Record collectors and Soundgarden fans alike will enjoy this: The recently-reunited Seattle grunge outfit and Sub Pop Records are re-releasing the band’s first single, “Hunted Down” along with original B-side “Nothing to Say” on orange vinyl on April 17, Record Store Day.
If you remember your Soundgarden history, “Nothing to Say” was the song that made the A&R suits turn their heads: “Labels started calling us when they heard the song,” recalls guitarist Kim Thayil. “I was working at Seattle Filmworks along with Mark Arm from Mudhoney, Bruce Fairweather from Mother Love Bone, and Owen Wright from My Sister’s Machine. I got this phone call while I was doing some splicing and it was Chris. He said, ‘You’re not going to believe this — A&M called!.’ The rest is history.”
In the food-for-audiophiles department, Soundgarden are also offering a live version of “Spoonman,” recorded in San Diego in 1996. As the band’s email to fans states: “We recorded all the shows (on two inch tape)… to one day release as a live album. We never got around to mixing those shows until recently and we were surprised at how crazy cool it all is!” We could wax on and on about recording on tape, but we’ll spare you.
Download “Spoonman” here, and to find stores near you participating in Record Store Day, go here.