Soundgarden - Echo of Miles: The Originals (2014)

FOREWORD

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, FRIENDS, FANS, FOLLOWERS, AND LOYAL KNIGHTS OF THE SOUNDTABLE! WE HAVE FINALLY FULFILLED OUR PROMISE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THE LONG AWAITED COLLECTION OF OUR “B-SIDES”: NON-ALBUM TITLES, SOUNDTRACKS AND OTHER RECORDINGS WHICH HAVE NEVER BEFORE BEEN AVAILABLE ON A SOUNDGARDEN ALBUM. THE UPSIDE TO THE DELAY IN OUR PRODUCING THIS SET IS THAT IT HAS ALLOWED US TO COLLECT EVEN MORE SONGS, WHICH WE HAVE RELEASED DURING OUR RECENT ACTIVE YEARS!

ESSENTIALLY THIS IS A GATHERING TOGETHER OF “LOOSE ENDS” FROM THROUGHOUT OUR RECORDING CAREER. AS ALBUM SETS GO, THIS ONE HAS BEEN FUN TO COLLECT AND COMPILE OVER THE DECADES. I PERSONALLY MAY HAVE REFERENCED THIS PROJECT A NUMBER OF TIMES OVER THE YEARS, GOING BACK ALMOST TWENTY OF THEM TO THE MID-NINETIES!

EVERY SOUNDGARDEN ALBUM RELEASED REQUIRED US TO PROVIDE TRACKS FOR INTERNATIONAL MARKETS, PROMOTIONAL EPS, B-SIDES FOR OUR SINGLES, AND OCCASIONALLY OTHER USES. FOR INSTANCE MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS AND COMPILATION RECORDS WITH OTHER ARTISTS, FOR ONE PURPOSE OR ANOTHER (LABEL PROMOTION, CHARITABLE FUNDRAISING, ETC.). THIS HAS LEFT US WITH AN OEUVRE CONTAINING A NUMBER OF “ORPHANS” THAT WE WANTED TO GIVE A HOME ON A SOUNDGARDEN ALBUNM. “BEST OF” COMPILATIONS/RETROSPECTIVES, SUCH AS A-SIDES AND TELEPHANTASM, DO NOT SUFFICE AS THEY DIFFER IN THAT THEY ARE PRIMARILY COMPRISED OF ALREADY RELEASED ALBUM TRACKS INCLUDING MOSTLY “HIT” SINGLES. RATHER, WE SOUGHT TO PROVIDE OUR FANS WITH AN OFFICIAL SOUNDGARDEN ALBUM OF ALL THESE RARE CUTS COLLECTED TOGETHER!

I RECALL THAT THE FIRST ROCK ALBUM THAT I EVER RECEIVED WAS THE BEATLES HEY JUDE FOR MY 10TH BIRTHDAY. I FELL IN LOVE WITH THAT RECORD AND LATER ON IN HIGH SCHOOL WAS TOLD, THAT IT WASN’T AN ACTUAL ORIGINAL RELEASE, BUT RATHER A COMPILATION OF B-SIDES AND NON-ALBUM SINGLES. THAT STILL SOUNDED BY DEFINITION TO BE AN ORIGINAL ALBUM OF OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE SONGS TO ME! EVERY TIME A FAVORITE BAND PUT OUT A NON-ALBUM TRACK I WOULD HOPE THAT IT WOULD LATER BE INCLUDED WITH SIMILAR TRACKS ON ONE ALBUM. DURING OUR CAREER I PROMISED MYSELF TO NOT LET OUR FANS EXPERIENCE THAT FRUSTRATION OR DISAPPOINTMENT. THE BAND UNDERSTOOD AND AGREED.

KEEPING TRACK OF ALL THE NON-ALBUM CUTS WAS NOT TOO DIFFICULT. COLLECTING AND FINDING THE TAPES WAS A BIT MORE WORK AND I THANK JEFF FURA AT UNIVERSAL FOR LOCATING THEM AND ORGANIZING TAPES AND OTHER RESOURCES. THANKS ALSO TO ADAM KASPER AND JACK ENDINO FOR INDISPENSABLE HELP WITH ADVICE, MEMORY AND FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. DON AND AMY FROM MANAGEMENT CONTRIBUTED IMMENSELY WITH THEIR RESEARCH AND ABILITY TO CORRAL RESOURCES FOR THE PROJECT’S BENEFIT.

