Soundgarden was one of the giants from the Seattle metal scene. I always respected the band, but I never saw them perform as a group. However, I did see frontman Chris Cornell perform in Minneapolis not long before he passed away. Without him, they can't ever re-form.
The band was created in 1984 by bass guitarist Hiro Yamamoto, lead guitarist Kim Thayil and singer/drummer Cornell. A year later, Chris moved over to rhythm guitar and was replaced behind the kit by Scott Sundquist who later gave way to Matt Cameron. Yamamoto left the group in 1990, and Jason Everman took over on bass for a while until Ben Shepherd stepped in. Their initial label was SubPop, which released their debut EPs Screaming Life and Fopp in 1987 and 1988, respectively. Soundgarden's first full-length album, Ultramega OK, was issued on SST Records in 1988.
Their first record with a major label was Louder Than Love, which was released via A&M Records in 1989. It helped Soundgarden find new fans, while some loyal followers gave up on the group that they thought had lost its punk roots. A video compilation entitled Louder Than Live and another EP, Loudest Love, was issued in 1990.
1991's Badmotorfinger was the first Soundgarden album recorded by the band's now classic lineup. It garnered considerable praise and in part helped them tour with rock contemporaries such as Skid Row and Guns N' Roses. Album singles "Rusty Cage" and "Outshined" were in heavy rotation on MTV, although the video for the song "Jesus Christ Pose" was eventually banned from the channel due to fears of it being anti-Christian.
Their fourth release, Superunknown, catapulted Soundgarden to the top of the rock charts. Songs like "Black Hole Sun," "The Day I Tried To Live," "Spoonman" and "4th of July" established their signature sound. A CD-ROM called Alive in the Superunknown and an EP, Songs from the Superunknown, would follow in 1995.
Soundgarden's fifth album, Down on the Upside, was different from any of their previous efforts. It wasn't quite as heavy as the songs from earlier albums that their diehard followers had come to expect. The group appeared on Lollapalooza with Metallica and toured worldwide to support what would be their last record of the 20th century.
The group officially announced their breakup in April 1997. A greatest hits compilation, A-Sides, was released that November. Chris Cornell went on to record solo works and join the musicians in Rage Against The Machine in forming the supergroup Audioslave, which released three albums before breaking up. Cameron and Shepherd worked on songs for their side project Hater and Cameron drummed for the Smashing Pumpkins for a while before joining Pearl Jam. Thayil also worked on other live and studio projects.
Fans were excited to hear rumors of a possible Soundgarden reunion, which proved to be true in 2010. Previously unreleased recordings were issued on Record Store Day in April, and the band played Lollapalooza once more before another hits album, Telephantasm: A Retrospective debuted in September. Soundgarden started work on another studio record in 2011, which became King Animal. The disc was issued in November.
Soundgarden continued to tour in 2014, but with Matt Chamberlain behind the drum kit, as Cameron had prior commitments with Pearl Jam. A 3-disc box set, Echo of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across The Path, with live tracks and rare tunes, was released that year. The group had recorded several new songs for another studio album before Cornell was found dead in his hotel room in May 2017. The official cause of death was listed as suicide by hanging. Cornell's widow Vicky was embroiled in a legal battle with the surviving members of the band over those recordings for several years afterward. Cameron, Shepherd, and Thayil had decided in September 2017 to not continue as Soundgarden.
In April of this year, the legal battle was concluded, and it appears that the 7 songs that Chris Cornell worked on with his band may finally see the light of day. I'll be interested to hear them. I regret not having ever seen them live in concert, but their songs have been and will continue to be loved for decades.
Well, that's all for now. I'm off soon to enjoy live baseball later today. Next up, I'll try to do the legendary band Van Halen justice. I'll probably write that article on Friday, as I have a volunteer commitment next Saturday. Until then, take care and have a great week, everyone!
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