SOUNDGARDEN

[Lady Livin]

One particular now-defunct band that I have always believed never got enough credit was Soundgarden. By observing all of your preferences in music, I've noticed plenty of touches of grunge, metal, and blues. This was essentially what SG were. These are also my three favorite genres; sub-genres aside. On their earlier albums, you can tell they were heavily influenced by the decade that came before them.

Most people know of SG by their 1994 release, Superunknown, but I don't really think that's the best way to start getting into them. Since they were one of those bands where none of their albums sounded identical to another, you have to start at the beginning. And in my opinion, the beginning is where the good stuff is. The distortion is so organized.

Chris Cornell is one of the greatest singer/songwriters I've ever heard. Just because he's well-known, doesn't mean he's regarded in the right aspects as much as he should be. Tracks I recommend to witness this high-octave beast are Beyond The Wheel [from Ultramega OK], All Your Lies [also from Ultramega OK], Loud Love [from Louder Than Love], Hands All Over [also from Louder Than Love], Jesus Christ Pose [from Badmotorfinger], Slaves and Bulldozers [also from Badmotorfinger], Limo Wreck [from Superunknown], and The Day I Tried To Live [also from Superunknown].

Kim Thayil is hands-down my favorite guitarist of all time. Jimi is obviously the greatest, but this man is so fucking underrated it's disgusting. He wrote THE most memorable riffs of the late 1980s and early-mid 1990s, and that is indisputable. I'm not a musician, and I don't know the technicalities of guitars and whatnot, but I do know what a good riff and a good solo are. Thayil went beyond that. Tracks I recommend that show his skills off best are Head Injury [from Ultramega OK], All Your Lies [also from Ultramega OK], Gun [from Louder Than Love], Hands All Over [from Louder Than Love], Big Dumb Sex [also from Louder Than Love], Rusty Cage [from Badmotorfinger], Jesus Christ Pose [also from Badmotorfinger], Spoonman [from Superunknown], Head Down [also from Superunknown], and Pretty Noose [from Down On The Upside],

Matt Cameron is an incredible drummer, obviously one of the best and most recognizable of the 1990s. I think he's taken the spot of the ever-changing drummer in Pearl Jam, but tracks you need to listen to from this guy are Flower [from Ultramega OK], Nazi Driver [also from Ultramega OK], Gun [from Louder Than Love], Hands All Over [also from Louder Than Love], Room a Thousand Years Wide [from Badmotorfinger], Face Pollution [also from Badmotorfinger], Let Me Drown [from Superunknown], My Wave [also from Superunknown], Pretty Noose [from Down On The Upside], and Ty Cobb [also from Down On The Upside].

I have no comments on Ben Shepherd or Hiro Yamamoto, and don't usually have opinions on much other bassists except for funk-metal bands like FNM or, like, RHCP. I recognize it's extremely necessary, but yeah. I recommend this band so much, even if they have gone their seperate ways. Long live Soundgarden, and after you have d/l those tracks, order all their albums! Thank you, come again.

 

[Wheres Izzy]

I agree a hundred and fucking 20 percent! I love soundgarden. great band that got lumped into the grunge scene. I hate what happened to bands like AIC and soundgarden because the music fucking rocked but just got labeled as some generational thing and never fully appreciated. I have all of their albums and they get heavy rotation in my car. Cornell has one of the greatest voices....ever really. I somehow can't get into audioslave nearly as much tho. I picked up the album and there was some stuff I liked but I guess I was just hoping for more with the lofty standards soundgarden set. I remember hearing on the radio that soundgarden had broken up and they said it like it was no big thing and that bothered me alot because they deserved to have everyone up in arms over such a sudden break up. I hope people check out the songs you listed because while I like "black hole sun" most people I know who aren't into them only know them as that song and I don't think it defines them well because in my opinion they made alot of better music before and after that song.

[Lady Livin]

while I like "black hole sun" most people I know who aren't into them only know them as that song and I don't think it defines them well because in my opinion they made alot of better music before and after that song.

yeah, of course. I, in fact, think that's one of their worst. the riffs are so lazy, and it was extremely lucky enough to be a radio hit. Fucking great music video, though, obviously.

[jarmo]

Soundgarden were great. GN'R even took them on tour before the general public had an idea of how great they were.

If you want to hear great drumming from Matt Cameron, listen to "Jesus Christ Pose".

Also, check out Chris' solo album "Euphoria Morning" and the song "Seasons" on the Singles soundtrack. Doesn't sound like Soundgarden, but it's still great.




