
A pair of Audioslave's early-2000s alternative chart-toppers - which have aged well in retrospect - also appear, but the collection mostly sticks to his solo work. Respectfully, the collection doesn't lean too much upon his time with Soundgarden: aside from 1994's Grammy-winning classic "Black Hole Sun" and 2012's swan song "Been Away Too Long," debut Ultramega OK and 1996's platinum-certified Down on the Upside are ignored. Temple of the Dog's singular 1991 hit, "Hunger Strike," is paired with a soaring rendition of that band's "Call Me a Dog," which was recorded in 2011 for Cornell's live album, Songbook. From here, it's a play-by-play of all of his major eras. Yet once "Outshined" (from 1991's Badmotorfinger) kicks in, the power of Cornell's growls and wails are properly cemented. While his signature vocal delivery was still in its nascent stage, hints of his inimitable howl can be heard percolating beneath the towering, metal-influenced attack of his bandmates. Front-loaded with his mainstream alt-rock touchstones, Chris Cornell starts close to the beginning with "Loud Love" from Soundgarden's 1989 sophomore effort, Louder Than Love. Arranged in chronological order as a highlight reel of his iconic career, this self-titled compilation offers a bittersweet reminder of just how much Cornell accomplished in roughly 30 years on the scene, from a '90s Seattle grunge icon to a fearless late-era singer/songwriter. That massive vinyl box set was pared down into a tight greatest hits simply titled Chris Cornell. Nearly a year-and-a-half after Chris Cornell's death, a career-spanning retrospective collection captured the breadth of his varied career as a solo artist and vocalist of Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of the Dog.

Recording information: 11 AD Studios, Los Angeles, CA () A&M Studios, Los Angeles, CA () Air Lyndhurst, London, UK () Akadamie Mathematique of Philosophical Research, Los An () Avast Recording, Seattle, WA () Bad Animals Studios, Seattle, WA () Bay 7 Studios, Valley Village, CA () Bear Creek Studios, Woodinville, WA () Casa De Amor, Atlanta, Ga () Cello Studios, Hollywood, CA () Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA () London Bridge Studios, Seattle, WA () NRG Recording Studios, North Hollywood, CA () Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto, ON, Canada () Royaltone Studios, Burbank, CA () Sparky Dark Studio, Calabasas, CA () Studio D, Sausalito, CA () Studio Litho, Seattle, WA () Studio X, Seattle, WA () Sunset Sound Factory, Hollywood, CA () Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, CA () The Village Recorder, Los Angeles, CA () Tnc Studios, Los Angeles, CA ().
