anyway, more importantly this reminded me it was about time to try to get my youngest to listen to Pearl Jam. got about halfway through the Vs album before the wife walked in and said "turn this noise off and do your school work".
Daughter was enjoying it though!

Bob taking the side of Ram’s wife, there.

It is no exageration to say Pearl Jam are the definitive band of my life. There were bands before and there were bands that have battled at the top, but since I was a young badger of 13 when Ten hit my ears, there were everything I liked in music. Good lyrics, Good guitars, and whatever about the guys personality, Vedder is a hell of a vocalist. So I think its no easy task to pick a ‘best of’ list, let alone single track for me.


So I haven’t.


Instead I’ve decided to sprawl out this piece based on the best tracks on each album in the hope that at the end I might have an idea of which is the one to nominate.


First off, a quick mention to Pearl Jams cover work. They have always made cover songs a big part of their show and even their cover of Last Kiss is one of their actual biggest chart singles.

So the following would be some covers that would contend as excellent tracks by the band. Sonic Reducer by the Dead Kennedys, Keep on the Rockin’ in the Free World by Neil Young (their version with Young at the MTV awards in 92 is epic), and Dylans Masters of War are all excellent covers but top of the pile is The Who’s Love Reign O’er Me and Crazy Mary by Victoria Williams. Both songs could easily fit into a Pearl Jam top ten and are well worth looking up.

So back to Pearl Jam Originals, lets Start with…


Ten


Many of the most well-known Pearl Jam songs are here and to be fair, production aside and some flabbiness in the songs, it’s a very good album. At this point I think I’m just over it but its hard not to acknowledge the quality here starting with Once and rarely letting up until side two. Many of the seconds sides tracks meander a bit too long but are all solid songs even so. Porch, Oceans and Garden, Release all work much better live (Porch on MTV unplugged is amazing) and Deep was never I song I could really dig. Choice cuts are probably Why Go, Jeremy and Alive with Black being the best song on the album (again, the unplugged version is excellent and to me it’s the definitive one)


Vs.


A huge album for me. A rare case where there is very little filler amongst the bangers here. Dissident is a bit light weight, Leash is more of a live tune but still kicks… otherwise, I love this album. More layers than just the different guitar tracks of Ten, way better drumming (new guy Dave Abbruzzese being a great drummer but not a good fit for what Vedder thought a musician should be apparently) and songs that have much better structure. Top picks would be Go, W.M.A. (how ahead of the moment are those lyrics now), Elderly woman and Indifference but this album I’d probably go for Rearviewmirror – a pumping track with amazing drumming and one that captures the band at their finest.


Vitalogy


My memory of Vitalogy on release was that very few of my friends got it but I loved it. They wanted Ten mk.II, I loved the new quirky touches that Vitalogy brought instead. Less tracks stand out but not because its weaker, more that it feels like a real ‘sum of its parts’ album. I also preferred the more dirty guitar tones which again, put off many early fans. And, finally, Vedder started to take himself a little less seriously in his lyrics. But only a little. Top tunes are Better Man, Corduroy, Last Exit and Immortality. I think that Immortality is the stand out and closes it out the main part of the album nicely. Cant say I enjoy the Foxymop ending to the album though. 


No Code


Definitely an album that works better the more you listen. I felt the band where trying to grow beyond the rock band niche on this one but often the flourishes feel a little tacked on – Who you are being a big culprit. Still, it has some very nice stuff – Smile, Hail, Hail and Sometimes being favourites, Up in my Tree being a bit clumsy but good and Present Tense being the best track (although I think I’m coloured by seeing it being performed AMAZINGLY well live at one show)


Yield


So onto the quirkiest Album to my mind. This felt like such a mess upon release but now, its one of my favourites. The experimentation attempted in No Code pays off here with some great changes in sound style and song structure. Honestly, near every track works for me at this point – hard to pick a winner but I’ll go with the almost Beatles-esque All those Yesterdays (although Low Light, Do the Evoution, Push Me, Pull Me, and Wish Lish all contend. ) Really a great album.

