The Bottom Line: Pearl Jam with the addition of Chris Cornell makes for an exceptional grunge-era alternative rock album. Don't miss out on it if you know what's good for you.
lambchops's Full Review: Temple of the Dog by Temple Of The Dog
I admit it. I am a child of the late eighties and early nineties. Fortunately for me, rather than falling to the trappings of the horrible New Kids on the Block, I fell for grunge. In fact, that passion for music that developed beginning in that era is what has led me to the person I am today.
Temple of the Dog is unlike any other band that existed in 1991 (the year their only album was released). In 1990, Mother Love Bone lost lead singer Andrew Wood to a heroin overdose. The remaining band members Jeff Ament (bass) and Stone Gossard (guitar) recruited Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell to form Temple of the Dog as a tribute to the late, great Wood. The band featured those three major players in addition to contributions from Eddie Vedder (he was still unknown as a vocalist) and guitarist Mike McCready.
The band released their only album in 1991 to little fanfare. It received good reviews upon it's release, but sat on shelves until Pearl Jam began charting in 1992. Betting that anything that featured the members of Pearl Jam would rake in the cash, A&M records re-released the album. This time, it also released the single "Hunger Strike." This track featured a duet between Vedder and Cornell. The video and song propelled the album to platinum status by the end of 1992.
This self-titled album was released in the midst of the grunge phenomenon. At the same time that the song "Hunger Strike" was gaining momentum, other albums like Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger, Nirvana's Nevermind, Pearl Jam's Ten, Stone Temple Pilots' Core, and Alice in Chains' Dirt (among others) also were met with both critical and chart success.
"Hunger Strike," track three on the album, was a soft duet between the equally talented Vedder and Cornell. Vedder's trademark monotonous, needy, and emotional vocals are perfectly matched against Chris Cornell's emotionally angry, melodic voice. It was intentionally sparse of instruments. The song is much more vocal than it is guitar-laden or heavy with drums. It slowly gains momentum and stronger guitars and drums can be felt as the song progresses. I hate to sound like a cliche, but this song (yes, their most popular) is also their best. I remember the first time I saw it on MTV. I thought it was great, although at the time I didn't realize it's significance.
Another song of note is "Say Hello 2 Heaven." This is another tune that I remember from the time on radio. It's featured first on the album for good reason. It's rather soft, rather emotional, and is obviously meant to directly memorialize Wood. It's a sad song that's also perfectly sung by the almost-bluesy Cornell. The chorus is of note. It's very, very melodic and for that matter just about as pretty as a stereotypical grunge song could possibly be. I couldn't rave more. Even though "Hunger Strike" is the band's best, this is my favorite. I like it's sheer emotion.
The second song is the eleven minute epic entitled "Reach Down." It's a great, rockin' tune with a superb guitar line. My only real complaint is the length. I have a short attention span...I like variety and interesting noise over quantity. "Wooden Jesus" is interesting with the downhome instrumentation. It sounds like a woodblock and a washboard in addition to the traditional grunge guitars. It's a very nice song, one of the best on the album in my humble opinion. I like the different sounds rather than the same ol' thing.
Track 9 is the Aerosith-esque yet country rockin' "Four Walled World". Again, it's a super song with so many influences. That's the beauty of good grunge music from this era. The music is infused with so many sounds. As I've said repeatedly, I love variety and interesting music. Other tunes I haven't mentioned but are also of great quality are in order: "Pushin Forward Back," "Call Me a Dog," "Times of Trouble," "Your Savior," and "All Night Thing." Listen to them all. There is no way in the world that you couldn't enjoy them for the talent they possess. There was no question upon the release of this album that all parties involved would have a long and successful career in the future.
This Wood fellow must have been very well respected by the Seattle grunge community. So many talented members of that community came together and produced a brilliant early grunge album. This is a must-have CD for rock lovers everywhere. Don't shy away from it just because you only recognize one track. It's great...keep in mind who the contributors are.
I'm giving this album two thumbs up. Scratch that...I'm giving it 4 1/2 stars out of 5. Since Epinions sucks with their rating system, I have to give them five stars because I can't give them any less in good conscience. Thank you for a great and classic album, guys.
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