REVIEWS:
One of the major players in the grunge scene, Pearl Jam's debut album Ten had more to do with that genre in the band's fashion sense (flannels) than the actual music, which leaned much more toward the powerful hard rock song variety. The band is led by one of the more intriguing personalities around today, vocalist Eddie Vedder, who was certainly that way lyrically, and heavily outspoken on abortion, press (after Ten the band refused to do a music video for 6 years), and ticket sales. Instrumentally, the band has a formidable twin guitar attack in Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, bassist Jeff Ament, and various drummers including former RHCP skinsman Jack Irons.
It was Vs., though, that their music came closest to that 'grunge' labeling, pure angry energy mixed with gentle-sounding but dark ballads, powerful choruses, total emotion, and is their most overlooked classic. Vitalogy was a transitional release, a confusing experimental album that still had its' high points, and the spiritual No Code dove even further into that territory, although opinion on it from fans and critics was mixed to say the least, and the band's popularity fell off somewhat. They returned with a 'comeback' of sorts in Yield, which mixed elements of the band's past with a newfound style and confidence, kinda slumped a bit with Binaural two years later, and regained a bit of momentum with Riot Act.
--Nick Karn
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COMMENTS
Nick Karn is on crap-crack when it comes to Pearl Jam. (Hope that was a loaded enough opening statement for everyone. Wonder why I failed debate class?) I generally agree with his overall assessment of how I would rank PJ's albums overall, (except I liked Binaural a bit more than Riot Act), but it seems like every song he thinks is filler is one of my favorites, and vice versa. Try as I might to be objective, I cannot fathom how somebody calls W.M.A and Blood the highlights of Vs, when they have always been the only two tracks on the album I ever skip, and yet doesn't like 'Dissident'! Huh?
I also think that anyone who would call 'Tremor Christ' B-side material had better have written some pretty strong freakin' A-Sides. (I'm thinking something along the lines of 'We Can Work it Out' here. Did Nick Karn write that one? No he did not.)
'Red Mosquito' is weaker than 'Lukin'? What game are you watchin', ref? I'll be the first to jump out and decry No Code as probably their weakest over-all effort, but I just wonder how two people can come to similar conclusions about a band while liking completely different songs. Blows my mind. Like Nick blows my mom.
Just kidding, Nick. :)
/ah
Who the fuck do you think you are to question the genius of pearl jam???????????? Who the fuk are you????????????
the cool thing about pearl jam is you gotta be a band that has milloins of fans instead of singles played on dc101! i first heard of pj since 1992 i was 9 back then. i was into bob marley and have the album legend on tape! but my tastes do changed from rico suave to jeremy! i saw the video and there were all these old newspapers and shit until cha! the word jeremy begins and boom eddie vedder talks to you. then all hell breaks!!!!! colors, photos, flashes, all kinds of oddness! then the naked boy wears the flag! in the fire! then at the end the boy flashes at you then the final moment he offs himself in font of the classrooom! take that art class! MAN THAT FUCKING SUCKS GODDAMN! THIS SHIT IS SO FUCKING BORING I RATHER EAT SHIT THE STAY HERE ONE MORE GODDAMN TIME! ANYHOW THAT VIDEO RULED AND TEN IS THE FIRST ALBUM BY THEM! '93 VS. I DON'T HAVE THAT. I SAW THE NEIL YOUNG SHOW AT THE VMA'S MAN! NEIL COULD BE THE GODFATHER OF GRUNGE! '94 VITOLAGY! WEIRD SHIT! BUT I LIKED IT ! IT HAS THE TOUCHING BETTER MAN! '96 NO CODE! THE ODD THING OF IT IS IS THAT MOST PJ ALBUMS ARE LIKE BOOKS! THEY ARE! WELL OKAY TODAY WE CALL THEM DIGIPACKS! THIS ALBUM HAS SO MANY PICTURES! I'M DUMBSTRUCK! YET I WAS AMAZED! '98 YEILD. I SAW THE VIDEO FOR DO THE EVOLUTION! GODAMN THAT WAS FREAKY! NOT FLCL FREAKY BUT HEAVY METAL FREAKY! BUT HEY I HAD THE FUCKING CHANCE TO TAPE IT! BUT I DIDN'T! DAMMIT! THE VIDEO IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ACIDY YET BEAUTIFUL IN IT'S WEIRDNESS! THE SONG KICKED ASS TOO! '00 BINARUAL. FUCK THAT YEAR I DID NOT REALLY LIKE 2000 THAT MUCH! FUCKING POP CRAP FUCK! '02 RIOT ACT! NOW WE GOT IT! BUT PJ GET PISSED AT BUSH IN THE SONG BUSHLEAGUER! I HATE BUSH HE'S A COCKSUCKING FUCK! ANYHOW NOW THAT THEY ARE RELEASING THE B SIDES ALBUM LOST DOGS. I MIGHT BUY IT AND NO CODE! AND NICK BTW CHECK OUT THAT SEXY ANIME CHICK CALLED LUM ! AW FUCK YEAH! SH'ES BEAUTIFUL! I'M SERIOUS DAMMIT! DAMN SHE'S THAT HOT ! YUMMY HUBBA HUBBA! ANYHOW I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH MY OWN CREATION! LUM TAKE ME! I WILL REACH HER AND MAKE LOVE IN THE SWEETNESS OF IT ALL1 WE COULD CUDDLE LIKE LOVERS IN IT'S SENSUALITY! HEY YOU SWEATY NICK? YOU BETCHA! ANYHOW GOTTA SPLIT! HARUKO RULES TOO! GUITAR NATION! PJ RULES!
(Nick Karn's review)
Now regarded as an absolute early 90s 'alternative' (grunge? who the heck cares?) classic along with Nirvana's Nevermind, it's more of a grand hard rock statement that manages to take the best elements of 70s rock with a newfound 90s lyrical and musical attitude that delivers a heck of an explosion, particularly on the opening "Once", which starts off with a gentle intro and explodes into a furious noisemaker with an unforgettable, out of control, 'once upon a time, I could control myself' chorus, while "Even Flow" is anthemic rock at its' absolute best, a highly memorable soaring soundtrack to the mosh pits. It's also very intriguing and interesting, because of its' mostly unintelligible, but profound and direct, lyrics, making it a classic.
"Alive" blasts even darker into the twisted psyche of Eddie Vedder, as yet another hard-hitter, a sonic musical and lyrical ride containing an explosive Mike McCready solo at the end, although that song could use a slight bit of editing. There's no such problem on "Why Go", however - it's a song that takes the pure intensity of "Once" and builds on it even more. Plus, if you thought the solo on "Alive" was great, experience this one - it's an absolute priceless domination of the fretboards, and one of the band's finest moments. In stunning contrast to those insane rants is the beautifully hopeless piano ballad "Black", a brilliant outpouring of dark, candle-lit emotion, while the first half ends in chaotic fashion with the timeless classic single "Jeremy", a disturbing tale about a young boy heading in the wrong direction - a memorable number, but it's yet another one that could use somewhat of a trim in length.
The second half opens with another stunning, towering, majestic, breathtaking, but all too short ballad "Oceans" (that's really all you need to know about that one), while "Porch" is another off the wall, chaotic rocker in the true early 90s spirit. The album stalls a bit, however, in the next two tracks - the atmospheric but wandering off to nowhere ballad "Garden" and the booming rocker "Deep" simply lack any kind of spark, although those 'filler quality' tracks are more than made up for in yet another examination of Eddie Vedder's mind, the final stunning ballad "Release", which is so heart-wrenching in power the lyrics aren't even featured in the liner notes, because they are too painful for Vedder to view in print. An appropriate ending to an excellent, massively influential and popular debut that, although a tiny bit rough around the edges, is quite a way to start off Pearl Jam's career, but yet hardly even hints at the masterpiece that would come next.
Named after point guard Mookie Blaylock's jersey number, Ten broke out in 1992 (took a while to get mass release) as the front of the so-called grunge-invasion along with Nirvana's Nevermind. But actually, Pearl Jam got caught with a missclassification here; this album is not really grunge, and none of the other albums even come close to that music genre. It's more like hard rock than the sloppy, super-overdriven, resonating guitar tones bought forth by Mr. Cobain. But anyway, on to the album.
