On this day (April 16) in 1991, Temple of the Dog released their first and only studio album. The self-titled release started as a tribute to the late Mother Love Bone vocalist Andrew Wood. Months after the album’s release, all but one of the musicians who sang or played on the album would release their debut album, Ten, under the name Pearl Jam.
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Mother Love Bone was a highly influential but short-lived band in the Seattle scene. Founded in 1988, the band dissolved after Wood’s death in 1990, before the release of their debut album, Apple. The band had an immeasurable impact on the Seattle music scene and was a heavy influence on future grunge and alternative metal bands. While the band may be unfamiliar to many, the names of some of its members–Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard–might ring a bell. They would go on to form Pearl Jam with Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, and Dave Krusen. Before that, though, they came together as Temple of the Dog.
[RELATED: Watch: Pearl Jam Just Covered This Temple of the Dog Song for the First Time in 10 Years]
Late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell was Wood’s roommate and close friend. He was on tour when he heard of Wood’s passing. Deeply saddened by the loss of his friend, Cornell turned to songwriting to ease his pain. He penned “Say Hello 2 Heaven” and “Reach Down” as a tribute to Wood. “I didn’t have any destination for those songs,” Cornell said. “I was compelled to write them, and there they were–written in a vacuum as a tribute to Andy. My thought was that maybe I could record these songs with the remaining members of Mother Love Bone, and that maybe would could release them as a tribute,” he added.
Forming Temple of the Dog with Future Pearl Jam Members
Cornell approached the remaining members of Mother Love Bone with what would become Temple of the Dog. Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament were on board. They had already been playing with Mike McCready and brought him along. Additionally, Soundgarden’s Matt Cameron came in to play drums.
At the time, Gossard, Ament, and McCready were attempting to form a band and were looking for a singer. They were introduced to a vocalist from California named Eddie Vedder through a mutual friend. While still getting a feel for Seattle and its scene, Vedder came in to add backing vocals to a few songs. Then, Cornell decided “Hunger Strike” should be a duet and enlisted Vedder to share vocal duties on the track.
“It was the first time I ever heard myself on a real record,” Vedder said of the track. “It could be one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever been on. Or the most meaningful.”
Recording Temple of the Dog helped the majority of Pearl Jam’s original lineup to gel as a unit before recording their debut album. In 1998, Soundgarden broke up, and Cameron replaced then-drummer Jack Irons and has been with the band since.
Featured Image by Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
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