From Ultramega OK to King Animal, we rank grunge titans Soundgarden’s weirdest, wildest and best offerings…
Words: Sam Law
Photo: Danny Clinch
Named after Douglas Hollis’ outdoor public art installation at the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration in Seattle, Washington – a dozen 21-foot structures topped by organ pipes attached to weather vanes, which whistle hauntingly when moved by the wind – Soundgarden were at the very cutting edge of the city’s grunge movement through the ’80s and ’90s. Lead guitarist Kim Thayil and vocalist Chris Cornell formed the band’s central nexus all the way back in 1984, with drummer Matt Cameron arriving a couple of years later for the band to announce themselves with 1988’s Ultramega OK and 1989’s Louder Than Love LPs. It was only as bassist Ben Shepherd completed the definitive line-up in 1990, though, that they truly became massive with 1991’s Badmotorfinger and 1994’s Superunknown, staking a claim