Temple Of The Dog: Temple Of The Dog (CD)

At the start of the 90s, when the grunge scene’s future world-shakers like Nirvana and Soundgarden were just beginning to plot their assault on the mainstream, Mother Love Bone seemed the likeliest bet to bust out to stardom.

The band released its debut album, Apple, in July of 1990, but we’ll never know whether Wood could have gained the rock-star status he seemed destined for. He died of a heroin overdose on March 19 of that year at the age of 24, turning Apple into a posthumous statement.

Wood’s shocking death was a heavy blow to those close to him, especially his bandmates and Cornell, who was his roommate at the time. The Soundgarden singer dealt with his grief by writing songs for his late friend, like “Say Hello 2 Heaven” and “Reach Down.” They didn’t seem like the sort of tunes that would work with his band, so he played them for Mother Love Bone’s guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament, and a plan was hatched to record them together as a tribute single to Wood’s memory.

By the time Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron and Gossard’s guitarist pal Mike McCready came aboard, the idea had expanded to an entire album. Temple Of The Dog was born, with the name taken from a line in a Mother Love Bone lyric.

Temple Of The Dog was released by A&M on April 16, 1991, initially making only a modest showing on the charts. That August, however, Pearl Jam’s debut album, Ten, came out and started gathering steam. The next month, Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger and Nirvana’s Nevermind were both unleashed. By the beginning of 1992, with the latter’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” leading the charge, grunge had definitively gone from buzz-bin status to ruling the roost.

Three decades on, Temple Of The Dog stands as a monument to the memory of both Wood and Cornell. But more than that, it’s a piece of rock’n’roll history, documenting the moment the underground rose up to rock the mainstream into a new era.

1. Say Hello 2 Heaven
2. Reach Down
3. Hunger Strike
4. Pushin Forward Back
5. Call Me A Dog
6. Times Of Trouble
7. Wooden Jesus
8. Your Saviour
9. Four Walled World
10. All Night Thing