Louder Than Love: Difference between revisions
| (255 intermediate revisions by 37 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Infobox Album |
{{Infobox Album |
||
| Name = Louder |
| Name = Louder Than Love |
||
| Type = |
| Type = studio |
||
| Artist = [[Soundgarden]] |
| Artist = [[Soundgarden]] |
||
| Cover = Soundgarden-LouderThanLove.jpg |
| Cover = Soundgarden-LouderThanLove.jpg |
||
| Released = |
| Released = September 5, 1989 |
||
| Recorded = December 1988 – January 1989 at [[London Bridge Studio]]s, [[Seattle]], [[Washington]] |
|||
| Genre = [[Alternative metal]]<br/>[[Grunge]] |
|||
| |
| Genre = [[Grunge music|Grunge]] |
||
| Length = 53:15 |
|||
| Language = [[English language|English]] |
|||
| Label = [[A&M Records|A&M]] |
| Label = [[A&M Records|A&M]] |
||
| Producer = [[Terry Date]], Soundgarden |
| Producer = [[Terry Date]], Soundgarden |
||
| Reviews = *[[Allmusic]] {{rating|3|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|title=allmusic ((( ''Louder Than Love'' > Review )))|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:g9fqxqu5ldae|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|author=Huey, Steve|accessdate=March 21, 2009}}</ref> |
|||
| Reviews = |
|||
*[[Robert Christgau]] (C+)<ref name="Christgau">Christgau, Robert. [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=soundgarden "Soundgarden"]. robertchristgau.com. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.</ref> |
|||
* [[All Music Guide]] {{rating-5|3}} [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=A3kq2g4sttv3z link] |
|||
* |
*''[[Rolling Stone]]'' {{rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="rollingstone">{{cite web | url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/soundgarden/albums/album/106219/review/5946839/louder_than_love | title=Soundgarden: ''Louder Than Love'' | accessdate=2009-05-20 | author=Consideine, J.D. | publisher=''[[Rolling Stone]]'' | date=1997-06-17}}</ref> |
||
| Last album = ''[[Ultramega OK]]''<br/>(1988) |
|||
* [[Robert Christgau]] (C+) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=soundgarden link] |
|||
| |
| This album = '''''Louder Than Love'''''<br/>(1989) |
||
| |
| Next album = ''[[Badmotorfinger]]''<br/>(1991) |
||
| Misc = {{Singles |
|||
| Next album = ''[[Loudest Love]]''<br />(1990) |
|||
| Name = Louder Than Love |
|||
| Type = studio |
|||
| single 1 = [[Loud Love]] |
|||
| single 1 date = August 30, 1989 |
|||
| single 2 = [[Hands All Over]] |
|||
| single 2 date = 1990 |
|||
}} |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
'''''Louder Than Love''''' is the second [[studio album]] by the American [[alternative rock]] band [[Soundgarden]], released on September 5, 1989 through [[A&M Records]]. After touring in support of its first full-length studio album, ''[[Ultramega OK]]'' (1988), Soundgarden signed with A&M and began work on its first album for a major label. The songs on the album featured a [[Hard rock|heavy rock]] sound with some songs featuring unusual or unorthodox time signatures. |
|||
Because of some of the song lyrics the band faced various retail and distribution problems upon the album's release, including the addition of a [[Parental Advisory]] sticker on the album packaging. ''Louder Than Love'' would become the band's first album to chart on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]. The band supported the album with tours of North America and Europe. It was the last Soundgarden album to feature the band's original bassist, [[Hiro Yamamoto]]. |
|||
'''''Louder than Love''''' is the second full-length album by the [[grunge]] band [[Soundgarden]]. It was released in 1989 through A&M Records. The album was rumored to have been originally titled ''Louder than Fuck'' or ''Louder than Meat''. It was the last Soundgarden album to feature the band's original bassist [[Hiro Yamamoto]]. ''Louder than Love'' spawned the EP ''[[Loudest Love]]'' and the video compilation ''[[Louder Than Live]]'', both released the following year. In 2001 [[Q (magazine)|''Q'' magazine]] named it as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time. |
