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Emeritus
Reviews 144
Approval 95%
Soundoffs 8
News Articles 57
Band Edits + Tags 267
Album Edits 247
Album Ratings 1485
Objectivity 84%
Last Active 05-01-20 6:11 am
Joined 02-24-14
Review Comments 157
| "Control Myself" - A Pearl Jam Mixtape [1991-2013]
Formed in the early ?90s from the pieces of rnumerous Seattle bands r(Green River, Mother Love Bone, Shadow), Pearl Jam rset the local scene rablaze under original name Mookie Blaylock. rEventually changing their rname, the band released three classic records in a rrow- Ten, Vs., rVitalogy- before burning out for more than a rdecade on tired experiments rand unlikely pop records. Today, the band have re-restablished rthemselves in their niche, releasing 2 of their rmost direct records yet in rBackspacer and Lightning Bolt, with extensive rtouring continuing on into r2014 for the band. | | 1 | Release (from TEN)
TEN in itself is a highly cherished piece to many. It?s closing moment, the epic
?Release?, is arguably its highlight; redemption and hope that otherwise
contradicts
the stereotypes that grunge is often typecast as. Noted early on as piece Vedder
found too emotionally distressing to perform in its entirety, ?Release? isn?t a
musically exciting, adventurous piece for the ages. What it is though is proof
that
Pearl Jam are for more emotionally provocative than some may have mocked them
for being- PJ Harvey, Kurt Cobain, eat your hearts out. ?Release? is the most
stunningly gorgeous ode to moving on that the ?90s ever saw, and still an
unreachable moment for Pearl Jam. | | 2 | Rearviewmirror (from VS.)
Rarely do bands manage to follow up classic albums with anything better, even
rarer that their second record matches their classic debut. On VS., Eddie Vedder
and Stone Gossard appear less focussed on simply retelling Oedipal set to guitar
acrobatics, with the raining down of guitar and vocals on the centrepiece
?Rearviewmirror? sticking out like a sore thumb of good taste. Variety doesn?t
come
now in simply shifting styles, it comes in the way the band approach a song with
various walls of electric guitars never sounding alike. | | 3 | Black (from TEN)
On the more emotional side of things, the ever-present emotional melancholy of
?Black? remains a fine piece of grunge nostalgia, thankfully never being tainted
by
MTV due to it never being released as a single. Its cruising soft touch and
rising
melodic power throughout lift it well above the likes of ?Alive?, not least
because of
its sleeper status. The brilliant words Vedder penned are deeply touching, with
the
likes of, ?Tattooed all I see/all that I am/all that I?ll be?? and, ?I know you?
ll be a
star/in somebody else?s sky/but why?/but why?- can?t it be mine?? inspired deep
emotional resonance amongst the bands fanbase. Understandable, too; it could be
the most beautiful composition the band ever accomplished. | | 4 | Alive/Once/Footsteps [Momma-Son Trilogy] (from TEN)
Best seen as a trilogy of tracks denoting the struggle Eddie Vedder once had
with
his father, ?Alive? begins the tale in anthemic nature, with Vedder realizing
that his
real father is now dead and gone. By the time of ?Once?, the story ramps up into
full Oedipal, with Vedder raped by his crazed mother and ready to kill every
prostitute who comes his way; when eventually sentenced to death row,
?Footsteps? sees him regretfully repent his actions. Emotionally gripping isn?t
the
half of it- it?s hard to believe the story is just an exaggeration of reality. | | 5 | Spin the Black Circle (from VITALOGY)
Sometimes simplicity is the key, especially when it comes to the highlight of
the
overly experimental third effort by Pearl Jam, VITALOGY. Coming after the likes
of
?Bugs? and ?Not for You?, Vedder?s ramblings on a record spinning on a turntable
are easily the best thing to be found. Not to be outdone are the band
themselves,
who rip out an appropriately thrashing mad instrumental base for Vedder to
scream
and howl his lungs over. It?s not the most experimental number on the record,
without a doubt though it?s the highlight. | | 6 | Go (from VS.)
Feel the ground shake beneath you as Gossard's riff slams down onto a hectic
terrain, preempting 3-minutes of punk metal brilliance on VS.'s opener "Go". Far
beyond "Once", "Go" to this day remains the furious archetype for Pearl Jam
openers | | 7 | I Got Id (from MERKENBALL)
Partnering up with Neil Young was something that made sense; when it produced a
live record, it was brilliant. Even better? An EP release wherein 4/5 of Pearl
Jam act
as the world noisiest garage band, backing the worlds craziest rambler.
MERKENBALL wasn?t for everyone, but if you could wrap your head around the wirey
punk bruiser that was ?I Got Id?, you found possibly Pearl Jam?s single most
brilliant
moment of danger. | | 8 | Getaway (from LIGHTNING BOLT)
There might be a little bit of bias when it comes to the opening track of Pearl
Jam?s
latest effort, LIGHTNING BOLT. Why? Earlier this year, they performed the song
to
ample head scratching from a crowd raised on TEN and VS.. Not me. I jumped and
sang proudly, echoing Vedder?s chorus hook in a moment of what seemed to be only
myself truly appreciating the performance I was witnessing. A testament to the
powers of Pearl Jam as a live band, ?Getaway? might be the catchiest and most
eloquently fun thing they?ve written in years. | | 9 | Gonna See My Friend (from BACKSPACER)
Pearl Jam?s return to the mainstream was revitalizing because it seemed
effortless
and carefree. Horns blazing, ?Gonna See My Friend? opens BACKSPACER pre-
empting 35 minutes of insatiable hooks that many bands can only muster in a
career. With McCready?s defining riff, ?Gonna See My Friend? is unfortunately
scarcely present in the bands live set- a shame, because arguably it?s the bands
best opening moment since ?Go?. | | 10 | Come Bite the Apple (from APPLE)
Unfortunately, Andy Wood?s legacy has forever remained shrouded in shadow in
comparison to Pearl Jam?s colossal career trajectory. It?s a shame, because
their
debut LP APPLE is just as good as anything the band have ever produced, only
being challenged by the remarkable TEN. Taken from APPLE, ?Come Bite the Apple?
is but one of the bands many buried anthems. With a remarkably familiar chorus
hook and guitar riff, there?s no doubt that the power of Pearl Jam definitely
did not
lay singularly in the hands of the charismatic Vedder. | | 11 | Reach Down (from TEMPLE OF THE DOG)
Chris Cornell compares ?Reach Down? to Neil Young, with the motivation behind it
being ?fuck you if you don?t like guitar solos. We?re going to make an 11 minute
song the second song on the record and it?s mostly going to be a guitar solo?.
Shades of WELD-era Young are of course present on the textured behemoth, a
canvas for Mike McCready to exhibit wild amounts of improvised electric guitar
work. Where most other noise guitarists fail, however, McCready succeeds in
incorporating melody and structure to his work. The result is proof that
McCready
himself might be the most underrated guitarist in the world, as he manages to
keep
interests peaked across the extensive running time. | |
mryrtmrnfoxxxy
06.10.14 | too many songs from ten imo but cool list | ExcentrifugalForz
06.10.14 | what's the point of this mix tape
to showcase your favorite PJ songs
or to make a cohesive record or something else? | ArsMoriendi
06.10.14 | I like Mother Love Bone a lot, but I have to say "Come Bite the Apple" has to be my least favorite lol. It just never stood
out. Should have been "Stardog Champion" or "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns"
| TheSonomaDude
12.02.14 | Whoa whoa whoa buddy, no "Jeremy"? Best song in the history of historical | Ryus
12.02.14 | i'm curious how you guys come across these old lists |
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