10 Greatest Supergroups In Rock History
1. Temple of the Dog
The story of Mother Love Bone remains one of the most unfortunate stories in rock and roll. Just weeks before they were set to take the rock world by storm, frontman Andy Wood suffered a fatal drug overdose, leaving these Seattle hopefuls pretty much dead in the water. Though the band themselves were shattered, Wood's roommate Chris Cornell was hit the hardest, channeling all of his creative energy into tribute songs for his late friend.
Not seeing them as Soundgarden tracks, Cornell's decision to record these tribute songs with the remaining members of Mother Love Bone turned into Temple of the Dog. With Stone Gossard's guitar tying everything together and newcomer Mike McCready's blues leads over top, this became one of the most poignant sendoffs in rock history, as everyone comes together to celebrate Andy's life rather than mourn his death.
When looking for a new singer, Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament stumbled across a tape of Eddie Vedder from California, who ventured up to Seattle to sing vocals on a handful of tracks. The pedigree on here is absolutely staggering, as drummer Matt Cameron and Cornell would return to Soundgarden shortly afterward and the rest of the band going on to form what we now know today as Pearl Jam. Though it was no easy feat to get over a devastating blow like this, albums like this are proof that whatever doesn't kill you will make you stronger.