Well, we were all thinking it... and FINALLY Chris Cornell has come to his senses! This new version of 'Never far Away' is actually pretty good! Is it too little, too late to save his career? We'll see! How long before we hear that Soundgarden is getting back together?
When tracks from Chris Cornell’s third solo album, Scream, started making the rounds last year, fans were confused. The producer was Timbaland? Electric R&B grooves? And is that freakin’ Justin Timberlake on backing vocals? AN ‘N SYNC DUDE ON A RECORD BY THE GUY FROM SOUNDGARDEN?!? The only thing missing was Kayne to grabbing the mic halfway through a song.
Give Cornell credit for trying to shake up his solo career with a bold statement. But the bottom line is that Scream did not work. Outside of a kind review from Entertainment Weekly (they gave it a B+), the album got savaged by critics and fans. It was a Grunge God/ Timbaland Fail. But if you listened to Scream carefully, there was some good stuff underneath all the overproduction and R&B beats.
Michael Friedman, a Canadian ex-pat working in LA in the licensing and placement of music in films and TV, certainly thought so. “I heard some ‘Black Hole Sun’ greatness deep within some of the songs,” he told me, “I also got to know Chris as a friend. I ended up calling Jordan Zadorozny [of the Canadian indie band Blinker the Star and co-writer of song with Courtney Love and friend of Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham].” I flew him down to LA and had him listen to some of the tracks in hopes that he could remix them somehow.”The first track to emerge from this de-Timbalanding of Scream is “Never Far Away.” In its original form, a funky mess obscurs what was actually a pretty good Soundgarden-esque mid-tempo rocker. Jordan peeled back all the beats and turned up whatever guitar was there. The result is a proper Chris Cornell song.
Through a roundabout series of connections, I managed to get Michael on the phone yesterday. And with Chris Cornell’s permission, he sent me this unreleased re-imagined, de-cluttered and grunged-up version of “Never Far Away.”Could this be the beginning of a Scream mulligan?
(PS: "Michael tells me that this version is a total re-recording, not a remix.")
Great Blog post. I am going to bookmark and read more often. I love the Blog template
10/23/2009 2:25PM
WAAF » Quickpost
[...] Recent PostsChris Cornell got smart! [...]
10/23/2009 3:35PM
Bigbrother.
Mr hillman, You have put my brother in bridgewater state mental institution, I want you to watch a video called Titicot fallies, or follies... on you tube, its a documentury, on bridge water state mental hospital/maxie prison.
the charges you pressed against my brother have put him in there, it is the most inhumane place on the east coast, im begging you to drop your charges.
You are an adult, settle it with your words, my brother would never hurt anybody. EVER!
So why make him suffer when hes suffered enough.
He has bipolar, skitsofrinia, paranoya and suffers from blackouts and disalution of grandgure. so why make his life worse, Why do this to someone who has it so bad? Does it make your feel good about your self to make an innocent person suffer I question...
And if you have ever have suffered in your life, have you no empathy for someone in that circumstance? no pitty? No remorse, Please man, drop these charges he does not diserve to be put away!
Hes a good kid with a good heart, I use to like your radio show, but i find that all you do is find someone who is weak to hit when their down, Can you just let that shit slide?
its like, he has it so bad, and you just take away his freedom over a few words, Its sad to think that thinking and saying something is a crime in this country where is the freedom, and where is the forgiveness?
10/26/2009 10:50AM
EricK
Sound's much better!!!! I think It's time to do this to all the songs on the album!
