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
Kim Thayil recently looked back on some of the most consequential songs of his career.
While Thayil s dour odd-meter riffing is undoubtedly a signature of his iconic band, when speaking with
Guitar Player magazine recently, he was eager to credit the band s ultimate breakthrough to his longtime bandmate and late-frontman
If you deep dive into Soundgarden s catalog, it may seem that Thayil and Chris were in competition to see who could write the darkest, most hypnotic, bizarro pop songs.
Thayil certainly had his moments on tracks like Jesus Christ Pose, New Damage and Limo Wreck, but he says one of the most challenging riffs ever brought into the band was one by Chris.