There are a lot of classics on this album. So why didn't I give it a higher score? Because the songs have not held up as well as I thought they would. I mean, "Jeremy" makes me sick every time I hear it on the radio. Its been played SO much that what was once a great song for me makes me gag. But it is a classic, and is one of the defining moments of the grunge invasion. But the non-classics are very good, too. "Why Go" has an excellent guitar solo and a catchy chorus. "Garden" is my favorite song on this disc thanks to a beautiful cascading guitar solo at the end, and an excellent chorus. In "Deep" Eddie genuinely sounds like Jim Morrison screaming. It's very eerie.
"Porch" is a vastly underrated song, and has a sweet solo at the end, but you'll need headphones or a superb audio system to hear it, as it is positioned right behind the rhythm guitar. And "Oceans" takes you to another place when you have the lights out and the stereo cranked. Its also the only good sounding mix on the record. The final song "Release" is also quite beautiful, and also quite long. But overall, I don't really think you can call this a "classic" album. And I know some of you are going to complain that I gave ...And Justice For All classic status, but that album never grows tired. I can't listen to Ten all the way through anymore without fast-forwarding. Historical Note: PJ dumped drummer Dave Krusen in favor of much more skilled and precise basher Dave Abbruzzese after this record
Pearl Jam's first album is considered by many fans and critics to be their best, as well as one of the more important albums of the early nineties. It is good, I'll say that much. It is a very good listen. Ten isn't much more, though. Nothing great or fantastic or even excellent. Vs. is a whole lot better. On that one the band wrote a better set of songs and played them much better too. That isn't the case here with Ten. They only sound a little bit above the average grunge band standards, which aren't all that high. But I will say that the best song on this one is better than any song off of the next album, and that song is "Black." It's a powerful and emotional experience, especially toward the end when the wonderful and beautiful six-note melody is played over and over while Eddie sings with everything he's got and the feeling becomes so strong, stronger than anything else I've ever heard Pearl Jam do. What a song, certainly one of the best ballads ever done.
As for the songs that are not called "Black," there's the great "Once" to open everything up, and "Why Go" is another excellent track. Oh, and then there's some song called "Jeremy," which you most likely know. If you want my opinon of it I'll just say that I love it, but do have one complaint. Has anyone ever noticed that there is really only about two or so minutes of actual song before it begins with the end? The problem with that is what it does to the lyrics. The story doesn't get nearly as developped as it could have been, and most of the ending part is Eddie going "hooh" or "uh-huh" or stuff like that a dozen times in a row. Oh well. Getting back to the others, "Porch" is a fine rocking entry with a great guitar solo. "Deep" has some interesting work with both the drums and vocals, especially around the three-and-a-half minute mark. On the other hand "Alive" and "Oceans" are both weak entries, and while "Release" begins off very nicely as a wonderful little ballad that could have been one of the best on this album, it does not justify its length as it drags out too long in the end. Still, if you liked Vs. be sure to pick up Ten, but since you probably got this one first, be sure to pick up Vs. if you liked this album. One is good, one is great. Both are certainly worthwile.
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COMMENTS
I really don't like this one that much...compared to the others. Gotcha! Haha! Sure it is their debut but still, it has depreciated much like a new Beamer must after driving it off the sales lot, not to mention 7 years later. It may still be a Beamer but now it has a bad tranny, an oil leak and when you spray the winshield wiper fluid, it squirts the car next to you. However it is still a good album just not compared to the rest of their releases.
For example, "Once" (album opener) is a bone-shaking track. Great bass but weak drumming in the funky "Evenflow". And it was a cool video with Eddie climbing all over the concert hall. But it hasn't fared well with time "Alive" still kicks ass(I don't care who McCready stole the solo from, it is great) and "Black" is still eerie and and haunting after hearing it millions of times.
Oh, and for those of you who don't read the obituaries, "Jeremy" has been declared dead after the merciless beating it received seemingly EVERYWHERE. Sorry, "Jeremy" fans but the funeral is at noon. Please dress apporpiately. "Release" is a wonderful album closer, a little softer as it winds down. "Porch" is a good driving song, but the rest of the album is mediocre. The only thing that probably saved "Why Go" from the DAT delete button was the solo at the end.
I used to love this album when it came out but the skip button on my cd player remote now gets a healthy work out with this one. Eddie's voice saves the day, winding Ten up with a 7 rating. I may have been a little harsh. I was going to only give a six or so, but upped it a notch after a thorough once over. I just happen to like PJ's other albums more, that's all.
I fell in love with this album when I was 13, and for good reason. The music on this disc (or tape, or even record though not likely) is top-notch and has a lot of confidence and passion in it that the band never really lived up to on their subsequent albums (not to nock their subsequent albums; they're good for completely different reasons). The music on this album is also much darker than those on their later albums thanks to a more metal/hard rock-oriented style (as opposed to the more punkish and indie rock style they would later use), lower-sounding guitars and a very echoey production that gives the album a delightful ambience. It's also a lot heavier though you wouldn't know that from the terrible mix that drowns everything under Eddie's vocals and makes the rhythm guitar nigh impossible to make out) and more bombastic and serious. Despite the crappy production, this album managed to sell some 643653656 billion copies, at least 643653655.43 billion more than everything else they made. Some people say it was 'cuz of the videos, which we all know after Ten they refused to do any, but I find it hard to believe considering they were basic everyday concert videos (except for the awesome "Jeremy", but by that time they'd already pushed 5435664 billion units). Maybe all the girls thought Eddie Vedder was hot or something, or maybe it's true that all the people are couch potatoes who don't even listen to the radio. Still, that doesn't explain how Creed got so damn famous. Anyway, I'm rambling...
Since this album isn't insanely diverse like the rest of the band's goddamn catalog, I'll just skim through the tracks real quick. The opening tribal thingie, although somewhat boring, does benifit from the albums overproduction. Then comes "Once" and the band sets in to kick ass. "Evenflow" is the best Aerosmith rip-off I've ever heard, "Alive" is a damn good pop song, "Why Go" is one damn fine pissed off fury of a letter of the alphabet with a nice metallic riff (that's another thing that separates this album from the rest of the goddamn catalog; unlike the other albums which are more riff-based, Ten is more chord-based, so there's not a hell of a lot of distinctive riffs), Black, despite all the goddamn airplay it got that gives me the urge to hit the damn skip button, is one damn fine emotional ballad with great melody, and Jeremy, DAMN!!! I don't care how much the radio was all over it, it's just, damn!!!! From the hella-cool and moving opening bassline to Eddie's great vocals to the hella-nifty classical guitar riff in the chorus, this song is such a damn poweful masterpiece. Dammit, I just realize I've made a lot more references to hell and damnation in this review so far than I need be. Goddamn this damn review to hell!
And that's just side 1! "Oceans" is a beautiful, depressing number that really gives the feeling of waves crashing, "Porch" is one fine rock-n-rolla, "Garden" is a good example of what sets this album apart from all the others (I mean, could you possibly imagine this song on Vitalogy or even Vs.?), "Deep" is just darn scary (that surfy guitar never fails to creep me out as well as lines like "and he sinks a burning knife deep". Hoo! And what the hell's Mike (or Stone) doing to make that wierd noise?), and "Release"! My God. I just... oh man. That song is just SO incredible! Quite possibly the most beautiful and powerful song I've ever heard, right up there with "Sand and Mercury" by the Gathering! That opening clean guitar riff, Eddie's vocals, the bass hook in the chorus, the lyrics. Did I mention Eddie's vocals? So powerful and moving. When he sings "I'll wait up, iiiiiin the dark... FOR YOU TO SPEAK TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!" it never fails to bring tears to my eyes. Hell, the whole damn song never fails to bring tears to my eyes! It's like a friggin' orgasm of beauty! I guess you'd have to hear it to know what I mean. Of course, you probably already have heard it, so you should know what I'm talking about. To think, TWO of the greatest songs ever written on one album! Most bands can't come up with one in their entire careers!
Like I said earlier, this see dee is WAY different than everything else they released, leading a lot of people to think this is their only good album. And for good reason, as it's a lot more passionate than anything else they've done. I'd give this album, ooooooh a 9. Yeah, that's about right.
Oh, and BTW, the music on this Compact Disc was originally recorded on analog equipment. They have tried to preserve, as closely as possible, the sound of the original recording. Because of its high resolution, however, the Compact Disc can reveal limitations of the source tape.
