Post #21 - Chris Cornell
Seeing how much I worship Chris Cornell, I'm surprised it took me this long to do a post on him. Very few people (and even fewer songwriters) have meant as much to me. He's best voice in rock history, and as a lyricist he is equal to none in his generation. He is one of the very few song writers whose lyric sheets you can sit and read as if it were a poetry book. Somehow he always manages to write mysterious, engaging lyrics without ever sounding corny. Not even when he sings about mangos in Sweet Euphoria does he sound like an idiot.
I got Soundgarden's Superunknown for Christmas 1994, and I was forever hooked. I'd love to say I have incredibly intuitive parents who somehow simply knew Superunknown would be the perfect Christmas present. But I don't, I told them to buy it. It was one of the albums I kept listening to religiously all through high school, along with Green Jellÿ's 333, The Offspring's Smash and The Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (damn, that brings me back... God I hate nostalgia). I'm not thrilled about Audioslave, but I suppose they had a good song or two.
Today I'm gonna share with you my favorite Chris Cornell related songs - and no, I'm not gonna post Black Hole Sun. Or Jesus Christ Pose or Rusty Cage or Spoonman or Outshined or even Hunger Strike. Too predictable. And I'm not gonna post that James Bond song either, because that song sucks my nuts.
I've never been crazy about Soundgarden's early work, but I really dig Nothing To Say from the Screaming Life EP
In 1990, Cornell's friend Andy Wood died of a heroin overdose. To honor Andy, Cornell teamed up with four people who would later form Pearl Jam: Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard from Andy's band Mother Love Bone, and two virtual unknowns: Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready. Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron (who is currently also in Pearl Jam) filled out the ranks. Temple Of The Dog's self-titled debut album was released to glowing reviews in 1991.
Soundgarden's first masterpiece, Badmotorfinger, was released in 1991 and is still as crushing today as it was sixteen years ago. Easily one of the top three albums of all time.
In 1992, director/overrated hack Cameron Crowe decided to cash in on grunge and made Singles, a romantic comedy set in Seattle, with camoes by Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden et al. Horrible, formulaic movie. Just another romantic comedy. Nothing special. Middle class white yuppies and their worries. Wake me up when it's over. As usual with a Cameron Crowe film, the only good thing about it is the soundtrack. Singles featured Chris Cornell's first ever solo effort, Seasons.
The second masterpiece, Superunknown, came out in 1994. It made Soundgarden rock stars overnight with (the horribly overplayed) Black Hole Sun. Too bad most people failed to notice it was the worst song on the album. Black Hole Sun is the only song I skip whenever I listen to Superunknown. I can't stand that fucking video either. Any woman who lets a dog lick her face is per definition a bad person. That kind of behavior shouldn't be encouraged by putting her and deviant acts on television. There is a time and place for bestiality, and it's called "Canada".
Soundgarden's last album Down On The Upside hit stores in 1996, to unfairly lukewarm reviews. Less rockish than Superunknown, definitely more mellow than Badmotorfinger, and more psychadelic than anything they'd ever done, Down On The Upside is horribly overlooked and contains some of the best work of their career. For some reason it became a habit for Soundgarden to release the least intresting tracks as singles. Pretty Noose, Blow Up The Outside World and Burden In My Hand aren't bad songs by any stretch but they're definitely the most last lacklustre songs on the album. Zero Chance gave us a hint of what Chris Cornell would do on his solo album (see below), and Boot Camp is a simply amazing Pink Floyd/Beatles combo, atmospheric and trippy as hell. It had potential to be a huge Soundgarden classic, and the way it slowly builds and swells makes you feel as if it's gonna be a ten minute epic, but Cornell only gives us a quick tease and ends it abruptely before the song even hits the three minute mark. Brilliant, absolutely fucking brilliant.
After doing a few tours supporting Down On The Upside, Soundgarden called it quits. Cornell went on to release his first solo effort, the immaculate Euphoria Morning, in 1999. Grunge fans were disappointed it didn't sound more like Soundgarden or Temple Of The Dog. I suppose they have a point; Euphoria Morning has a lot more in common with Seasons and Jeff Buckley than heavy rock, but that doesn't mean it's not a good album. Because it is, in fact, fucking amazing. The best album of 1999, hands down.
Cornell then joined forces with Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk (of Rage Against The Machine fame) to form Audioslave. It sounded like a weird combo at first, but with the groove of the RATM boys and the Robert Plant-like howls of Cornell, Audioslave was an album full of classic rock with a heavy 70's feel. I loved the album when it first came out, and almost played it to death. Now, five years after the fact, when I revisit the album it's not as good as I remembered it. It's hardly the disaster of the two albums that followed, but Tom Morello's one dimensional guitar wanking and R2D2 solos get old quick. Not to mention Commerford & Wilk, perhaps the most boring, uninventive, rigid rythm section in rock today. This time around Getaway Car and The Last Remaining Light were the only songs that really, really grabbed me, probably because they sound just like Euphoria Morning. If someone had told me they were outtakes from those sessions, I would've bought it hook, line & sinker. The fact that the band played some Soundgarden songs live is one thing, but to have Chris Cornell rapping RATM songs is perhaps the worst idea since... well, since the last time something really bad happened.
The less said about the second album Out Of Exile the better. What a dull piece of crap that was. Doesn't Remind Me is the worst song Cornell has performed. It's so fecking atrocious it almost made me give up on him. The Curse was the only good song.
The last album Revelations was a total disaster, and I'm not gonna waste my time writing about how horrible it is, let alone post songs from it. Fuck Revelations, and fuck Tom Morello. Fuck him right up the ass.
Earlier this year, Chris Cornell announced he was leaving Audioslave (thank god) and focusing on his second solo album. According to rumors, it will contain a cover of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. If the album version sounds as good as the unplugged version he played in Stockholm in 2006, we're in for a treat. Unfortunately, it appears as though the wretched James Bond song will also be included. Ah well, I can always skip it.
Billie Jean (live & unplugged)
Ye Olde Bonus Tracks:
Chris Cornell - Can't Change Me (French version)
Chris Cornell - Sunshower (Great Expectations soundtrack)
Chris Cornell - Ave Maria (yes, the old Christian hymn)
Soundgarden - Blind Dogs (b-side)
(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love And Understanding (live & unplugged Elvis Costello cover)
Alice In Chains feat. Chris Cornell & Mark Arm - Right Turn
If you like what you hear, support the artists and buy it @ Amazon.
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I stand corrected. (Comment this)
kepp it up + all the best!
paolo | desagree.com (Comment this)