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Pearl Jam have been my favourite band for years, so in celebration of their 10th anniversary this year I shall give you lot a brief history/discography (OK so its no so brief!).
Formed from the ashes of Mother Love Bone (80’s Seattle outfit whose singer died in 1990 of a heroin overdose), Pearl Jam burst onto the growing Seattle scene in 1991 with the release of their debut album ‘Ten’. An explosive mix, covering topics such as personal loss (‘Release’, ‘Black’) and urban decay (‘Even Flow’, ‘Jeremy’) that would eventually see the album peaking at number 2 in the Billboard Charts and gain the band world wide recognition and fame. The band spend the next 2 years on the road (including the famous Lollapalooza tour in summer ’92) taking their intense show to the far corners of the earth.
1993 saw the release of their second album ‘Vs’. By this point there were telltale signs that the band were becoming increasingly uncomfortable with their fame. The first single ‘Go’ was released in the UK with a free cassette in order to void the record from charting and the band refused to do any interviews or videos. Needless to say this had no effect on record sales and ‘Vs’ became the fastest selling album in history (at that point), shifting over 1 million copies in the first week in the US alone. The album itself continued on the theme of the previous record, albeit with a more raw sound. This was the first time the band hooked up with producer Brendan O’Brien, which would be a relationship that has lasted until the present day. Singer Eddie Vedder’s songwriting skills also started to show on this record – evident in titles like ‘Rearviewmirror’ and ‘Indifference’ (the latter being a realisation that even in his relatively powerful position, it is hard to make a difference).
The following year saw Pearl Jam take on the mighty Ticketmaster over their apparent monopoly of ticket sales in the US. Shows were cancelled and courtrooms were filled. It was a difficult time for the band, who have always worked with the ethos ‘the music is the most important thing’. There was one other event in 94 which affected PJ, especially Vedder – the suicide of Kurt Cobain. Previously the press had had a field day with the two bands after Cobain had dismissed PJ as ‘corporate c*ck –rock’. Cobains suicide sent the band spiralling into doubt over the worth of being a famous band.
Despite the tragedy, PJ headed back into the studio and came up with 1994’s ‘Vitalogy’. A fantastically introverted and uncomfortable album, this was in a way to be PJ’s saviour (even if they didn’t know it). Taking a stand against CD’s, the album was released on Vinyl only for the first week but still managed to become the second fastest selling US album at that point. The first single ‘Spin the Black Circle’ was itself homage to vinyl. This was Vedders album – he penned most songs and the band itself were rarely at recording sessions together. Despite this, Vitalogy did manage to throw up some gems, namely ‘Corduroy’ and the soon to be live favourite ‘Betterman’.
In 1995, PJ lost their court battle with Ticketmaster. Attorney General Janet Reno, commenting on the Department's dropping of the case, said it "did not seem an appropriate time to continue to pursue the investigation... My understanding is that the division found that there were new enterprises coming into the arena and based on that evidence... we do not have a basis for proceeding." Pearl Jam responded that they were "disappointed" with the decision, stating that "those who will be most hurt by the Justice Department's cave-in are the consumers of live entertainment". A short tour and some collaborations with Neil Young rounded off a fairly disappointing year.
1996 was an altogether better year for the band. They started getting on better with each other and came up with the album ‘No Code’. An altogether different kettle of fish from the previous three – sonically and musically. This was the sound of a band coming to ease on a personal and musical level, evident in such songs as ‘Hail Hail’ (‘…hail hail the lucky ones, I refer to those in love…’) and ‘Present Tense’ (‘make much more sense, to live in the present tense..’). They finally toured the UK for the first time in 5 years and good reviews saw the band flourish, albeit at the expense of a fanbase who wanted carbon copies of their first two albums.
