Temple of the Dog: 20 Years New!

This album has been playing on repeat all day today, after I was recently introduced to this "Temple of the Dog" - and I can't believe how much of an appreciation I actually have for the Grunge scene.

This 1990 one-album project was a tribute album to the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone, who unfortunately passed from a heroin overdose.

Following his death, Mother Love Bone broke up, but Wood's bandmates Jeff Ament (bass) and Stone Gossard (guitar) decided to continue working together (which later evolved into Pearl Jam) .

They recruited Chris Cornell (vocals) and Matt Cameron (drums) from Soundgarden to form the main group.

The crazy thing is that they had a guest singer who was unknown at the time; surfer-styled L.A wonder Eddie Vedder sang on the track "Hunger Strike" with Cornell and another joining guitarist, Mike McCready, who also made up the future band Pearl Jam (Dave Krusen also came in to play drums for them as the band formed in late 1990).

This Temple of the Dog album was pretty much unheard of until Pearl Jam's "Ten" hit the billboard charts.

The album is interesting because it in many ways sparked the whole Grunge movement (even though Nirvana got the credit at the time). Wood's death brought them together and ultimately created a new, great band (in Pearl Jam).

Here is "Hunger Strike" featuring unknown artist (at the time) Eddie Vedder and the most amazing voice of Chris Cornell (such a pretty boy video!) :

Temple Of The Dog - Hunger Strike



I just love the lyrics and pretty much everything about the track "Wooden Jesus". He mentions Canada, but even besides that, the music is beautiful! Check this song out below, too! In fact, I recommend checking out the whole album! I know many of you have listened to it many a time, so you should go and listen to it again :D



It would be wicked if they ever did a little one-off reunion - I would definately be there!