Bone-crushing riffs, Cornell’s booming vocals, a constant groove – Soundgarden’s “Badmotorfinger” set the formula for the band. It’s an album from a band that has a solid local following but isn’t nationally super famous. They are still in love with making music.
The only issue that the record has is that the initial release has a tinny sound to the production. If you are going to pick up this album now, make sure to purchase the remastered version. Those issues have been addressed, and it’s fantastic.
“Outshined” is a fantastic track on the album. The lyric “I’m looking California but feeling Minnesota” is one of the most recognizable lyrics from the band. Cornell said he came up with it when he was in a down mood and looked at himself in the mirror.
Some people believe that the song is about Cornell’s drug use. The lyrics illustrate intense depression, heavy use of heroin, as well as alcohol abuse. Cornell is telling a story about how he is sick of the “rock star” existence. He portrays it as meaningless.
Chris Cornell said that the track “Rusty Cage” was written on a tour bus in Europe. He told Spin magazine that he attempted to give the song a Black Sabbath, Hillbilly vibe. Guitarist Kim Thayil said, “The tuning on that song is nutty”. “It’s recorded with a wah pedal in the down position used as a filter.” It gives the song a unique sound that just works.
“Jesus Christ Pose” is a criticism of celebrity. Chris Cornell attended Catholic school at a young age. It gave him a disdain for ignorance. He saw other rock stars on stage with their arms spread out as if they were Jesus on the cross. The song expresses his frustration with that behavior from some of his peers.
“Badmotorfinger” comes from probably Soundgarden’s best era of songwriting. Holy Water, Slaves and Bulldozers, as well as the aforementioned songs, are reasons enough to pick it.
Must listen to tracks: Outshined, Jesus Christ Pose, Rusty Cage