|||
== |
==Recording== |
||
The album's recording sessions took place from December 1988 to January 1989 at [[London Bridge Studio]]s in [[Seattle]], [[Washington]]. The band worked with producer [[Terry Date]]. The album was mixed by [[Steve Thompson (musician)|Steve Thompson]] and [[Michael Barbiero]]. |
|||
*Two singles were released from the album, "[[Loud Love]]" (1989) and "[[Hands All Over]]" (1990), each with accompanying music videos. |
|||
*Some songs on the album feature unusual or unorthodox time signatures. "[[Get on the Snake]]," for example, is played in a 9/4 time signature. This song, although not a single, appeared on the compilation album ''[[A-Sides]]'' (1997), and was featured in the movie and soundtrack ''[[Lost Angels]]''. |
|||
Regarding the sessions, frontman [[Chris Cornell]] said, "At the time Hiro [Yamamoto] had excommunicated himself from the band and there wasn't a free-flowing system as far as music went, so I ended up writing a lot of it."<ref name="colour">"Colour Me Badmotorfinger!". ''[[RAW (magazine)|Raw]]''. October 30, 1991.</ref> Cornell would end up solely writing seven out of the album's twelve tracks. Cornell stated that there "was plenty of angst, anger, frustration and hell...but none of it had anything to do with Terry. He was very supportive."<ref name="rocks">White, Richard. "Soundgarden Rocks". ''Rockpool''. October 1, 1989.</ref> He said that the sessions as a whole were a "positive experience."<ref name="rocks"/> Bassist [[Hiro Yamamoto]] would leave the band once the sessions were over.<ref name="garden">"How Does Your Garden Grow?". ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]''. October 21, 1989.</ref> Yamamoto was becoming frustrated that he wasn't contributing much, and opted to go back to college.<ref name="garden"/> |
|||
*The lyrics of "I Awake" were originally part of a note written by Hiro Yamamoto's then girlfriend Kate McDonald. In the late 1990's, an urban legend circulated on internet message boards which stated that Yamamoto, after writing the music, penned some lyrics on the back side of McDonald's note. When Yamamoto gave the paper containing these lyrics to Cornell, Cornell looked at the wrong side of the sheet and believed McDonald's note was the lyrics to Yamamoto's song. |
|||
*The song "[[Big Dumb Sex]]" was written as a [[parody]] of [[glam metal]] bands, who often metaphorically addressed sexual intercourse in their lyrics. Guns N' Roses covered the song on their 1993 album ''[["The Spaghetti Incident?"]]'' as part of a mash-up with "Buick MacKane." |
|||
Regarding the album's production, Cornell said that the band tried to avoid 1980s production techniques.<ref name="garden"/> On the album's sound as a whole, Cornell stated that the album "was just a few degrees too produced and too clean, although I wouldn't want to change any of it."<ref name="colour"/> |
|||
==Music and lyrics== |
|||
{{Listen |
|||
|filename = HandsAllOver.OGG |
|||
|title = "Hands All Over" |
|||
|description = A sample of "Hands All Over", the second single released from the album. The lyrics for the song, written by Cornell, show a strong environmentalist message. |
|||
}} |
|||
Steve Huey of [[Allmusic]] said that Soundgarden took "a step toward the [[Heavy metal music|metal]] mainstream" with "a slow, grinding, detuned mountain of [[Black Sabbath|Sabbath]]/[[Led Zeppelin|Zeppelin]] riffs and Chris Cornell wailing."<ref name="allmusic"/> At the time the band was trying to avoid the "heavy metal" label, with guitarist [[Kim Thayil]] stating that the band's sound was "as much influenced by British bands like [[Killing Joke]] and [[Bauhaus (band)|Bauhaus]] as it is by heavy metal."<ref name="bignoise">Kot, Greg. "Seattle's Big Noise Soundgarden Leads a Rock Invasion from the Northwest". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. October 18, 1989.</ref> Cornell said that the band's sound is "enough for anyone into [[speed metal]], but we're [[Hard rock|heavy rock]]...Neo-metal maybe."<ref name="garden"/> |
