Long before Amazon’s takeover of the South Lake Union neighborhood caused Seattle to similarly ponder its existential fate, Singles emerged in 1992 as both a significant moment (the advent of grunge, the emergence of a Seattle scene) and as something of a signal that the end was already near. Twenty-five years later, two things are clear: Seattle’s mass transit system is still a joke (one of the film’s main characters is professionally obsessed with a “supertrain” that never passes public muster), and the music has aged much better than the somewhat flimsy rom-com to which it was attached. Given the frequent appearances of various local scenesters in cameo mode—Pearl Jam makes an appearance in the film, directly on the soundtrack (“Breath,” a terrific non-album tune) and indirectly as one of the characters’ backing bands, Citizen Dick, covering Mudhoney’s “Touch Me I’m Sick” in jokey fashion)—unsurprisingly, the two heroes of this soundtrack are former Seattle roommates.
Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell and late Mother Love Bone frontman Andy Wood form the album’s emotional center. Cornell contributes amazingly diverse solo work on the gorgeous “Seasons,” plus a batch of cutting-room-floor material added to this deluxe edition, the best of which—“Flutter Girl,” and an early acoustic demo of “Spoonman”—should’ve been included on the original. Wood’s best song (“Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns”) and biographical inspiration (Alice In Chains’ “Would?” conveys Wood’s struggles with dope) serve as the spiritual backdrop for the film and soundtrack, which went on to platinum status and a top-10 chart placement. Other songs, such as the Wilson sisters’ Lovemongers cover of Led Zep’s “Battle Of Evermore” and Hendrix’s “May This Be Love,” make plain the grunge scene’s debt to classic rock.
Unfortunately, the only thing that keeps this disc from 10-star status is Paul Westerberg’s solo work, his first post-Replacements, which features some of the same slight romantic flaws as the film itself. A classic totem of those times, given just enough new life to merit a repurchase for original fans, and an exploration for those who weren’t there.
—Corey duBrowa
