Soundgarden just cashing in says Corgan

Release: Soundgarden have confirmed album date

Soundgarden’s reunion is nothing more than a cashing-in exercise, says Smashing Pumpkins mainman Billy Corgan.

And he’s lost all respect for a band he once liked because he believes they want “one more round at the till.”

His comments come as Soundgarden confirmed their so-far unnamed comeback album – their first since 1996 – will be released on November 13.

Corgan tells Philstar.com: “There are those bands that are essentially coming back only to make money, playing their old albums, and maybe somewhere in the back of their minds they’re thinking there might be a future.

“I’m not in that business. I condemn anybody who’s in that business but doesn’t admit they’re in that business.

“When Soundgarden came back they just played their old songs – great. I was a fan, but call it for what it is: they’re just out there to have one more round at the till.”

Corgan believes bands will only secure a future if they embrace the modern world. “You have to make music for 2012,” he says. “It’s maintaining an arc of evolution. We can’t run an oldies business – not only is it boring, it’s not very good business.

“In the last ten years record sales went down for everybody. So did the emotional connection to the music. And here comes the rise of music made by people who don’t really care about music – they want to be famous. They want to be on American Idol. They want to be in the spotlight.

“They have no respect for the people that came before them. They have no respect for the tradition of music, they have no respect for the blood and tears that have been spilt by great musicians all over the world — many of whom will never even know their name.”

Meanwhile, Pearl Jam guitarist Mark McCready says his band’s new album has been put on the back-burner as a result of drummer Matt Cameron’s Soundgarden schedule, and also because frontman Eddie Vedder is working on a solo tour.

McCready tells Rolling Stone: “We’re just kind of sitting around, writing songs. We have about seven ideas so far that we did last year, and we’re just kind of sitting on those right now.”