The tragic and untimely death of legendary rock musician Chris Cornell over a week ago has lead to a huge number of music fans either discovering or rediscovering the late rock legend’s music this week, as seven albums that feature Cornell’s work have charted on the current ARIA album charts.
While it was originally predicted that nine of Cornell’s records would grace the ARIA charts, the current ARIA charts show that Cornell’s influence has still spread far and wide, with seven of his albums managing to make the top 50 for this week, two of which are in the top ten.
Soundgarden’s 1994 grunge classic Superunknown leads the charge, charting at number seven, one position higher than Audioslave’s self-titled 2001 debut, at number eight. Cornell’s acoustic live album from 2011, Songbook, made its Aussie chart’s debut at #21, while Soundgarden’s third album, 1991’s highly influential Badmotorfinger also made its Aussie debut, charting at the very respectable #27.
Likewise, Soundgarden’s final studio album, 2012’s King Animal, made a return to the charts, hitting #33, while their 1997 compilation A-Sides makes an appearance at #47. Finally, Cornell’s final solo album, 2015’s Higher Truth also made an appearance in the top 50, reaching #46, after reaching a peak of #21 upon release.
It truly is brilliant to see the work of the legendary Chris Cornell remembered in such a way, but it is truly a shame that it wasn’t until his death did he see so much success in the Aussie charts.
