The Greatest Hit. RIP - The Bear and Badger

LivDiv

Yeah I should give props to Dante's post there, good stuff.

Eric

Good choice here Liv

Thanks to MTV, Blackhole Sun got a lot of love in my late teens but it wasn't until University that I really listened to their other stuff. One of my housemates was well into them which meant they naturally worked their way into my subconscious.

Bought the first Chris Cornell solo album but was a bit disappointed. Voice still great but thought the songs were a bit Soundgarden lite probably to try and become a bit more commercial. Never liked Audioslaves output either.

BUT these are stonecold classics to me:
Day I tried to Live, Fell on Black Days, Pretty Noose are all belters but my favourite is Blow up the Outside World

regmcfly

Rouj got there before me but it's Highway off the first Slave album, followed by Shadow on the sun

Moot_Geeza

First thought for Cornell for me is usually this song, so Reach Down by Temple of the Dog can be my pick, as it has everything.

Call Me a Dog has huge ballad flex and Hunger Strike brings the heavyweight clout. It's a great album.

Big love for this version of this, the vocals could destroy walls:

For Soundgarden stuff, Jesus Christ Pose can't be ignored. Matt Cameron didn't seem so under manners for Soundgarden either, huge rock drummer. Black Hole Sun is an absolute classic too. I don't have quite as much love for them as some of their Seattle peers, but their music is more interesting than much of the output from artists I prefer (Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains).

The first Audioslave album is a Good Record. It gets some hate, but it's fine. I'd have Like a Stone from that.

Gremill

Loved Soundgarden - particularly the earlier stuff - and he had the most incredible voice. First heard them on a mixtape that the big brother of a girl at school mate me of Nirvana, Mudhoney, Nine Inch Nails, Godflesh and other noisy music.

Thought Audioslave were ok - they got less interesting the more you heard them though. After that initial 'woah!' reaction on hearing Cochise for the first time they're was just something about them that didn't work for me. On the other hand though, Temple of the Dog had two absolutely outstanding tracks in Hunger Strike and Say Hello 2 Heaven which of course had the damage multiplier of Vedder on backing vocals.

But it's Soundgarden that he did his best work with. Badmotorfinger is my favourite album of theirs - the opening salvo of Rusty Cage, Outshined, Slaves & Bulldozers and Jesus Christ Pose was mind-blowing to me at the time and, I think, remains their high water mark. I liked their later stuff well enough, but it was just too polished for me and lacked the frenetic dirty sound that that album.

It's Jesus Christ Pose for me. What a tune

Facewon

Feel like there's very few bad answers here.

Although part of me can still imagine Dante coming in and picking something of the timbo colab like a nutter.

poprock

Chris Cornell, fucking hell. Not just a voice, but THE voice. Not many singers can lay claim to so many genuinely great bands and have them all be centred around their vocals. ~~Mad Season,~~ Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden, Audioslave …

Favourites are hard to pick. Live performances like that version of Nothing Compares 2 U and the Temple of the Dog set with Seattle Symphony Orchestra bear consideration, but I’m gonna stick to actual recorded output on this one because there is an embarrassment of riches to choose from.

Fuck, I remember an Audioslave gig in Glasgow where he stepped out alone to bang out a series of acoustic Soundgarden songs in front of a curtain of tiny stars. By the second verse of Black Hole Sun I was in tears and so was everyone around me. That fucking voice.

Moot_Geeza

Mad Season was Layne Staley. Had that one on this morning because November Hotel was calling.

poprock

Aye, but you can find some great videos of Cornell filling his shoes for reunion shows in the mid-2000s. (Fair point though, MS don’t really belong on the list.)

RamSteelwood

I love Chris Cornell. Definitely up there in my top 3 'voices'. I saw him live doing his 'songbook' tour, pretty much all done just him and an acoustic guitar. Totally awesome, and he came across really well too with his chatter and even invited someone up to join him.

Anyway, I can't argue with any of the choices so far since they're all great. I've always been a sucker for the softer acoustic ballads though where his voice and range carry it, so i'll suggest 'The Keeper' from the Songbook album - though I don't think Chris wrote it as is for a film (machine gun preacher?) - and also 'Only These Words' from Higher Truth, a lovely little song about a daughter.

