12 CC's Of Rock

In two weeks, the one of the last golden throats of the modern era puts out a new album, and it will likely make or break him. Chris Cornell, the rugged, often shirtless icon of the 90’s has had a disappointing streak as of late, and it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to pull out a another win. He has been part of some brilliant music and also made some turds. Here’s how they stack up:

Legendary
Temple Of The Dog
It took mutual friend Andrew Wood’s overdose to pull together members of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam into the studio to lament and honor his passing. The result was a supergroup that made a perfect album, not one song a throwaway or filler. Matt Cameron would later join Pearl Jam, who now don’t come close to what they once were, but you can see the moment that was both their and Cornell’s ascent to greatness.

“Hunger Strike”

Also listen to: “All Night Thing”, the romantic closing track, and “Reach Down”, their crowning 11 minute opus.

Superunknown
The album that made Soundgarden superstars, Superunknown was a watershed moment for both grunge and Cornell. His voice had never been stronger or more intense. And as was customary during his stint with the band, Cornell was a major contributor to music and lyrics of many songs.

“Black Hole Sun”

Also listen to: "The Day I Tried To Live”, a melancholy and eerie tune, and the grinding doom of “Fourth Of July”

Down On The Upside
The swan song from the survivors of the Seattle scene, their last album was also one of their strongest. With Nirvana gone, Alice In Chains fragmented, and Pearl Jam busy fighting Ticketmaster, Soundgarden self-produced an eclectic masterpiece that was a fitting coda to years of innovation. While not reaching the acclaim of Superunknown, Down On The Upside was just as important a step artistically and creatively.

“Blow Up The Outside World”

Also listen to: the stagger-step groove of “Dusty” , and “Overfloater”, with its slow building psychadelia

“Seasons”
From the Singles soundtrack, Cornell added this ditty after already contributing “Birth Ritual” with Soundgarden. The album was a who’s who of grunge superstars. With just his voice and guitar, the tune has all the bombast and character of a full band.



Classic
Badmotorfinger
The first album after bassist Ben Shepard joined Soundgarden was a huge turning point musically for the group. While still hammering out the Sabbath heavy riffs, the band also started experimenting with more progressive sounds and songwriting. This was the most popular and longest running incarnation of Soundgarden, and the magic is apparent from listening to the album.

“Jesus Christ Pose”

Also listen to: “Outshined”, one of the opening salvos from the emerging grunge soundscape, and “Rusty Cage”, which was impressive enough to get the Man In Black to try his hand at a version.

Euphoria Morning
After Soundgarden split, Cornell spent time with Alain Johannes and Natasha Schneider of alterna-pop group Eleven. The results of their collaboration and assistance were more Beatle-esque than his previous work, but still well-crafted and a positive step as he headed into a different direction than grunge deity.

“Can’t Change Me”

Also listen to: "Sweet Euphoria", a beautiful ballad, and the bouncy, George Harrison flavored "Fluttergirl"

Good
Louder Than Love
Getting into the earlier years of Soundgarden, the band was know for it's nearly brutal, relentless riffs and Cornell's Zeppelin-on-steroids yelping. This album was as much a transition into the Badmotorfinger era as it was a bridge from the Ultramega OK and earlier albums in that it refined the hard edge Soundgarden had developed but tempered it with melody and a sense of style that other heavy bands at the time were devoid of.

"Loud Love"

Also listen to: "Hands All Over" , a political and cautionary tune, and the overly-macho and mocking "Big Dumb Sex"

“Sunshowers”
This was a contribution to the Great Expectations soundtrack, which in and of itself was not remarkable. But as a songwriter working in a solo setting, he penned this ditty which, while not A-grade material, beat out the B-side bin and lived out it's days on that compilation.



For Fans
Ultramega OK and Screaming Life/Fopp
From their days on Sup Pop and SST, Soundgarden was a raw juggernaut. Again, all the hints of greatness are there, but musically and creatively, this is the most direct and straight forward version of the band. It is a good indicator of their talent, but really more the genesis than a true representation of the sound they would be identified with.

“Flower”


Garbage
The idea of parts of Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine was almost too good to be true...and it was. Pearl Jam put out Yield, their literal declaration of giving up on being inventive, challenging musicians, and while the name is not as revealing, Audioslave is the same. Some of you will remember my previous post commenting on the underwheliming result of their time together. I hate to end on a bad note, considering how much good music preceded this, so I'll give you a few examples and spare you the rest -- go back to the top to reboot your ears. What's as bad as the generic, unmemorable quality of these songs is that they all ape riffs and melodies from other songs. You'll hear "The Ocean" in "Cochese" , "Material Girl" in "Original Fire" and "Paint It Black" and "Secret Agent Man" in "You Know My Name". Ugh.

Audioslave, Out Of Exile, Revelations, Casino Royale Soundtrack

“Cochise”


“Original Fire”


“You Know My Name”