Soundgarden - Live on I-5

Seattle rockers Soundgarden became one of leading lights of the Grunge scene in the 90s, releasing five albums before splitting in 1997 after a series of internal conflicts. One year before they parted ways, they'd made a live recording from their 1996 tour in support of penultimate album Superunknown, and intended to release a live album. That never happened, but the recent reunion of the band has spurred them to dig up the tapes and release the 17 track live album 'Live on I-5'

15 years on, and the sound is just as potent as ever despite slightly thin and dry production. Live on I5 takes recordings from five shows on the 1996 roster, with songs culled mostly from the last three albums and throws in a couple of covers and a real rarity for good measure. Even though any live recording would struggle to capture the full-on force of a Soundgarden live show, it's not a bad attempt. The only question mark comes from some hard cuts between tracks, but I'm not sure if this is just down to the preview copy.

The record kicks off in great style with the greasy, insidious groove of Spoonman. Outshined sounds as plutonium heavy as it did back then, and the relentless Rusty Cage has lost none of its feral intensity. Slaves and Bulldozers is still a savage powerhouse, and could well be a poster child for the darkest undercurrents of 90s alt.rock. Ty Cobb is just as aggressive and unflinching as you remember, and is balanced by an unusual solo performance of Black Hole Sun, giving Cornell a chance to let his remarkable vocal ability off the leash. Highlight of the album has to be the most brutal, punishing rendition of Jesus Christ Pose that I've ever heard - if you need any reminder of why Soundgarden were so special, this is it. All bets are off.

Some of the more subtle tracks from the last record Down on the Upside don't fare quite so well - that album was quite dynamic compared to previous recordings, and some of that is lost in the noise. Burden in my Hand sounds as if it's trying a bit too hard as a result, losing some of its dark, mysterious edge. Maybe this was down to a relative unfamiliarity with the new material, as the band nail Fell on Black Days from Superunknown. Dusty comes across much better, picking up a nervous, live energy that suits it well. One of the biggest crowd reactions comes from a fiery performance of Nothing to Say, a rare track from the bands very early days and more akin to later, harder Zeppelin than grunge.

The covers are unexpected, and not entirely successful. there's a dirge like version of Helter Skelter by the Beatles that leaves the crowd bemused, and with good reason. Fortunately their take on Search and Destroy by the Stooges is a respectful nod to the bands own influences, and is belted out with a passion that shows them at their best.

Live on I-5 isn't the best album to introduce a newcomer to the band, but is a no-brainer for existing fans denied a live record for all this time. Fortunately Soundgarden have also released a recent 'Best Of' in the form of last year's Telephantasm, or you can probably find a copy of 'A Sides' from a few years back. They're also planning to record new material, so do your research and get ready for the inevitable live tour.