For not having MTV in the village, our dear niece Betty recorded a video of songs broadcasted on that channel.
One of the clips was from a band that I did not know at that time. It was funny, with rattling spoons. "Steal the rhythm while you can.... SPOONMAN.
Internet did not exist, or at least, it was being developed. Through radio and TV I found out the seventh song from their album Superunknown. Black Hole Sun, wash away the rain, Black Hole Sun, won´t you come.
Their music did not hit me, it struck me. Immediately I went to the library to tape the CD. Back in the nineties I took my tapes and walkman with me everywhere.
Soundgarden got the label grunge sticked to them and they were one of the 4 supergroups of that genre. As fans will know, the other three are Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Alice in Chains.
Superunknown is splendid, generally all Soundgarden albums can be listened any day, at any time, either if you are happy or feeling blue. It has got energy, encrypted messages everywhere. Not in the least for the magnificent voice of Chris Cornell.
Three years earlier, in 1991, their album Badmotorfinger was issued. Great lyrics, fantastic opening song (break my rusty cage and run).
In 1996, during my 7 week trip to Salamanca I found out that there was a new Soundgarden album. Obviously I had to buy it.
Down on the Upside is not as good as the other albums. Not that it is particularly bad, but the boys experimented a lot more. I managed to convince a DJ in a pub of Salamanca to put on one of the songs and he chose Overfloater, one of the more quiet tracks.
After Down on the Upside, suddenly it seemed that the band did not exist anymore. The A side came out in ´97, Chris went to sing with Audioslave, he also made some solo albums (e.g. Carry On, with a beautiful cover of Michael Jacksons Billie Jean).
While surfing on the internet a few years ago I read that Soundgarden reunited. It amazed me, and after a long time, finally last year they came with King Animal.
I am particularly fond of the opening songs. On Ultramega OK, their 1988 debut album, is the crackling Flower, which made it to single. It is a weird album, produced a bit mediocre. Soundgarden soon made the step to A&M records who produced most of their albums.
Been away for too long, on King Animal; only the title says it all. All Soundgarden fans must have received this album with open arms. For me it has given almost the same listening experience as Superunknown, but then 18 years later.
At the time that I publish this little story, many people in Berlin have seen the group there tonight. Lucky them....
