Down on the Upside is the final studio album by Soundgarden, released on May 21, 1996.

Track listing

1. "Pretty Noose" (Cornell) - 4:12
2. "Rhinosaur" (Cameron/Cornell) - 3:14
3. "Zero Chance" (Cornell/Shepherd) - 4:18
4. "Dusty" (Cornell/Shepherd) - 4:34
5. "Ty Cobb" (Cornell/Shepherd) - 3:05
6. "Blow up the Outside World" (Cornell) - 5:46
7. "Burden in My Hand" (Cornell) - 4:50
8. "Never Named" (Cornell/Shepherd) - 2:28
9. "Applebite" (Cameron/Cornell) - 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" (Cornell/Shepherd) - 3:53
14. "Overfloater" (Cornell) - 5:09
15. "An Unkind" (Shepherd) - 2:08
16. "Boot Camp" (Cornell) - 2:59

Total album length: 65:55

Personnel

• Chris Cornell - Vocals, guitar, mandolin, piano, mandola, Fender Rhodes
• Kim Thayil - Guitar
• Ben Shepherd - Bass guitar, mandolin, mandola, photography
• Matt Cameron - Drums, percussion, Moog synthesizer
• Adam Kasper - Piano, producer, engineer, mixing
• Tom Smurdon - Assistant engineer, tracking assistant
• John Burton - Assistant engineer, tracking Assistant
• Sam Hofstedt - Assistant engineer
• Matt Bayles - Assistant engineer
• Dave Collins - Mastering
• Kevin Westenberg - Photography

Editorial Reviews

Ranked #25 in the Village Voice's 1996 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll. Village Voice (02/25/1997)

3 Stars (out of 5) - ...[eschews] innovation for the simpler payoff of just rocking out....While there are plenty of genuinely enjoyable moments throughout the album, their cumulative effect is undercut by the strict adherence to hard-rock form....The outlook remains bleak throughout... Rolling Stone Magazine (05/30/1996)

8 (out of 10) - ...as sprawling and generous-spirited as SUPERUNKNOWN, but...is a looser and live-er-sounding affair, not seeking the same level of aural precision....There's a new rhythmic tilt in a few songs that suggests the influence of the unjustly maligned '70s boogie tradition... Spin (06/01/1996)

...[Cornell's] not a happy camper--and the sadder he gets, the nastier Soundgarden sounds....his bandmates revitalize him with odd instruments..., weird new mixes..., and skewed tempos and dune-shifting melodies that unfold and enfold over repeated spins... Musician (07/01/1996)

Recommended - ...[they are] never again going to be the band they used to be....Soundgarden were the band in whose honour Sub Pop were formed, but their roots don't matter now. All I care for now is the immediacy of their pop moments. You're Oasis fans. You understand... Melody Maker (05/18/1996)

...When the band does latch onto a hook,...[Soundgarden] seems to instantly tire of it and contort its melody and tempo. Deviant, yes, but at least Soundgarden are on their musical toes... - Rating: B+ Entertainment Weekly (05/24/1996)

3 (out of 5) - ...they're now fully capable of penning some damned spiffy pop songs....this is a raw, warm....sounding record, high-tech for 1975 and having more to do with tubes than transistors....they sound more human here, like they're playing in your living room... Alternative Press (08/01/1996)

Additional notes

Catalogue: (LP) A&M 540526, (CD) A&M 314540526