‘Yield’ would be PJ’s next release, in January 1998. It was an evolution on the theme of ‘No Code’. A far simpler, organic album with nods as much towards country as punk or rock. The first single ‘Given to Fly’ set the tone of the record as a soaring, all encompassing achievement. Still working with Brendan O’Brien, for me this became their finest work to date. The album has a ‘live’ feel – five men in a room pressing record and making music… this is what it is about. There is an inherent connection in this record which I have not felt in many albums. It also saw PJ create their first video since ‘Jeremy’ back in 92 – for ‘Do the Evolution’ – this in itself was a sign of a more comfortable band. A large US tour followed the release of ‘Yield’ which spawned the first official PJ live album – ‘Live on Two Legs’.
Pearl Jams latest studio album, ‘Binaural’ was released in 2000 and saw the departure of Brendan O’Brien from the producers chair. In step Tchad Blake of Crowded House fame. Heralded as some as a return to form, Binaural upped the pace from ‘Yield’, focussing on Nationality (‘Grievance’) and greed (‘Soon Forget’ – which saw Vedder take up the Ukulele!). Even though it was a sonic departure from the previous albums, it stayed true to the Pearl Jam ethos – music first. Having rediscovered the enjoyment of playing, the band set out on a year long tour of the world. In an unprecedented attempt to give the fans the chance to have a decent bootleg of the tour, PJ released every single date of their European and US tour as a live CD – all 72! There was however, one exception – Roskilde. On 30th June 2000 several people died in Roskilde festival at a Pearl Jam show from being crushed. At first the band said they would not continue, but after careful consideration they decided to be faithful to the music and finish the tour, hailed as their best to date.
A testament in itself to the power of music.
Formed from the ashes of Mother Love Bone (80’s Seattle outfit whose singer died in 1990 of a heroin overdose), Pearl Jam burst onto the growing Seattle scene in 1991 with the release of their debut album ‘Ten’. An explosive mix, covering topics such as personal loss (‘Release’, ‘Black’) and urban decay (‘Even Flow’, ‘Jeremy’) that would eventually see the album peaking at number 2 in the Billboard Charts and gain the band world wide recognition and fame. The band spend the next 2 years on the road (including the famous Lollapalooza tour in summer ’92) taking their intense show to the far corners of the earth.
1993 saw the release of their second album ‘Vs’. By this point there were telltale signs that the band were becoming increasingly uncomfortable with their fame. The first single ‘Go’ was released in the UK with a free cassette in order to void the record from charting and the band refused to do any interviews or videos. Needless to say this had no effect on record sales and ‘Vs’ became the fastest selling album in history (at that point), shifting over 1 million copies in the first week in the US alone. The album itself continued on the theme of the previous record, albeit with a more raw sound. This was the first time the band hooked up with producer Brendan O’Brien, which would be a relationship that has lasted until the present day. Singer Eddie Vedder’s songwriting skills also started to show on this record – evident in titles like ‘Rearviewmirror’ and ‘Indifference’ (the latter being a realisation that even in his relatively powerful position, it is hard to make a difference).
The following year saw Pearl Jam take on the mighty Ticketmaster over their apparent monopoly of ticket sales in the US. Shows were cancelled and courtrooms were filled. It was a difficult time for the band, who have always worked with the ethos ‘the music is the most important thing’. There was one other event in 94 which affected PJ, especially Vedder – the suicide of Kurt Cobain. Previously the press had had a field day with the two bands after Cobain had dismissed PJ as ‘corporate c*ck –rock’. Cobains suicide sent the band spiralling into doubt over the worth of being a famous band.
Despite the tragedy, PJ headed back into the studio and came up with 1994’s ‘Vitalogy’. A fantastically introverted and uncomfortable album, this was in a way to be PJ’s saviour (even if they didn’t know it). Taking a stand against CD’s, the album was released on Vinyl only for the first week but still managed to become the second fastest selling US album at that point. The first single ‘Spin the Black Circle’ was itself homage to vinyl. This was Vedders album – he penned most songs and the band itself were rarely at recording sessions together. Despite this, Vitalogy did manage to throw up some gems, namely ‘Corduroy’ and the soon to be live favourite ‘Betterman’.
In 1995, PJ lost their court battle with Ticketmaster. Attorney General Janet Reno, commenting on the Department's dropping of the case, said it "did not seem an appropriate time to continue to pursue the investigation... My understanding is that the division found that there were new enterprises coming into the arena and based on that evidence... we do not have a basis for proceeding." Pearl Jam responded that they were "disappointed" with the decision, stating that "those who will be most hurt by the Justice Department's cave-in are the consumers of live entertainment". A short tour and some collaborations with Neil Young rounded off a fairly disappointing year.
1996 was an altogether better year for the band. They started getting on better with each other and came up with the album ‘No Code’. An altogether different kettle of fish from the previous three – sonically and musically. This was the sound of a band coming to ease on a personal and musical level, evident in such songs as ‘Hail Hail’ (‘…hail hail the lucky ones, I refer to those in love…’) and ‘Present Tense’ (‘make much more sense, to live in the present tense..’). They finally toured the UK for the first time in 5 years and good reviews saw the band flourish, albeit at the expense of a fanbase who wanted carbon copies of their first two albums.
‘Yield’ would be PJ’s next release, in January 1998. It was an evolution on the theme of ‘No Code’. A far simpler, organic album with nods as much towards country as punk or rock. The first single ‘Given to Fly’ set the tone of the record as a soaring, all encompassing achievement. Still working with Brendan O’Brien, for me this became their finest work to date. The album has a ‘live’ feel – five men in a room pressing record and making music… this is what it is about. There is an inherent connection in this record which I have not felt in many albums. It also saw PJ create their first video since ‘Jeremy’ back in 92 – for ‘Do the Evolution’ – this in itself was a sign of a more comfortable band. A large US tour followed the release of ‘Yield’ which spawned the first official PJ live album – ‘Live on Two Legs’.
Pearl Jams latest studio album, ‘Binaural’ was released in 2000 and saw the departure of Brendan O’Brien from the producers chair. In step Tchad Blake of Crowded House fame. Heralded as some as a return to form, Binaural upped the pace from ‘Yield’, focussing on Nationality (‘Grievance’) and greed (‘Soon Forget’ – which saw Vedder take up the Ukulele!). Even though it was a sonic departure from the previous albums, it stayed true to the Pearl Jam ethos – music first. Having rediscovered the enjoyment of playing, the band set out on a year long tour of the world. In an unprecedented attempt to give the fans the chance to have a decent bootleg of the tour, PJ released every single date of their European and US tour as a live CD – all 72! There was however, one exception – Roskilde. On 30th June 2000 several people died in Roskilde festival at a Pearl Jam show from being crushed. At first the band said they would not continue, but after careful consideration they decided to be faithful to the music and finish the tour, hailed as their best to date.
A testament in itself to the power of music.
Tyla wrote:
> Craw wrote:
> never sold out
*cough* tour albums *cough* on for each
> venue... now that was a "lets exploit the fans" if ever I saw
> one...
>
>I was once a huge PJ fan, untill the live tour album >farce!!
Thats not a farce! You'd be happy to pay £15 for a dodgy quality bootleg would you? No chance. Bootleggers are constantly profiting at the hands of bands like PJ and ultimately ripping the fans off. Thats exploitation.
PJ weren't expecting the fans to go out and buy all 72 albums - this wasn't a money making experiment, it was about giving something back to the people who have put them where they are now. I bought the one album of the one show I went to. I have a fantastic quality reproduction of a show that meant a lot to me.
If you call that 'exploiting the fans' then I would like to know what you think treating them well is.
> Craw wrote:
> never sold out
*cough* tour albums *cough* on for each
> venue... now that was a "lets exploit the fans" if ever I saw
> one...
>
>I was once a huge PJ fan, untill the live tour album >farce!!
Thats not a farce! You'd be happy to pay £15 for a dodgy quality bootleg would you? No chance. Bootleggers are constantly profiting at the hands of bands like PJ and ultimately ripping the fans off. Thats exploitation.
PJ weren't expecting the fans to go out and buy all 72 albums - this wasn't a money making experiment, it was about giving something back to the people who have put them where they are now. I bought the one album of the one show I went to. I have a fantastic quality reproduction of a show that meant a lot to me.
If you call that 'exploiting the fans' then I would like to know what you think treating them well is.
Craw wrote:
> never sold out
*cough* tour albums *cough* on for each venue... now that was a "lets exploit the fans" if ever I saw one...
I was once a huge PJ fan, untill the live tour album farce!!
> never sold out
*cough* tour albums *cough* on for each venue... now that was a "lets exploit the fans" if ever I saw one...
I was once a huge PJ fan, untill the live tour album farce!!
Yeah sorry I stopped after the studio albums... I could have been here forever.
You're right though - its always been about the music. It becomes harder and harder nowadays for bands to write for themselves.
Right or wrong Pearl Jam have never compromised, never sold out and never done what was expected of them.
They have one more album on Epic due out next year and it excites me to wonder what will happen after that.
You're right though - its always been about the music. It becomes harder and harder nowadays for bands to write for themselves.
Right or wrong Pearl Jam have never compromised, never sold out and never done what was expected of them.
They have one more album on Epic due out next year and it excites me to wonder what will happen after that.
and now they have a concert DVD out too.
I've bought every Pearl Jam studio album so far and been happy with the results of each, despite some wildly different styles. Some people gave up on them after vs, because it wasn't exactly the same as the last album, they didn't like the change in style.
Pearl Jam have written and sung songs that they wanted to sing, rather than cater to would be fans. I like that in a group.
I've bought every Pearl Jam studio album so far and been happy with the results of each, despite some wildly different styles. Some people gave up on them after vs, because it wasn't exactly the same as the last album, they didn't like the change in style.
Pearl Jam have written and sung songs that they wanted to sing, rather than cater to would be fans. I like that in a group.
Pearl Jam have been my favourite band for years, so in celebration of their 10th anniversary this year I shall give you lot a brief history/discography (OK so its no so brief!).
Formed from the ashes of Mother Love Bone (80’s Seattle outfit whose singer died in 1990 of a heroin overdose), Pearl Jam burst onto the growing Seattle scene in 1991 with the release of their debut album ‘Ten’. An explosive mix, covering topics such as personal loss (‘Release’, ‘Black’) and urban decay (‘Even Flow’, ‘Jeremy’) that would eventually see the album peaking at number 2 in the Billboard Charts and gain the band world wide recognition and fame. The band spend the next 2 years on the road (including the famous Lollapalooza tour in summer ’92) taking their intense show to the far corners of the earth.
1993 saw the release of their second album ‘Vs’. By this point there were telltale signs that the band were becoming increasingly uncomfortable with their fame. The first single ‘Go’ was released in the UK with a free cassette in order to void the record from charting and the band refused to do any interviews or videos. Needless to say this had no effect on record sales and ‘Vs’ became the fastest selling album in history (at that point), shifting over 1 million copies in the first week in the US alone. The album itself continued on the theme of the previous record, albeit with a more raw sound. This was the first time the band hooked up with producer Brendan O’Brien, which would be a relationship that has lasted until the present day. Singer Eddie Vedder’s songwriting skills also started to show on this record – evident in titles like ‘Rearviewmirror’ and ‘Indifference’ (the latter being a realisation that even in his relatively powerful position, it is hard to make a difference).
The following year saw Pearl Jam take on the mighty Ticketmaster over their apparent monopoly of ticket sales in the US. Shows were cancelled and courtrooms were filled. It was a difficult time for the band, who have always worked with the ethos ‘the music is the most important thing’. There was one other event in 94 which affected PJ, especially Vedder – the suicide of Kurt Cobain. Previously the press had had a field day with the two bands after Cobain had dismissed PJ as ‘corporate c*ck –rock’. Cobains suicide sent the band spiralling into doubt over the worth of being a famous band.
Despite the tragedy, PJ headed back into the studio and came up with 1994’s ‘Vitalogy’. A fantastically introverted and uncomfortable album, this was in a way to be PJ’s saviour (even if they didn’t know it). Taking a stand against CD’s, the album was released on Vinyl only for the first week but still managed to become the second fastest selling US album at that point. The first single ‘Spin the Black Circle’ was itself homage to vinyl. This was Vedders album – he penned most songs and the band itself were rarely at recording sessions together. Despite this, Vitalogy did manage to throw up some gems, namely ‘Corduroy’ and the soon to be live favourite ‘Betterman’.