I'd give this at least a 9, it's Pearl Jams best. And Rob..how do you call "Alive" weak? I'ts the best song they have ever done, even if you dont like the song (which is hard to believe), you must at least love the solo!
The funny thing about that solo is, Mike admittedly ripped it off from Kiss's "She". Dont believe me? Get the guitar world "100 greatest solos of all time issue". Oh yeah, and Kiss ripped that solo off from a Doors song. I forget which one it was exactly, but its the same solo. Mike does play it faster than either Krieger or Frehley, and with more feeling and precision than Frehley, though. Its still a great solo though, depite being somewhat unoriginal.
(Nick Karn's review)
After the massive success of Ten, it was obviously a very difficult task for Pearl Jam to follow it up. It certainly was an anticipated release, breaking sales in its' first week despite not having the benefit of an MTV hit (the band refused to make music videos around this time). Vs. was ultimately a less successful album commercially, but artistically the band is at their highpoint here, really bringing out the pure raw elements of their sound, taking the best of the more explosive songs on their debut like "Once" and "Why Go" to a whole new, vicious level, as the more intense numbers furiously rip at the listener, while still maintaining the hooks and the musicianship (especially on the opening mosh pit paradise "Go" and of course "Animal", which manages to tear at your throat with its' directness, but is still catchy enough to be a hit single).
The expertly written, emotionally powerful ballads that helped make Ten so great also come into fruition here. "Daughter" is the first of these, a gentle acoustic number on the surface, with its' pleasant, catchy melody, but lyrically underneath it's all a dark, harrowing journey into the tale of an abused girl, while "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town" (a nice break from the one-word title tendencies of before) is somewhat more uplifting and beautiful with its' hook and relaxing folky feel, and the closing "Indifference" is more suited for candle-lighting, a quiet but dark and emotional number that maintains a similar power the closer on the last album, "Release", had.
Someone else in the band also comes to the forefront - bassist Jeff Ament, whose performance gives album highlights "W.M.A." and "Blood" a groovier edge as a counterpoint to the harrowing darkness of those two songs. The former also boasts killer tribal drumming from Dave Abbruezze (who replaced original drummer Dave Krusen) to go along with a powerful bassline, giving the memorable chorus scream of 'police stopped my brother again' even more life than it already has, and the latter lives up to its' title like no Pearl Jam song ever has - threatening lyrics and 'blood curdling' screams from Vedder make it a second side opening masterpiece of a rocker. "Rats" also has an incredible groove going musically as Vedder speaks of the dangerous, disease-ridden vermin in convincing fashion, and with the defiant 'get out of my fucking face' scream on the convincing rocker "Leash", comes simply a phenomenal blast of adrenaline.
Rounding out this absolute classic in the 90s 'grunge' scene (only Alice In Chains' Facelift tops this in songwriting excellence) are the politically venomous, ass kicking "Glorified G" with its' hard-hitting, 'glorified version of a pellet gun' chorus, the 70s-ish rocker "Dissident" (which is the only track that seems somewhat more mortal than the rest), and of course the absolute highlight of the album, probably the ultimate 'car song' I've ever come across, the aggressive, highly infectious "Rearviewmirror", which perfectly conveys the vibe of a vehicle out of control on the road, especially towards the end. Although the band's subsequent releases following this one would be of a more experimental nature, they couldn't ever hope to match the direct, creative and biting nature of this one.
Personally, I can't understand why everyone thinks this is their worst album. And I'm happy to see that the good Nick Karn above thinks likewise. I believe this is by far Pearl Jam's finest hour, and one of my favorite albums of all time. It's by no means grunge, and its not soft, so I guess you could call it in-between rock. "Go" which opens the album is hard rock however. Fast fucker, too, and has a great solo in the middle.
"Animal" which follows is slower, but its uptempo, so you won't have any letdown. Great little song, with a great building guitar solo at the end when Eddie's yelling "I'd rather beeeeeee.......I'd rather beeeeee.....I'd rather beeeeee with an animaaaaalllll!" Great vocaltrack. Oh yeah, and did I fail to mention Eddie is quickly becoming the greatest vocalist in rock? Oh well, thats my opinion, anyway. You've all heard "Daughter" on the radio. And "Elderly Woman.....". And "Glorified G" and "Dissident". All of which are great songs, and I still don't get tired of 'em like certain selections off of Ten.
But what makes this album great is the unknowns. "Leash" is the second best song on the disc. Great chorus "Get OUTTA MY FUCKIN' FACE!". "Rats" and in particular "W.M.A." are great to listen to. "W.M.A." has got a bongo beat to it, and a very catchy rhythm. However, even though I give this album a 10, I absolutely deplore "Blood". Dumb shouting above useless guitar chords. Oh yeah, and "Rearviewmirror" is the finest PJ song I have yet to hear. Fantastic driving riff with....well....um..... DAMMIT I'm running out reasons here. I can't describe it, but its the most balanced , enjoyable PJ song in existance. Especially at the end when Eddie's screaming "Saw things SO much clearer.....Want you..... in my..... rearviewmirror!" above the peaking instruments behind the vocals. Sorry if this sounds like an orgasm but um....oh damn....time to change the old underwear.
Well, I'm certainly no huge fan of all of the grunge music out there, but this album is probably the best thing it gave us. It's at least a dozen times better than the grunge "classic" Nevermind, showing better melodies, real guitar solos, more variety, and a vocalist who can actually sing. Yeah, Eddie Vedder is one of the greatest vocalists ever, and he gives a classic performance on this album. It's easy to see on every song on here how he sings with a whole bunch of feeling in his voice, more than I've heard from most vocalists from this style. But it isn't just him who makes Vs. so great. It's everything, the moods, the tunes, the emotion, all of the things you need to from a CD of this high quality.
The opening "Go" is this fast little rocker, and certainly not the best on the album. Still an awesome song, though. Sadly, the following "Animal" is one of two reasons I deny this album a 10. It's good, but nothing special at all. To me it just sounds too much like the typical grunge song to be a solid entry into the album. However, "Daughter" is brilliant. A gentler ballad for a change, and I think it's the first of the classic entries on this album. "Glorified G" has a great bass line to support it, and "W.M.A." has another cool bass line surrounded by some very nice drum work, making it the second standout track. The second reason I'm giving this a 9 is "Blood," which does have a decent feel to it, but goes no where interesting in the end. To make up for this error is "Rearviewmirror," another highlight that is undoubtedly the best song on the album. It's got one of Vedder's best performances, and if that wasn't enough it has a fantastic catchy melody, as well as an awesome shorus.
Following that is the neat old "Rats" song, and then "Eldely Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" (long title, but not like "Homophobes Are Just Pissed 'Cause They Can't Get Laid" or "We Threw Gasoline on the Fire and Now We Have Stubs For Arms and No Eyebrows") is just a truly beautiful ballad to provide a calm mood before "Leash" comes in with a big bang and an intense chorus. Overall Vs. is an excellent example of what grunge music can be at its best. If it weren't for a pair of weak tracks this sucker would have easily gotten a perfect score.
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To be honest, I didn't buy this album for over a year after it came out. Why? B/c there was no video on MTV and the only song that I seemed to catch on the radio was "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town". Not that that song isn't good, but I was still in my steady diet of just Metallica and Guns 'n' Roses stage and an acoustic number about some old lady didn't exactly appeal to me at the time.
All I thought was after a highly successful debut, the pressure crushed them. And life went on.. But then I picked up on the album after listening to it in the backseat of a beat-up 87 Horizon that Pat D. (Pat D. writes: I am NOT GAY!!! Just a poor choice of words by Kevin....) used to own(You can laugh all you want and then laugh some more at the fact that I own a beat up 87 Buick Century) and realized that it was twice as good as Ten and light years ahead in terms of sheer magnitude and maturity. But the review...
"Go"- super catchy driving opener and it also has some really wicked guitar chops. "Animal"- great riff song and showcases Eddie's vocal talents(Don't they all?) I used to sing along to this pretending I was going to use the chorus when I broke up with this snotty girl I used to date. "I'd rather beee...with an animal!" And the weak drumming of Ten has been replaced with the the more talented percussion skills of Dave Abbruzzese. The drums still sound poorly recorded though. Eddie sounds like he is being pulled throught a portal to another dimension in "w.m.a" the way his voice is so distant and it features a tribal style drum line. Props to Pat D. for turning me on to "Rearview Mirror", it ranks as one of their top songs ever. "Rats" is really groovy and one of their few successes with experimentation.
