The Cavern
Rock & Words
SOUNDGARDEN
“It wouldn't pain me more
To bury you rich
Than to bury you poor,
In your Jesus Christ pose”
“D+”
Main Decade: 90's
Main Eras:
Grunge (1989-???)
Key Members:
Chris Cornell, Vocalist
Kim Thayil, Guitar
Ben Shepperd, Bass
Matt Cameron, Drums
Key Songs:
Black Hole Sun, Jesus Christ Pose, Spoonman, Outshined, Flower, Rusty Cage, Slaves and Bulldozers, Loud Love, Big Dumb Sex, Hands All Over, Fell on Black Days, Superunknown, Mind Riot, Incesant Mace, Gun, 4th of July, No Wrong No Right, Let Me Drown, Into The Void, New Damage.
We are facing a very strange band. I have to say that of the Big Five of Grunge, Soundgarden is perhaps my least favorite, and I think I'm not alone in feeling that way. Mind you, I'm not generalizing or saying they're bad, just that Soundgarden seems to me to be the least known of those five giants of 90s Grunge. Everyone seems to know them and recognizes the name, I suppose thanks to "Black Hole Sun," which is undoubtedly one of the great anthems of the 90s. Everyone knows that Chris Cornell sang on it, but unlike the other bands, few people can remember more than three or four Soundgarden songs, and they don't have nearly as many die-hard fans as the other four. For a long time, I thought the reason for this was that they had one song SO big that it ended up overshadowing the rest of their extensive repertoire, but come on, Nirvana had "Smells Like Teen Spirit," for example, and the same thing didn't happen to them.
Now that I've listened to their entire discography to sit down and write about them, I think I've found a more objective reason. Soundgarden's instrumental level is superb, but of the Big Five, they are undoubtedly the heaviest and most difficult band to digest. Grunge isn't a pure genre, but rather an assimilation of 70s genres, to which each band brought different balances. Nirvana is more punk, more basic. Pearl Jam is more hard rock, as are Stone Temple Pilots. Alice in Chains uses a very effective balance between hard rock and 80s metal. Soundgarden leans more towards early metal, with a lot of Black Sabbath influence, but dirtier and much faster, incorporating more psychedelic influences as their albums progressed. Their albums are very, VERY heavy, with dense atmospheres and few variations in the mood that Thayil creates with his guitar. They are very good, but it's very difficult to listen to more than one in a single sitting. At times they sound too harsh. Cornell's voice is one of the most impressive in rock, but at times it becomes excessive with those high notes. Perhaps that's why they're one of those cult bands that people prefer to keep at a distance…
The most curious thing is that, while Nirvana opened the doors of grunge to the mainstream, Soundgarden was truly the one who laid the foundations of the genre and allowed it to solidify in Seattle, at least in the underground scene. As a fledgling band, they donated all the money from their first recording to the founding of Sub Pop Records, a label we all know was essential to the existence of grunge. What's impressive is that they made such a generous gesture precisely at the start of their career, when bands tend to cling to every penny they earn. They formed long before, laid the groundwork, and although they achieved glory, one might say they fell apart just as they were about to make the leap to the next big thing.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The first sketches of Soundgarden emerged in the early 1980s when then-drummer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto founded a group called The Shemps in Seattle. When Hiro left, he was replaced by another bassist named Kim Thayil, of Indian descent. Kim was friends with a guy named Bruce Pavitt, whom he'd known since childhood, as they both came from Illinois and had recently moved to Seattle. Bruce wasn't a musician, but he would become fundamental to the band's future. When the Shemps broke up, Chris Cornell and Hiro Yamamoto started jamming again and invited Thayil to join them, this time on guitar. In 1984, they gave the trio their definitive name, Soundgarden, inspired by a sculpture that had impressed them. By 1985, since it was difficult to sing with that power and play drums at the same time, Scott Sundquist joined as drummer, allowing Chris to focus exclusively on vocals. A year later, Scott left the band and Matt Cameron joined, forming one of their most well-known lineups.
Around that time, a rock DJ named Jon Poneman heard them and was blown away, as their blend of metal, rock, and punk was, for him, the very definition of what rock should be. He immediately contacted them and offered to launch them to stardom, but Thayil replied that if he wanted to help them, he should contact Bruce Pavitt, who was planning to start a record label. Poneman gave Pavitt $20,000, with which he founded the legendary Sub Pop. Naturally, the first band signed to this label was none other than Soundgarden, and their first recording was "Hunted Down," released in 1987. Shortly after, they released the EPs Screaming Life and Fopp, which helped them establish themselves as the favorite band in Seattle and the surrounding area.
By 1988, they had enough clout to attract the attention of major record labels, but despite lucrative offers, they signed with the relatively unknown STT Records for their debut album. Ultramega OK was released in October '88, but the band wasn't happy with the production, as Drew Canulette had no idea what the "Seattle Sound" they were aiming for was all about. Nevertheless, Ultramega OK was a smash hit, the first true success of the Seattle underground scene, and was even nominated for Best Metal Album at the Grammys, thanks to the heavy rotation of "Flower."
After the Ultramega OK tour, they signed with A&M Records. Soundgarden was the first grunge band to sign with a major label. This was initially problematic because the fans who had supported them from the beginning in Seattle considered it a major betrayal. This fanbase had more punk roots and couldn't accept this move, which, in hindsight, was logical. Soundgarden, then, paved the way for other grunge bands to reach major labels. Under the wing of A&M, they opened for Guns N' Roses, who at that time were THE band of the moment. Hiro also disagreed with the change, and slowly became isolated from the rest of the group. In 1989, they released their second album, Louder Than Love, with a production and sound that suited them better, and in which the influences of 70s metal were more noticeable. Although they had some distribution problems due to the sexually explicit lyrics, the album reached #108 and was a tremendous success for a band from Seattle.