 

Binaural


A strange album, not because its weird because it feels like a step back from the experimentation of the last few album. The songs are a bit more rock band again but this isn’t a bad thing. Albums shouldn’t just be the same thing over and over with new titles should they? Guitar solos are more present than they have been and Sleight of Hand is a favourite (the chorus is a chefs kiss of a kick in) with its wah-wah drenching but I think Nothing as it Seems is the winner here. It’s a bit laid back and sort of bluesy and bit more of a downer song than I expect from PJ but it stands out. Insignificance and Grievance are also strong.


Riot Act


One of the weaker albums.. or so I remembered. A quick look through the track listing shows off some great tunes including Save You, Ghost and All or None and the quirkiness returns a bit more here with Help Help and Bu$hleaguer. All or None would be my personal favourite but its an album I should probably give some fresh eyes too.


Pearl Jam (otherwise known as the Avocado album)


Dante rightly made a shout for this a the bands best album and I think it’s a definite top three with only my mood deciding which would take it on a given day. Whats lovely about this one is it really feels like an album as opposed to a collection of songs with much interwoven themes in the lyrics and the music being quite consistent throughout. Very hard to pick winners from Parachutes, World Wide Suicide, Life Wasted, and Come Back but Inside Job is excellent and really shows off the advantage of bringing Boomer into the bands fold.


Backspacer


I might be being a bit harsh – This album didn’t grab me first time out. Maybe even less than No Code. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad album by any stretch but it took me a while to really warm to it. Its got some good tunes but I don’t think any would be on a best of list. That said Unthought Known, Just Beathe and The End are all lovely – Just Breathe would probably be the track I rate highest.



Lightning Bolt


Lightning Bolt is a return to the more rock sound of Pearl Jam after the somewhat quieter backspacer. I really like this album and it does feel like the band has fully embraced its dad-rock vibe at times. Getaway kicks off the album in a strong form, Sirens, Future Days and Pendulum keep the quality high with Yellow Moon stealing the show thanks to a lovely bridge. Think this might be Vedders best vocal albums in terms of trying a broader range.


Gigatron


The latest album – not sure I can say which songs really stand out – still feels to early. Dance of the Clairvoyants was a great change up in the Bands sound with songs like Never Destination and Take the Long Way feeling more comfortably familiar. Alright is more than its name suggests as well. At the moment that early single is looking hard to beat.

 

B-Sides

Pearl Jam have a healthy selection B-sides (many on the double CD Lost Dogs). Out of this list I think 5 stand out – Sad is a great little tune that probably fits mid-career (could see it on Riot Act), Yellow Leadbetter is an early Hendrix inspired track (think Little Wing), State of Love and Trust is a proper rock song and a fav of mine (on the Singles sound track) , Hold On is big and epic and then there is Footsteps. The acoustic finale to the ‘Alive’ Trilogy from a lyrical and band conception, it’s a cracker of an acoustic song whose main riff was used in Temple of the Dogs Times of Trouble. For me Footsteps or State of Love and Trust could be considered for the best of list.

 

So going off that I’m looking at the following tracks – Footsteps, State of Love and Trust, Dance of the Clairvoyants, Yellow Moon, Just Breathe, Rearviewmirror, Immortality, Present Tense, All those Yesterdays, Inside Job, All or None, Nothing as it seems and Black. Still feels like I’m leaving out loads but I think I could pick rearviewmirror and be (somewhat) happy in that choice.

I haven't even read it yet but dave's post has made my day.

Pearl Jam are one of those bands whose fans can cross the line into followers, if you know what I mean. Pearl Jam fans are very into Pearl Jam. Like Morrissey fans. Or Amanda Palmer fans. That level of fandom where crossing a continent to go to a gig is perfectly normal. Booking a holiday around a gig date. Or arranging meetups with fellow fans even when there isn’t a concert on.

