10 Grunge Albums You Need To Hear Before You Die
3. Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog
Once Andy Wood passed away from heroin before Mother Love Bone's first album, it felt like the wind had been taken out of grunge's sails. For a lot of the Seattle scene, this was a death in the family, as Wood had been integral in bands like Malfunkshun and a dear friend to every musician he came across. When most artists decided to move onto other things or get day jobs, Chris Cornell faced his grief head on with Temple of the Dog.
Writing different songs to work through his grief, Cornell had the idea of putting together the remaining members of Mother Love Bone to record a handful of the tracks for an album in tribute to Andy. Having the best intentions at heart, this became the '90s' most celebrated supergroup, with songs that felt like an alternative Irish wake like on Reach Down and Say Hello 2 Heaven.
This record also arguably managed to boost the careers of both Soundgarden and Pearl Jam at the same time, as Mother Love Bone members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament brought in Eddie Vedder to sing backup on a handful of tracks on here, which sent this record into the stratosphere once Pearl Jam took off. While it's always nice to see musicians coming together for a good cause, rarely do you have them also craft one of the best records of their career in the process like this.