The band really wanted to call the album "Louder Than F**k"
Following up on the fantastic feedback from last weeks “Snapshot of College Radio in the 70s” post, I thought I would make this weeks edition relevant to one of the best shows I have seen here in San Francisco. Soundgarden played here last week, and after a decade plus hiatus, the band is back and sounding better than when I saw them in their 90’s heyday. With that being said, here is a vinyl gem that I found while thumbing through vinyl at Record Archive in Rochester, NY several years ago.
Soundgarden’s sophomore effort Louder Than Love (the band wanted to call it Louder Than F**k) was released in September of 1989. In my opinion, it is the band’s finest moment. They had perfected a modern mash-up of Sabbath and Zeppelin, and delivered it with pure raw angst.
As I stated in my previous post, college radio stations used to put notes directly on the LP jacket to track which days the record was played and to share tidbits of info with the other DJs. These are the actual notes from college radio station WTSC in upstate New York from 1989, less than one month after the original release date.
Notes from the DJs at WTSC on the LP cover. (Double Click to Zoom in)
“Seattle (unreadable)….- energetic & powerful, the wall of sound (noise?) they produce will surround you and FLATTEN YOU! A must play!”
Also note that on 10/30 it looks as if they had a radio show called “Virgin Vinyl” (a phrase I plan on stealing for future segments) and played the entire first side of the record. I wonder if these DJs had any idea what they had in their hands would become such an influencial band in the years to come.
"No Steal!"
From the looks of the back of the LP cover it seems that the DJs were taking records home without asking.
Even though the LP jacket looks like it has been stored in a “Rusty Cage”, it is “Outshined” by the condition of the record itself. These DJs new how to take care of a record and I thank them for that.
This record has personality.
Do you remember hearing Soundgarden at your college radio station? Anyone know any DJs from WTSC?
