4/10:
SOUNDGARDEN: A LOOK BACK
As we first reported early yesterday afternoon, seminal Seattle grunge rockers Soundgarden have called it quits.
The breakup was marked only by a terse statement from the group's label, A&M Records, which read, "After twelve years, the members of Soundgarden have amicably and mutually decided to disband to pursue other interests. There is no word at this time on any of the member's future plans."
Singer Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayill, bassist Ben Shepherd, and drummer Matt Cameron are now expected to pursue solo undertakings.
During a career that spanned more than a dozen years, the band put its thick-as-a-brick sound on five full-length albums, sold more than 20 million copies of them, captured two Grammy Awards, and became the first act to grace Lollapalooza's main stage twice (in 1992 and 1996).
Named after an outdoor sculpture in Seattle, Soundgarden debuted in 1987 with an EP on the local Sub Pop label called "Screaming Life." A major label debut album, "Louder Than Love," followed in 1989.
Wearing its affinity for Black Sabbath on its collective sleeve, the band specialized in a thick, dark sound that oozed from stereo speakers like road tar and quickly found its share of fans. The band's next album, 1991's "Badmotorfinger," proved to be a commercial breakthrough as the track "Outshined" garnered decent radio play and spawned a "Buzz Clip" video on MTV. The enormous success of Nirvana's "Nevermind" that same year focused attention on Seattle, and soon Soundgarden found themselves touring with Guns N' Roses and the Lollapalooza festival (as part of the now-infamous 1992 line-up that also featured Ministry, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ice Cube, and Pearl Jam).
Soundgarden's third major label album, "Superunknown," topped the "Billboard" pop chart, and earned the band two Grammy awards for best rock performance ("Black Hole Sun") and a best metal statuette ("Spoonman").
The band's final album was last summer's "Down On The Upside," which it supported by once again joining the Lollapalooza tour, this time with Metallica, Rancid, Screaming Trees, and the Ramones among others.
Soundgarden lives on in the Seattle rock scene documentary "Hype," but as a functioning unit, the band played its final gig on February 9 in Honolulu, Hawaii. We'll have a look back at the career of Soundgarden on this week's edition of "The Week In Rock" this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 6:30 p.m., or you can check out the "Week In Rock" site right here at MTV News Online.
MTV: Formed in Seattle in 1985, Soundgarden was named after a piece of local pipe sculpture, and set out to bring metal out of the sludgy 70s and maybe expand its audience, too.
CHRIS CORNELL, Vocals/Guitar: If there is a cross over I would say it goes from a college crowd to an independent metal crowd or a metal crowd.
KIM THAYIL, Guitar: Yeah the college students' little brothers, little sisters...
(THAYIL MIMICS HEADBANGING)
MTV: The band cut it's first EP for the fledgling local Indie label "Sub Pop" in 1987 moved on to another Indie, SST, to release its first full album in 1988 and then signed with a major A&M and spawned a hit with the album "Louder Than Love".
In 1989, original bassist Hiro Yamamoto left the band. He was replaced first by one time Nirvana member Jason Everman and ultimately, in 1990, by Ben Shepherd.
By 1992, Soundgarden put in the first of its two stints on the "Lollapalooza" tour, hitting the road with such diverse acts as Ice Cube, Pearl Jam, Ministry.
THAYIL: We're a little bit petulant and bitchy about it the first time.
TABITHA SOREN: Why?
THAYIL: It was a little bit of the alternative lie kind of thing. We enjoyed the bill, playing with Ministry, Pearl Jam, Chilis and all those guys. That was the thing we liked best about it. Everything else was a little too many people, too many interests. You had to be there.
SOREN: So why did you decide to go out on Lolla when you're last experience...?
THAYIL: Because we get to play with Metallica and The Ramones.
MTV: Soundgarden's biggest hit came in 1994 with the album "Superunknown", which entered the Billboard chart at number one.
MTV: The multi-platinum "Superunknown" brought Soundgarden two Grammy awards, one for Best Hard Rock Performance for "Black Hole Sun" and one for best metal for "Spoonman".
CORNELL, Seattle 2/25/94: You don't hear a lot of rock songs with spoons in them so it was sort of an experiment and it turned out really great.
MTV: In 1996, Soundgarden released what was to be the group's last album, "Down On The Upside" which the band, for the first time, produced itself. It sold only 3-million copies worldwide.
JOHN NORRIS, Grammy Arrival 1997: I know you toured throughout most of the fall and winter? Are you jonesing to get back recording or do you just want to take time off at the moment?"
CHRIS CORNELL: Yeah, for the amount of time we spend not recording it kind of seems silly because that's what bands do, they make records and people write songs and it seems like we don't spend enough time doing that. So hopefully we'll be doing that real soon.
All copyright MTv