See, I've named nearly every song on the album and they're all good. No filler tracks here. Closing up is "Leash" which is another personal favorite and finally "Indifference" which is a rather mellow song that has an odd electronic sounding piano in it. While Ten seemed to be a collection of songs thrown togeteher, Vs. is truly an album. I was debating on giving it five stars but Yield tops it...barely, in terms of sheer sonic beauty. This is a truly must have album so sell your car, sell your house or (shudder) go out and get a job to get this one.
I agree that this one is their best. Ten has some great songs on it, but I also think that often more highly regarded release is hampered considerably by some very dreary moments (c'mon--what is that wa-wa pedal nonsense called "Deep"?). As for Vs., it sounds about as early '90s-grunge, angst-ridden neo-hippy as an album can get, which renders it very impressive that I like it at all. But it is a very consistent set of angry, noisy rockers, and a fun overall listen. "Go" and "Daughter" are sure awesome songs. And I love that incredibly goofy, anti-Republican rant "Glorified G" for some odd reason. Actually, I know--I have an affinity with quirky, annoying pop music, that's what it is. There are some songs on side two I like also, but I can't remember which one's they are (by name). I give it an 8.
(Nick Karn's review)
This was definitely a transition point for the band, as they attempted to expand their sound almost in conceptual fashion (it's hard to explain, but there's gotta be something going on judging from the liner notes) with their third album Vitalogy. The end result of this album is very strange, disjointed, and highly experimental. That's about the only way to account for such confusing little pieces as "Pry, To" (a short 1 minute interlude piece having something to do with privacy), "Aye Davanita" (an instrumental that tries to be catchy but comes off as an annoying throwaway 'song'), "Hey Foxymophandlemama That's Me" ("Stupid Mop" for short, a profound, disturbing, but quite pointless sound collage which drags for over 7 minutes), and the accordion-filled "Bugs" (an entertaining and hilarious tune which sounds like an Eddie Vedder LSD experience, judging from the lyrics, where the pests practically dominate his entire house).
Not only are the soundscapes almost entirely wasted (although at times intriguing) filler, but a few of the actual songs just seem quickly thrown together, B-side quality material. "Tremor Christ" is the most glaring example, seemingly a song with no real redeeming characteristics at all - just a band playing a song that's nothing special, while "Last Exit" and "Spin The Black Circle" are best described as half-baked punk rock songs, and "Satan's Bed" incorporates a good groove and it certainly has interesting lyrics, but it has hardly any substance - you can't sing along to it, the riff is weak, and it's nowhere near as threatening or controversial as it could have been.
Despite Vitalogy's numerous flaws, however, it's far from a wasted album, because the rest of the songs rank among the band's best ever. "Corduroy" and "Better Man" were the two singles that got heavy radio airplay as two of their biggest hits ever, and it was no doubt well deserved, as both have brilliant sing-along choruses, excellent lyrics, great song structure, and instrumental performance that showcases the band at their height, while the ballads are totally incredible yet again - "Nothingman" attains its' power from the hopelessness and depression throughout its' melody and lyrics, while "Immortality" is spiritually uplifting with its' hook and lyrics, mysterious and frightening in its' instrumental atmosphere all at the same time, while "Whipping" is a 'tear your head off' punk-ish song that easily holds its own with "Blood", "Once", and "Animal" in that department.
Some people call this a huge artistic achievement for the band, because it is so odd, and different from anything anybody else was putting out. It certainly is different, I'll give it that, but I don't think its as good as Vs. Actually, I had no idea what to give this album as a rating, for on one hand it gets a ten for being generally a great album, while being so fucking different its equally fresh. On the other hand, two songs in particular "Bugs" and "Stupid Mop" really make you say "Why?". "Stupid Mop" or "Hey Foxymophandlemama, Its Me" as its called on the album jacket, is a extremely long, boring collection of random noises and lyrics. And "Bugs" is Eddie trying to get funky on an accordian. An accordian, for God's sake!
While I applaud the group expanding to other instruments, this song is really dumb. It goes like this: "I got bugs (accordian) Bugs in my bed (accordian) bugs on my brain (accordian)" and so forth. The good shit? Well, every other song on this album is at least good. The great songs being "Last Exit", "Tremor Christ", "Immortality" (a great little acoustic tune), "Better Man" (you've heard it on the radio), "Not For You", and "Nothingman". The other songs range from very good, to just a couple that are only classified as good. Other notables: "Satan's Bed", "Whipping". Overall, a great album only felled by a couple of bad experiments. If you're not into different stuff, it would probably rate a 6.
Historical Note: PJ dumped Dave Abbruszee after Vitalogy in favor of ex-Chili Pepper drummer Jack Irons, who actually played drums on "Stupid Mop". What a way to introduce yourself to the fans, Jack! Mr. Irons is more of a power drummer, less precise, but more powerful than Abbruzzese.
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COMMENTS
From the packaging to the songs themselves, this album is really odd, but it serves as a transistional album (sorta like the Beatles's Revolver did before Magical Mystery Tour) between Vs. and their most recent albums. Pearl Jam was in full throes of their anti-exposure stance at this time continuing their policy of no videos but still remained a multiplatinum act.
"Spin the Black Circle" hits you like a ton of bricks. You've heard "Nothingman" on the radio. That is a great song! One of their most fully realized efforts to date. "Whipping" reminds me of "Animal" off of Vs. but makes me want to get up and kick someone's ass, preferebly a politician's. "Satan's Bed" has a simple but driving riff and some twisted lyrics and a great chorus that you can sing along to. "Better Man" is overplayed but is still enjoyable.
Songs that I just don't like: "Not for You", it just plods along at a cumbersome pace. "Bugs" just bites. Haha, get it? Haha. It has some stupid accordian in it. I don't get the popularity of "courduroy", it just doesn't do much for me. "Aye Davanita"- one question, why? Same for "Stupid Mop". Me farting on a snare drum would be better than that song. What the hell were you guys thinking? So to sum up, the highs are really high, but the lows are really low but the overproduced sounds of the first album have ceased to exsist at last ranking Vitalogy in at a cool 7.
pearl jam came to blows with ticket master and made the album it was ment to be a double album but split into 2 HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
DIVISION ONE
1.LAST EXIT: BEGINS AS A WARM UP THEN GETS INTO GEAR A PUNK ROCK TUNE WITH WORDS ABOUT CROWS PICKING YOUR SKIN! THE BOOK AND THE COVER IS STRANGE IF YOU WANNA CHECK WHAT'S INSIDE THEN DO SO ! SKELETONS, EYES, ROUGH PAGES.
2.SPIN THE BLACK CIRCLE!: NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANA BAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCK WHAT GODDAMN POWER CHORD! I AGREE WITH U KRYAN! PUNCHING LIKE A BRICK WALL THIS SONG DEALS WITH THE RETURN OF VINYL! UNTIL HE SCREAMS ILLINIOIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LIKE PUNK ROCK THIS COOKS!
3.NOT FOR YOU: GULP! THIS SONG IS GONNA ANGER YOU EDDIE HATES FAME BUT HE JUST SHOUTS FROM QUIET TO LOUD! THIS NOT FOR YOU MOTHERFUCKERS! THEN IT ENDS WITH A ODD SOUND OF TINKERING BELLS
4.TREMOR CHRIST: THE HELL IS A TREMOR YOU ASK?
5 NOTHINGMAN: ZOOP GOES THE TAPE AND INTO SWEET BALLAD NOT AS POLISHED AS MY SWEET BILLY CORGAN BUT CLOSE AS IF THE BAND TRIES FOR A LO FI SOUND LIKE THE 70'S DIRTY PRODUCTION. NOTHINGMAN RULES! THE ADVENTURES OF NOTHINGMAN!
6.WHIPPING:BOOM MORE PUNK ROCK LIKE A POUNDING BRICK WALL THEN ENDS CHA!
DIVISION TWO
7.PRY TO: BEH VEDDER MUTTERING P-R-I-V-A-C-Y- SHUT UP!