After the brief burst of fame, Hiro left the group, citing exhaustion and frustration, but he was already completely out of the band's circle and they wouldn't allow him to contribute creatively. The tour supporting their second album was already scheduled, so they brought in Jason Everman, who had been Nirvana's bassist before Novoselic. After the tour, since he didn't fit in and wasn't musically up to par, he was replaced by Ben Shepherd, who brought with him a powerful and incredibly fast bass playing style that meshed perfectly with Cameron in the rhythm section and gave Thayil more freedom to shine on guitar. This would become Soundgarden's most iconic and successful lineup.
In 1991, they released Badmotorfinger, where they already demonstrated that this was THE lineup they needed, with everyone performing at an impressive instrumental level. Although it was already one of their mature albums, it was overshadowed by Nevermind. Existential lyrics, guitars laden with excellent riffs, deep and precise bass, powerful drums, and Cornell reaching his vocal maturity. Although Nirvana overshadowed them, the fame of Cobain and company shifted the spotlight to Seattle, and Soundgarden suddenly found themselves with a fanbase they never could have imagined. The metal scene was declining, and with the rise of grunge, former metal fans more easily identified with Soundgarden, who continued to receive nominations in the genre.
In late 1991, they once again opened for Guns N' Roses on their Use Your Illusion tour, this time at the specific request of Axl Rose and Slash. At the beginning of '92, they embarked on their first European tour, this time headlining. They were also one of the headliners at Lollapalooza '92.
For Superunknown, considered by many to be their masterpiece, they took considerably more creative freedom and more time than on previous albums. It's a practically perfect album, where, in addition to maintaining their heavy sound, they began to experiment, particularly Thayil, expanding his guitar range and adding psychedelic nuances. Cornell had mastered his voice completely, without excessive vocals, and his lyrics were also impressive, featuring dark themes and reflecting his addictions and personal struggles, which at the time had a significant impact on Generation X. "Black Hole Sun," in particular, would become the equivalent of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." A powerful and biting mid-tempo track whose video was played on repeat day and night on MTV, finally earning them several awards.
During their tour in Australia, they received the news of Cobain's suicide. Chris, in particular, knew him well and became even more depressed than he already was. Shortly after, doctors discovered damage to his vocal cords. Haha, singing five nights a week with that vocal range has consequences! They had to cancel the rest of the tour so Chris could recover and avoid permanent damage, and they took a long break after almost ten years of nonstop touring.
When they returned to record their next album, the band was fractured. Thayil wanted to return to heavy, crushing riffs, while Cornell wanted to continue in the vein of Superunknown, even more melodic if possible. Chris's idea prevailed, but the band was already noticeably fractured and creatively exhausted. While not a bad album, Down On The Upside (1996) was a strange shift that didn't work out well and ultimately led to their breakup. The tour for the album only served to confirm the band's exhaustion and reopen old wounds. At one of the concerts, Cornell had to come out alone to sing the encore a cappella. On April 9, 1997, the band's breakup was officially announced.
From then on, the legend and cult status of the band began to take shape. Matt Cameron left to play drums with the Smashin' Pumpkins in 1998 and recorded Adore with them. Later, Pearl Jam lost their drummer, and he officially joined. Kim Thayil has been involved in numerous projects, but mostly low-profile. Shepherd also played in several bands, with his most significant contribution being on Tony Iommi's 2000 album.
Chris, predictably, was the one who fared best. He released his solo debut, Euphoria Morning, in 1999, and in 2001 formed Audioslave with Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk, which was essentially Rage Against the Machine with a new vocalist. The group was commercially successful and released some interesting material, but it didn't live up to the expectations of Soundgarden or RATM fans, and many accused Cornell of wasting Morello's talent. Chris left Audioslave in 2007, effectively disbanding the group. He released his second solo album that same year, Carry On. And in 2009, he released the awful Scream, produced by Timbaland.
Perhaps this decline fueled their nostalgia. In 2005, everyone saw it as impossible, but at the end of 2009, Soundgarden reunited to plan the release of the box set. It seems the business meeting ended in a jam session, and in October, they were invited to a Pearl Jam concert, finishing the night by joining bands like Temple of the Dog and delivering a masterful performance of "Hunger Strike." The return was inevitable.
In April 2010, they gave their first proper concert after 13 years. Since then, they've been touring and headlining festivals, with all four members of their core lineup in top form.
Their new album was supposed to be ready by the end of 2011, but it was delayed and is currently one of the most anticipated albums of 2012. The band has revealed some of the titles of the 14 tracks, but they've avoided leaks, haha. All they've said is that it's like continuing to evolve from where they left off with Down On The Upside.
Soundgarden is a very powerful band that grew with each album, becoming one of the cult bands of the '90s. I like their music, especially Badmotofinger and Superunknown, which are great albums. But I still find it difficult to listen to more than one album at a time, and that worries me a bit. Perhaps my tolerance for the influence of Metal on Grunge ends with Alice In Chains. I don't know, it seems to me they were very underrated at the time, and a bit overrated nowadays. Even so, they remain one of the five pillars of Grunge, and that, along with their great songs, powerful riffs, tremendous rhythm section, and Cornell's incredible voice, has secured them a place in history.
By Corvan
Jan/25/2012
