Soundgarden

[Nazgûl]

I have Badmotorfinger on full whack here while doing a big clean of the gaf.

Maybe an obvious one for an 'appreciation thread', but I only got properly into Soundgarden a few years after I'd already become a huge fan of Alice In Chains and all the rest from that Seattle scene, so I still find myself throwing on their albums frequently and haven't worn them out at all.

Absolutely class band imo. They are up there as one of the best when it comes to writing riffs and songs which have clearly identifiable influences -- Mind Rot could nearly have come from Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti in some ways, for example -- yet still have plenty of their own individual identity. The strong hard rock, blues and chunky heavy metal sound on BMF could become very boring and uninspired if it were many other bands, but the thing with Soundgarden is their ear for hooks and song structure are fucking killer, on pretty much every track! That's what makes the tunes stand the test of time for me anyway, even if their sound is of a particular era.

4th of July, Outshined, Room A Thousand Years Wide, Fell On Black Days...so many bangers.

I've only heard Badmotorfinger and Superunknown, albeit countless times. They just have such staying power that I haven't gotten to check out the rest. From what I heard their earlier stuff is decent if a little less memorable. What about Down On The Upside?

Opinions on the other material, stand out songs, or just general appreciation for the band welcome. Go.

[Nazgûl]

One final thought: I feel Alice In Chains were hitting a lot of same highs on the first five or six tracks of Facelift, but couldn't sustain it for a full album until Dirt. Soundgarden had it in spades in comparison.

[Eoin McLove]

Badmotorfinger and Superunkown were massive for me as a kid. I remember hearing Outshined on the Metal Show in my grandparents' house in, I suppose, 92. Some time after that I got the tape and listened to it to death. Superunknown was a little more sedate but no less of a cracker. I still thankfully have the tapes in the collection as some stuff didn't survive the years.

I saw them headline Sunstroke 95 and despite thinking it was a bit low energy after White Zombie, it was great to have seen them live.

[Carnage]

All of the previous stuff is decent too, his vocals on Louder Than Love in particular are amazing. Avoid King Animal or whatever it's called like the plague, it's woeful. They really shouldn't have bothered with reforming, also judging from the live material they put out.

[Eoin McLove]

Allow me to go slightly off piste and give a nod to the incredible Temple of the Dog.

[Kurt Cocaine]

All of the previous stuff is decent too, his vocals on Louder Than Love in particular are amazing. Avoid King Animal or whatever it's called like the plague, it's woeful. They really shouldn't have bothered with reforming, also judging from the live material they put out.

Yep, I saw them on tour in 2014 and wondered that too.

[Circlepit]

Huge part of my youth and still are to a certain degree.
He has one if those voices that could stop you in your tracks.
Having said that I can't stand the wailing in Jesus Christ Pose.
I lived Down On The Upside when it was released.
Agree that the album after the reunion is shite.

He was no Layne though!

[Paul keohane]

I was too metal to be listening to the Seattle bands back in the day,but really got into them (Especially AIC) about 15 years ago.I was at that Sunstroke too,real hard act to follow after the White Zombie performance.

[Ollkiller]

Cracking band. Badmotorfinger and Superunkown are cracking albums. Finally got to see them at Hellfest in 2014 and they were savage.

[Pedrito]

Down on the Upside: I can't say enough good things about it. A gem hidden amongst other obviously goliaths of albums. My go to album for a drive in the countryside, especially summertime and when I'm back on the hallowed ground of the Boyne Valley, Slane, Drogheda, the works. Driving out to Dingle or the ring of Kerry, up through the Sally Gap, she's bern all over our green land with me.

I hesitate to single out particular tracks because it's more the vibe of the whole thing that gets me. That said, when you're in that halfway house between focussing on the road and allowing the tunes just wash over you, the song Zero Chance will make an appearance. My god what a tune. Spiritual stuff man.

Another album I would recommend in the same vein is Gish by the Pumpkins. Whatever you think about Billy Corgan's singing, he hadn't hit that grating tone that puts so many people off their later work. The guitar playing, the drums are another level entirely and it almost plays like an instrumental album at times. Very 'music' heavy. Another absolute gem.

[Pedrito]

Just to add, fuck it I love that album. 'Down...' is their Houses of the Holy album for me. Not perfect but the one I nearly always reach for. It's not until you listen to their drummer aswell that you realise what feel is. Hugely underrated the impact his choices have on their songs. He's the Pete Sandoval of Grunge. More feel than a teenage disco.

[Nazgûl]

Some nice thoughts and recommendation of that album there Pedrito, nice one! Ill certainly be checking it out now, finally moving on from my repeat listens of the two classics. I can relate to the House Of The Holy reference as that's another album I went back to lots in my Zeppelin phase, despite its small imperfections as you mention.

Matt Cameron is indeed an amazing drummer, as is Jimmy Chamberlain from the Smashing Pumpkins -- although I've never given them a proper thorough listen either album-wise.

[Pedrito]

Grunge for me is Nirvana, PJ, Soundgarden, Pumpkins and AIC. There are other cool bands but none are in that pantheon. AIC are the crossover band for most metal heads but they often tend to leave it there and the overuse of their sound/characteristics in metal has almost become cliché at this point. I find Pumpkins to have really cool oddness to them, mixed in with Corgan's adoration of Mercyful Fate(his favourite band) which explains why the guitar playing is just so fucking good. I will always love Siamese Dream but Gish would be a more obvious way a metal head would get in them. Pure class.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Never knew about that Corgan/Mercyful Fate thing. Siamese Dream is the only album of theirs I'd listen to in full, Soma (Kev will be glad to hear) being one of my favourite rock songs of all time.

Anyway, Soundgarden, yeah, class. I must give Down On The Upside another go. I had it on CD way back in the day, but almost never put it on. Probably one of those things where it didn't click on first listen, and being young and obsessed with loads of other albums I was bingeing on, it just slipped into a region where I didn't know it and unthinkingly presumed that was because I didn't like it. Folly of youth? Let's find out!

[Eoin McLove]

I had no idea about that BC/MF piece of trivia. I'll fire Melancollie on the car and listen with that in mind.

I always rated Matt Cameron as a drummer. He's so soulful in his playing. Unreal.

I haven't checked out Down on the Upside because they sounded like they had gone totally soft to it ear back then but I'm sure I'd get much more out of it now. Must keep an eye out for a CD.