8.COURDUROY: OH MY NOW WE ARE GO! YET I HEAR A DARK ASS INTRO COULD PLAY ON MY FUNERAL OOPS! ANYWAY THEN BOOM EDDIE LASHES OUT WITH ANGRY VERSE CALM CHORUS THEN DARK INTRO THEN JAM! DARK ASS SONG! HOO WHEEE DOGGIE! IF I WAS IN THE DARK AND I PLAY THIS SONG I WILL BE SCARED SHITLESS!
9.BUGS: HUH? OH I GET IT A NOVELTY TUNE! HEY HEY! EDDIE VEDDER SINGS DEAD PESTS! LIKE DARK ASS POLKA!
10.SATAN'S BED: YIKES! WHAT THE HELL????? SHAP! WHIPS! THIS IS NOT S AND M YOU PERV! INTO PUNK GRUNGE EDDIE'S TWISTED WORDS ABOUT SUCKING SATAN'S DICK! OH FUCK ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT THE SONG I WILL PLAY FOR MY MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANYWAY THE SONG JAMS UNTILL WE HEAR TRIBAL DRUMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DARK!
11.BETTERMAN: AH MUCH BETTER. STOP FREAKING ME OUT! THE INTRO WITH DISTORTED RIFF CHA THEN MELLOW LICKS AH.......... EDDIE CHILLS OUT THEN THE BAND PLAYS! YAY WE GOT A HAPPY SONG DESPITE DARK WORDS. IT WAS A HIT! COULD BE MY THEME SONG OR AN ENDING SONG WHEN I DIE. FOR A BAND THAT DID NOT DO A VIDEO THIS RULES!
12.AYE DAVANITA: HUH? MORE WEIRD STUFF AND WHAT THE HELL IS AN AYE DAVANITA????? THE REAL DUMB STUPID WORD IS FOOLY COOLY! HAHAHA FUCK YOU! ANYWAY THE SONG IS LIKE AN ODD JAM WITH SQUISH SOUNDS! GUYS MUMBLE AYE DAVANITA!
13.IMMORTALITY: MELLOW SONG WITH A GREAT SET OF WORDS THE ALBUM IS LIKE A BOOK WITH HEALTH CARE SOME ODD SHIT NOW HERE COMES THE FINALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
14.HEYFOXYMOPHANDLEMAMA THAT'S MEEEE! AKA STUPID MOP!: HOO BOY LIKE REVOLUTION 9 THIS HAS DISTORTED GUITARS DRUMMING BY JACK IRONS! I LOVED HIS DRUMS IN LIKE BEHIND THE SUN ANYHOW BACK TO THE ACTION KIDS VOICES POP OUT DUMB MOP! ENDS WITH KIDS TALKING AS IT FADES INTO YOUR BRAIN...........
WOW! ODD ALBUM I LIKE IT 9/10 IS THIS THE BAND THAT DID BLOOD, ALIVE, BLACK, EVEN FLOW, RATS, JEREMY, AND LAST KISS YOU DONE A HIT FOR SHO'!
COMING SOON NO CODE! UNTIL NEXT TIME SAME BAT TIME SAME BAT CHANNEL!
(reviewed by Pat D.)
This is a two song EP released by Eddie and Co. to make up for the fact they cancelled all of their tour due to the continuing battle with Ticketmaster. But its not really Pearl Jam, despite the name on the cover. Eddie plays guitar and sings, Neil Young plays lead guitar and pipe organ, Brendan O'Brien plays bass on "I Got ID", and new drummer Jack Irons plays for the band now. "I Got ID" is a great song. A really great song. And it's got perhaps Neil's best-sounding guitar solo ever. It builds to such a beautiful crescendo, with Brendan laying down a surprisingly accurate and driving bassline. But I don't care much for "Long Road". Too slow and repetitive for me. But hey, you may love it. Its not really a bad song, just not my cup of tea.
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I've got this one too, but I never bothered to review it, just because it's a single and I only review full length albums (or at least EPs considered regular releases). Anyway, a 7 seems about accurate for this, although I'd probably give it a 6 because I've really only listened to it about umm... twice since I got it around when it first came out, so it doesn't interest me too much. "I Got ID" has really cool playing from Neil Young, and it's a good song. "Long Road" is kinda nice, but I do agree with you that it's too long.
(Nick Karn's review)
No Code isn't as much of a departure as some fans may have you believe, but it is definitely a transformation from the intense and highly emotional Pearl Jam of old to songs in a more serious, soul-searching, experimental direction - the towering, majestic ballads and venomous punkish rockers, the basic strengths of the band, are very subdued in this setting, and as a result, this release was a big failure by comparison amongst the fanbase. Admittedly, the high points aren't as numerous as past releases, but the album as a whole is still a slightly more consistent and far more focused one than Vitalogy.
The opening track, "Sometimes", is the first big disappointment in the ballad department in the band - it's just too quiet, reflective, meandering and short to have too much of an impact, while "Hail, Hail" is an aggressive rocker that seems generic and far too half-assed at first, but it reveals its' strength through its' subdued melody. Meanwhile, the most spiritual-sounding song and first single, which probably turned off a lot of fans, "Who You Are" is a very uplifting mantra-like tune that sets the stage for the exploratory, tribal drumming of "In My Tree", which has a beautiful verse melody and a soaring, heavenly chorus. An effective chorus certainly helps the otherwise average Neil Young-ish rocker "Smile" to become very memorable, and the acoustic "Off He Goes" closes the first half as an effective, stripped down ballad that relaxes the soul.
The second half openers "Habit" and "Red Mosquito", however, very much lack the fire and thought-provoking lyrics of past guitar-oriented rockers in the band's catalog, although that's made up for in the energetic minute long blast of the fiery "Lukin", which is excellent, although it probably could have been developed a bit more into a fuller song. Following is the third and most stunning ballad on the album, "Present Tense", which shows that Eddie Vedder can still sing his heart out with inspirational lyrics to boot, with the song slowly building up to a great solo section and moves back into its' original state.
In hard-hitting, testosterone fueled contrast comes the interesting lyrical wit and social commentary of "Mankind", a sort of prelude to "Do The Evolution" from the next album, while "I'm Open" is an odd, stunningly atmospheric spoken-word piece that manages to be quite affecting rather than serving as a useless display of filler (as what happened with the experimental tracks on the last album), and "Around The Bend" closes the record on a bit of an unsatisfying fashion as a pleasant but not too spectacular acoustic ballad.
A lot of people bash this album saying "No Code SUCKS" or "What the hell is this crap? I want TEN, pt.2 DAMMIT!" But these are the same people who only listen to Metallica's Master Of Puppets and cry about Load. Sure, it doesn't rock as hard as Ten or Vs., but there are some really good songs on here. "Red Mosquito" in particular (which fellow webmaster Kevin introduced me to) should have been a radio staple. What a great song. And Eddie is really becoming the top vocalist of the 90's with this album. Just listen to his vocal phrasing in "Red Mosquito" when he sings "A little visit" in the second chorus. Thats singing, baybee.
Anyways, "Sometimes" is one of the most enjoyable album openers ever. Nice and soft, and builds up slowly. The first single was the undeniably weird "Who You Are", that tribal-like, Eastern inspired song. Its pretty good, though. "In My Tree" has a marvelous kick drum/tom beat to it, and it builds slowly, until a very interesting and weird bridge. "Smile" sounds like a Neil Young song, complete with the overdistorted and sloppy guitars. "Habit" and "Present Tense" are also great. So why didn't this album score higher? "Hail Hail" is the worst song I've heard since "Stupid Mop" and thats two years of radio airplay, there! Its got like three chords throughout the entire song, and like no hooks anywhere. Its mind-numbingly dull. And the rest of the songs I didn't mention are average or less. But still, this albums got a few greats and very good songs on it.
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COMMENTS
Why has this been dubbed a failure and been the least commericaly successful album from Pearl Jam yet? Because people are stupid and people think the Black album is the best Metallica album...yeah right and I blow sheep. Artistic growth is abounds. I love this album. It makes me feel good. I can't put my finger on it but something about it is so much more enjoyable then Vs. even though I gave both of them the same rating. Ahhhh...the joy of being confusing.
