Listening to Chris Cornell climb the seemingly infinite ladder of his vocal range on tracks like Loud Love and Jesus Christ Pose remains thrilling and a new release of Soundgarden A-Sides, the tasty compilation originally unleashed in 1997, offers the chance to renew your appreciation for him and them. These seventeen essential tracks from Cornell’s signature band are an invitation, sixteen months after Cornell’s unbearable suicide, to relegate the experience of learning about the end of his life to the very minor position it insists on holding aside the experience of hearing one of rock’s most exciting and vital vocalists.
Sure spending some time with this set spurs my memories of a colossal ’94 show at the Tower Theater outside Philly and the surreal breakup show at Honolulu’s Blaisdell Arena in ’97 that I was lucky enough to see but I’m not being nostalgic. I’m just playing Soundgarden on the merits that recommended them the first time around: The power and precision…and the riffs of Kim Thayil, the astounding vocals and sometime rhythm guitar of Cornell, and the mostly ferocious but pliant rhythm section of Matt Cameron and either Hiro Yamamoto who is on bass on songs 1 – 5 or Ben Shepherd the rest of the way. They never sounded as dynamic as a result of the re-mastering on two black vinyl records inside a spiffy gatefold sleeve. 
Soundgarden A-SIDES [LP]
Side A:
1. NOTHING TO SAY
2. FLOWER
3. LOUD LOVE
4. HANDS ALL OVER
Side B:
1. GET ON THE SNAKE
2. JESUS CHRIST POSE
3. OUTSHINED
4. RUSTY CAGE
Side C:
1. SPOONMAN
2. THE DAY I TRIED TO LIVE
3. BLACK HOLE SUN
4. FELL ON BLACK DAYS
Side D:
1. PRETTY NOOSE
2. BURDEN IN MY HAND
3. BLOW UP THE OUTSIDE WORLD
4. TY COBB
5. BLEED TOGETHER
