Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger is arguably one of the finest rock albums of all time. Their sound is distinct, the musicianship is terrifying, and Cornell was easily one of the finest lyricists of the century. The end product was simply something amazing.
The Badmotorfinger deluxe box set was not cheap. I imagine a lot of folks passed on it due to the price. I bought it used from a friend for $100. And I'd do it again... You have to admit, if you own it, it looks phenomenal on your shelf and the discs are fantastic.
Some overall, global comments on the blu-ray surround mix:
- This band is not known for silence. Their music is muddy and/or screechy at times, which certainly must've made it a challenge to mix into a cohesive surround mix. I have not heard the surround mix of Superunknown yet, but I've read some alarming reviews about it. I'm guessing, the engineers took what they learned from that experience and used the knowledge to perfect this one.
- This mix is actually a huge improvement over the stereo album. All that noise has more room to breath. It makes it easier to process.
- The balance of bass and mids is nearly perfect. The stereo album is very mid-heavy, with subdued (almost mid-range) kick drum. In this 5.1 mix, the kick is large, low and prominent.
- They took Cornell's voice and stood it up in the center, but mixed it into the other channels in a subdued way - and it works brilliantly. It's a perfect middle ground between pure-center and stereo vocals.
- None of the mixes are particularly playful. This was about making a solid 5.1 presentation of some truly thick stereo material.
- You should definitely play it with the video presentation 'ON'. They clearly spent a lot of time rendering some truly beautiful (and slightly unsettling) CG motion videos to go with the songs - and they are truly awesome.
Digging in deeper:
Rusty Cage - Some heavy mids in this song. Right away you can tell, though, that it's not as fatiguing as it was in stereo. Background vocals during the verse are mixed to rears and it sounds very cool.
Outshined - This is where you will begin to truly appreciate this album in surround. The riff here is 100% beef. No additives. And when the chorus arrives, you'll understand why you paid the price of admission... Huge and terrifying.
Slaves & Bulldozers - This is the one song that could've been horrible in this mix, but again they come through with a perfect balance of the tones. It's a juggernaut riff...I mean, there's just not enough middle finger to hold up. So heavy. The guitar solo is mixed a bit playfully, floating around from speaker to speaker before it settles down into the bridge - where they play with the delay on his vocals. "...is what I, is what I, is what I....". As a side note, the epic 12 minute version of this which is at the end of the 'Live at the Paramount' DVD that comes in this set...is astonishing. I'm not a huge advocate of live Soundgarden recordings, but damn...so heavy. Right before they burst into the main riff at the start he says "This is your last chance...". Middle. Finger. "Virgin eyes and dirty looks..."
Jesus Christ Pose, Face Pollution, and Somewhere are all great examples of the fine balance they found in this mix. You hear every little thing perfectly.
Searching With My Good Eye Closed - Now, this has always been my favorite track on the album. Something about the way it's written, I find it beautiful. And this was the track I was waiting to hear when I first played this blu-ray. Let me say, it is nothing short of soul-crushing purity. The intro is mixed playfully with the old farm-animal toy sounds ("Do you hear a cow? [back left], "MoooOOO" [front right], etc.). And when it goes, "The devil says..." 'raaaaaAAAAA' just BOOM. It is utterly explosive. I'll tell you, as a grown man, I get a little weepy when I hear it in this presentation. It is so good. And during the bridge, the clapping is mixed to the rears (and brought way up in the mix) - which is really cool to hear as it's a bit out of character for the material. I honestly would pay $100 for this single track. Worth it. "I don't remember, half the time, if I'm hiding or I'm lost. But, I'm on my way..."
Mind Riot - Some outstanding work here on the vocal presentation; so much clarity.
Drawing Flies - You have to turn this up to 11. The muddiness of the stereo version is cleaned up here and laid out so that you can hear all of it. It's crazy how much rock is in this song, and the surround mix here just takes you to school. "Sitting here like wet ashes with X's in my eyes..."
Holy Water and New Damage - great closing tracks that benefit from great mixing. The chorus in New Damage is so menacing.
As an added bonus, you can listen to the three B-sides in surround as well: Cold Bitch, She's a Politician, and Birth Ritual. I'd actually never heard Cold Bitch before this. I had She's a Politician on the Jesus Christ Pose EP CD. And, of course, Birth Ritual is on the 'Singles' soundtrack. All of these sound amazing in surround.
Basically, you will never want to hear this album in stereo again. An absolute triumph. I gave it a 9 due to unavoidable mid-range fatigue here and there, but it probably deserves a 10. And Searching With My Good Eye Closed gets a 42...seriously. It gets a 42.
