Producer Brendan O’Brien revealed in a new Rolling Stone article that he and Chris Cornell recently had sessions for a potential covers album.
In recent years, Cornell “seemed to be on a mission to work all the time,” O’Brien says. “And I mean all the time. He always seemed to be doing something – and a lot of different things. Chris was also a guy,” O’Brien adds, “who liked being someone who was on their game. He liked people to see him that way.”
Cornell was also at work since 2015 on Soundgarden’s next album, and Cornell had ambitions to incorporate orchestras into his solo and Soundgarden work.
“We had this long chat, sitting next to each other,” System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian remembers. He and Cornell talked about composing for movies and the prospect of Cornell doing concerts with an orchestra. Tankian, about to go on the road with System of a Down, asked Cornell if he was tired of touring. “For myself, it’s fun but nothing new under the sun,” Tankian admits. Cornell “was just the opposite: ‘I’m really excited. I’m doing this tour with Soundgarden. I’ve got these other ideas.’ He had plans, man.”
Cornell was “one of those guys,” he adds, who “tried to make everyone in the room feel comfortable with themselves. He was generous that way, with his emotions and time.”
