Album · 35 years old this year
Badmotorfinger
Badmotorfinger is Soundgarden's third studio album, released through A&M Records in October 1991. It followed Ultramega OK and Louder Than Love, and it was the first record the band made with bassist Ben Shepherd, who joined as sessions began in early 1991. The heavy metal sound stayed intact, but the writing took a clear step forward, with alternative tunings, odd time signatures and deliberately ambiguous, evocative lyrics.
It is the sound of a Seattle band sharpening its craft just as the grunge scene drew wider attention. "Outshined" and "Rusty Cage" found big audiences on rock radio and MTV, and the album became their highest-charting release to that point, reaching number 39 on the Billboard 200. It earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance, and a stint opening for Guns N' Roses on the Use Your Illusion Tour. Worth hearing for its cerebral, arty heft.
Badmotorfinger on Riffology
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Badmotorfinger: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 57:50Tracklist
- 1Rusty CageChris Cornell4:27
- 2OutshinedChris Cornell5:11
- 3Slaves & BulldozersChris Cornell and Ben Shepherd6:56
- 4Jesus Christ PoseCameron, Cornell, Shepherd, Thayil5:51
- 5Face PollutionBen Shepherd and Chris Cornell2:24
- 6SomewhereBen Shepherd4:21
- 7Searching With My Good Eye ClosedChris Cornell6:31
- 8Room a Thousand Years WideMatt Cameron and Kim Thayil4:06
- 9Mind RiotChris Cornell4:49
- 10Drawing FliesMatt Cameron and Chris Cornell2:26
- 11Holy WaterChris Cornell5:07
- 12New DamageCameron, Thayil, Cornell5:41
- Produced by
- Terry Date, Soundgarden
- Recorded at
- Studio D (Sausalito), Bear Creek (Woodinville), A&M (Hollywood)
- Recorded
- Early 1991
- Mixed by
- Ron Saint Germain, John Jackson
- Mixed at
- Can‐Am Recorders
- Engineered by
- Terry Date
- Label
- A&M Records
- Length
- 57:50
Line-up
- Matt Cameron · drums (drum set)
- Chris Cornell · guitar, vocals
- Ben Shepherd · bass
- Kim Thayil · guitar
Singles
- “Jesus Christ Pose” · September 1991
- “Outshined” · November 1991
- “Rusty Cage” · March 1992
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1992 | 39 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1992 | 39 |
| US Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) · 2017 | 6 |
| US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard) · 2017 | 7 |
| US Vinyl Albums (Billboard) · 2017 | 12 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) · 2017 | 13 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1994 | 16 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2017 | 27 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard) · 2017 | 33 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1992 | 50 |
All 13 charts
| Portuguese Albums · 2017 | 50 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2017 | 72 |
| Ireland 2 · 2017 | 85 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 2017 | Gold |
| Canada | Platinum |
| New Zealand · 2006 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2022 | Gold |
| United States | 2× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
73.9
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
7.3k
ListenBrainz listeners
177k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
22k
Deezer fans (all editions)
More from Soundgarden
Full discography →
Screaming Life
1987
Fopp
1988
Ultramega OK
1988
Louder Than Love
1989
Screaming Life / Fopp
1990
Loudest Love
1990
Superunknown
1994
Songs From the Superunknown
1995
Down on the Upside
1996
A‐Sides
1997
Telephantasm
2010
Before the Doors: Live on I-5
2011
King Animal
2012
Echo of Miles: The Originals
2014
Echo of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across the Path
2014
Satanoscillatemymetallicsonatas
2016
The best of 1991
All of 1991 →
Nevermind
Nirvana · 1991
Metallica
Metallica · 1991
Use Your Illusion I
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Ten
Pearl Jam · 1991
Use Your Illusion II
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
No More Tears
Ozzy Osbourne · 1991
On Tour Now!
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Innuendo
Queen · 1991
Kerplunk!
Green Day · 1991
Gish
The Smashing Pumpkins · 1991
Arise
Sepultura · 1991
1916
Motörhead · 1991
More on A&M Records
The label →Superunknown
Soundgarden · 1994
Down on the Upside
Soundgarden · 1996
Louder Than Love
Soundgarden · 1989
Telephantasm
Soundgarden · 2010
Satanoscillatemymetallicsonatas
Soundgarden · 2016
Echo of Miles: The Originals
Soundgarden · 2014
Loudest Love
Soundgarden · 1990
A‐Sides
Soundgarden · 1997
Songs From the Superunknown
Soundgarden · 1995
Before the Doors: Live on I-5
Soundgarden · 2011
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1991-10-08; musicbrainz + wikidata 1991-09-24 (14 days apart, likely another territory)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 24 September 1991 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 8 October 1991 | |
| Wikidata | 24 September 1991 | |
| US release | 24 September 1991 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1991 | earliest UK or European date |
25 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | NL | A&M Records | 082839537421 | other |
| 1991 | GB | A&M Records | 082839537421 | other |
| 1991 | AU | Polydor | 075021537422 | other |
| 1991 | US | A&M Records | 075021537415 | other |
| 1991 | XE | A&M Records | 082839537414 | other |
| 1991 | CA | A&M Records | 075021537422 | other |
| 24 September 1991 | US | A&M Records | 075021537415 | original |
| 8 October 1991 | US | A&M Records | other | |
| 8 October 1991 | US | A&M Records | 075021537422 | other |
| 8 October 1991 | US | A&M Records | 075021537422 | other |
| 8 October 1991 | US | A&M Records | 075021537446 | other |
| 22 June 1992 | US | A&M Records | 075021540125 | other |
| 1993 | GB | A&M Records | 731454017220 | other |
| 26 January 1994 | JP | A&M Records | 4988005136183 | other |
| 20 May 2003 | XE | A&M Records | 082839537414 | other |
| 18 November 2016 | US | A&M Records | 602557229745 | remaster |
| 18 November 2016 | US | A&M Records | 602557148787 | deluxe |
| 18 November 2016 | US | A&M Records | 602557229769 | deluxe |
| 18 November 2016 | US | A&M Records | 602557207422 | remaster |
| 18 November 2016 | US | A&M Records | 602557207439 | other |
| 18 November 2016 | XE | A&M Records | 602557150292 | deluxe |
| 18 November 2016 | XE | A&M Records | 602557141559 | remaster |
| 18 November 2016 | XE | A&M Records | 602557255140 | remaster |
| 18 November 2016 | US | A&M Records | 602557150292 | deluxe |
| 18 November 2016 | US | A&M Records | 602557141559 | remaster |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |