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Pearl Jam
Given their fractured beginning, who would have suspected that Pearl Jam would be the last Grunge band standing?
Just as Seattle's Mother Love Bone looked like it was going to be big news, lead singer Andrew Wood overdosed on heroin. Guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament pulled themselves from the ruins and started all over again. They added Mike McCready (guitar) and Dave Krusen (drums). Dave Abbruzzese replaced Krusen following the release of "Ten" with Jack Irons picking up the sticks in '94. In an inspired move, they linked with vocalist Eddie Vedder, who was in San Diego. Sent a tape containing instrumental tracks, Vedder was told to write lyrics and lay them over the pre-recorded music. Obviously, he passed this unusual long distance audition.
Pearl Jam's '91 debut "Ten" took most of the year before it connected. The title was a reference to point guard Mookie Blaylock's jersey number. Serious B-Ball fans? Actually, Blaylock inadvertently crossed the band's path and became one of those inside jokes. The combination of "Even Flow" and an appearance in the movie "Singles" shot Pearl Jam to the forefront. Add to that the singles "Jeremy" and "Daughter," the successful sophomore release "Vs" and a full touring itinerary. Pearl Jam was huge. That was when they took on Ticketmaster. Pearl Jam cancelled their '94 summer tour claiming Ticketmaster was jacking up the prices. They even took their case to the Justice Department, which they eventually lost. "Vitalogy," released in late '94, was another Pearl Jam commercial success.
"No Code" represented a change. It featured styles and influences not present on other recordings. Due to their hassles with Ticketmaster and a growing reluctance to spending months on the road supporting the CD, "No Code" did well initially but quickly disappeared. "Yield," seeing the light of day in '98, was more focused but it suffered a similar fate. For something of a disappointment it still sold over a million copies. To remind fans of what the group sounded like on stage, Pearl Jam also put out "Live On Two Legs." Pearl Jam continued recording with "Binaural" and "Riot Act" released in '00 and '02 respectively. "Lost Dogs," collection of b-sides, rarities (going back to early in their career) and songs recorded for soundtracks and benefits appeared in '03.
 Pearl Jam |
Pearl Jam came roaring back three years later with a self-titled effort (with the avocado cover), that was among their best.
As a band with a social conscience, Pearl Jam launched their '06 Carbon Portfolio Strategy, which earmarked $100,000 in donations from the band to nine environmental-related organizations to help offset carbon emissions produced through touring and other activities. "We (are investing) in the future health of our planet and its delicate ecosphere," said Gossard.
Live packages don't come much bigger than Pearl Jam's seven-CD box set chronicling three concerts played at the breathtaking Gorge Amphitheatre (in George, WA). '07's "Live At The Gorge 05/06" contained 76 songs and ran over seven hours.
Pearl Jam returned to touring with a stop at Lollapalooza '07 in Chicago. During their headlining stint on the final night, lyrics criticizing President Bush were censored from a live webcast by AT&T Inc. The lines cut from a rendition of "Daughter" (with a part to the tune of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall") included "George Bush, leave this world alone," the second time it was sung, and "George Bush find yourself another home." Days later AT&T admitted they made a mistake (no kidding). Following the incident Pearl Jam posted a notice. "This troubles us . . . as citizens concerned with the issue of censorship and the increasingly consolidated control of the media," wrote the band. They also promised to "work harder to ensure live broadcasts or webcasts are 'free from arbitrary edits'."
Vedder performed at the '07 Toronto International Film Festival for the world premiere of the movie Body Of War, a documentary about an Iraq war veteran paralyzed by a bullet wound. Vedder composed two songs for the film. He was motivated to contribute his talents partly by the deaths of nine fans during PJ's set at '00's Roskilde Festival in Denmark. "I have a hard time thinking that . . . Dick Cheney or George Bush (have) had this close an experience with tragic death right in front of them," stated Vedder. Another Vedder solo project that year was composing the soundtrack for "Into The Wild." The Sean Penn film, which opened in September, was about adventurer Chris McCandless who met a sad end in Alaska.
Vedder also played nearly all the instruments. "I thought we'd call in real musicians at some point," offered Vedder. "But there's something about not having to explain . . . the soul of whatever the song was. (I'd) just grab the bass and do it (myself)." From the soundtrack, "Guaranteed" won an '08 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
Pearl Jam embarked on a 10-date East Coast headlining tour in the summer of '08. They also revived their official bootleg series. Complete recordings were available for purchase as made-to-order CDs through the band's official website and in MP3 and FLAC digital formats.
Interesting Note: When The Doors were inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, Vedder filled-in for singer Jim Morrison (still in Paris and still dead), as the surviving Doors played their classics.
Funny thing. The Rolling Stones are thought of as a '60s group. Sure, that's the decade where they made their debut but their best work came in the early '70s when they stopped chasing The Beatles. First, The Beatles were no more and second, they realized the futility of that course. The Stones were the Stones, they would never be The Beatles. Pearl Jam went through a similar experience.
Forever linked to Grunge, Pearl Jam saw bands who achieved greater notoriety, Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins, come and go. Having managed to survive, they have, over time, lost much of the Grunge sludge and become a lean, driven unit. They are far better in that mode. Their self-titled '06 release is nothing short of brilliant. The set opens with a trio of excellent Rockers, "Life Wasted," the hit "World Wide Suicide" and "Comatose." Later, there are a pair of impressive ballads, "Marker In The Sand," Vedder's most intense vocal effort on the CD, and the intimate "Parachutes." The tempo picks up with "Unemployable," "Big Wave" and "Army Reserve," which is vintage Pearl Jam.
In their previous life, Pearl Jam produced three brilliant albums. They are, in order of appearance and importance, "Ten," ('91), "Vs" ('94) and "Binaural" ('00). The obvious low point is a ridiculous cover of the wretched "Last Kiss." This piece of early '60s pop schlock was reportedly a favorite of someone close to the group. To record a novelty song for a friend is one thing but to foist the disaster on the unsuspecting public is quite another (even if all the proceeds went to charity). Ironically, it's the group's best charting single. "Last Kiss" is not the worst thing ever released by a major Grunge group but it certainly dwells in the bottom tier.
"Ten" contains Pearl Jam's signature songs "Jeremy," "Evenflow" and "Alive." "Vs" is best known for "Daughter" while "Binaural" is their most notable effort in years, thanks in part to The Who-inspired opening track "Breakerfall."
"Vitalogy" represents a step back (too much acoustic noodling). "No Code" and "Yield" along with the mediocre "Live On Two Legs" rounded out the groups '90s work. "No Code" and "Yield" are good albums but they are an audible step down from Pearl Jam's best.
"Riot Act" is an interesting title. The album is certainly not riotous. Too bad. There are a couple of great Rockers - "Save You" and "Cropduster" with uncharacteristically lean Vedder vocals. Had they kept in that vein, the album might have earned its title. "Riot Act" suffers from "Vitalogy's" acoustic notions but they're better executed. The CD opens with the stark "Can't Keep" which is hardly the roaring opener that "Breakerfall" provided on their previous effort. The album has a laid back feeling as Vedder references the great outdoors on numerous occasions. He's a surfer dude after all. The group does take a cut at George W. bashing with "Bushleaguer" ("Born on third, he thinks he hit a triple").
B-sides, soundtrack material and odds and ends rarely attract the attention of anyone but hard core fans. "Lost Dogs" is the exception. Rocker "All Night" is potent. "Don't Gimme No Lip" with a herky-jerky guitar and tons of energy is undeniable. Other high points include the chord bashing "Hold On" and the sparse "Undone" ("last stop on the west coast") which has a Springsteen sound to it. From the acoustic ballad "Dead Man" to the numerous Rockers "Lost Dogs" is a winner - and not just for the true believers.
Anyone expecting the "Into The Wild" soundtrack to be a Pearl Jam variant or even Pearl Jam-lite will be disappointed. Here, acoustic guitars, banjos and mandolins are the instruments of choice. The album's style and overall feeling is close to Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska." But Vedder's voice and the instrumentation work exceptionally well within the context of the film.
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