Soundgarden – Botorfinger

Surprisingly this pressing sounds really good. There is almost an hour of music on a single disc, so you need to bump the volume a few db to compensate for the compressed grooves; but the mastering handles this quite well. Guitars, bass and drums all sound dynamic and well balanced. Picked this up for $28 CDN in Vancouver, so I got no complaints. Made in Czech Republic sticker on rear sleeve.

This is the best I have heard of this album (my only references are CD and streaming services) but still it is a subpar release given how muddy the sound can get. It’s hard to tell if this is an issue with mix or mastering.

Sounds huge and loud. The loudness affects the dynamics but for a sludge/grunge record , the dynamic range is alright.

Instrument separation is not crystal clear but again, given the nature of the genre, it’s good. The fidelity is good with slight sibilance here and there on the outer tracks but inner groove distortion becomes evident as the needle progresses towards the last two tracks on both the sides.

Edit: Since my initial comment, I had the chance to listen to the 2016 US re-issue and now I own the 320 pressing of this record.

2016 US Reissue: The difference between the US reissue and this European SST cut isn’t huge but the US reissue is the inferior sounding one. Smaller soundstage and overall a bit more compressed.

320/2003 Reissue: Comparing the 320 cut to this 2021 European reissue:

1. The 320 has more defined guitar sound. The distortion on guitar sounds more well rounded in the 320 vs in this reissue it sounds a bit clipped (or a better way to describe is it sounds more grainy).

2. The 320 vocal is just a bit more natural primarily because you can hear the room reverb on/around his vocals.

3. Bass is more defined and tighter sounding on the 320 cut.

4. Drum sounds more natural. Again, the difference is not huge but since I am a musician I can tell that the snare, cymbals and hihat sound more natural. The kick is almost the same.

5. Overall, this European cut is louder (not cut hot but everything just sounds a little bit louder which compromises dynamic range). This is why the 320 sounds more natural (higher dynamic range).

The 320 is the best pressing and the next best alternative is this European reissue. If I am super honest, I wouldn’t have bought the 320 pressing if I had heard it prior to purchasing it. The differences are evident when you critically listen to this record (which in my opinion is not right. Botorfinger is the type of album you crank up and rock with it!).

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA YEAAAAAAHH SO GOOD!!!! RIP Chris Cornell, such a talented singer and songwriter.

For a single LP, this thing slams, I own 320 as well and picked this up locally for cheap, compared to 320 there's hardly any difference, if anything this is little louder than the 320 given this is cut from digital, but you still have to crank it up and it shines. The bass is deep and tight with enough clarity, Chris's vocals really comes alive after 68db.

Very similar to e.g Rage against the machine ST album which is also a 1 LP, you have to turn both up to give them a chance to shine.

Excellent publication with excellent vinyl quality and sound.
I would lower the rating due to the lack of an printed insert and non-contrasting text on the back of the outer sleeve.
My rating is 8.5* out of ten.

I picked up a reissue recently, but mine only has 3953741 A and 3953741 B etched in the runouts - nothing stamped. It also has 817 188-1 printed on the label instead of 395 374-1. Barcode and label code are the same as this and it also has 395 374-1 printed on the back of the cover above the barcode. I can't find any info about this so wondering if anyone else has the same copy?

This happens to have the same barcode as the 2003 “320” pressing. Is this just a repress of that? Does anyone know the source of this particular pressing?

its a fine pressing. I'm happy with it so far.

I was disappointed that this wasn’t the 320 when I cracked it open, but a newer reissue. I’ll echo what others are saying: quiet pressing, really have to crank it up to get the full punch. BUT, sounds great.

Anyone know the source for this pressing?

Soundgardens sound never ceases to amaze me between Kim’s guitar tone, Chris’ voice and Matt on drums my word do they put on an aural experience….Ben’s bass tone is wicked too. Definitely pickup this reissue sounds excellent!