RIP Chris Cornell 1964 - 2017

[liebzz]

Live on I-5

Pulled this one now since the performances were recorded during their 1996 tour in support of Down On the Upside. I have also always considered this the rightful summary of the first part of Soundgarden’s career through 97. They were mostly a beast on these performances - Jesus Christ Pose, Slaves & Bulldozers, Searching With My Good Eye Closed, Outshined, Rusty Cage in particular, Head Down, the shelter Skelter/Boot Camp seamless combo, the band on Search & Destroy, Chris Cornell on Black Hole Sun delivered in that sparse arrangement…it all works for me and shows a band that can deliver the goods straight up some tracks and push others a bit further. More than Cornell, who sounds pretty good here, the band is what lights this all up. A good place to finish off what is essentially the first third of this journey.

[VinylGuy]

DOTU has 'Zero Chance', perhaps my favourite of all their tracks. The opening 1-2-3 of Pretty Noose, Rhinosaur and ZC just brings it all back for me. Every time.

Zero Chance is a personal favorite too.

[fyfe79]

Live on I-5

Pulled this one now since the performances were recorded during their 1996 tour in support of Down On the Upside. I have also always considered this the rightful summary of the first part of Soundgarden’s career through 97. They were mostly a beast on these performances - Jesus Christ Pose, Slaves & Bulldozers, Searching With My Good Eye Closed, Outshined, Rusty Cage in particular, Head Down, the shelter Skelter/Boot Camp seamless combo, the band on Search & Destroy, Chris Cornell on Black Hole Sun delivered in that sparse arrangement…it all works for me and shows a band that can deliver the goods straight up some tracks and push others a bit further. More than Cornell, who sounds pretty good here, the band is what lights this all up. A good place to finish off what is essentially the first third of this journey.

Surprising take on that album - I think it was a mistake to release it, tbh. Chris sounds pretty poor for the most part. The exception being the tracks recorded in Seattle, as I believe Chris had a week or two off before those shows so his voice had recovered somewhat... Nothing to Say is easily the best thing here, as Chris nails it. Listen to Outshined and compare to a version from just 2 years prior and the difference will be stark.

[VinylGuy]

im also a fan of Live on I-5, i only kind hate how the crowd is mixed but those performances are fucking wild.

[Birds in Hell]

The mix renders it unlistenable to me.

Kind of a bummer.

[fyfe79]

The mix renders it unlistenable to me.

Kind of a bummer.

Yeah, there's fake crowd noise all over it.

[Ello Sailor]

DOTU has 'Zero Chance', perhaps my favourite of all their tracks. The opening 1-2-3 of Pretty Noose, Rhinosaur and ZC just brings it all back for me. Every time.

This guy knows his SG. I was lucky enough to have chosen DOTU to listen to when I dropped acid for the first time. Cannot unhear.

[surfndestroy]

Metallica just released an ep of Soundgarden covers as part of a vinyl subscription dedicated to Chris.

https://www.loudersound.com/news/metall ... s-on-vinyl

[liebzz]

Live on I-5

Pulled this one now since the performances were recorded during their 1996 tour in support of Down On the Upside. I have also always considered this the rightful summary of the first part of Soundgarden’s career through 97. They were mostly a beast on these performances - Jesus Christ Pose, Slaves & Bulldozers, Searching With My Good Eye Closed, Outshined, Rusty Cage in particular, Head Down, the shelter Skelter/Boot Camp seamless combo, the band on Search & Destroy, Chris Cornell on Black Hole Sun delivered in that sparse arrangement…it all works for me and shows a band that can deliver the goods straight up some tracks and push others a bit further. More than Cornell, who sounds pretty good here, the band is what lights this all up. A good place to finish off what is essentially the first third of this journey.

Surprising take on that album - I think it was a mistake to release it, tbh. Chris sounds pretty poor for the most part. The exception being the tracks recorded in Seattle, as I believe Chris had a week or two off before those shows so his voice had recovered somewhat... Nothing to Say is easily the best thing here, as Chris nails it. Listen to Outshined and compare to a version from just 2 years prior and the difference will be stark.

My main point of comparison is Live from the Artist Den which I have a hard time listening to because Chris sounds actually awful. Here I think he mostly sounds pretty good save for a few rough tracks (ie Spoonman). The band sounds great though.

[bada]

You know I'm not sure I've ever heard a live version of Spoonman that I thought Chris nailed.

[liebzz]

FYI, I got to Euphoria Mourning yesterday but I haven’t gathered my thoughts. May need a second listen.

[fyfe79]

Live on I-5

Pulled this one now since the performances were recorded during their 1996 tour in support of Down On the Upside. I have also always considered this the rightful summary of the first part of Soundgarden’s career through 97. They were mostly a beast on these performances - Jesus Christ Pose, Slaves & Bulldozers, Searching With My Good Eye Closed, Outshined, Rusty Cage in particular, Head Down, the shelter Skelter/Boot Camp seamless combo, the band on Search & Destroy, Chris Cornell on Black Hole Sun delivered in that sparse arrangement…it all works for me and shows a band that can deliver the goods straight up some tracks and push others a bit further. More than Cornell, who sounds pretty good here, the band is what lights this all up. A good place to finish off what is essentially the first third of this journey.

Surprising take on that album - I think it was a mistake to release it, tbh. Chris sounds pretty poor for the most part. The exception being the tracks recorded in Seattle, as I believe Chris had a week or two off before those shows so his voice had recovered somewhat... Nothing to Say is easily the best thing here, as Chris nails it. Listen to Outshined and compare to a version from just 2 years prior and the difference will be stark.