WE WERE NOT INTERESTED IN COMPILING ALTERNATIVE VERSIONS OF OUR SONGS. NO ALTERNATE TAKES, MIXES, OR EDITS. NO DEMOS OR LIVE VERSIONS OF OTHERWISE AVAILABLE SONGS. WE WANTED UNIQUE TITLES AND SONGS THAT ARE DISTINGUISHED FROM THOSE AVAILABLE ON OUR SEVEN ORIGINAL STUDIO ALBUMS.

14 ORIGINAL SOUNDGARDEN SONGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THIS ABRIDGED VERSIN OF THE MORE COMPLETE 3CD COLLECTION WHICH FEATURES 36 ADDITIONAL SOUNDGARDEN RARITIES TITLED: ECHO OF MILES: SCATTERED TRACKS ACROSS THE PATH. DISC ONE OF THE 3CD SET INCLUDES ALL ORIGINAL SOUNDGARDEN COMPOSITIONS OFFERED ON THE DISC YOU HOLD PLUS 4 MORE SONGS; A SECOND DISC OF 17 COVERS OF SOME OF OUR FAVORITE TUNES; AND THE THIRD DISC CONTAINS 15 ODDITIES LIKE ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTALS, PRE-PRODUCTION DEMOS AND DJ REMIXES.

“BIRTH RITUAL,” “BLEED TOGETHER” AND “BLACK RAIN” WERE PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE ON RETROSPECTIVE “BEST OF” COMPILATION ALBUMS, BUT NOW THEY ARE AVAILABLE WITH OTHER RARE SOUNDGARDEN ORIGINALS. “SHE LIKES SURPRISES” WAS NOT ORIGINALLY INCLUDED ON THE DOMESTIC US CD OR CASSETTE RELEASE OF SUPERUNKNOWN, BUT WE HAVE COLLECTED IT HERE. WE ARE VERY EXCITED THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME “LIVE TO RISE,” THE SINGLE FROM THE HUGELY SUCCESSFUL AVENGERS MOVIE AND SOUNDTRACK IS AVAILABLE ON OUR OWN RECORD! WE FINISH THIS ALBUM WITH TWO PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED SONGS. FIRST “KRISTI,” WHICH WENT UNMIXED AND WAS LEFT OFF OF THE DOWN ON THE UPSIDE ALBUM, BUT WAS ALWAYS REGARDED WITH A SPECIAL AFFECTION BY ADAM KASPER AND THE BAND. LASTLY, WE PRESENT “STORM,” A SONG WE OFTEN PERFORMED LIVE IN OUR EARLY DAYS WITH OUR EARLIER LINE-UP, AND WHICH WE FINALLY RECORDED FOR RELEASE IN MAY OF 2014 WITH JACK ENDINO AT THE HELM!

ALL THE SONGS FOR ECHO OF MILES: THE ORIGINALS ARE AGAIN GIVEN A BEAUTIFUL PACKAGE, WITH WONDERFULLY HAUNTING ARTWORK, PHOTOGRAPHY AND GRAPHICS FROM NONE OTHER THAN JOSH GRAHAM. WE ALSO HAVE BAND PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY DON VALCLEAVE AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ALL-STAR PITCHING GREAT RANDY JOHNSON. ALSO LOOK FOR THE VINYL VERSION OF ECHO OF MILES: THE ORIGINALS IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

WELL, ONCE AGAIN THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE DURING HTE LONG WAIT FOR THIS “B-SIDES” AND RARITIES COLLECTION! I HOPE THAT YOU FIND YOUR WAIR WELL REWARDED WITH THIS COLLECTION. IN THE FUTURE, I IMAGINE WE’LL HAVE TO GATHER TOGETHER ANOTHER VOLUME OF THE ECHO OF MILES COLLECTION AS MORE MATERIAL IS MADE AVAILABLE. I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT OPPORTUNITY WITH GREAT ANTICIPATION.

THANKS AGAIN AND ALWAYS!

KIM THAYIL, OCTOBER 2014