|||
Some songs on the album feature unusual or unorthodox time signatures. "Get on the Snake", for example, is played in a 9/4 time signature.<ref name="bignoise"/> "Gun" features varying tempos, which speed up and slow down over the course of the song.<ref name="gilbert">Gilbert, Jeff. "Primecuts: Kim Thayil". ''Guitar School''. May 1994.</ref> A lot of the songs on the album are tuned down to an [[open D tuning]].<ref>Gilbert, Jeff. "Soundgardening Tips With Kim Thayil". ''[[Guitar World]]''. December 1989.</ref> |
|||
Cornell said that "Hands All Over" is about how humans defile the environment,<ref name="bigugly">Gilbert, Jeff. "Big Ugly Truth". ''[[The Rocket (newspaper)|The Rocket]]''. March 1990.</ref> and that "Full on Kevin's Mom" is about "a friend of mine who slept with another friend of mine's mom. The guy who did it said to us, 'Yeah, full on Kevin's mom'."<ref name="garden"/> The lyrics of "I Awake" were originally part of a note written by Yamamoto's then girlfriend Kate McDonald. In the late 1990's, an urban legend circulated on internet message boards which stated that Yamamoto, after writing the music, wrote some lyrics on the back side of McDonald's note. When Yamamoto gave the paper containing these lyrics to Cornell, Cornell looked at the wrong side of the sheet and believed McDonald's note was the lyrics to Yamamoto's song. There was less material on the album intended as humorous compared with ''[[Ultramega OK]]''. However, the song "Big Dumb Sex" was written as a [[parody]] of [[glam metal]] bands, who often metaphorically addressed sexual intercourse in their lyrics.<ref name="gilbert"/> The song was the reason the album gained a [[Parental Advisory]] sticker upon release.<ref name="bignoise"/> |
|||
==Release and reception== |
|||
Because of some of the song lyrics, most notably on "[[Hands All Over]]" (the "''kill your mother''" line) and "Big Dumb Sex", the band faced various retail and distribution problems upon the album's release.<ref>Barber, Patrick. "Soundgarden". ''Pit''. 1990.</ref> ''Louder Than Love'' peaked at number 108 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] album chart in 1990. It was the band's first album to chart on the ''Billboard'' Top 200. ''Louder Than Love'' spawned the ''[[Loudest Love]]'' EP and the ''[[Louder Than Live]]'' home video, both released in 1990. |
|||
''[[Rolling Stone]]'' staff writer J.D. Considine gave ''Louder Than Love'' three and a half out of five stars, saying that "Chris Cornell has the sort of soaring, muscular voice [[Ian Astbury]] can only dream of, while guitarist Kim Thayil comes across like [[The Edge]] with an attitude." He stated that "the songs on ''Louder Than Love'' are mean, lean and fighting fit." However, Considine criticized Cornell's lyrics, observing that "much of what the band has to say is clichéd, confused or generally incomprehensible." He ended his review by saying that "even when his lyrics are as dumb as rocks...Cornell delivers them with such full-throated intensity that they actually sound impressive."<ref name="rollingstone"/> Allmusic staff writer Steve Huey gave the album three out of five stars, saying that "too much of the album drifts along without focus or variety."<ref name="allmusic"/> Critic [[Robert Christgau]] gave the album a C+, stating that it is "covertly conceptual, arty in spite of itself, and I bet metal fans don't bite."<ref name="Christgau"/> |
|||
Two singles were released from the album, "[[Loud Love]]" (1989) and "Hands All Over" (1990), each with accompanying [[music video]]s. "Get on the Snake" was featured in the 1989 movie and soundtrack, ''[[Lost Angels]]''. [[Guns N' Roses]] covered "Big Dumb Sex" on its 1993 album, ''[["The Spaghetti Incident?"]]'', as part of a medley with [[T.Rex (band)|T. Rex]]'s "[[Buick Mackane]]". |
