Soundgarden broke up and released a ‘best of’

On November 4, 1997 i Soundgarden they published their first collection entitled “A Sides”. In that same year the band broke up after a particularly troubled tour, only to reunite and resume work in 2010. This is the review we wrote at the time of that ‘best of’ by the Seattle group.

Soundgarden breaks up. We are waiting for solo news from Cornell, but in the meantime, to get to grips with history, this “A-sides” arrives, a way like any other to say “the best of Soundgarden”. That the title sounds unfortunate is an impression that may just be mine, given that I would like those who are born “alternative” to remain so until the end, while “sides A” makes me think a bit of a compilation of singles that have little he hooks up with a group from Seattle. Also because Soundgarden certainly didn’t give the best of themselves on record, but, if anything, live or in the collective imagination of those who saw and found their hero in Chris Cornell.

Listening to this collection, if anything, I was quite surprised by the relative “modesty” of the material it contains, in the sense that the common characteristic of most of the songs is that they are strongly derivative of other genres and other groups. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Black Sabbath or Nirvana, Kiss or Pearl Jam: the fact is that even in the most solid songs of their production (read “Nothing to say”, “Loud Love”, “Spoonman” and so on) the group does not stand out excessively for its originality.

Nobody doubts that these songs, ten years ago, had their meaning and that Soundgarden were able to make a little income thanks to this. But “A Sides” certainly doesn’t have the monotonous originality of Nirvana nor the carved-in-stone melodic style of Pearl Jam. Having caught the wild card with “Black hole sun”, it’s true, and with an album, “Superunknown”, which allowed them to make sparks, for the rest Soundgarden don’t leave much to be remembered for having been one of the 10 most praised groups of the decade. Some good songs, determination and good intentions and an ‘uncompromised’ voice like that of Chris Cornell who, we are sure, will soon return to satisfy the palates of his old fans. Breaking up was a good thing, all things considered, if the reasons for being together were (and are) all here. And then what to reply to a recording world that gives you the cocktail version of “Black Hole Sun”? There is no more religion…