RamSteelwood

If you're talking covers, then his cover of 'Imagine' is pretty awesome, as is his version of Billy Jean.

Moot_Geeza

poprock wrote:

Aye, but you can find some great videos of Cornell filling his shoes for reunion shows in the mid-2000s. (Fair point though, MS don’t really belong on the list.)

Didn't know he filled in, will seek those out. It's one of the best side project(/supergroup) grunge era albums imo.

poprock

Okay, let’s think this through.

Temple of Dog … the whole album is beautiful but it’s all about Hunger Strike for this kind of conversation. That one song laid out a road ahead for grunge, from punk-influenced local scene to national and international chartbusting.

But I don’t think I can seriously consider it as Cornell’s best. Despite him stealing the scene with that blissed out tense scream of ‘I don’t mind stealing bread’ near the song’s close, it’s a two-hander. A genuine duet. Vedder deserves as much praise as Cornell for that one.

Bonus track: Miley Cyrus fronting Temple of the Dog to perform Say Hello 2 Heaven at the Chris Cornell tribute night after his death. Nothing to do with the task at hand, but spine-tingling stuff. Miley sings it like a female Vedder but with Cornell’s range.

poprock

Let’s jump ahead to Audioslave. The anticipation surrounding them was unreal. Cornell fronting Rage. But they’re not doing Rage-style songs? One of biggest musical hype trains I’d ever seen.

Then Cochise landed. The drawn-out tease of an intro. The drums hit, and hit hard. Then THAT. FUCKING. RIFF. Cornell screamed and the crowd went wild.

And it stands up now. Cochise is what happens when Cornell decides to leave subtlety at the door and just let rip.

Audioslave never quite hit that height again. They have some outstanding songs, Show me How to Live is a particular favourite of mine (really hitting the Led Zep vibe), but for me the rest of their catalogue is carried by Cornell’s voice. It wouldn’t be memorable without him.

Bonus track: This old acoustic session of Cornell doing Like a Stone solo. Stripped of the Rage boys it’s a tender and fragile thing.

cockbeard

Oh wow, haven't heard Jesus Christ Pose in years, love the reminders and new stuff the recommends throw up in here, cheers guys

poprock

On to the main event. Soundgarden. My love for this band knows no bounds.

That cover of Smokestack Lightenin’. The big brass balls of Get on the Snake. The triple hit of Outshined, Rusty Cage and Jesus Christ Pose. I mean, you could bin the rest of Badmotorfinger and it would still be an all-time great rock record based on those three songs alone. Badmotorfinger was where Soundgarden nailed down their sound. It fused the grunge of their peers with Led Zeppelin. Combined Seattle with Los Angeles and somehow wound up in the desert, hot, dry and utterly raw.

And then the big leagues. Superunknown. MTV came calling. Spoonman, Black Hole Sun, The Day I Tried to Live, Fell on Black Days. Fuck me, what a run of hits. Grunge went mainstream and Soundgarden remained the connoisseur’s choice, Cornell’s voice being the ultimate expression of the loud/quiet dynamic.

Soundgarden never quite hit those heights again, but Down on the Upside provided some old school thrills, Ty Cobb and Pretty Noose presumably standing as ripostes to anyone who complained that the likes of Black Hole Sun were too calm, composed and commercial.

I have to pick a favourite, but my favourite changes all the time. It’s Outshined, for that line about “looking California, but feeling Minnesota”. But it’s Spoonman, for being the pop hit that first pulled me in. But it’s Black Hole Sun, because of course it is. But it’s Fell on Black Days, for hitting me in the gut every single time. But it’s Rusty Cage because fuck that’s a rush of blood.

Honestly, I don’t know. I’ll vote for Outshined. Fuck it.

Bonus track: Norah Jones covering Black Hole Sun. many have tried to do jazz/piano versions of BHS, many have failed. But the thing about Black Hole Sun is vulnerability. It’s about being flayed alive and still managing to stand. And Norah gets that. Nails it.

RedDave2

As a grunge kid, Soundgarden and Chris Cornell were obviously big amongst me and my fellow teenage freinds

Over the years this have been my fav tracks

Seasons (Singles Soundtrack) Lovely little tune with simple guitar and a much sweeter sound from Cornells vocals. I dont think he has anything else really like this in his catalogue.

