Temple Of The Dog  by Temple Of The Dog

The album Temple Of The Dog, released in 1991 by A&M Records, stands as one of the most iconic landmarks in the history of grunge and the Seattle rock scene. The project was created by Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) as a tribute to his friend and roommate, Andrew Wood, frontman of Mother Love Bone, who died of a heroin overdose in 1990. The lineup included Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament (Mother Love Bone), Mike McCready and Matt Cameron (Soundgarden), and also featured the then-unknown Eddie Vedder. Essentially, the album served as the "cradle" for the subsequent creation of Pearl Jam. The band's name - and the album's - comes from a lyric in the song Man Of Golden Words by Mother Love Bone.

The album was recorded in just 15 days (November-December 1990) at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, with producer Rick Parashar. Its sound combines alternative rock, blues, and classic rock, so its style is more melodic and "relaxed" compared to the aggressive sound of Soundgarden at that time. The lyrics, entirely written by Cornell, are dominated by themes of mourning, loss, and inner search. Hunger Strike became the most recognizable single, a duet between Cornell and Vedder. It was essentially the first time Vedder was heard on an official recording.

The album went platinum in the U.S., reaching as high as No. 14 on the Billboard chart.