My main point of comparison is Live from the Artist Den which I have a hard time listening to because Chris sounds actually awful. Here I think he mostly sounds pretty good save for a few rough tracks (ie Spoonman). The band sounds great though.

I get your point if comparing I5 to Artists Den. I don't think I've even listened to most of Artists Den, it's that bad - I shut it off after a few tracks on disc one. Why listen to those live tracks when I can listen to the stunning album versions. No doubting the bands' playing/performances, but Chris' vocals are just not release-worthy.

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

The mix renders it unlistenable to me.

Kind of a bummer.

Yes, I said this in the Soundgarden thread. It's garbage from a production standpoint and one of the worst live albums I've ever heard.

[LetMeSleep]

The mix renders it unlistenable to me.

Kind of a bummer.

Yes, I said this in the Soundgarden thread. It's garbage from a production standpoint and one of the worst live albums I've ever heard.

I concur, gents.

[VinylGuy]

Im really looking forward to discuss EM.

[liebzz]

Euphoria Mourning

This one took two listens. I was vaguely aware of this album when it came out but I didn’t pay any attention to it. A huge sharp turn for Chris Cornell - perhaps a clean break from Soundgarden. What we get is a moderately straight forward album that really focuses on Cornell and his vocals - as a straight crooner - over mind blowing textures and performances. Don’t get me wrong, the band (basically Eleven from what I understand) is good, and provides a very strong vehicle for Cornell, particularly on Flutter Girl, Follow My Way, Pillow of Your Bones, and Steel Rain, but it’s Chris Cornell that stands out. His vocals on When I’m Down I thought were great. I also really liked Mission. Can’t Change Me is a solid single that I think represents the album pretty well, but there are a lot of better tracks on this one, particularly how the album ends. There are moments where the balladeering gets too feel like a little too much, but in the greater context of what it comes from and what comes next, it is also a breath of fresh air to see him trying on something very different. It won’t be among my favorites from this journey but it has a solid place for me.

[Kevin Davis]

What we get is a moderately straight forward album that really focuses on Cornell and his vocals - as a straight crooner - over mind blowing textures and performances.

I've been enjoying your journey as I enjoy them all, but I gotta say, I don't hear this at all -- this is nothing like what I would describe as a "crooner" record, and even when the songs are easy on the ears there are turns and dissonances in them that strike me as anything but straightforward. There are melodies and musical patterns on this album that are downright mazelike, a merging of the musical language of Soundgarden with the aesthetic language of a '70's psychedelic folk album, with occasional flashes of R&B and soul.

I like all of Soundgarden's albums for the most part, and am less keen on the solo projects, Audioslave, etc., but for my money, Down on the Upside and Euphoria Morning represent the twin peaks of Cornell's artistry -- two sides of the same coin, with shades of each one very much present in the other. I've agreed with the comments about it being a shame that SG split right as it seemed like all these new musical possibilities were coming available to them, but if memory serves, part of what drove their breakup in '97 was precisely that -- Cornell's desire for the band to move beyond heavy rock and further toward the kinds of things he'd eventually do on EM --- and I think you can hear a few moments on DOTU where he gets his way. But on EM he is able to really explore them without compromise, and I think it really conveys a sense of vision and artistry. One of the great ones for me.

[VinylGuy]

yeah, i agree with KV, EM sounds almost like the next step for Soundgarden in Chris´s mind...most of those songs could have been reworked with them and it would make sense as the next step for them.

Of course, it didnt happen because of the inner turmoil in the band and it seems Kim at least wanted a more heavy sound.

And i disagree with Alain and Natasha being just a strong vehicle..they are most than a hired guns, they are their creative partners in most of the album.

[tragabigzanda]

[liebzz]

What we get is a moderately straight forward album that really focuses on Cornell and his vocals - as a straight crooner - over mind blowing textures and performances.

I've been enjoying your journey as I enjoy them all, but I gotta say, I don't hear this at all -- this is nothing like what I would describe as a "crooner" record, and even when the songs are easy on the ears there are turns and dissonances in them that strike me as anything but straightforward. There are melodies and musical patterns on this album that are downright mazelike, a merging of the musical language of Soundgarden with the aesthetic language of a '70's psychedelic folk album, with occasional flashes of R&B and soul.

I like all of Soundgarden's albums for the most part, and am less keen on the solo projects, Audioslave, etc., but for my money, Down on the Upside and Euphoria Morning represent the twin peaks of Cornell's artistry -- two sides of the same coin, with shades of each one very much present in the other. I've agreed with the comments about it being a shame that SG split right as it seemed like all these new musical possibilities were coming available to them, but if memory serves, part of what drove their breakup in '97 was precisely that -- Cornell's desire for the band to move beyond heavy rock and further toward the kinds of things he'd eventually do on EM --- and I think you can hear a few moments on DOTU where he gets his way. But on EM he is able to really explore them without compromise, and I think it really conveys a sense of vision and artistry. One of the great ones for me.

That is a fascinatingly different take. Part of it could be that you’ve lived in the album longer, so perhaps you’ve just been able to pull more out. To me, I hear Chris well over the rest of the group - as in this is very much a solo album, even if the band is doing good things in there. Soundgarden to me involved a very different interplay where your attention is sort of pushes and pulled from place to place within the song and sometimes your focus could change in the same moment to different spots (sometimes listens you focus on maybe the vocals and the next one you catch something Matt or Kim is doing).

I couldn’t really imagine Soundgarden fully embracing this record as a band, but I don’t think less of it because of that, nor would I know Chris Cornell for what he came up with here. I wouldn’t see this as a peak though, which so far for me is from TotD & Badmotorfinger through Superunknown and into Down on the Upside.