The Bottom Line: Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees--and the list goes on! This Singles soundtrack is one of the best of the decade.
lambchops's Full Review: Singles by Original Soundtrack
The years 1990 through 1992 were banner years in the world of rock n' roll. Now considered the peak of the "grunge" era, it yielded albums from massively popular acts Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden in addition to somewhat less known but equally noteworthy bands including Screaming Trees, Mudhoney, and Mother Love Bone. After 1992, the "Seattle Sound" (as it was also known) became the MTV version of rock n' roll but before then it was raw, real, and angry. It was everything that rock music should be.
There are few compilations that truly capture the spirit of the era. One collection that managed that feat is the soundtrack to Singles. The film also did a fair job at capturing the scene and the generational angst. If you want a slice of what 1992 was about then watch the movie and pick up the soundtrack. It's mainstream, but not so much so that it loses the original edge that the music that because "grunge" once possessed. All those mentioned above in addition to Paul Westerberg, a solo Chris Cornell, Jimi Hendrix, Smashing Pumpkins, and Ann and Nancy Wilson side project the Lovemongers make an appearance. If you wondered what 1992 rock music was really about check out Singles.
Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, and Jeff Ament all appeared in the movie as members of Citizen Dick which was in turn fronted by Matt Dillon's character Cliff. It should thusly come as no surprise that Pearl Jam is included twice on the soundtrack. Both Breath and State of Love and Trust were originally released as part of the Singles soundtrack. The later appeared on various other live and compilation albums. However if you desire them in their original context this is a necessary disc. Breath is a pleasant, mid-tempo song while State of Love and Trust is an equally entertaining up-tempo rocker. I wouldn't ever say that either is a Pearl Jam classic but they are still decent and representative of the band's early music.
It would be simple to point at album opener and hit single Would? from Alice in Chains as the best of the album. Clearly it's one of the best, but because Singles collects so many good songs from so many great songs there are many less obvious and equally fabulous choices. Minneapolis native Paul Westerberg's Dyslexic Heart and Waiting for Somebody are two of the best examples of the diversity of the scene. Both are easy, jaunty, acoustic, and injected with pop in a way that most of the songs here are not. These are happy, hip, and playful songs that appeal to me on many levels.
Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone, and Smashing Pumpkins also appear here however it is Chris Cornell of Soundgarden that really steals the limelight with Seasons. Cornell has one of the best voices of the musical era. His vocals soar overtop acoustic guitars and a pensive melody. It works incredibly well in the context of the film. Speaking of context--Singles does what few movies even attempt. It gathers together a bunch of bands and artists who represented the scene. The album didn't set out to sell millions--it just did. Singles perfectly captured the era. It served as something of a sampler to the masses.
Nearly Lost You from Screaming Trees is one of my favorite songs of the early 1990's and is included here. The band was never incredibly popular, but Mark Lanegan's creamy and intense vocals are a fabulous addition to Singles. Lanegan has of course gone on to solo success in no small part due to the modest success of Nearly Lost You and Screaming Trees. Seattle native Jimi Hendrix is also represented here with May This Be Love. A low-key, gorgeous offering from the guitar master works wonderfully on this release. Also a welcome, surprising inclusion is the Lovemongers cover of Led Zeppelin epic Battle of Evermore which seems perfectly suited to Ann and Nancy Wilson. Their wonderful, classic rock dueling vocals are perfectly suited to the material.
I am incredibly impressed by the whole soundtrack--it ranks in my mental 1990's soundtrack list as one of the best alongside Trainspotting, Dazed & Confused, Pulp Fiction, The Crow, and Natural Born Killers. Singles marked the beginning of the end of what people considered to be "grunge." The artists on the album were still largely unproven at the time and many would go on to sell millions by their own right. As it stood, Singles sold to platinum levels and yielded two Modern Rock hits (Dyslexic Heart and Drown). Some of the bands here have been accused of selling out in subsequent years, but none of that is even applicable here. Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, and Soundgarden did sell millions upon millions of albums but it was for good reason--they were/are talented.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Would? - Alice in Chains
02. Breath - Pearl Jam
03. Seasons - Chris Cornell
04. Dyslexic Heart - Paul Westerberg
05. Battle of Evermore - Lovemongers
06. Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns - Mother Love Bone
07. Birth Ritual - Soundgarden
08. State of Love and Trust - Pearl Jam
09. Overblown - Mudhoney
10. Waiting for Somebody - Paul Westerberg
11. May This Be Love - Jimi Hendrix
12. Nearly Lost You - Screaming Trees
13. Drown - Smashing Pumpkins
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