Temple of the Dog… man, that one was special.
It wasn’t really a full band, more like a one-time thing the guys put together after Andy Wood died. Chris Cornell from Soundgarden, Matt Cameron, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready — all the Mother Love Bone and Soundgarden guys — got together in 1990 to make a record as a tribute to Andy. Eddie Vedder even sang on a couple tracks. They called it Temple of the Dog.
I didn’t get to see them live — they only played a handful of shows right at the beginning, before I even moved out here. But once I got to Seattle in ’92 that self-titled album was everywhere. “Hunger Strike” with Chris and Eddie trading vocals was on the radio all the time, and songs like “Say Hello 2 Heaven” and “Reach Down” just hit different. It felt like a goodbye and a thank you all at the same time.
A lot of people say it’s the bridge between Mother Love Bone and what Pearl Jam became. I think that’s pretty much right. It had that big, emotional sound, but it still felt like it came straight from the heart of the scene.
These days in 2002 I still pull that record out every once in a while. It’s a strange listen now — you can hear how much they were hurting, but there’s also something really beautiful about it. They made one album, played a few shows, and then went their separate ways. No big tour, no follow-up record, nothing. Just that one perfect goodbye.
Temple of the Dog wasn’t around long, but they left behind something that still feels important. For a lot of us it’s the moment the Seattle sound went from being our little secret to something bigger. And it all started as a way to say goodbye to Andy.
I’m really glad that record exists.