In 1995, PJ lost their court battle with Ticketmaster. Attorney General Janet Reno, commenting on the Department's dropping of the case, said it "did not seem an appropriate time to continue to pursue the investigation... My understanding is that the division found that there were new enterprises coming into the arena and based on that evidence... we do not have a basis for proceeding." Pearl Jam responded that they were "disappointed" with the decision, stating that "those who will be most hurt by the Justice Department's cave-in are the consumers of live entertainment". A short tour and some collaborations with Neil Young rounded off a fairly disappointing year.
1996 was an altogether better year for the band. They started getting on better with each other and came up with the album ‘No Code’. An altogether different kettle of fish from the previous three – sonically and musically. This was the sound of a band coming to ease on a personal and musical level, evident in such songs as ‘Hail Hail’ (‘…hail hail the lucky ones, I refer to those in love…’) and ‘Present Tense’ (‘make much more sense, to live in the present tense..’). They finally toured the UK for the first time in 5 years and good reviews saw the band flourish, albeit at the expense of a fanbase who wanted carbon copies of their first two albums.
‘Yield’ would be PJ’s next release, in January 1998. It was an evolution on the theme of ‘No Code’. A far simpler, organic album with nods as much towards country as punk or rock. The first single ‘Given to Fly’ set the tone of the record as a soaring, all encompassing achievement. Still working with Brendan O’Brien, for me this became their finest work to date. The album has a ‘live’ feel – five men in a room pressing record and making music… this is what it is about. There is an inherent connection in this record which I have not felt in many albums. It also saw PJ create their first video since ‘Jeremy’ back in 92 – for ‘Do the Evolution’ – this in itself was a sign of a more comfortable band. A large US tour followed the release of ‘Yield’ which spawned the first official PJ live album – ‘Live on Two Legs’.
Pearl Jams latest studio album, ‘Binaural’ was released in 2000 and saw the departure of Brendan O’Brien from the producers chair. In step Tchad Blake of Crowded House fame. Heralded as some as a return to form, Binaural upped the pace from ‘Yield’, focussing on Nationality (‘Grievance’) and greed (‘Soon Forget’ – which saw Vedder take up the Ukulele!). Even though it was a sonic departure from the previous albums, it stayed true to the Pearl Jam ethos – music first. Having rediscovered the enjoyment of playing, the band set out on a year long tour of the world. In an unprecedented attempt to give the fans the chance to have a decent bootleg of the tour, PJ released every single date of their European and US tour as a live CD – all 72! There was however, one exception – Roskilde. On 30th June 2000 several people died in Roskilde festival at a Pearl Jam show from being crushed. At first the band said they would not continue, but after careful consideration they decided to be faithful to the music and finish the tour, hailed as their best to date.
A testament in itself to the power of music.
Formed from the ashes of Mother Love Bone (80’s Seattle outfit whose singer died in 1990 of a heroin overdose), Pearl Jam burst onto the growing Seattle scene in 1991 with the release of their debut album ‘Ten’. An explosive mix, covering topics such as personal loss (‘Release’, ‘Black’) and urban decay (‘Even Flow’, ‘Jeremy’) that would eventually see the album peaking at number 2 in the Billboard Charts and gain the band world wide recognition and fame. The band spend the next 2 years on the road (including the famous Lollapalooza tour in summer ’92) taking their intense show to the far corners of the earth.
1993 saw the release of their second album ‘Vs’. By this point there were telltale signs that the band were becoming increasingly uncomfortable with their fame. The first single ‘Go’ was released in the UK with a free cassette in order to void the record from charting and the band refused to do any interviews or videos. Needless to say this had no effect on record sales and ‘Vs’ became the fastest selling album in history (at that point), shifting over 1 million copies in the first week in the US alone. The album itself continued on the theme of the previous record, albeit with a more raw sound. This was the first time the band hooked up with producer Brendan O’Brien, which would be a relationship that has lasted until the present day. Singer Eddie Vedder’s songwriting skills also started to show on this record – evident in titles like ‘Rearviewmirror’ and ‘Indifference’ (the latter being a realisation that even in his relatively powerful position, it is hard to make a difference).
