Soundgarden is an American band formed in Seattle in 1984 and originally composed of Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto. A group that will sell no less than 25 million records around the world and which is considered to this day as one of the founding members of the Grunge movement. A current that will be one of the flagship trends of the 1990s.
Their first realizations, "Heretic", "Tears to forget" and "All your lies", appear on a compilation called "Deep Six" in 1986. Tracks which will unfortunately go somewhat unnoticed ...
It was the signing with the Sub Pop label the following year in 1987 that suddenly changed the game. Label which allows the group to release their first - real - Single "Hunted down". Although the title is unrated, the group is finally starting to stand out.
The following year was transferred to SST Records in 1988 and released their first album "Ultramega OK", an album with great esteem but nothing more.
They will have to wait another year and signing this time to A&M Records in 1989 to see their efforts finally rewarded. And this thanks to the release of the album "Louder than love", the group's first classified album, which will also produce their first classified Singles with the titles "Loud love" and "Hands all over".
The real take off took place two years later in 1991 when the album "Badmotorfinger" was released, the album from which the title "Jesus Christ poses" was first extracted. The title will only have a limited level of success in the Charts but will create a buzz because MTV will ban it altogether from its antenna for insulting a religion.
It is the success of Nirvana and especially the explosion of the Grunge movement that will put Soundgarden back in the race. The Single "Outshined" which was also released in 1991 will experience a much more favorable course than its predecessor and reposition the group in an ideal way for the rest of the events.
All the same, they will have to wait for 1994 to see their efforts finally rewarded to meet their expectations. And this thanks to the release of the enormous album "Superunknown", album which remains to this day their biggest record success on the album side. In particular thanks to 3 top hits which are "Spoonman", "My wave", "Fell on black days" but also, and above all, the mega hit "Black hole sun". Single which will make a real planetary success and consecrate the group in a definitive way.
Success confirmed two years later in 1996 with the release of the album "Down on the upside", an album of lesser success but notorious all the same. Album which will mainly produce the Singles "Pretty noose" and "Burden in my hand". And to a lesser extent "Blow up the outside world".
Notorious success which will be the last, at least for this decade, because the group will decide to separate a year later in 1997. he will rise again from its ashes at the beginning of the decade 2010 but that is another story.
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
80s Decade :
Heretic 1986
Hunted down 1987
Flower 1989
Loud love 1989
Hands all over 1989
90s Decade :
Room a thousand years wide 1990
Jesus Christ pose 1991
Outshined 1991
Rusty cage 1992
Spoonman 1994
The day I tried to live 1994
Black hole sun 1994
My wave 1994
Fell on black days 1994
Pretty noose 1996
Burden in my hand 1996
Blow up the outside world 1996
Bleed together 1997
2010s Decade :
Black rain 2010
Live to rise 2012
Been away too long 2012
Tracks :
1986 ... a first title which immediately sets the trend : with them, it will beat up hard ! Well, from the moment we are warned, we will not be surprised at anything ...
1987 ... and that to beat up, that will beat up. But it must be said that new musical trends are emerging at the end of the 1980s and that this hitherto unknown group will not remain so for long...unknown !
1989 ... after 2 running-in titles, the group seems to have found its fundamentals. All in a very innovative musical style for the time and which will quickly establish itself as one of the major trends in the years to come ...
1989 ... we thought the Hard was the ultimate benchmark in terms of beating and overdriven guitars. The Grunge will do even stronger. Yes Yes, it's possible !
1989 ... a year 1989 which sees the group growing in strength in an obvious way, both literally and figuratively. Sensitive ears refrain !
1990 ... after a year 1989 which will have enabled the group to record 2 first successes, the year 1990 will seem somewhat pale with only one title on the clock and which will also pass under the radar ...
1991 ... business takes off smoothly with this title. Concerning them, the least we can say is that the word sweetness is not really part of their vocabulary, that's clear ...
1991 ... after several years of playing supporting roles, the group finally passes the overdrive with this title. Let's go for the great Fireworks !
1992 ... well, for the great Fireworks, it will not yet be for this year 1992 but we are getting closer. Let’s still be patient ...
1994 ... this time will be the good one ! After an empty year 1993 which allowed them to take vitamins, here they are again in 1994 in totally supercharged mode. With as result a first mega hit of planetary class !
1994 ... the BIG year ! Even if the group does not confirm with this title all the good that we could think of them, they still maintain themselves at a level sufficient to stay in contact with the best ...
1994 ... then THIS title comes ! They will deliver here what will undoubtedly remain as their Mona Lisa, an extremely rare title which definitively consecrates them as one of the major groups of the end of the 20th century. CULT !
1994 ... the group literally walks on water in this year 1994 and aligns the top hits at an incredible speed to say the least. Of course, this title will not have the same level of success as its predecessor but to the impossible no one is held as they say ...
1994 ... an incredible year which ended in apotheosis with this new success of very high caliber. The group perfectly masters its destiny and unrolls in an impressive way ...
1996 ... after an empty year 1995 which has surely allowed them to breathe a little, the group returns in an obvious form in this year 1996. Sufficient form to add one more star to an already well-stocked prize list !
1996 ... the great adventure continues even if the level of success achieved will never equal 'Black hole sun'. The main thing is that the group remains in the leading pack and it is a successful mission at this level !
1996 ... who would have believed it, here they are in Intimist mode ! At least at the beginning of the song because the end is much more in line with their usual style ...
1997 ... a change of year that rhymes with overspeed. Not sure that's the best way to stay on top of the bill. Attention danger...
2010 ... a danger that will be confirmed with the outright disappearance of radars for 13 years ! We thought the group was definitely lost but it was bad to know them. They will have taken the time to come back but they are well and truly back !
2012 ... a totally improbable comeback but which nevertheless allows them to show that in music, nothing is ever finished. The proof !
2012 ... this time, it is indeed the end. But it is true that with them everything is possible. It could therefore be that we find them in future years, who knows ...
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Official Website :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :