Temple of the Dog – Temple of the Dog [CD / Album]
On the eve of up-and-coming Seattle rockers Mother Love Bone’s full-length
major label debut (1990’s APPLE), singer Andrew Wood succumbed to a drug
overdose. Long time friend Chris Cornell, the singer of Soundgarden, wrote
several songs in Wood’s memory. These were rooted more in classic rock than his
full-time band’s metallic sound. Cornell recorded them with ex-members of Mother
Love Bone guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament, Soundgarden drummer
Matt Cameron, and then-unknowns Mike McCready and Eddie Vedder, in a project
called Temple Of The Dog. The project’s self-titled 1991 debut fell on deaf
ears. While such songs as the sullen album opener “Say Hello 2 Heaven”
and the epic jam fest “Reach Down” have lyrics that deal with Wood’s
passing, most of the tracks deal with other topics, such as the album’s high
point “Hunger Strike”, as well as the organic-sounding “Wooden
Jesus”, the hard rocker “Your Saviour”, and the drowsy album
closer “All Night Thing”. A year after its initial release, the
Seattle rock scene exploded and the massive success of the members of Temple Of
The Dog prompted A&M to re-release both the album and the video for
“Hunger Strike”. Both were immediate hits the second time around.
1. Say Hello To Heaven
2. Reach Down
3. Hunger Strike
4. Pushin’ Forward Back
5. Call Me A Dog
6. Times Of Trouble
7. Wooden Jesus
8. Your Savior
9. Four Walled World
10. All Night Thing