|||
In 2001, [[Q (magazine)|''Q'' magazine]] named ''Louder Than Love'' as one of the "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time."<ref>"50 Heaviest Albums of All Time". [[Q (magazine)|''Q'']]. July 2001. p.90.</ref> |
|||
==Packaging== |
|||
The album's cover art, photographed by [[Charles Peterson (photographer)|Charles Peterson]], features a black and white picture of Cornell. Cornell called the album cover "the quintessential angry young man."<ref>Cromelin, Richard. "Fertile Ground". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. August 25, 1991.</ref> Regarding the title, Cornell said, "It's sort of making fun of heavy metal bravado. Metal bands would say ''Louder Than Thunder'' or something. So ''Louder Than Love'', what is ''Louder Than Love''?"<ref name="garden"/> Thayil said that the band really wanted to call the album ''Louder Than Fuck''.<ref>"Kim Thayil's A-Sides". ''[[Metal Hammer]]''. January 1998.</ref> |
|||
==Tour== |
|||
A month before touring for ''Louder Than Love'' commenced, Yamamoto left to go back to college.<ref name="loera">Loera, Carlos. "Soundgarden". ''Loud''. 1990.</ref> Cornell stated, "It seems an odd time to quit. We're doing real well. We've got a touring budget now. We don't haul amps or do such long van rides any more."<ref name="garden"/> He was replaced by [[Jason Everman]], formerly of [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]. The band embarked on a [[North America]]n tour that went from December 1989 to March 1990. On this tour the band served as the opening act for [[Voivod (band)|Voivod]] on the band's ''[[Nothingface (album)|Nothingface]]'' tour, with [[Faith No More]] also serving as an opening act at the beginning and end of the tour.<ref name="loera"/> Cornell's roommate, [[Andrew Wood]], the lead singer of [[Mother Love Bone]], died on March 19, 1990 of a [[Drug overdose|heroin overdose]], the day Cornell got back from touring in support of ''Louder Than Love''.<ref name="Rip Magazine — Life Rules">Turman, Katherine. "Life Rules." ''[[RIP (magazine)|RIP]]''. October 1991</ref><ref name="Fivehorizons.com — KISW 99.9 FM: Seattle, Radio Interview by Damon Stewart in The New Music Hour with Chris Cornell, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard">{{cite web|title=KISW 99.9 FM: Seattle, Radio Interview by Damon Stewart in The New Music Hour with Chris Cornell, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard|author=Nicholls, Justin|publisher=Fivehorizons.com|url=http://www.fivehorizons.com/archive/articles/radio041491.shtml|accessdate=2007-10-03|date=1991-04-14}}</ref> |
|||
As Cornell went on to tour [[Europe]] with Soundgarden a few days later, he started writing songs in tribute to his late friend.<ref name="Rip Magazine — Life Rules"/> The result was two songs, "Reach Down" and "[[Say Hello 2 Heaven]]", that he recorded as soon as he got back from touring.<ref name="Rip Magazine — Life Rules"/> The two songs would eventually lead into the [[Temple of the Dog]] project. Bassist Jason Everman was fired immediately after Soundgarden completed its promotional tour for ''Louder Than Love'' in mid-1990. Thayil said that "Jason just ''didn't'' work out,"<ref>Neely, Kim. "Soundgarden: The Veteran Band from Seattle Proves There's Life After Nirvana". ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. July 9, 1992.</ref> and that the band "didn't need to go find someone better than him; we needed to find a kindred spirit that we'd hang out with anyway."<ref name="seconds">Blush, Steven. "Soundgarden". ''Seconds''. 1996.</ref> The band later released the video compilation ''[[Louder Than Live]]'', which was filmed at the [[Whisky a Go Go]] in 1989. |
|||
==Track listing== |
==Track listing== |
||
{{tracklist |
|||
{| class="wikitable" |
|||
| collapsed = |
|||
! # |
|||
| headline = |
|||
! Song |
|||
| all_lyrics = [[Chris Cornell]], except where noted |
|||
! Length |
|||
| all_music = Cornell, except where noted |
|||
! Credits |
|||
| lyrics_credits = yes |
|||
| music_credits = yes |
|||
| title1 = Ugly Truth |
|||
| length1 = 5:26 |
|||
| title2 = [[Hands All Over]] |
|||
| music2 = [[Kim Thayil]] |
|||
| length2 = 6:00 |
|||
| title3 = Gun |
|||
| length3 = 4:42 |
|||
| title4 = Power Trip |
|||
| music4 = [[Hiro Yamamoto]] |
|||
| length4 = 4:09 |
|||
| title5 = Get on the Snake |
|||
| music5 = Thayil |
|||
| length5 = 3:44 |
|||
| title6 = Full on Kevin's Mom |
|||
| length6 = 3:37 |
|||
| title7 = [[Loud Love]] |
|||
| length7 = 4:57 |
|||
| title8 = I Awake |
|||
| lyrics8 = Kate McDonald |
|||
| music8 = Yamamoto |
|||
| length8 = 4:21 |
|||
| title9 = No Wrong No Right |
|||
| music9 = Yamamoto |
|||
| length9 = 4:47 |
|||
| title10 = Uncovered |
|||
| length10 = 4:30 |
|||
| title11 = Big Dumb Sex |
|||
| length11 = 4:11 |
|||
| title12 = Full On (Reprise) |
|||
| length12 = 2:42 |
|||
}} |
|||
==Outtakes== |
|||
The album's singles featured two [[A-side and B-side|B-side]]s from the ''Louder Than Love'' recording sessions that weren't included on the album, "Fresh Deadly Roses" and "Heretic". "Fresh Deadly Roses" was a B-side on the "Loud Love" single and was featured on the 1990 ''Pave the Earth'' compilation. "Heretic" was originally recorded for the 1986 ''[[Deep Six (album)|Deep Six]]'' compilation. However, the song was re-recorded during the ''Louder Than Love'' recording sessions and this version is featured on the "Hands All Over" single, the ''[[Pump Up the Volume (film)|Pump Up the Volume]]'' [[Pump Up the Volume (film)#Soundtrack|soundtrack]], and the ''Loudest Love'' EP. |
|||
==Personnel== |
|||
{{col-begin}} |
|||
{{col-2}} |
|||
;Soundgarden |
|||
*[[Matt Cameron]] – [[Drum kit|drums]] |
|||
*[[Chris Cornell]] – [[Singing|vocals]], [[guitar]] |
|||
*[[Kim Thayil]] – guitar |
|||
*[[Hiro Yamamoto]] – [[bass guitar]] |
|||
{{col-2}} |
|||
;Production |
|||
*Nelson Ayres, [[Jack Endino]], Stuart Hallerman – studio assistance |
|||
*[[Michael Barbiero]], [[Steve Thompson (musician)|Steve Thompson]] – [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing]] |
|||
*[[Art Chantry]] – design & art execution |
|||
*[[Terry Date]] – [[record producer|production]], [[Audio engineering|engineering]] |
|||
*[[Michael Lavine]], [[Charles Peterson (photographer)|Charles Peterson]] – [[photography]] |
|||
*[[Bruce Pavitt]] – Third Eye/front cover |
|||
*Soundgarden – production |
|||
*[[Howie Weinberg]] – [[Audio mastering|mastering]] |
|||
{{end}} |
|||
==Chart positions== |
|||
===Album=== |
|||
{|class="wikitable" border="1" |
|||
! Chart (1990) |
|||
! Position |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
| US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]<ref>{{cite web |
|||
|01 |
|||
| url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=SOUNDGARDEN&sql=11:gifixqr5ld0e~T50 |
|||
|"Ugly Truth" |
|||
| title=Soundgarden – Billboard Albums |
|||
|<center>5:26</center> |
|||
| publisher=[[Allmusic]] |
|||
|[[Chris Cornell]] |
|||
| accessdate=2007-12-08}}</ref> |
|||
|align="center"| 108 |
|||
|} |
|||
===Singles=== |
|||
{|class="wikitable" border="1" |
|||
!Year |
|||
!Single |
|||
![[UK Singles Chart|UK]] peak<br />chart position<br /><ref name="www.chartstats.com">{{cite web |
|||
| url = http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=5816 |
|||
| title = UK Singles & Albums Chart Archive — Soundgarden |
|||
| accessdate = 2007-12-08 |
|||
}}</ref> |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
|1989 |
|||
|02 |
|||
|"Loud Love" |
|||
|"[[Hands All Over]]" |
|||
| |
|align="center"| 87 |
||
|[[Chris Cornell]], [[Kim Thayil]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|03 |
|||
|"[[Gun (song)|Gun]]" |
|||
|<center>4:42</center> |
|||
|[[Chris Cornell]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|04 |
|||
|"Power Trip" |
|||
|<center>4:09</center> |
|||
|[[Chris Cornell]], [[Hiro Yamamoto]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|05 |
