Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell has issued a statement regarding a legal dispute between A&M Records and a Seattle studio owner over ownership of the master tapes to the self-titled 1991 album by Temple Of The Dog.
"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,” says Cornell. “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."
Last week, A&M Records launched a lawsuit against London Bridge Studios co-founder Rajan Parashar to return the tapes following the 2014 death of his brother and fellow studio co-founder, producer Rick Parashar.
According to the lawsuit, Rick initially produced Temple Of The Dog in 1990 on a verbal agreement with the band before a label contract was signed in 1993, in which A&M alleges Rick agreed to turn over the master tapes and all rights to them for $35,000.
Rajan’s lawyer, Warren Rheaume, says his client was not part of any agreement between his brother and A&M and has custody of the master tapes.
“Temple Of The Dog” featured the singles “Hunger Strike” and “Say Hello 2 Heaven”, while the album peaked at No. 5 on the US Billboard 200 on its way to selling more than a million copies in the States alone.
See also:
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