Room a Thousand Miles Wide (Badmotorfinger) The singles off this album are all great and JCP, Outshined and Rusty Cage are all killer but this odd track that comes after the half way point is hypnotic. And where the hell does the Sax come from??

Call Me A Dog (Temple of the Dog) Beautiful vocals lead into a smasher of a guitar solo (think its McCready from Pearl Jam) Lovely song, highlight of a great album for me

Fresh Tendrils (Superunknown) I think the odder tracks on their albums were the real hits for me with Soundgarden. This is a super track, well worth a listen to.

Fell on Black Days (Fell on Black Days) I know its from the album superunknown but the single had a rawer version of the song which I think was from the video. Its not so much stripped as just a well done live cut of a grunge classic.

Tighter and Tighter (Down on the Upside) My favourite soundgarden has lots of tracks I like - this is probably my top pick but Burden in My Hand, Pretty Noose and Never the Machine Forever are also strong

One (Live video) You should find this on Youtube. Not so much a great song - Cornell is basically playing One by U2 with the lyrics from Metallicas One. He sings it quite nicely but I'm more impressed that he can do it. Its quite tricky. A Novelty, but a nice one.

Like a Stone (Audioslave) I'm a little on the fence with Audioslave to be honest, but this track really won me over. Tom Morrellos solo was quite nice too.

Be Yourself (Audioslave) As said, I'm not the biggest fan but despite listening to the 2 albums, I'm convinced Audioslave are that rare band I like where its really the singles that are the highlights.

You Know My Name (Casino Royale) After the meh of his solo career, this felt like it came from nowhere. I didnt get into the soundgarden reunion so this feels like a fitting swansong.

Out of the above, which is the quintessential Chris Cornell? I think it's a toss up between Fell on Black Days and You know my name so I'll go with the Soundgarden track as my choice.

Moot_Geeza

Request to stick with grunge era for the next topic as it clearly makes plenty of us not-quite-old men get all excited.

g.man

*fucking grunge*

g.man

An ex of mine bought me an Audioslave album about fifteen years ago. I'm not convinced I even made it to the end of it.

RedDave2

g.man wrote:

An ex of mine bought me an Audioslave album about fifteen years ago. I'm not convinced I even made it to the end of it.

Oh my god, just discovered Audioslaves last album was 15 years ago. I was going to post a snarky post about 'did they time travel huh huh'. Glad I checked...

Eric

That Nora Jones version of Blackhole Sun got me feeling all emotional. Apparently she played it 5 days after Chris Cornell played his final gig at the same venue.

Mal0wner

I saw Sound Garden supporting Mudhoney back in 1989. I wasn't too impressed, too much hair, too metal and was probably queuing up for too long at the bar for most of their set.

Best track? I'd have to go with Black Hole Sun as covered by vintage synth duo The Moog Cookbook.

Roujin

Good shout everyone mentioning Like a Stone, twas narrowly pipped by Highway for me, but still a classic.

mistercrayon

My favourite song is also my least favourite song: James Bond theme.

It’s a mere technicality - really like that song.

Diluted Dante

Facewon wrote:

Feel like there's very few bad answers here.

Although part of me can still imagine Dante coming in and picking something of the timbo colab like a nutter.

Na, Scream feels like an album where they just lifted parts of existing vocals and dropped them onto new music. Only the title track and maybe Climbing Up the Walls use his voice particuarly well.

Bob

RedDave2 wrote:

Like a Stone (Audioslave) I'm a little on the fence with Audioslave to be honest, but this track really won me over. Tom Morrellos solo was quite nice too..

Obviously RatM suck. Not a massive fan of Soundgarden either to be honest.. Black Hole Sun the album goes on for ever and the Black Hole Sun track itself doesn't seem much shorter.

The first Audioslave album is fucking excellent and Like a Stone is the best track so I declare this my tune to

Like a Stone

regmcfly

I saw Audioslave in 03 and they were probably partly responsible for my severe hearing loss.

poprock

I managed to see Soundgarden a couple of times and Audioslave once. Best was probably Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden and Pop Will Eat Itself together over in the States, but Cornell’s solo acoustic set at the Audioslave gig really stays with me.

FranticPea

I'm not sure I can decide on a favourite Soundgarden song. I'll have a think and get back to you this time next year...

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