There is only one lame number on the album and it is a part spoken word/part sung song called "I'm Open". Eddie Vedder-greatest vocalist of the 90's. Hands down! A real breakthrough for Mr. Vedder. Highlights include "In My Tree" with a great drum beat courtesy of Jack Irons. He replaced Abruzzese at the end of the Vitalogy sessions. Rumor has it he also saved the band from possibly breaking up. I love you for that Jack. "Red Mosquito" has to be one of the all-time best guitar interaction songs ever. They blend seamlessly into this sonic heaven. "Present Tense" is magnificent. Eddie sings "You can't... spend your time alone/Redigesting past regret". Ooooh! Can I sing like you, Eddie, please?
Those three songs, damn they're great. But by no means is the rest of the album filler not the case at all. "Smile" is a little rough, but as Eddie sings "I miss you....al...read... y" in the chorus it makes me shiver. "Off He Goes"-makes me think of fall and the leaves and the country and starting over. "Habit" and "Lukin" show that these guys still like it fast and furious. And "Mankind" is a catchy almost popish number.
On a final note, there is no "Jeremy Returns" or "Jeremy 2". Give it up already people. What you will find is the most fully realized album that has an atmosphere that left my head spinning. Or it could've been thepainkillers. Nope it was definitely the album. 9.
The first time I gave this a listen, I wondered exactly how many lineup changes the band had gone through - then I turned the tape around and lo and behold! - every single one of the boys was there, except that a new drummer (Jack Irons) had been added. This one is a total departure. It's not annoyingly "experimental" as Vitalogy could get at times ("Aye Davanita" and "Privacy") because here the "experiments" are in the form of fully fleshed-out songs. But I still heaved a small sigh of relief when Yield came out, because to quote Spin's Craig Marks, this was an easy record to respect, but a little harder to like.
Not too hard, though. Opening track "Sometimes" is nice and philosophical, and Eddie singing the chorus over just the bassline sounded pretty cool after all the anthemic choruses on the last three records. "Hail, Hail" rocks, but what's a little less obvious is that it's a very lyrically mature song about a relationship on the skids............contrast "Ah, is there room for both of us? Both of us apart.......Are we bound out of obligations? Is that all we've got?" with the lines on some of their earlier ballads. The next two songs, "Who You Are" (an improbable first single) and "In My Tree" (with a U2-ish guitar line) show how much the band's quasi-New Age leanings come through - probably via Eddie's collaboration with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, or Jack Irons. "Smile" may be a four-chord song, but damn it, the chorus rules, and I love rock songs with a good harmonica part under them. Finally, "Off He Goes" is a great ballad about the two sides of Mr. Vedder himself.
Side two is a little more uneven and a little more interesting. The mix on "Habit" is rotten, and the lyrics are too simplistic. "Red Mosquito" is a great song which The Royal Society Of Feeble-Minded Critics (you know them - they put out this class project called Rolling Stone) claim is about Eddie's abused childhood. It's NOT. Gotta love "Lukin" - a day in the life of Ed Vedder, in 63 seconds. "Present Tense" is an absolute epic, "Mankind" is a neat Foo Fighters parody, but "I'm Open" is iffy. It's not bad if you like that sort of ambient/New Age fluff, but I don't.
And "Around The Bend" is one of the most off-the-wall things you'll hear on any rock record - heartfelt (it's a lullaby for Jack Irons' son) yet not sappy. (For an example of sappy, try "Annabel" - or "Taking You Home", blech - by Don Henley, who used to write good songs till he returned to his redneck roots.)
Good but not great, which is the same as Binaural. Let's just give it an 8.
Or, since it's Pearl Jam, a 9.
(Nick Karn's review)
While the band's last album went into a more experimental and reflective direction but wasn't as well received or powerful as their first two albums, Yield shows Pearl Jam beginning to find themselves within this musical direction they've chosen to pursue with the last couple of albums, throwing in elements of their earlier work while still showcasing a band creatively progressing. Eddie Vedder's lyrics have become even more spiritual than before, which gives the album extra depth, and another aspect that also helps is that the rest of the band really stepped up in contributing to the songwriting duties this time around, particularly Jeff Ament, resulting in Pearl Jam's most satisfying album since Vs.
While No Code broke the tradition of opening an album with an untamed punkish number, Yield returns to it with "Brain Of J", which boasts one of the most direct and catchy riffs in the entire Pearl Jam catalog, and it's also lyrically intriguing. There's even another excellent car song in "M.F.C.", which may have been able to rival "Rearviewmirror" in its' powerful melody and intense energy if it wasn't so short. "Do The Evolution", meanwhile, features a very dirty sounding riff and Eddie Vedder's rawest vocal performance in five years, with thought provoking social commentary as lyrics ('I'm ahead, I'm advanced, I'm the first mammal to wear pants').
As impressive as those songs are, however, it's the hit singles that are the major highlights here, and it's no coincidence that they brought the band back mainstream success they had missed with No Code. "Wish List" is the best of them, and the most melodic and moving highlight, winning on its' charming, child-like poetry that ranks as probably the most gorgeous number the band has ever done, "Given To Fly" triumphantly soars with its' hook and chorus and is quite a hopeful spiritual experience lyrically (and no, I don't see how people think it's ripped off from Led Zeppelin's "Going To California"), while "In Hiding" returns to the majestic vibe that a lot of the band's earlier material had (amazing sing-along chorus).
The melodically inspiring "Low Light" is also worthwhile, as are the two more 'experimental' pieces - the 50 second drum-dominated instrumental simply identified by a red dot, and the musically and lyrically frantic "Push Me, Pull Me". The remainder isn't quite as spectacular - "Pilate" in particular has a disappointing chorus, and the closing "All Those Yesterdays" is a little too Beatles-esque for its' own good. Still, Yield shows Pearl Jam ascending to new heights.
This is the quintessential Jack Irons album. He has some truly impressive drum parts here, but then again, what do I know about drums? Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised when dropped this CD into the CD player for the first time. A lot of very catchy tunes on this one. And not really a single bad track anywhere. "Brain of J" the opener is my favorite track. A fast, driving rhythm with Jack knowing right where to lay down a kick or a snare part.
Eddie also has come into his own vocally. Such great vocals on this album, especially in "Brain" when he sings "The whole be relieved" in the chorus. Dig that chorus. "Faithfull" has a neat little vocal line/chorus that'll have you humming along. "No Way" has got some kind of weird wah on the guitars that makes it sound spooky and strange. "Given To Fly" has taken a lot of flak for sounding like Zeppelin's "Going to California", but even one of my buds Kevin, an avid Zep freak, concedes that "Given To Fly" is a terrific song, and better than "California".
Other highlights: "Pilate", "MFC" (a fantastic, high-octane song that I wish was much longer than the 2 minutes it clocks in at), "Do the Evolution" (this one will need to grow on you), "Low Light" (which Kevin loves, I mean, check his dumb AOL screen name!), "In Hiding" (another fantastic Eddie vocal performance), the weird "Push Me, Pull Me" ( Eddie sounds like Pantera's Phil Anselmo on this track. Check "Good Friends And A Bottle of Pills" from Far Beyond Driven too see what I mean), and "All Those Yesterdays". Again, why not a higher score? Because the two instrumentals are just plain dumb (both are Eastern-inspired, and don't remotely fit here), and that annoying radio staple "Wish List" gets to me. Still, a great album with a lot of great songs.
Historical Note- Drummer Jack Irons got some kind of injury or disease (tendonitis?) before the Yield tour. So, ex- Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron took over for the tour, and as of now (12/98) I hear rumors that PJ are already recording their next album with Matt. Matt is a great rock drummer. Powerful and crisp at the same time with virtuosic ability on the kit.
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COMMENTS
Holy Shit! An unbelievable album, reinstating my faith in good rock music in these electronica/Puffy/Marilyn Manson 90's. I think they have found their groove after the cock-rock stylings of Ten, the punk/acoustic Vs., the Neil Young inspired (well mostly) No Code. And yes I know i forgot Vitalogy, but it's late and I am tired so deal with it.
This is truly an album. Not this made-for radio, one hit wonders that are populating the airwaves of FM rock radio. You can sit down, pop in the CD and listen to the entire album and not skip songs. With song contributions from almost all members, this is truly a group effort and it has paid off handsomely.
