“The pinnacle of our success”: The bands Soundgarden modelled themselves after
There’s a compelling argument that the American rock scene reached its peak of creativity and impact in the early 1990s. The era gave rise to a murderers’ row of bands whose influence remains undeniable. After Nirvana kickstarted the grunge explosion, acts like Pearl Jam, L7, The Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, and Hole quickly rose to fame. These bands weren’t just successful; they were unique, each offering its own distinct take on alternative rock. Among them, one of the most successful—both commercially and artistically—was the sorely missed Soundgarden.
Formed in the same Seattle scene that gave the world the grunge movement’s best and brightest bands, Soundgarden actually predates them all by quite a few years. Forming in 1984 when, across town, Kurt Cobain was all of 17 years old, years off forming the first incarnation of his band. The band was formed around the power trio of Chris Cornell, bassist Hiro Yamamoto and guitarist Kim Thayll, with Cornell at first trying the somewhat out there position of being the band’s drummer and lead singer.
Hey, if it worked for Karen Carpenter, it could work for anyone, right? Well no, not exactly. Not everyone can be Karen. So, in 1985, Chris Cornell stepped up to take the mic full-time, and the drum seat was initially filled by Scott Sundquist before Matt Cameron joined in 1986, completing Soundgarden’s classic lineup. While Nirvana’s meteoric rise brought the Seattle sound into the mainstream almost by accident, it was a wild, unpredictable moment. For many, however, if there was one band poised to transition from the local punk scene to mainstream success, it was always going to be Soundgarden.
Not only did they look the part, with the famously charismatic Cornell leading the charge, but they sounded the part, too. Infusing their grunge heaviness with classic rock riffs and hooks inspired by the psychedelia and garage rock bands of their youth, it’s telling that their breakthrough came after catching the attention of Seattle DJ Jonathan Poneman. Poneman famously described them as “everything rock music should be”, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment.
Right from the off, Soundgarden were the band that, as they were rising in popularity in the early 1990s, were just as at home playing Lollapalooza with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ice Cube as they were opening for Skid Row. Their fans weren’t too happy about that and let them know about it, but I’m not sure there’s a fanbase in the world that would stay pissy after a one-two punch of classic records like Badmotorfinger and Superunknown.
This ability to straddle two different eras made them welcome in both rather than alienating either. Soundgarden managed to bridge the gap between the two golden ages of American rock—the 1970s and the 1990s—and they carried this ethos throughout their career. Even when they reunited in 2010, the band remained as ambitious as ever, a fact underscored by a revealing interview they gave to Metal Hammer, where they discussed their relentless pursuit of timelessness in their music.
When Kim Thayll was asked about what he wanted to do with his downtime after Soundgarden split the first time, he said he wanted just to play music separate from the industry world. After all, he says, “The fact that we were very big and played to a lot of people is something you might daydream about when you’re a teenager, but having achieved that without it being a goal, it was no longer a component of that daydream because it’s separate from the creative aspect.”
He then elaborates on what he wanted to achieve in the band, saying: “I wanted to be in a band that would appeal to younger musicians like Pink Floyd or the Ramones did to me, and we did that. That, to me, is the pinnacle of our success, not being a band that’s playing arenas or on the cover of Rolling Stone.”
Considering there are now generations of artists using their work as a touchstone, I’d say they achieved just that.
