Premier Rock Forum

Hm, NOPE.

terrible band, cornell's voice is like nails on a chalkboard

I put Soundgarden in the same category as Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, STP etc. back when they first got big. The only "grunge" band on a major that I liked was Nirvana, and I was sick of them by the time In Utero came out. But in the mid 2000s I revisited some SG stuff and there are definitely a few worthy songs. Not enough to justify the carbon footprint of the band's entire career, but enough to prove that they were capable of making good music.
For example, I think I'd love The Day I Tried to Live even if it was by Skrewdriver or Machine Gun Kelly.

Will never forget hearing "Flower" for the first time after purchasing Ultramega OK on tape at Hegewisch Records.

Not Crap

kerble wrote: Thu Jan 27, 2022 11:20 pmNOT CRAP.

Never thought I'd see that.

Huge not crap for me. It took me 4 years of listening to Ultramega OK/Louder Than Love/Badmotorfinger before I could appreciate Led Zeppelin. True story. Anyway, LTL and BMF are two of my very favorite albums of all time. I don't throw them on that often anymore, but if they come on I'll usually listen to the entire record.

I just listened to Ultramega OK for the first time in forever, and it's still cool. "Beyond the Wheel" is like grunge Candlemass.

An easy Not Crap. A really good rock band.

Krev wrote: Mon Jan 31, 2022 1:45 pm I just listened to Ultramega OK for the first time in forever, and it's still cool. "Beyond the Wheel" is like grunge Candlemass.

Man, that is spot on right there.

I like a few songs okay but the vocals mostly ruin whatever is happening elsewhere in a song.

marty wrote: Tue Feb 01, 2022 1:46 pm I like a few songs okay but the vocals mostly ruin whatever is happening elsewhere in a song.

Yes. Soundgarden has some interesting arrangements and I like the mood - just can’t get past the banshee wailing. With some economy and editing, they could really have (had) something.

Cornell and Eddie Vedder both have a propensity to howl all over the spectrum - melodies with way too many notes and oscillations. I remember that horrendous ‘I’m going hungry’ song they did together, which is a prime example of this.