There is no filler on this album at all. Even that weird red dot 50 second blurb has a catchy beat. And what's the deal with everyone comparing "Given to Fly" to "Going to California" (Zeppelin)? I don't see it, and I am a big Zep fan. And I read in some magazine review that the reviewer thinks that Pearl Jam has sold out for shying away from the bombastic rock of Ten. I think that it is obvious that this is the group's most mature effort. "In Hiding", "Many Fast Cars", "Low Light", hell why don't I name every song cause I like them all. "In Hiding and "Low Light" have to be my favorite PJ songs. Ever. And they finally got the mixing somewhat right. All the other albums were mixed so poorly, the low end sounded like my car's muffler.
P.S. Buy the "Given to Fly" single for the non-album track "Leatherman". Yeah I know, another song ending with -man. What's with that Eddie Vedder and -man songs? But it's a great song too. See, even the b-sides are good. 10.
I usually don't like to describe all the songs on an album, but I'm going to have to make an exception with this one:
This is the only PJ album I've heard outside of Ten and Vs., and unlike the last two which were more consistent, this one is a lot less bombastic and more, um, laid back and indie. Basically the album ranges from lovely as a royal gown to ugly as a pool of liquid poop. The best songs on this album are sheer classics, with the big radio singles, "Given to Fly" and "In Hiding" being of masterpecial not seen since Ten. "Given to Fly" is a truly amazing achievement for Pearl Jam, as it's the most powerful and grandoise song they've done since Jeremy, with incredible dynamics. "In Hiding" has an awesome beat, melody and riffs; it's pretty much THE perfect pop song. You've also got "Wish List" with its lovely chiming guitar and cute lyrics about Eddie wishing he was a bunch of different metaphorical inanimate objects ("I wish I was a neutron bomb / For once I could go off", gotta love that), "Brain of J" with its hella cool riff and chorus, "Faithfull" which is beautifully relaxing, "MFC" which has really nifty guitar tonality and rhythm reminiscent of "Paperback Writer" though ending way sooner than it should, and "Low Light" which is sorta countryish, except that country sucks and "Low Light" doesn't. And did somebody say "fucked up"? "Do the Evolution" is an rock-n-rollingly catchy song that's cool to listen to just to hear Veddy Edder go insane and scream his head off, and the driving rhythm and crazy mumbling of "Push Me Pull Me" is just wicked. Unfortunately, this albums has a couple of weak and/or flawed tracks. The could-be classic "Pilate" has really pretty verses, but then the terrible, fugly-ass chorus comes and totally ruins it. The red dot instrumental is fun enough and has a cool beat, but otherwise has no reason to exist, "All Those Yesterdays" attempts to be a nice Beatles-stlye number (the vocal style seems directly stolen from Paul McCartney, and there's even horns!) but ends up sounding hideous thanks to Stone Gossard screwing up a potentially lovely chord progression by hitting the wrong note, the "hidden" instrumental is nice as background music but not much else, and I'm going to have to disagree with everyone here and say that, although the guitar effect is sorta cool, "No Way" just bores the hell out of me, in addition to being constructed really ugly (notice a pattern forming here?). Now certain kinds of ugly I can appreciate, like for instance Slayer (Reign in Blood, aww man!), but when Pearl Jam gets ugly they just suck.
Though the mix is pretty solid (as opposed to the soupy mixes on Ten and Vs.) as well as having really sweet crips and powerful drum tracking (well, except for the massive amount of breathing room that makes it sound somewhat sloppy, and the snare is a bit loud) it seems awfully low-fi, which is fine for an indie band short on cash and producers, but this is Pearl Jam we're talking about here! I don't care how indie PJ wants to appear, I demand a clear, vibrant mix dammit! Not only that, but some songs are a bit lacking in dynamics. When the loud guitars and wailing vocals in "Given to Fly" come in I expect everything to burst out in a loud explosion of glory; instead it stays stuck in low-fiville. Another dissappointment is Eddie's singing. Somewhere around this time he started losing confidence in his notes and his vocals now sound all warbly and mumbly. Though it's nowhere near as bad as the horrid attempt at "singing" Mr. Vedder attempted on the next album, it's really sad to see one of the most amazing vocalists starting to fall from grace. Oh well.
Despite some less-than-stellar songs and Eddie's deteriorating voice, the album gets an 8 'cause the classics are just too good to pass up. A really, really high 8, mind you.
(reviewed by Pat D.)
I did not expect to like this album very much when I got it. In the past I had heard lots of PJ bootlegs, and they all were horrible in both sound quality and performance. Of course, I also HATE live albums. However, in an attempt to get me to like this type of album, PJ freak Kevin got me this for Christmas. Oh yeah, I also had the chance to see the Jammers live this fall in DC. Yup, I was at the Constitution Hall show. Thats right, you can all turn green with envy now. The show was great. For those of you unfamiliar with the venue, the Hall only holds like 3500, so it was a very intimate atmosphere. Even with our "nosebleed" seats, we were right on top of the band. And man, do they put on a show. Having never been to ANY concert before, and hating all things live, I was quite shocked at the sound quality and energy of a live show. And at some points, I actually preferred the live performance to some studio cuts.
Let me say just this: DO NOT buy ANY live album intending to get the concert experience. AT BEST it might serve as a reminder of what the show was like IF YOU ATTENDED IT. At no point in listening to this album did it REMOTELY sound like the concert I was at, and PJ freaks insist that several of the tracks on this disc are from my show. Which leads me to this conclusion about live albums in general: They are absolutely useless.
Anyhow, couple of interesting differences with this live album. It sounds a lot better than most- The guitars are voluminous at times, and the drums sound powerful and balanced (a first on a live album). The guitar solos are sometimes better sounding than the originals- "Corduroy" and "Even Flow" in particular. Eddie's voice is NOT GOOD on a couple of tracks- "Given To Fly" is the most shining example of how much better the studio cuts are. "Elderly Woman" is also in this area. And last of all, I actually like the live "Black" better than the original, although the original had a much more emotional outro. But, as usual, I was not impressed by this live album. If you like live albums, you may love it, but I cannot see myself giving any live more than a five. Its pretty good as live albums go, however.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Pearl Jam's sixth studio album continues in the experimental-soul searching direction of the last two, but in a heavier fashion - in fact, this is their loudest and most raw offering since their masterpiece Vs. Unfortunately, 'heavier' doesn't equal 'better' in this case, as the quality of the songs is somewhat lower than before. Most of them are pleasant enough to listen to melodically, but this is probably their first release without a single great song, although "Light Years" and "Of The Girl" come close, the former a strong single with a beautiful guitar line and a catchy chorus (although it's not as substantial as past soul-searching classics like "Given To Fly" and "Present Tense"), while the latter is a tense acoustic number with a strong, engaging melody and backing bongos.
Eddie Vedder continues to let Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard compose more material in the Yield tradition, with mixed results. As far as Ament's contributions, lead single "Nothing As It Seems" is a stormy and Floydish number that's certainly haunting but nothing too special, and "Gods' Dice" is an awful (though thankfully short), tuneless rocker. Gossard's songs include "Thin Air", a relaxing acoustic ballad that's sentimental but hardly anything great, the aforementioned highlight "Of The Girl", and "Rival", which sounds horrible at first, but does have a catchy riff and piano part, even if it's a little too raw and demo-quality for my liking.
The remainder of the songs include the opening "Breakerfall", which has a reasonably strong riff coupled with sitar backing although it's way too insubstantial and short, the generic punksters "Insignificance" and "Grievance" (which does have a good chorus and solid acoustic/electric interplay), the pretty, Beatles-esque ukelele-led brief pop song "Soon Forget", another terrible, B-side quality rocker "Evacuation", the spacey guitar of the otherwise too slow and electronic-influenced "Sleight Of Hand", and the airy closer "Parting Ways", which also utilizes sitar backing in a pleasant fashion. In all, this is easily the band's weakest and least cohesive album, but most of Binaural is still at least enjoyable - just don't expect to fall in love with it.
OVERALL RATING: 6
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COMMENTS
This album so turned me off when i first heard it that i am actually considering not buying it at all. And that says something.
First off I have a few words for the now clueless Ed Vedder who at one time had the greatest voice i had ever heard in rock. He holds that title no longer with the generally crappy vocal work he did on this album, and on that annoying "One Last Kiss" cover. How could somebody who belted out such glorious tones on Vs, Ten, and Vitalogy have totally forgotten how to sing? The main example off Binaural is that awful current single whose name escapes me at the moment. Not "Nothing As It Seems", which despite having too many "he's" in the lyrics is actually a decent song. I mean, the man has a serious case of the 'warbling mumblings' nowadays. Oh yeah, and while he's warbling, he shifts out of key all of the time. Its painful to listen to sometimes. Open your damn mouth and SING, Eddie!
