She’s been diagnosed by some stupid fuck.
In the Nirvana vs. Pearl Jam conversation, I am Pearl Jam every time and twice on Sundays. Some folks, including Kurt Cobain think that Pearl Jam was a sellout. Bullshit. Let me come back to that in a minute. Within the past month I finally caught Cameron Crowe’s wonderful Pearl Jam rockumentary, celebrating the bands 20 years together, aptly titled, “Twenty.” The first thing from the film I gathered was that Seattle was a true music community in those early years of grunge. All of the bands supported each other. Them movie also softened any notion that there was a true rivalry between the two bands. What is extraordinary is they both came from essentially the same place at the same time and became were pretty damn big. Regardless of who you fancy, Pearl Jam is worthy of their longevity and continued success in the biz. Shout out to their last year release, “Lighting Bolt.” The boys are still bringing it. Another nod to “Twenty” which shows the arc of the band with remarkable footage from the earliest days. It also shows why Pearl Jam is one of the coolest band in the past couple of decades. Shame on the rest of you rockers for not joining them in their fight against Ticketmaster. Oh I appear to be getting sidetracked, what’s new.
Right as or just before Pearl Jam released their debut, “Ten,” my college friend said to us, “Hey, these guys, Pearl Jam, are gonna make it big.” She totally called it. “Ten” is another one of those best ever debut records by anyone. The energy, the sound, the rawness, the intensity, the lyrics, the mood and the atmosphere of the LP are why my friend knew these guys had were on the verge of success. Why I like this album so much and Pearl Jam as a whole is because of the groups use of melody. They take the hardness of grunge and lay down the groundwork of their music, then add searing guitar riffs reminiscent of the great ’70s classic rockers. With his brilliant singing of rich, melodic phrases that rise out of the flames, not to mention the writer of the all of the group’s lyrics, Vedder keeps the band burning. “Ten” is ablaze. There are moments like Once, Porch, Even Flow, Deep and my Pearl Jam fav, Why Go, that are red hot. In other instances like Garden, Black, Deep and Release the fire beams with a cool blue and green. And if you just want straight up heat, listen to Jeremy and Alive. I don’t want to gush too much, frankly I am tired. But “Ten” is a masterpiece. This record is still as good as it was in 1991.
With the exception of Dave Krusen on drums, four of the original “Ten” players still remain in Pearl Jam: Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Eddie Vedder. Speaking of Eddie, what a front man! I consider him one of the all time great rock singers and he is one of my favorite performers. Maybe six years ago we got tickets to catch Eddie Vedder solo at the Lyric in Baltimore. We had balcony seats. As I was catching a smoke before the show, my friend who had gotten the tickets came running out to me screaming, “We’re getting upgraded, we’re getting upgraded. I need your ticket.” Eddie’s management put all four of us front row! What a thrill. And this guy gives his all; the good, bad and ugly. That’s why I think so highly of him. He isn’t the most talented athlete in the locker room, but he gives his heart and soul every time. He’s as real as it gets. Even though Eddie garners the spotlight, we all know that Pearl Jam is a sum of their parts; no one member is more important than the next. They are a band’s band.
Perhaps I didn’t give “Ten” enough wordplay or fully stress how much I have admired Pearl Jam’s career thus far but let me veer off again. Last night Phish played a trick and treat filled Halloween show in Vegas. It was awesome. If you don’t know by now, I adore Phish. I drink their Kool-Aid. They spoil us. I am privileged to experience them and their community. Phish and Pearl Jam have some similarities when it comes to their shows, overall careers and their dedicated followers. Pearl Jam fans know just like Phish fans know what the outside world doesn’t quite get; these bands are special. They are not like everyone else. It fills me that there are groups like Pearl Jam out there for us. They better us, with their art, they better us. And they make this trip vastly more enjoyable and more bearable. I tip my hat and have the utmost and deepest respect for those guys. Thank you Pearl Jam, thank you.
365, Album of the Day 2014 