Tom Morello described his ‘insane’ first video shoot with Chris Cornell and Audioslave in the liner notes for the new Chris Cornell career retrospective album, and how the cops were called as neighbors believed the video shoot was a terrorist attack.
“And so Audioslave was born. Songs came quickly. The riffs were huge but the music had nuances and melodic twists and turns not found in our previous bands. We went in the studio with Rick Rubin and suspected we had something very special.
The first single was ‘Cochise,’ a relentless barnburner that announced in no uncertain terms our arrival. Chris’ voice was feral. The video was insane. The entire performance, lit only by fireworks, was shot high atop a trestle platform in the San Fernando Valley. Neighbors called the cops suspecting a terrorist attack. Fans suspected we were back with a vengeance.”
Audioslave released their self-titled debut album in November 2002, with “Cochise” as the lead single. The band toured in 2003 following Chris Cornell’s release from rehab. “Show Me How To Live” and “Like a Stone” were other hit singles from the album that featured videos. Audioslave released two more albums before splitting up in early 2007. They later reunited for a one off performance in 2017 before Chris Cornell’s death.