Anyways, I only listened to this album three times or so (on a trip down to Baltimore for those interested) and was not remotely interested in almost anything on the entire disc. " I seem to remember that either Gods' Dice or Evacuation were rockin' tunes, but the rest left me dissapointed. The sad thing is, i have no desire to hear the album again, as Mr. Vedder's now crappy singing has made me lose any interest in purchasing this disc at all. Be warned, those who purchase. While it may not be as bad as Jon Anderson on vocals, lets just say its no treat.
[email protected] (Ravi P. Rajkumar)
"Oh where, oh where can my Valium be, Eddie stole it away from me, He's gone to Heaven to meet Ralph Nader, But his voice ain't gettin' no better........
Rock (and even hard rock) bands covering "soft" songs (soul, pop, etc.) is nothing really new, for example "Easy" by Faith No More. But I've got to draw the line at this "Last Kiss" single!! It's the most sleep-inducing piece of nonsense I've ever heard from these guys! And considering that Eddie likes to take pot shots at pop bands for their lousy lyrics, what about the dumb, sentimental, melodramatic lyrics on this song? The guitar playing? Any hack from a church choir could play the parts on this song! And Eddie's voice sounds like he's under heavy sedation. Easily the worst PJ song, even including "Stupid Mop", "Bugs", "Privacy" and the like. C'mon, Ed, where's the guy and the band that gave us "Better Man" and "Immortality" and "Present Tense"? Those were slow songs, but they were great!
Also, have you noticed that a lot of the songs Pearl Jam covers (I mean the 60s songs) are ones that have been covered by the Who and the Beatles? (Look at the Beatles' Live At The BBC , which is mostly covered - quite a few of those songs have been covered by the Jammers, including the annoying "Soldier Of Love").
This attitude, somehow, got carried over into Binaural. Annoying guitar lines? Well, "God's Dice" deserves honourable mention. Irritating lyrics? "Nothing As It Seems" (a strong contender for Highest Number of Inane Rhymes, though ABBA and the Foo Fighters probably squash them), "Parting Ways" (six lines long) and "Rival". Sentimental lyrics? "Thin Air" (could you have imagined, say in 1993, Pearl Jam singing "There's a light when my baby's in my arms/And I know she's reached my heart......in THIN AIR!!"). Bad vocals? Plenty of them. And what about "Grievance" and "Soon Forget"? The former is not only musically weak, but the horrible social-comment lyrics ("BIG GUY, BIG EYE WATCHING ME/HAVE TO WONDER WHAT IT SEES!/PROGRESS LACED WITH RAMIFICATIONS!/PULL THE INNOCENT FROM A CROWD") are probably the worst report on the WTO riots you're likely to see. And the latter was written just to impress Ralph Nader with its supposedly anti-Bill Gates lyrics (Ed said that, not me!). Where, pray, are the intelligent social-comment lyrics of songs like "WMA", "Do The Evolution" and even "Glorified G" or "Rats"?
There are still enough good tracks ("Evacuation", "Sleight Of Hand" and the stunning "Light Years" stick out) to earn this a high 7, but I'm strongly looking forward to a Pearl Jam album that isn't released during an election year.
And lose that Last Kiss stuff, fellers! It isn't doing you any good!
[email protected] (Andrew McQuillan)
This is their worst album but worst is not a term I use for Pearl Jam. More like least consistent. Nothing As It Seems isn't very enjoyable. I used to think it was a worthwhile song but when it gets sandwiched between three of the best songs on the album, (Light Years, Thin Air, and Insignificance) it doesn't hold up. The second half is a little uneven, but, fuck it, I still like it. It'll do. Soon Forget is a good little ditty as well. The first three songs (Breakerfall, God's Dice, Evacuation) rock out with God's Dice being the most solid melody. The other two are decent but not as good as God's Dice. The three aforementioned best songs are the album are gorgeous. Thin Air has one of the most beautiful bridges I've heard and Light Years is just plain out a great and moving song and worthy second single. Insignificance has a great guitar line and the best chorus on the album. I just love that 'Bombs dropping down' chorus with the great vocal harmony. For a Pearl Jam album though, it gets a 7 compared to the rest of their albums. If it was another band, it would probably be their greatest album. I can't say I'm disappointed though. I do think they've already made their best album in the past (don't know which one it is. That choice constantly changes in my books.).
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Well, this isn't a return to glory or anything, but definitely more focused than Binaural. The rockers don't sound like they were thrown together in about 10 minutes anymore, basically every song has at least one well-written melody, and they almost manage to avoid the 'pointless experimental' trap, with the only pure filler being the minute long acapella "Arc" (an unfortunately failed attempt at showing that Eddie Vedder still has his old vocal range). But that still leaves 14 other decent to really good songs (the most material they've ever had on an album) that may be a little too much Pearl Jam by numbers in many ways, with a lot of conventional-sounding arrangements and melodies and not terribly creative playing - with a couple exceptions - but that doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable. Oh, and you know there's gonna be some political commentary in the lyrics too, given that it's their first album after 9-11, the 'fans trampled to death at a concert' incident, and the election of that moron in the White House (sorry).
Like I said before, all of these songs are pretty much catchy, with the lead single "I Am Mine", a rather nice swaying folkish tune with Eddie singing in the lower register effectively before it turns into majestic Ten-ish chorus, being a good representation of that. Even the more generic rock like "Save You" (with simplistic but energetic guitar/bass riffing), "Ghost", "Get Right" and "Green Disease" come alive a bit because they don't forget the importance of entertaining melodies and riffs. Especially when they're balanced out with nice ballads in the form of the bass-heavy, chiming opener "Can't Keep", the gorgeous stripped down "Thumbing My Way" and especially the highlight "Love Boat Captain" - corny title and "All You Need Is Love" quote at the end aside, this one really makes effective use of organ atmosphere in the beginning and end, and shifts through several different gripping melodies (gripping even despite the mumbling tone of the vocals). It's pretty much a Pearl Jam classic for the 00's or whatever - make of that what you will.
When you sum up all these songs, they aren't really anything special (you aren't gonna find any highs quite at the level of "Rearviewmirror" or "Immortality" on here, for instance), but they're good. One of them even breaks from the conventional pattern - the Matt Cameron contribution "You Are", which filters a rhythm guitar through a drum machine to create a really cool-sounding choppy riff (one of the band's best, for sure) and throws in some relaxing jazzy piano in the middle. I also find a couple others particularly noteworthy, like the rousing, bluesy "1/2 Full" (with cool guitar interplay and amusing lines like 'don't see some men as half empty, see them half-full of shit') and the closing Stone Gossard ballad "All Or None", a typical introspective song with a loungey vibe to the music and a great guitar solo at the end as it fades out. This band really knows how to keep you thinking at album's end.
Not to say that the material is all that good, though (I do think this album's only worth a low 7, after all). Besides the lack of great material here (though there's definitely a lot of good stuff), there are also a couple iffy songs - "Cropduster" attempts to throw in some prog rock-style rhythms in the verses, but suffers from a really weak verse melody, and as much as I like the sentiments of the anti-George W. rant "Bushleaguer", most of it rambles on in ridiculous spoken word poetry mode and awkward vocal hooks. To a lesser extent, Jeff Ament's "Help Help" is somewhat corny, what with its' repetitive vocal hook, but it's still okay. And that pretty much wraps up another edition of Pearl Jam - I dunno if this necessarily one of their more recommendable albums, but I think it's pretty safe to say that if you liked the last few of them, there's no reason not to dig this one as well.
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COMMENTS
I couldn't get into this album originally, it was really really hard to listen to. Then the day after I saw Pearl Jam live, I played it and found it amazing. I think this review is pretty accurate, though I find 'Cropduster' to be one of my favourite songs (which makes me pissed off that they didn't play it at the show I saw in Vancouver.). I agree that some of the spoken lyrics in Bu$hleaguer sound pretentious, but I like the line "born on third/thinks he got a triple". All around, I think it's a bit stronger than Binaural (which I like, but not as much). I listen to it quite a bit now with ease, unlike when I first got it. Hell, I listened to it twice today, just like that.
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