Screaming Life is the debut EP by Soundgarden, released in October 1st, 1987 by Sub Pop. Screaming Life was later combined with the band’s next EP, Fopp (1988), and released as the Screaming Life/Fopp compilation album in 1990. The EP was recorded in 1987 in Seattle, Washington, at Reciprocal Studios with producer Jack Endino, who also produced albums for Nirvana and Mudhoney.
Drummer Matt Cameron described the sound on the EP as “pretty raw”. Hunted Down, Soundgarden‘s first single, is representative of the early “grunge” sound—with its dirty guitar, dissonant atmosphere and lyrics concerning entrapment and escape. “Nothing to Say” features drop D tuning, which would become a signature of Soundgarden‘s sound on later albums. Guitarist Kim Thayil said he learned about the tuning from Buzz Osborne of the Melvins, when Osborne was telling him about Black Sabbath.
Earlier versions of “Tears to Forget” appeared on the band’s 1985 demo tape and on the 1986 Deep Six compilation album, which featured some of the first recordings by the earliest Seattle grunge bands, including Soundgarden. That version was recorded with drummer Scott Sundquist, but the version on Screaming Life was recorded with Cameron. The EP’s cover art, photographed by Charles Peterson, features a sepia-toned black-and-white photograph of Cornell singing and Thayil playing guitar in the background. The album cover was an attempt by Sub Pop to capitalize on Cornell‘s image. The first 500 copies of the EP were pressed on transparent orange vinyl; after that, they were released on standard black vinyl. A second pressing was later made, pressed by Erika Records, but still on the Sub Pop label, in black, sea green marble, blue marble, red, pink marble and purple marble vinyl.
Tracklist:
- Hunted Down
- Entering
- Tears to Forget
- Nothing to Say
- Little Joe
- Hand of God
Soundgarden
Chris Cornell: vocals
Kim Thayil: guitar
Hiro Yamamoto: bass
Matt Cameron: drums
Production
Jack Endino: production, engineering
Soundgarden: production
Charles Peterson: snapshots
Susan Silver Management: management
Chris Cornell (July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017).