I’m not saying this is a negative thing. Just that it’s a ‘thing’.

poprock wrote:

Pearl Jam are one of those bands whose fans can cross the line into followers, if you know what I mean. Pearl Jam fans are very into Pearl Jam. Like Morrissey fans. Or Amanda Palmer fans. That level of fandom where crossing a continent to go to a gig is perfectly normal. Booking a holiday around a gig date. Or arranging meetups with fellow fans even when there isn’t a concert on.

I’m not saying this is a negative thing. Just that it’s a ‘thing’.

This is fair. I have travelled for a PJ gig and seen far too many of their shows in Dublin (Shane was exceptional, would love to see them headline)

@Moot_Geeza nice to see your viewpoints. Interesting choice on not for you. I also think ill skip it and then it comes on and the toe starts tapping. Think you are bang on with no code. And yes, the Polaroids were an excellent touch. I also really liked the vitality mini book. Like others here, I did make my own inlay cards for live bootlegs /radio sessions. Copying that inlay card style and writing all the lyrics.... Good Times.

Edit: wasn't having a go at last kiss (although not one of my favs) I do find it amazing it's pearl jams best performing single release. Apparently is was huge in Australia and the US college scene.

I like Pearl Jam and have listened to all of their albums. I find it hard to name tracks outside of 10 and Vitalogy., but I know there's good stuff I've liked on other albums.

...

Can I nominate Vedder's Into The Wild stuff?

OK then Vedders into the wild stuff git me through a very dark time of my life. bold it

regmcfly wrote:

OK then Vedders into the wild stuff git me through a very dark time of my life. bold it

Which track Reg? (do you want to vote for I mean, not prying into the dark times).

MyNamesKrisG wrote:

Indifference.

Don’t think I’ve heard that one. Which album’s it from?

Pt.2...

Riot Act

I thought I knew roughly what I was going to say about this album - 3/5 good not great, band on form but songs lacking - but then I listened again last night and really enjoyed it.  Can't Keep is a much better opener than I remembered, Save You wallops itself along nicely, Love Boat Captain is a successful curio, Thumbing my Way paved the way for the hat wearing man-on-a-stool guitarman Vedder of recent years, the band sound really tight on 1/2 Full and McCready's solo in All of None is legit.  It doesn't have a stand out shout for a Best Of but I'm going with Thumbing My Way, despite not enjoying the shoehorned 'every once in a whileIgetaride' line/delivery.

Pearl Jam (2006)

I see big love for this one from Dante and RedDave but it's never been a favourite of mine.  I'm not convinced I would've got into the band off the back of this album anyway.  It's fine, but I would've asked for a little less MOR.  Having said that, my list of highlights seems to be fairly long: Worldwide Suicide is great, I've never heard much noise about Marker in the Sand but I like it (I think I saw the maiden voyage of this song at the Astoria), Parachutes is a fine ballad, Come Back is a bit by numbers but still lands and Inside Job is decent.  Ummmmm snap decision Parachutes. 

Backspacer

Another album I wasn't exactly besotted with but it's far from worthless.  I hate The Fixer and Johnny Guitar, which may have clouded my judgement.  Even the tracks that don't do much for me were good live though, Supersonic and Got Some in particular.  The quality of The End may have escaped me until I had another listen just now.  Just Breathe is the best track by a country mile, so here's my mate big Willie having a go (and little Willie, tis a duet):



Lightning Bolt

I need to give this another go after RedDave's write up (I can't even remember what Yellow Moon sounds like), but this was a big fat nothing of an album for me.  Sirens is a fairly safe ballad but has enough about it to end up somewhere on the outskirts of a Best Of compiled by me, so I'll have that.  Specifically this version:



Gigaton

Now the dust has settled it's fair to say this isn't as good as I initially thought, but it's still comfortably better than the two previous albums.  Superblood Wolfman is a cracker for starters.  The excellent sonic excursion of Dance of the Clairvoyants is only pipped to the top spot by the Cornell tribute Comes Then Goes, which is one of Vedder's best ever ballads for me.  I don't get the love for Seven O'Clock but maybe it'll grow on me eventually.  

