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| Sunday, September 24, 2006 |
| Singles - The Soundtrack |
 So, my first choice in my guide to the best albums of the early nineties might be a somewhat controversial choice. I haven't chosen an album by any of the main artists of the period, instead I have chosen a soundtrack. However this is no ordinary soundtrack, it contains music from some of the best bands of the period and is the perfect introduction for those wishing to explore the Seattle scene during this period. The film itself is not exactly a classic, but it has many references to the growing grunge scene (including cameos from Pearl Jam, Chris Cornell and Alice in Chains). Consequently, at the time of its release it was deeply associated with the music - a cunning move perhaps by director Cameron Crowe.
The album itself contains contributions by Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Smashing Pumpkins, Mudhoney and Jimi Hendrix amongst others. In fact, the only major band of the era that is not included on the album is Nirvana, making it a pretty comprehensive collection. I would argue that not only is this the best soundtrack album of the period, it is probably the best soundtrack album full stop.
The contributions by Pearl Jam include one of their greatest ever songs. State of Love and Trust is an all-time favourite of mine. I remember the first time I heard the song when I watched the MTV Unplugged performance, of course it helped that it was such a passionate performance, but I loved the song then and I was eager to hear the original version. They also contributed Breath, which is another fine song that is very much underrated. The instrumental section of Pearl Jam also contribute a third song in the form of Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns. An early Mother Love Bone song, it has since become a part of Pearl Jam's live performances. The song itself is amazing and totally blew me away the first time I heard it. The song itself is actually two songs that join together. The first part, Chloe Dancer is a short, piano driven song with Andy Wood's distinctive vocals before it breaks into the passionate Crown of Thorns. It is, I believe, one of the finest songs of the early nineties and only serves to highlight what was missed when Andy Wood passed away.
The album also includes Would? by Alice in Chains. I have to concede that I was never a big fan of Alice in Chains, I found much of their music to be obsessed with drug addiction (particularly Dirt). However, Would? stands out over much of their output. Starting with a driving bass, it develops into a a typically dark song about heroin abuse. The song itself was actually written by the lead guitarist Jerry Cantrell about the death of Andy Wood from a heroin overdose. Cantrell had been friends with Wood before he died in 1990 and the song was written as a response to all those who Cantrell felt had judged Wood. Unfortunately, heroin went on to play a big part in Layne Stayley's life (as it had done in several others in the scene) and he eventually died of a drug overdose, after mixing a speedball, in 2002.
The album also contains strong contributions from Smashing Pumpkins and Screaming Trees. The Pumpkins' Drown is one of their best songs, and it kinda turned me on to them in the first place. It builds slowly before ending in a crescendo of noise and feedback for the last three minutes of the song (it clocks in at an impressive 8mins 16secs). If it is true that they are going to release a new album, I hope they return to this sound. The Screaming Trees contribute Nearly Lost You, a song that showcases the talent of Mark Lanegan. Although I don't actually own any of their albums (I know I should), I have always had a lot of respect for Lanegan's singing ability. Certainly on the strength of this song I cannot quite fathom why I have never got around to buying one of their albums.
The contributions by Soundgarden and the solo effort by Chris Cornell are not exactly their greatest works, but they certainly add weight to the claims that this is a truly top-class soundtrack album. The Mudhoney track is a great tongue in cheek song about the sudden obsession with everything Seattle related and includes lyrics such as:
(OK, grunge-masters, here we go) Everybody loves us Everybody loves our town That's why I'm thinking lately The time for leaving is now. The song goes on to prove something that is often forgotten by many critics, grunge did have a lighter side as well. In fact, the whole album goes on to highlight the broad range of styles that made grunge so popular. There is the 70s rock of Pearl Jam and Mother Love Bone, the garage rock of Mudhoney, the metal influences of Soundgarden (Birth Ritual) and the dirty sound of Alice in Chains. The album itself is, I believe, the best introduction to the grunge scene of the early nineties. And I haven't even mentioned the contributions of Jimi Hendrix, The Lovemongers (essentially Heart) and Paul Westerberg. A great album and an essential purchase for lovers of grunge as well as those who wish to discover what the fuss was all about. Tracklisting:
"Would?" - Alice in Chains
"Breath" - Pearl Jam
"Seasons" - Chris Cornell
"Dyslexic Heart" - Paul Westerberg
"The Battle of Evermore" - The Lovemongers
"Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" - Mother Love Bone
"Birth Ritual" - Soundgarden
"State of Love and Trust" - Pearl Jam
"Overblown" - Mudhoney
"Waiting For Somebody" - Paul Westerberg
"May This Be Love" - Jimi Hendrix
"Nearly Lost You" - Screaming Trees
"Drown" - Smashing Pumpkins
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posted by korova @ 6:03 pm  |
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| 6 Comments: |
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Meh, its ok, but not something I would have picked. I never saw the movie or listened to the soundtrack, but I get the jist of it. I hope your next pick is better. :p
p.s. For the record, the best soundtrack ever done is the one for Hard Core Logo.
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Hehe, excellent, controversey!! I knowit is a bit of a strange choice, and that is exactly why I chose it. At the time the soundtrack was kinda legendary on the Seattle scene. Particularly because of the exposure given to bands like Mudhoney (who had a major influence on Nirvana) and Screaming Trees. It is essential because it pretty much touches all bases of the scene. To me I don't think any soundtrack can beat an album containing PJ, Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, etc, all of which were pretty much small time bands at the time of the production of the film.
However, I wouldn't worry about the film too much....unless you wanna see the bizarre sight of Chris Cornell, Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament given cameos (even lines)!!! Otherwise, it is only really interesting if you are into films about relationships.
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Oh, mighty PJ oracle. A query.
Was 'State...' ever released other than on the soundtrack. I have it on a dubious quality studio bootleg thingummy tape.
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Hi Xulub - No I don't believe it was. There was talk of it being added to later copies of Vs, but I don't think that ever happened.
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Thank you, toad-licking sage. Have some goat innards.
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I'd really rather prefer a biscuit actually!!
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Meh, its ok, but not something I would have picked. I never saw the movie or listened to the soundtrack, but I get the jist of it. I hope your next pick is better. :p
p.s. For the record, the best soundtrack ever done is the one for Hard Core Logo.