Temple of the Dog

Temple of the Dog is the only studio album by the American band of the same name, released on 16 April 1991 through A&M Records. It was made as a tribute to Andrew Wood, the singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone, who died of a heroin overdose on 19 March 1990. Rather than a conventional debut, it works as a farewell to a lost friend, and that shapes the mood of the whole record.

Musically it sits in the grunge, hard rock and alternative rock camp, and it stands as a one-off project in the story of the Seattle scene. It is worth hearing for the sense of loss behind it, and for how it captures a moment when a community of musicians came together to mark a death. The album has since been certified platinum by the RIAA in the United States.