|||
|"[[Get on the Snake]]" |
|||
|<center>3:44</center> |
|||
|[[Chris Cornell]], [[Kim Thayil]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|06 |
|||
|"Full on Kevin's Mom" |
|||
|<center>3:37</center> |
|||
|[[Chris Cornell]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|07 |
|||
|"[[Loud Love]]" |
|||
|<center>4:57</center> |
|||
|[[Chris Cornell]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|08 |
|||
|"I Awake" |
|||
|<center>4:21</center> |
|||
|Kate McDonald, [[Hiro Yamamoto]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|09 |
|||
|"No Wrong No Right" |
|||
|<center>4:47</center> |
|||
|[[Chris Cornell]], [[Hiro Yamamoto]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|10 |
|||
|"Uncovered" |
|||
|<center>4:30</center> |
|||
|[[Chris Cornell]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|11 |
|||
|"[[Big Dumb Sex]]" |
|||
|<center>4:11</center> |
|||
|[[Chris Cornell]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|12 |
|||
|"Full On (Reprise)" |
|||
|<center>2:42</center> |
|||
|[[Chris Cornell]] |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
|1990 |
|||
|"Hands All Over" |
|||
|align="center"| 82 |
|||
|} |
|} |
||
== |
==References== |
||
{{Reflist}} |
|||
1990 Louder than Love The Billboard 200 No. 108 |
|||
==Personnel== |
|||
*Chris Cornell - Vocals, Guitar |
|||
*Kim Thayil - Guitar |
|||
*Hiro Yamamoto - Bass |
|||
*Matt Cameron - Drums |
|||
*Terry Date - Producer, Engineer |
|||
*Stuart Hallerman - Studio Assistance |
|||
*[[Jack Endino]] - Studio Assistance |
|||
*Steve Thompson - Mixing |
|||
*Michael Barbiero - Mixing |
|||
*Nelson Ayres - Studio Assistance |
|||
*Howie Weinberg - Mastering |
|||
*[[Art Chantry]] - Design & Art Execution |
|||
*Bruce Pavitt - Third Eye/Front Cover |
|||
*Charles Peterson - Photography |
|||
*Michael Lavine - Photography |
|||
==External links== |
|||
* [http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/releases/louder.shtml Louder than Love on the Unofficial Soundgarden Homepage] |
|||
{{Soundgarden}} |
{{Soundgarden}} |
||
[[Category:Soundgarden albums]] |
|||
[[Category:1989 albums]] |
[[Category:1989 albums]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:A&M Records albums]] |
||
[[Category:Albums produced by Terry Date]] |
|||
[[Category:English-language albums]] |
|||
[[Category:Soundgarden albums]] |
|||
[[es:Louder than Love]] |
|||
[[fr:Louder than Love]] |
|||
[[it:Louder Than Love]] |
[[it:Louder Than Love]] |
||
[[ |
[[no:Louder than Love]] |
||
[[pl:Louder Than Love]] |
|||
[[pt:Louder Than Love]] |
|||
[[simple:Louder Than Love]] |
|||
[[fi:Louder Than Love]] |
[[fi:Louder Than Love]] |
||
[[sv:Louder Than Love]] |
[[sv:Louder Than Love]] |
||
Revision as of 08:00, 7 September 2009
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Louder Than Love is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band Soundgarden, released on September 5, 1989 through A&M Records. After touring in support of its first full-length studio album, Ultramega OK (1988), Soundgarden signed with A&M and began work on its first album for a major label. The songs on the album featured a heavy rock sound with some songs featuring unusual or unorthodox time signatures.
Because of some of the song lyrics the band faced various retail and distribution problems upon the album's release, including the addition of a Parental Advisory sticker on the album packaging. Louder Than Love would become the band's first album to chart on the Billboard 200. The band supported the album with tours of North America and Europe. It was the last Soundgarden album to feature the band's original bassist, Hiro Yamamoto.
Recording
The album's recording sessions took place from December 1988 to January 1989 at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, Washington. The band worked with producer Terry Date. The album was mixed by Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero.