The following year saw Pearl Jam take on the mighty Ticketmaster over their apparent monopoly of ticket sales in the US. Shows were cancelled and courtrooms were filled. It was a difficult time for the band, who have always worked with the ethos ‘the music is the most important thing’. There was one other event in 94 which affected PJ, especially Vedder – the suicide of Kurt Cobain. Previously the press had had a field day with the two bands after Cobain had dismissed PJ as ‘corporate c*ck –rock’. Cobains suicide sent the band spiralling into doubt over the worth of being a famous band.
Despite the tragedy, PJ headed back into the studio and came up with 1994’s ‘Vitalogy’. A fantastically introverted and uncomfortable album, this was in a way to be PJ’s saviour (even if they didn’t know it). Taking a stand against CD’s, the album was released on Vinyl only for the first week but still managed to become the second fastest selling US album at that point. The first single ‘Spin the Black Circle’ was itself homage to vinyl. This was Vedders album – he penned most songs and the band itself were rarely at recording sessions together. Despite this, Vitalogy did manage to throw up some gems, namely ‘Corduroy’ and the soon to be live favourite ‘Betterman’.
In 1995, PJ lost their court battle with Ticketmaster. Attorney General Janet Reno, commenting on the Department's dropping of the case, said it "did not seem an appropriate time to continue to pursue the investigation... My understanding is that the division found that there were new enterprises coming into the arena and based on that evidence... we do not have a basis for proceeding." Pearl Jam responded that they were "disappointed" with the decision, stating that "those who will be most hurt by the Justice Department's cave-in are the consumers of live entertainment". A short tour and some collaborations with Neil Young rounded off a fairly disappointing year.
1996 was an altogether better year for the band. They started getting on better with each other and came up with the album ‘No Code’. An altogether different kettle of fish from the previous three – sonically and musically. This was the sound of a band coming to ease on a personal and musical level, evident in such songs as ‘Hail Hail’ (‘…hail hail the lucky ones, I refer to those in love…’) and ‘Present Tense’ (‘make much more sense, to live in the present tense..’). They finally toured the UK for the first time in 5 years and good reviews saw the band flourish, albeit at the expense of a fanbase who wanted carbon copies of their first two albums.
‘Yield’ would be PJ’s next release, in January 1998. It was an evolution on the theme of ‘No Code’. A far simpler, organic album with nods as much towards country as punk or rock. The first single ‘Given to Fly’ set the tone of the record as a soaring, all encompassing achievement. Still working with Brendan O’Brien, for me this became their finest work to date. The album has a ‘live’ feel – five men in a room pressing record and making music… this is what it is about. There is an inherent connection in this record which I have not felt in many albums. It also saw PJ create their first video since ‘Jeremy’ back in 92 – for ‘Do the Evolution’ – this in itself was a sign of a more comfortable band. A large US tour followed the release of ‘Yield’ which spawned the first official PJ live album – ‘Live on Two Legs’.
Pearl Jams latest studio album, ‘Binaural’ was released in 2000 and saw the departure of Brendan O’Brien from the producers chair. In step Tchad Blake of Crowded House fame. Heralded as some as a return to form, Binaural upped the pace from ‘Yield’, focussing on Nationality (‘Grievance’) and greed (‘Soon Forget’ – which saw Vedder take up the Ukulele!). Even though it was a sonic departure from the previous albums, it stayed true to the Pearl Jam ethos – music first. Having rediscovered the enjoyment of playing, the band set out on a year long tour of the world. In an unprecedented attempt to give the fans the chance to have a decent bootleg of the tour, PJ released every single date of their European and US tour as a live CD – all 72! There was however, one exception – Roskilde. On 30th June 2000 several people died in Roskilde festival at a Pearl Jam show from being crushed. At first the band said they would not continue, but after careful consideration they decided to be faithful to the music and finish the tour, hailed as their best to date.
A testament in itself to the power of music.