B Sides/rarities 

Huge agree with Dave on Sad, it's a fantastic song.  Down should've made it onto Riot Act for sure, Yellow Ledbetter is obviously a primo ballad even if I don't understand a word of it.  Hitchhiker is a pretty average track on the whole but it gets plenty of listens thanks to Matt Cameron's massive 'going through all the gears' section midway.  The Merkinball EP with Neil Young has two bona fide bangers on it - Long Road and I Got ID (the Tribute to Heroes post 9/11 performance of the former was immense, terrific stuff).  There are too many to list really.  Going back to what Pop said about obsessive fans, the rarities chat shows how weird most of the crowd is as an unexpected rendition of Dirty Frank or a duff album cut like Evacuation could still have us collectively fapping like billi-o depending on when it was last played.  Still, the undisputed king of non album tracks is State of Love and Trust, with both arms tied behind its back.          

To narrow it down quickly then, my final pick will be between Black, State of Love & Trust, Animal, Nothing As it Seems and Given to Fly.

Nice views on the albums there Moot - nice to see I wasnt the only person who slept on Riot Act.

Great shout for I got ID - I forgot about it (long road is lovely too). Its a cracking tune and the best track to come out of that era of Neil Young collaboration (although if we are talking mirrorball - Song X, I'm the Ocean, Peace and Love and Downtown were the picks for me with I'm the Ocean being a fav) 

Not so much love for Man of the Hour - I always found it a bit trundly. However this might be because I always associated it with the movie first and I'm not a huge fan of Burtons film (given the last decade though its actually one of his better movies) One of my mates genuinely cried when he heard it given his Uncle had passed at the time so probably just me.

Finishing up with the solo stuff - havent heard much of Stone Gossards stuff so I'll give that a go. I liked Vedders
Ukuelee songs album but not enough for anything to stick in the brain - must give it another go. Into the Wild though is a bonafid classic with some amazing tracks on it.  There is very little I dont enjoy and it really suits the film (which is excellent too). Stand outs are Hard Sun, Guaranteed, Far Behind and Society. Hard Sun became a favourite in jam sessions with friends as its a very easy song to pick up, riff over and for others to sing along with so it has a special place in my heart.

Mad Season is a nice piece of grunge history. Always reminds me a little of Janes Addictions sound and McCready really gets to cut loose. So much so that its not surprising November Hotel is my favourite track on the album - a jam track with some kicker guitar solos. If you ever heard me play guitar McCreadys style is a huge influence from the nedrix-lite chord progressions to the bluesy wah-wah he often goes to. His early work is his best (I've read lots of personal issues have impacted his ability, especially during the middle album years but thankfully the band stuck by him) 

Anyway - obviously really enjoyed the Pearl Jam stuff here even if it is mostly been hogged by me and Moot. Very nice to go over a band who, as I said early, are such a defining part of my life. I hope everyone has a least one music act (singer/ band/ dj / whatever) in their life. I think we all change with out musical tastes as we grow, new stuff comes in, some stuff gets let go, and its nice to have a backbone through it all.

Suggestion for next Topic - Taylor Swift, Kate Bush or The Police (or as they're now known, Sting)

I need to give the Into The Wild album another listen. I bought it around time of it's release and bounced off it and don't think i've ever listened to it again. Can't really remember anything of it

RedDave2 wrote:

Its a cracking tune and the best track to come out of that era of Neil Young collaboration (although if we are talking mirrorball - Song X, I'm the Ocean, Peace and Love and Downtown were the picks for me with I'm the Ocean being a fav)

Throw Your Hatred Down would be my Mirrorball shout, if only for Young & McCready trading licks on the intro.

Yeah, we’re on the same page. 1984 hooked me, I looked back to Red and realised it was better, but now I’m a confirmed fan and I keep an ear out for all her releases.