LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-APR 16, 2019…28 YEARS AGO TEMPLE OF THE DOG RELEASED THE SELF TITLED ALBUM ‘TEMPLE OF THE DOG.’
TEMPLE OF THE DOG WAS A SUPERGROUP PUT TOGETHER BY CHRIS CORNELL IN 1990. CORNELL FORMED THE BAND IN HONOR OF HIS FRIEND ANDREW WOOD WHO DIED OF A HEROIN OVERDOSE. WOOD WAS KEPT ALIVE FOR 3 DAYS ON LIFE SUPPORT, AND WHEN CORNELL AND HIS BANDMATES WENT TO VISIT HIM THEY THOUGHT THAT A ONE OFF ALBUM WOULD BE A FITTING TRIBUTE. THE ALBUM WOULD CONTAIN WOOD’S SOLO SONGS, ALONG WITH 2 SONGS WRITTEN BY CORNELL.
RESPONDING TO CONCERNS THAT THEY WERE SOMEHOW EXPLOITING WOOD’S WORK, THEY DECIDED INSTEAD TO RELEASE AN ALBUM OF ALL ORIGINAL MATERIAL, AND CALLED THE PROJECT ‘TEMPLE OF THE DOG’
‘HUNGER STRIKE’ WAS THE LAST SONG RECORDED FOR THE ALBUM ON THE DAY EDDIE VEDDER FLEW IN TO SEATTLE TO MEET HIS NEW BANDMATES IN WHAT WOULD BECOME PEARL JAM. CORNELL HAD HOPED TO SING THE HIGH AND LOW PARTS OF THE SONG HIMSELF AND JUST OVERDUB THE VOCALS. BUT HE WAS STRUGGLING WITH THE LOW REGISTER. VEDDIE STEPPED UP TO THE MICROPHONE AND IT MADE IT CLICK FOR CORNELL. IT ALSO MARKED THE FIRST RECORDED VOCAL FOR VEDDER ON A MAJOR RECORD. IT WAS THE FIRST SONG RELEASE FROM THE PROJECT AND WENT TO NUMBER 4 ON BILLBOARD’S CHARTS.
A TOUCHING TRIBUTE TO WOOD WAS WRITTEN BY CORNELL. IT WAS CALLED ‘SAY HELLO TO HEAVEN’ AND WAS THE SECOND SINGLE RELEASE FROM THE PROJECT. IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS, HITTING NUMBER 5 ON THE ROCK CHARTS.
HERE’S THE VIDEO FOR ‘SAY HELLO TO HEAVEN’
