^ Peters, Mitchell (November 9, 2012). "Soundgarden on 'King Animal' and Why They Shouldn't Have Broken Up". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ "Gold and Platinum Database Search". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
- ^ (August 1, 1996). "Review: Down on the Upside". Alternative Press (pp. 87-88).
- ^ Strauss, Neil (May 19, 1996). "Recordings View; Consorting With the Snake". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 27, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2009.
- ^ (May 18, 1996). "Review: Down on the Upside". Melody Maker (p. 49).
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Soundgarden" Archived December 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. robertchristgau.com. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Soundgarden – Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2007.
- ^ "39th Grammy Awards - 1997". Rockonthenet.com. Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
- ^ Bell, Max. "Soundgarden — Like Falling Off a Hog". Blah Blah Blah. June 1996.
- ^ a b c "Soundgarden's End Called the End of Grunge". St. Petersburg Times. April 15, 1997.
- ^ Waters, Rodney. "Getting Down with Soundgarden". Hit Parader. October 1996.
- ^ ""Play" 10 Years Later: Moby's Track by Track Guide to 1999's Global Smash". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
- ^ "Soundgarden". Kerrang!. May 29, 1996.
- ^ "Nirvana and the Story of Grunge", pg. 100.
- ^ Berger, John. "'Garden' of supersonic delight". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. February 10, 1997.
- ^ Gilbert, Jeff. "Sound of Silence". Guitar World. February 1998.
- ^ Simpson, Dave (August 13, 2009). "Pearl Jam: 'People get that this means something'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 26, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
- ^ "Kim Thayil's A-Sides". Metal Hammer. January 1998.
- ^ a b Rule, Greg. "Matt Cameron of Soundgarden: Balance of Power & Grace". Drum!. September 1996.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "HITS OF THE WORLD". Billboard. June 15, 1996. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
- ^ "Listen - Danmarks Officielle Hitliste - Udarbejdet af AIM Nielsen for IFPI Danmark - Uge 22". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Copenhagen. June 2, 1996.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "Eurochart Top 100 Albums - June 8, 1996" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 49. June 8, 1996. p. 14. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- ^ "Soundgarden: Down on the Upside" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
- ^ "Official IFPI Charts – Top 75 Albums Sales Chart (Week: 44/2024)". IFPI Greece. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ Soundgarden in Hungarian Charts Archived September 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Hungarian chart Retrieved on June 4, 2008.
- ^ "Tónlist – Ísland (plötur/diskar)". DV (in Icelandic). May 18, 1996. p. 21. ISSN 1021-8254. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021 – via Timarit.is.
- ^ "Top National Sellers - June 8, 1996" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 49. June 8, 1996. p. 14. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- ^ "Japan - Top Albums Chart". Oricon. May 13, 1996. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "Breakin' and Enterin' - June 8, 1996" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 49. June 8, 1996. p. 14. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "Soundgarden Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "Soundgarden – Chart history – Billboard Vinyl Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ "Soundgarden – Chart history – Billboard Digital Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ "Soundgarden – Chart history – Billboard Hard Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ "Soundgarden – Chart history – Billboard Top Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 9732". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ^ "1996 in Review: Sale Charts" (PDF). Music & Media 1996 In Review. December 21, 1996. p. 12. Retrieved May 19, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1996". The Official NZ Music Charts. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Year list Album (incl. Collections), 1996". Sverigetopplistan (in Swedish). Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- ^ Soundgarden - Radio Songs - Chart History Archived March 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine billboard.com. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ Soundgarden in Australian Charts Archived December 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Australian-Charts.com. Retrieved on May 28, 2008.
- ^ Peak positions for Soundgarden's Down on the Upside singles on Canadian Singles Chart:
- For "Pretty Noose" "Top Singles - Volume 63, No. 22, July 15, 1996". RPM. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
- For "Burden in My Hand" "Top Singles - Volume 64, No. 11, November 04 1996". RPM. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
- For "Blow Up the Outside World" "Top Singles - Volume 64, No. 16, December 02 1996". RPM. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
- ^ Peak positions for Soundgarden's Down on the Upside singles on the Canadian Alternative rock Chart:
- For "Pretty Noose" "Rock/Alternative - Volume 63, No. 15, May 27, 1996". RPM. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
- For "Burden in My Hand" "Rock/Alternative - Volume 63, No. 26, August 12, 1996". RPM. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
- For "Blow Up the Outside World" "Rock/Alternative - Volume 64, No. 18, December 16, 1996". RPM. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
- ^ "Finnish Single/Album Chart / Soundgarden / Longplay". finnishcharts.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
- ^ Soundgarden in New Zealand Charts . Charts.Org.NZ. Retrieved on May 28, 2008.
- ^ "Swedish Single/Album Chart / Soundgarden / Longplay". swedishcharts.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
- ^ "Schweizer Hitparade". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
- ^ "EveryHit.com". Archived from the original on July 17, 2007. Retrieved December 8, 2007.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside". Music Canada.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ "British album certifications – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – Soundgarden – Down on the Upside". Recording Industry Association of America.