Audioslave was a very popular "supergroup" consisting of Rage Against the Machine members Tom Morello, Brad Wilk, and Tim Commerford, and Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell. The group released three albums and had a steady international following. They were only around for less than a decade, but Audioslave made their mark on the hard rock and metal scenes.
After singer Zack de la Rocha left Rage Against the Machine in 2000, the other members of the group decided to continue recording and performing together. Producer Rick Rubin suggested Cornell, who was without a primary band following Soundgarden's breakup several years earlier. The four artists got along very well and recorded songs in 2001 with Rubin acting as producer.
Chris Cornell briefly left the group before their first concert or tour. Difficulties with management were cited for the departure. The band, Audioslave, was finally revealed in September 2002 and their self-titled debut album was released 2 months later. It was their most successful release, selling more than 6 million copies in just 4 years. Their first live performance was on the roof of New York's Ed Sullivan Theater for the David Letterman show that November.
"Cochise," "Like A Stone" and "Show Me How To Live" were the first three Audioslave singles. The group toured heavily in 2003 and was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards in 2004. The band spent most of that year working on new music and generally taking a break from performing. "Be Yourself" and "Your Time Has Come" were issued as singles before their sophomore effort, Out of Exile, debuted in May 2005. Audioslave embarked on a club tour that year and performed many more shows nationally and internationally, including a memorable concert in Havana Cuba that was recorded for a DVD release.
The group returned to the studio in the summer of 2005, with the goal of releasing their third album in June 2006. Cornell dismissed rumors that he was leaving Audioslave again but did admit that he was working on a solo record. Revelations wasn't issued until September 2006, and it was the band's least successful studio recording. Chris wanted to focus on his solo album and give the public more time to listen to Audioslave's new disc, which explains why the band didn't resume touring until 2007.
Rage Against the Machine had a one-time reunion concert in January 2007. A month later, Cornell announced his final exit from Audioslave. Tom Morello speculated a few years later that unreleased Audioslave material could surface at some point. However, no new songs have been issued since their last studio album. In January 2017, Audioslave reunited for the last time to protest Donald J. Trump's presidential inauguration. The death of Cornell 4 months later made any future reunions highly unlikely.
I don't know if any previously released Audioslave tracks will ever see the light of day, but it might just be possible on an anniversary of the group's formation or maybe on an anniversary of their first record release. Until then, I guess I'll just have to be content with the songs and the memories that I've associated with them.
That's all for this week. Next time, I'll write about the supergroup Velvet Revolver. Until then, have a great weekend, everyone!
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