Soundgarden/Badmotorfinger(1991)

This review comes as an Request from Stick It In Your Ear follower ROBBO!

So as the  musical world tries to wrap its brain on what went down in Detroit. I think it would be a great time  to talk about a pretty decent heavy slab of Rock in the form of Badmotorfinger which was released on October 8th 1991.

Soundgarden I had read about in magazines(early 1990’s) like RIP who championed their cause as a band to watch at the  time. For myself I obviously knew the name but it wasn’t until I was cruising around in my buddy Oink’s car that in his cassette deck he was blasting something that wasn’t Ozzy or Maiden. 

I asked him “who is this?” as the sonics sounded heavy but in a cool kind of way as the rhythm of the drums sounded like a battering ram to the noggin while the guitars were mixed loud! Here come the late great Chris Cornell laying down a vocal like I had never heard. Cornell’s vocals sounded street tough but distinct and as a bonus I could understand him as his vocal delivery  was as loud as the band itself. I have often said I was amazed that Cornell didn’t toss a lung when he sang….

Speaking of which the first Soundgarden  song I had ever heard that night in Oink’s car was Jesus Christ Pose!

This was I believe in late 91. Of course Muchmusic started playing Soundgarden videos like Outshined and Rusty Cage so my curiosity level was tweaked even more.

Early 1992 I was onboard with Soundgarden(purchased Badmotorfinger) and for me they were a cut above everyone else and that was due to Cornell’s voice.

We all know the landscape for music changed as well in 1992 (no need to go there again) but I myself being from the 80’s Hard Rock club was intrigued by this new sound and by summer of 1992 I did own a copy of Nirvana’s Nevermind as well as Pearl Jam’s 10 album but for me it was Soundgarden I always went back to even with the followup releases like the classic 1994 release Superunknown and 1995’s Down On The Upside.  Those two albums are worth the time!

Hell I even purchased the A-Sides Greatest Hits compilation as it had tracks I had not heard.(I reviewed A-Sides a while back) and one of my Best Friends Metal Todd secured me a copy of the King Animal release  a few years back(2012) as well!(King Animal is a very good album one you all should check out but for some crazy reason no one talks about. Than again if it came out in 1997 people would be all over it)

Badmotorfinger through it’s 12 tracks(57 plus minutes if music) forged and created a sound I had at the time not had heard ever.

Perhaps the term “Impact” should be used here!

Drummer Matt Cameron plays all over the map but in a tight military like fashion with his snare drum blasting off rounds after rounds of  pure greatness.

Kim Thayil was no poster boy in the looks department but he could inner channel Sabbaths Tony Iommi  with big heavy dirty grimy power riffs and it’s all about the tunes not the image back in 92 correct? Thayil fits the bill to a T! Searching With My Good Eye Closed would fill the void of a Sabbath like sound. This song just oozes and limps its way to mass destruction.

Bassist Ben Sheppard plays like a mad scientist with a ton of groovy demonic like bass lines and the tone from Hell!

Special mention must be made to producer Terry Date who harnessed all this energy in and pushed the record button! Kudos Sir!

BadMotorfinger even though it never came close to the sales of Nevermind and 10 in 92 it still held its own and still sold and of course a few years later in 94 that would change when Superunknown went though the roof in sales as that was due to the songs and roadwork put forth by the touring on the Badmotorfinger release.

Speaking of Superunknown. Last year I challenged a few of you’s to put down your all time Top 20 albums. It was tough but sitting in my Top 20  was Superunknown and how could it not be. Limo Wreck has to be my fav tune on there and someday I will get around to reviewing Superunkown as well! Such a classic!

Last year in 2016 Soundgarden released a super-duper deluxe of Badmotorfinger which included a classic 1992 show from Seattle on this tour and it’s a full on 90 minute classic show with a band that is on fire and its a great piece of rock history! It’s noisy at times trashy but Cornell holds it all together with his voice or should I say Chris harnesses it all in…..So good… check it out folks! I posted the video from this show of Jesus Christ Pose….Crank it! This live clip shows you the   juggernaut that these guys were ….I think there must have been at least 20 stage dives by members in the crowd during this song alone!

Soundgarden back in late 91 made a fanboy out of me and I’ll never admit to being a diehard but vocally Cornell on the studio releases he  never sang half assed always at full throttle.

Give it up for the man and rest easy Chris…