Regarding the sessions, frontman Chris Cornell said, "At the time Hiro [Yamamoto] had excommunicated himself from the band and there wasn't a free-flowing system as far as music went, so I ended up writing a lot of it."[4] Cornell would end up solely writing seven out of the album's twelve tracks. Cornell stated that there "was plenty of angst, anger, frustration and hell...but none of it had anything to do with Terry. He was very supportive."[5] He said that the sessions as a whole were a "positive experience."[5] Bassist Hiro Yamamoto would leave the band once the sessions were over.[6] Yamamoto was becoming frustrated that he wasn't contributing much, and opted to go back to college.[6]
Regarding the album's production, Cornell said that the band tried to avoid 1980s production techniques.[6] On the album's sound as a whole, Cornell stated that the album "was just a few degrees too produced and too clean, although I wouldn't want to change any of it."[4]
Music and lyrics
Steve Huey of Allmusic said that Soundgarden took "a step toward the metal mainstream" with "a slow, grinding, detuned mountain of Sabbath/Zeppelin riffs and Chris Cornell wailing."[1] At the time the band was trying to avoid the "heavy metal" label, with guitarist Kim Thayil stating that the band's sound was "as much influenced by British bands like Killing Joke and Bauhaus as it is by heavy metal."[7] Cornell said that the band's sound is "enough for anyone into speed metal, but we're heavy rock...Neo-metal maybe."[6]
Some songs on the album feature unusual or unorthodox time signatures. "Get on the Snake", for example, is played in a 9/4 time signature.[7] "Gun" features varying tempos, which speed up and slow down over the course of the song.[8] A lot of the songs on the album are tuned down to an open D tuning.[9]
Cornell said that "Hands All Over" is about how humans defile the environment,[10] and that "Full on Kevin's Mom" is about "a friend of mine who slept with another friend of mine's mom. The guy who did it said to us, 'Yeah, full on Kevin's mom'."[6] The lyrics of "I Awake" were originally part of a note written by Yamamoto's then girlfriend Kate McDonald. In the late 1990's, an urban legend circulated on internet message boards which stated that Yamamoto, after writing the music, wrote some lyrics on the back side of McDonald's note. When Yamamoto gave the paper containing these lyrics to Cornell, Cornell looked at the wrong side of the sheet and believed McDonald's note was the lyrics to Yamamoto's song. There was less material on the album intended as humorous compared with Ultramega OK. However, the song "Big Dumb Sex" was written as a parody of glam metal bands, who often metaphorically addressed sexual intercourse in their lyrics.[8] The song was the reason the album gained a Parental Advisory sticker upon release.[7]
Release and reception
Because of some of the song lyrics, most notably on "Hands All Over" (the "kill your mother" line) and "Big Dumb Sex", the band faced various retail and distribution problems upon the album's release.[11] Louder Than Love peaked at number 108 on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1990. It was the band's first album to chart on the Billboard Top 200. Louder Than Love spawned the Loudest Love EP and the Louder Than Live home video, both released in 1990.
Rolling Stone staff writer J.D. Considine gave Louder Than Love three and a half out of five stars, saying that "Chris Cornell has the sort of soaring, muscular voice Ian Astbury can only dream of, while guitarist Kim Thayil comes across like The Edge with an attitude." He stated that "the songs on Louder Than Love are mean, lean and fighting fit." However, Considine criticized Cornell's lyrics, observing that "much of what the band has to say is clichéd, confused or generally incomprehensible." He ended his review by saying that "even when his lyrics are as dumb as rocks...Cornell delivers them with such full-throated intensity that they actually sound impressive."[3] Allmusic staff writer Steve Huey gave the album three out of five stars, saying that "too much of the album drifts along without focus or variety."[1] Critic Robert Christgau gave the album a C+, stating that it is "covertly conceptual, arty in spite of itself, and I bet metal fans don't bite."[2]
Two singles were released from the album, "Loud Love" (1989) and "Hands All Over" (1990), each with accompanying music videos. "Get on the Snake" was featured in the 1989 movie and soundtrack, Lost Angels. Guns N' Roses covered "Big Dumb Sex" on its 1993 album, "The Spaghetti Incident?", as part of a medley with T. Rex's "Buick Mackane".
In 2001, Q magazine named Louder Than Love as one of the "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time."[12]
Packaging
The album's cover art, photographed by Charles Peterson, features a black and white picture of Cornell. Cornell called the album cover "the quintessential angry young man."[13] Regarding the title, Cornell said, "It's sort of making fun of heavy metal bravado. Metal bands would say Louder Than Thunder or something. So Louder Than Love, what is Louder Than Love?"[6] Thayil said that the band really wanted to call the album Louder Than Fuck.[14]
Tour
A month before touring for Louder Than Love commenced, Yamamoto left to go back to college.[15] Cornell stated, "It seems an odd time to quit. We're doing real well. We've got a touring budget now. We don't haul amps or do such long van rides any more."[6] He was replaced by Jason Everman, formerly of Nirvana. The band embarked on a North American tour that went from December 1989 to March 1990. On this tour the band served as the opening act for Voivod on the band's Nothingface tour, with Faith No More also serving as an opening act at the beginning and end of the tour.[15] Cornell's roommate, Andrew Wood, the lead singer of Mother Love Bone, died on March 19, 1990 of a heroin overdose, the day Cornell got back from touring in support of Louder Than Love.[16][17]
As Cornell went on to tour Europe with Soundgarden a few days later, he started writing songs in tribute to his late friend.[16] The result was two songs, "Reach Down" and "Say Hello 2 Heaven", that he recorded as soon as he got back from touring.[16] The two songs would eventually lead into the Temple of the Dog project. Bassist Jason Everman was fired immediately after Soundgarden completed its promotional tour for Louder Than Love in mid-1990. Thayil said that "Jason just didn't work out,"[18] and that the band "didn't need to go find someone better than him; we needed to find a kindred spirit that we'd hang out with anyway."[19] The band later released the video compilation Louder Than Live, which was filmed at the Whisky a Go Go in 1989.
