"Badmotorfinger" is how I discovered Soundgarden. I heard snippets of "Outshined," through MTV. Remember when they played music videos? That was cool. Like I said, only snippets. Then I saw the video for "Rusty Cage." In the world of music videos, there wasn't anything cool or groundbreaking about it. But the music. It wasn't like anything I had ever heard. Nirvana's "Nevermind" had come out the month before (September 24, 1991), and had already started storming the charts, and society even. Yet, Soundgarden remained an afterthought to MTV and rock radio. For the record, Pearl Jam's "Ten" was released August 27, 1991. All three albums came out in consecutive months. Incredible. Just insane to even think about that.Whereas Pearl Jam had a nice, easily digestible bluesy guitar sound, and Nirvana was the national representative for teen angst, Soundgarden wasn't as easily definable. Were they a "grunge" band? Maybe. Were they a metal band? Maybe. They did tour with Guns N Roses, so there's that.
Their first single off "Badmotorfinger" was "Jesus Christ Pose." Almost as unfriendly as you can get as far as trying to get radio airplay. It's fast, loud, and has shrieking guitars all the way through it. A great song, but probably not for radio. Next up, "Outshined." A slower, sludgy power song. Probably a perfect fit for radio at the time. A definable chorus, but no guitar solo. And we all know rock radio loves a song with a good guitar solo.
And the next single was the first track on the album, "Rusty Cage." A punk-paced song with an incredible slow, grungy break at the end. Once again, the single didn't sound the same as anything on radio, or anything they had released before. There was nowhere for them to comfortably land on the radio dial.
Basically, the album had solid sales, but Soundgarden remained a background band for the burgeoning rock scene until Temple of the Dog's release caught fire, thanks to those cool cats from Pearl Jam. It wasn't until 1994's "Superunknown", and "Black Hole Sun," (ugh) that Soundgarden received public accolades.
And here we are, 25 years later. For me, this album was monumental. It was the first album that I purchased barely knowing any of the songs on it, aside from "Rusty Cage." It was everything that wasn't on the radio. It was heavy, thudding, fast, and just in your face. Thayil didn't hold back on whatever he was playing. And Shepherd's bass could be loose and frenetic just minutes apart. Cornell's voice didn't sound like anything else. The songs didn't have that easily definable "meaning," but somehow, I just got it.
One thing that seems never to get mentioned regarding "Badmotorfinger" is bassist Ben Shepherd's contributions. At the time, Cornell could barely get photographed with a shirt on, and Thayil was the guitar genius behind their Sabbath-esque sound. However, Shepherd contributed the music to "Jesus Christ Pose," "Face Pollution," "Slaves &; Bulldozers," and music and lyrics for "Somewhere." You could say that Shepherd helped contribute to their musical maturity post-"Louder Than Love."
"Badmotorfinger" was my Led Zeppelin IV. It is the most iconic album from the band I listened to the most. It didn't have that epic track like "Stairway" but it did have "Slaves & Bulldozers," and the riff to "Room a Thousand Years Wide" just grabs me wherever I am. I can hear it anywhere, anytime. It's probably my favorite track on the album, even with the chaos at the end that Cameron pounds together.
"Badmotorfinger" taught me that you could find great music that wasn't on the radio. 25 years later, I barely listen to the radio.
Through Soundgarden, I've made some great friends. Some of them, I've never even met, but I know them better than I know some of the people I've been physical friends with. I've taken random road trips to see concerts with people I barely knew. And I've talked and typed about Soundgarden more than I care to remember. I was that kid in high school calculus class that was eagerly waiting on "Superunknown" to be released. And everyone knew it...
25 years later, thanks to my mom and dad for letting me create and explore my own musical universe, sometimes to their dismay, I'm sure. See, I turned out OK!
