Screaming Life/Fopp

Screaming Life/Fopp is a compilation album by the American rock band Soundgarden that combines their debut EPs in their entirety into a single release. It was originally released on May 11, 1990, through Sub Pop Records. Sub Pop later remastered and re-issued the album on November 24, 2013.

Screaming Life/Fopp
Compilation album by
Soundgarden
ReleasedMay 11, 1990
Recorded1987 at Reciprocal Recording and 1988 at Moore Theatre, Seattle, Washington
GenreGrunge
Length37:15 (original)
40:28 (remaster)
LanguageEnglish
LabelSub Pop
ProducerJack Endino, Steve Fisk, Soundgarden
Soundgarden compilations chronology
Screaming Life/Fopp
(1990)		 A-Sides
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
PopMatters[2]
Rolling Stone[3][4]
Consequence of SoundC+[5]

Overview

The album combines the band's first two studio EPs: Screaming Life (1987) and Fopp (1988). It was released in 1990 by Sub Pop despite having been recorded in 1987-88, after Soundgarden's two subsequent full-length releases, Ultramega OK (1988) and Louder than Love (1989), had gained them considerable popularity. There are two cover songs on the album; "Swallow My Pride" is a Green River cover and "Fopp" is an Ohio Players cover.

The 2013 re-issue contains an extra track, "Sub Pop Rock City," that is not present on the original release. "Sub Pop Rock City" was a track recorded during the same pre-Ultramega OK era but previously only available on the Sub Pop 200 compilation.

Release and reception

AllMusic staff writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three out of five stars. He said, "Soundgarden aren't as sonically powerful as they would later become, nor are their songs particularly compelling, making this only interesting as a historical recording."[1]

PopMatters journalist J.C. Maçek III reviewed the 2013 remastered version of the album and said, "As for the 'remastering' aspect, to be sure, the album sounds as good as it ever has, especially to those of us who memorized every note by way of audio cassettes. However, the new version doesn't sound markedly different from the previous release on CD, mostly because the songs were recorded tough and rough in the first place."[2]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Chris Cornell, all music composed by Kim Thayil, except where noted.

Original release
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Hunted Down"  2:42
2."Entering"  4:36
3."Tears to Forget" Hiro Yamamoto, Thayil2:00
4."Nothing to Say"  4:00
5."Little Joe"  4:31
6."Hand of God" Yamamoto4:27
7."Kingdom of Come" Chris Cornell2:35
8."Swallow My Pride"Mark ArmSteve Turner2:18
9."Fopp"Billy Beck, Leroy Bonner, Marshall Jones, Ralph Middlebrooks, Mervin Pierce, Clarence Satchell, James WilliamsBilly Beck, Leroy Bonner, Marshall Jones, Ralph Middlebrooks, Mervin Pierce, Clarence Satchell, James Williams3:37
10."Fopp (Fucked Up Heavy Dub Mix)"Beck, Bonner, Jones, Middlebrooks, Pierce, Satchell, WilliamsBeck, Bonner, Jones, Middlebrooks, Pierce, Satchell, Williams6:25
Total length:37:15

Remastered 2013 release
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Hunted Down"  2:42
2."Entering"  4:33
3."Tears to Forget" Hiro Yamamoto, Thayil2:01
4."Nothing to Say"  3:57
5."Little Joe"  4:29
6."Hand of God" Yamamoto4:26
7."Sub Pop Rock City"  3:15
8."Fopp"Billy Beck, Leroy Bonner, Marshall Jones, Ralph Middlebrooks, Mervin Pierce, Clarence Satchell, James WilliamsBilly Beck, Leroy Bonner, Marshall Jones, Ralph Middlebrooks, Mervin Pierce, Clarence Satchell, James Williams3:37
9."Fopp (Fucked Up Heavy Dub Mix)"Beck, Bonner, Jones, Middlebrooks, Pierce, Satchell, WilliamsBeck, Bonner, Jones, Middlebrooks, Pierce, Satchell, Williams6:28
10."Kingdom of Come" Chris Cornell2:36
11."Swallow My Pride"Mark ArmSteve Turner2:20
Total length:40:28

Chart performance
Chart (2013) Peak
position
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[6]7
US Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[7]22

Personnel
Soundgarden

gollark: Also, you apparently didn't hide anyone else's faces. That's probably impressive, though? I mean, I don't have context for such numbers, but they seem big.
gollark: I checked on the internet™, and apparently there are something like 10 combat-sports places in [somewhat nearby city I go to school in]. I'm sort of wondering if there's some local history I've missed. [nearby city] is still something like 25 minutes to travel to from where I am, which is annoying, and there don't seem to be any nearer ones.
gollark: > I'd say exercise is pretty fun if it's combat sportsI should probably try that (those?) when stuff reopens here.
gollark: Exercise is already pretty not fun, but I don't think I'd prefer to be electrocuted at the same time.
gollark: I mean, probably? But you would still have to sit there being exercised. And there would probably be issues with them not being coordinated properly with the rest of the body.

References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "AllMusic Screaming Life/Fopp Review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  2. Maçek III, J.C. (26 November 2013). "Soundgarden: Screaming Life / Fopp (Remastered)". PopMatters.
  3. Brackett, Nathan. "Soundgarden". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. November 2004. pg. 762, cited April 18, 2010
  4. "Soundgarden: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-03-26.
  5. "Album Review: Soundgarden - Screaming Life". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  6. "Soundgarden – Chart history – Billboard Vinyl Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  7. "Soundgarden – Chart history – Billboard Tastemaker Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
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