10 Perfect Grunge Albums With No Bad Songs
3. Temple Of The Dog - Temple Of The Dog (1991)
Heroin was ever the looming shadow that haunted the grunge scene. In 1990, it took the life of Andrew Wood. Wood had been prominent on the Seattle scene, playing in various groups with members of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. His death inspired Chris Cornell to gather a number of Pearl Jam members and form a new act to commemorate their late friend.
Temple of the Dog released one self-titled album. It was the perfect marriage of sounds. At this point, Pearl Jam hadn't been fully recognised as a band. And things could have taken a different turn if Cornell had continued working with the group.
His Robert Plant-esque vocals combined with the blues lick of Mike McCready to create a sound that rocked just as hard as both Peal Jam and Soundgarden, combined. But slower numbers, like Say Hello 2 Heaven, had the emotional power of Jeff Buckley melodies. Eddie Vedder also appeared on the album, contributing back vocals and sharing the lead on Hunger Strike.
Although Cornell appeared live with Pearl Jam a number of times, they never recorded any other music together. Listening to this album is a tease. Once the experience is over that's it.