Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready Calls ‘Superunknown’ His Favorite Soundgarden Record

Story by Cat Badra
Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready is a big Soundgarden fan
Soundgarden‘s seminal “Superunknown” album recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, and when it comes to famous fans of the release – which features hit songs such as “Fell on Black Days,” “The Day I Tried to Live,” “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman” – Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready is at the top of the list.
Back in the ‘90s, McCready admits that Soundgarden and Pearl Jam had a small rivalry going on—one that he described to Billboard as “a healthy competition.” In the end, McCready says “Soundgarden are kind of the masters of writing songs that aren’t pop clichés.” The guitarist added that Soundgarden’s tunes have “very hard, strange timings but Chris Cornell makes the vocals memorable over the top of that. That, in itself, is an art.”
McCready is such a fan of “Superunknown” that he calls it “my favorite Soundgarden record…[because it] made me think, ‘Okay, this is what can be done.'”
One of Pearl Jam’s big albums will also turn 20 later this year: “Vitalogy.” The album — which dropped on vinyl on Nov. 22, 1994, and on CD on Dec. 6, 1994 – features the popular Pearl Jam tunes “Better Man,” “Corduroy,” and “Not for You.”
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