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Chris Cornell, except where noted; all music is composed by Cornell, except where noted
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ugly Truth" | 5:26 | ||
| 2. | "Hands All Over" | Kim Thayil | 6:00 | |
| 3. | "Gun" | 4:42 | ||
| 4. | "Power Trip" | Hiro Yamamoto | 4:09 | |
| 5. | "Get on the Snake" | Thayil | 3:44 | |
| 6. | "Full on Kevin's Mom" | 3:37 | ||
| 7. | "Loud Love" | 4:57 | ||
| 8. | "I Awake" | Kate McDonald | Yamamoto | 4:21 |
| 9. | "No Wrong No Right" | Yamamoto | 4:47 | |
| 10. | "Uncovered" | 4:30 | ||
| 11. | "Big Dumb Sex" | 4:11 | ||
| 12. | "Full On (Reprise)" | 2:42 |
Outtakes
The album's singles featured two B-sides from the Louder Than Love recording sessions that weren't included on the album, "Fresh Deadly Roses" and "Heretic". "Fresh Deadly Roses" was a B-side on the "Loud Love" single and was featured on the 1990 Pave the Earth compilation. "Heretic" was originally recorded for the 1986 Deep Six compilation. However, the song was re-recorded during the Louder Than Love recording sessions and this version is featured on the "Hands All Over" single, the Pump Up the Volume soundtrack, and the Loudest Love EP.
Personnel
|
|
Chart positions
Album
| Chart (1990) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[20] | 108 |
Singles
| Year | Single | UK peak chart position [21] |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | "Loud Love" | 87 |
| 1990 | "Hands All Over" | 82 |
References
- ^ a b c Huey, Steve. "allmusic ((( Louder Than Love > Review )))". Allmusic. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Soundgarden". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
- ^ a b Consideine, J.D. (1997-06-17). "Soundgarden: Louder Than Love". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "Colour Me Badmotorfinger!". Raw. October 30, 1991.
- ^ a b White, Richard. "Soundgarden Rocks". Rockpool. October 1, 1989.
- ^ a b c d e f g "How Does Your Garden Grow?". Sounds. October 21, 1989.
- ^ a b c Kot, Greg. "Seattle's Big Noise Soundgarden Leads a Rock Invasion from the Northwest". Chicago Tribune. October 18, 1989.
- ^ a b Gilbert, Jeff. "Primecuts: Kim Thayil". Guitar School. May 1994.
- ^ Gilbert, Jeff. "Soundgardening Tips With Kim Thayil". Guitar World. December 1989.
- ^ Gilbert, Jeff. "Big Ugly Truth". The Rocket. March 1990.
- ^ Barber, Patrick. "Soundgarden". Pit. 1990.
- ^ "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time". Q. July 2001. p.90.
- ^ Cromelin, Richard. "Fertile Ground". Los Angeles Times. August 25, 1991.
- ^ "Kim Thayil's A-Sides". Metal Hammer. January 1998.
- ^ a b Loera, Carlos. "Soundgarden". Loud. 1990.
- ^ a b c Turman, Katherine. "Life Rules." RIP. October 1991
- ^ Nicholls, Justin (1991-04-14). "KISW 99.9 FM: Seattle, Radio Interview by Damon Stewart in The New Music Hour with Chris Cornell, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard". Fivehorizons.com. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
- ^ Neely, Kim. "Soundgarden: The Veteran Band from Seattle Proves There's Life After Nirvana". Rolling Stone. July 9, 1992.
- ^ Blush, Steven. "Soundgarden". Seconds. 1996.
- ^ "Soundgarden – Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
- ^ "UK Singles & Albums Chart Archive — Soundgarden". Retrieved 2007-12-08.
| |||||
| Studio albums | |||||
| Live albums | |||||
| Extended plays | |||||
| Compilations | |||||
| Videos | |||||
| Singles |
| ||||
| Other songs | |||||
| Demo recordings | |||||
| Related |
| ||||
