Soundgarden
One thing about Grunge, no one can deny is the band names were excellent - Pearl Jam, Nirvana and probably the best, Soundgarden. The story begins with guitarist Kim Thayil's move from Chicago to Seattle. Like most bands there were several members in and out before the right combination was dialed in. The final line-up was lead singer Chris Cornell, bassist Ben Shepherd, drummer Matt Cameron and Thayil.
Early in the band's twelve-year run they recorded for Sub-Pop and SST before signing sign with a major label. But just to make it difficult, they went with a label notable for a spotty track record with Rock. A & M started with Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass (Alpert was the "A" of A&M), launched the Carpenters and had massive success with Peter Frampton. Jeez! Surprisingly, Soundgarden moved to the forefront with the "Louder Than Love" and "Badmotorfinger" CDs but "Superunknown," released in '94, really nailed it with songs "Black Hole Sun" and "Fell On Black Days."
In '97, following their "Down On The Upside" album (which included "Blow Up The Outside World") the band decided to go their separate ways, no doubt, succumbing to the pressures of success.
After a false start, Cornell hooked up with Rage Against The Machine vets for Audioslave. The band had a successful, if brief, run. Cornell also pursued a solo career.
In mid-'09, he reported that bandmembers were talking about revisiting their back catalog. "[We're] trying to put together an album of B-sides and maybe a box set with some unreleased tracks," said Cornell. "We all feel it's time to do that . . . we have a lot of new fans discovering our music." Cornell added that a Soundgarden reunion was "not impossible."
Not impossible at all as it turned out. The group played an April, '10, "secret show" at Seattle's Showbox Theater - their first stage appearance in thirteen years. The band appeared under the name Nudedragons - an anagram of Soundgarden. They opened with "Spoonman" and closed with a cover of The Doors' "Waiting For The Sun."
When Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock (aka Guitar Hero 6) dropped for the PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 consoles prior to the '10 holiday shopping season the soundtrack contained "Black Rain," a previously unreleased "Badmotorfinger" era track. It was Soundgarden's first new song since '97's "Bleed Together" which was on the compilation "A Sides."
The band's career retrospective "Telephantasm," which also held "Black Rain," was initially packaged as a bonus for fans who purchased Guitar Hero.
Soundgarden Discography
1988 Ultramega OK
1989 Louder Than Love
1991 Badmotorfinger
1994 Superunknown
1996 Down On The Upside
1997 A-Sides (compilation)
The "A-Sides" has seventeen tracks and clearly illustrates why Soundgarden was a major '90s group. "Superunknown" is their crowning studio achievement. The hypnotic "Black Hole Sun" starts slow and dreamy but transforms itself into a Grunge explosion. "Fell On Black Days" and "Blow Up The Outside World" are pile-driving Rockers. "Spoonman" has a catchy riff with a lighthearted touch. The song's inspiration comes from a Seattle street musician.
Just a notch below is "Badmotorfinger" ("Rusty Cage," "Outshined"), "Louder Than Love" ("Ugly Truth," "Loud Love") and "Down On The Upside" ("Ty Cobb," "Blow Up The Outside World"). Their sound pits a solid guitar blast against Cornell's hard-edged vocals. The group also had the benefit of three extraordinary songwriters in Cornell, Thayil and Shepherd.
The group's SST label release "Ultramega OK" is a good set but pales when compared to later work. Both "Screaming Life" and "Fopp," recorded in the '80s, started as EPs but have since been combined into "Screaming Life." In this case two halves don 't make a whole.
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