Sub Pop, Soundgarden's first record label, re-released the band's first two EPs, 1987's "Screaming Life" and 1988's "Fopp", as a compilation today in 1990. This release was spurred by Soundgarden's slow and steady growth beyond Seattle's local music scene toward the world stage. It was probably also one last chance for Sub Pop to wring a few bucks out of the band after their jump to SST Records but, hey, producers gotta eat, too.

While it may have been a cash grab it was also a gift to the millions of Soundgarden fans, myself included, that were unaware of the band in 87-88. Minor label releases were hard to come by in those days and, if you could find them, they were often unaffordable to the average punk kid. You had to scrounge an awful lot of 10 cent pop bottles to afford a $20 album, afterall.

The band's original lineup - Matt Cameron on drums, Chris Cornell on vocals/rhythm guitar, Kim Thayil on lead guitar and Hiro Yamamoto on bass - is present on this album and the songs provide a clear, if rough and raw, glimpse of what is to come. While most of the songs would be relegated to historical curiosity status, two songs - "Hunted Down" and "Nothing to Say" - should be familiar to latter day Soundgarden fans. The album also contains two cover songs, one fairly obvious and one out of left field that shows what good taste the band had even at a young age.

The obvious cover is Green River's "Swallow My Pride". Green River, along with Melvins, were as close to ground zero of the grunge movement as you can get. The bands we most associate with grunge wanted to grow up to be Green River or Melvins. The other cover is Ohio Players' "Fopp". Soundgarden adds some metal to the funk, while staying faithful to the groove, in a way that would make Faith No More or RHCP proud.