Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, and founder of Seattle supergroup Temple of the Dog, has issued a statement on his website regarding the lawsuit involving London Bridge Studios, where the Temple of the Dog album was recorded. A&M Records wants the master tapes to the 1991 self-titled album, but studio co-founder Raj Parashar says he owns them – not the label.
Chris Cornell issued the following statement:
“The Temple of the Dog recordings were made by members of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam to honor our friend, Andy Wood, who died much too soon. Temple of the Dog recorded the album in a studio co-owned by Raj Parashar. A&M Records paid for the recordings and the use of the studio. For Parashar to pretend he has a right to keep the recordings makes no more sense than the owner of a laundromat claiming he owns the clothes you washed in his washing machine.”
The original deal – from back in 1993 – was with A&M Records and co-founder Rick Parashar, where he was to be paid $35,000 to hand over the master tapes. He passed away in 2014, and now his brother is claiming he was not part of that deal, so he’s holding onto the tapes.
The Platinum selling album will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUb450Alpps[/youtube]
(via Billboard)