/jarmo

[Wheres Izzy]

I have euphoria morning. Real good album. Much Mellower than anything soundgarden ever did, but a nice turn for cornell.

[Lady Livin]

yeah, here are a few articles/interviews that have mentions of axl and gn'r.

http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/rip_7-92.shtml
http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/kerr_4-4-92.shtml
http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/circus_1-31-92.shtml

[Lady Livin]

when they were on Headbanger's Ball, there's also an axl mention, which seems to be a bit awkward...

http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/rocket_3-90.shtml

Rachtman: Axl Rose seems to like your band. What do you say about that?

Chris: (deadpan) Wow. As long as the checks we send him clear, he seems to keep saying good things about us.

Rachtman: So the checks keep coming. We talked a little earlier that you guys are from Seattle. Did you create a big buzz there and the record companies came to you, or did you go out to LA?

Kim: (long pause) No, the record companies came to see us in Seattle before we ever went and played Los Angeles.

[Wheres Izzy]

thanks for the articles. I love the part in the last one where he tells the crowd "no corny devil shit" and gets them to give the finger thru the whole song.

[Lady Livin]

thanks for the articles. I love the part in the last one where he tells the crowd "no corny devil shit" and gets them to give the finger thru the whole song.

If they're talking about the metal salute in general, okay, but that would be ironic considering their Ultramega OK album and all of its content... haha.

[Wheres Izzy]

thanks for the articles. I love the part in the last one where he tells the crowd "no corny devil shit" and gets them to give the finger thru the whole song.

If they're talking about the metal salute in general, okay, but that would be ironic considering their Ultramega OK album and all of its content... haha.

hahaha very true. But they say in the article chris said it after the crowd all had the metal saulte up.

[Lady Livin]

thanks for the articles. I love the part in the last one where he tells the crowd "no corny devil shit" and gets them to give the finger thru the whole song.

If they're talking about the metal salute in general, okay, but that would be ironic considering their Ultramega OK album and all of its content... haha.

hahaha very true. But they say in the article chris said it after the crowd all had the metal saulte up.

Though, I have also read that they have made a few tracks sort of "mocking" the cliches in metal. Like their "665" and "667" tracks, and the whole meaning of Big Dumb Sex, and maybe even Jesus Christ Pose.

[Dave_Rose]

Cornell is one the greatest vocalist I've heard

[Chief]

they definitely kicked ass and its too bad they broke up. hopefully the next audioslave cd is good though, i love chris cornell!

[jimmythegent]

I couldn't agree more - Soundgarden for me were the band of the '90's, hugely under-rated and unfairly lumped in with the whole grunge sound and thus overlooked. Their arrangments are so unique and don't conform to accepted norms and the lyrical themes were always so dark and interesting. I miss them hugely cos although Audioslave are good they don't hold a candle . Euphoria Morning is also well worth investigating

[Wheres Izzy]

hey alice- I was wondering what your favorite soundgarden song is. Mine is actually bleed together. I am not one to buy greatest hits compilations for the couple extra tracks if I have all their other releases but I heard that song and had my friend burn it right away. And to think it almost wasn't released. Lyrically I like tighter and tighter a little bit more but overall I give the nod to bleed together.

[Lady Livin]

hey alice- I was wondering what your favorite soundgarden song is.

holy water.

[GNR_Green]

Soundgarden can definately get away with calling themselves the band of the 90's (not counting UYI I&II).

Like has been said, they never got the recognition as a great rock band.  Probably because they were labelled grunge and we all know which band was unfairly placed at the top of that tree, at least by the media.

[MadmanDan]

Soundgarden and Alice in Chains are fuckin great bands!

[Kurt Cornell]

I also love this band along with Nirvana and Alice in Chains, they are my favorite band after Nirvana and GN'R, I think they never really got the credit they diserved most of the attention was faced on Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but thery are still a great band, my favorite song by them at the time is probley Drawing Flies.

[Hammy]

Extremely good band, i am very disappointed in Audioslave in comparison.  My fave song by them would probably be Limo Wreck although there is still a lot of their stuff i have not heard and need to look into.  I agree they were unfairly overshawdowed by Nirvana as most bands who were in the 'grunge' scene were along w/ Pearl Jam they were 2 exceptional bands of that time who to many just faded away.  Soundgarden breaking up was seen as no big thing and Pearl Jam's existence these days is not really noticeable to the masses even though the music is still great.