Pearl Jam. Riot Act (2002)

Riot Act is Pearl Jam's seventh studio album, released on November 12, 2002 through Epic Records. Following a full-scale tour in support of its previous album, Binaural (2000), the band took a year-long break. The band then reconvened in the beginning of 2002 and commenced work on a new album. The music on the record featured a diverse sound, including folk-based numbers and experimental tracks.

Riot Act debuted at number five on the Billboard charts. It was the band’s lowest opening on the chart since the band’s debut. The band supported the album with a politically-charged concert tour in 2003. Riot Act was the band's last album of all-new material for Epic. The album has been certified Gold in the United States.

Riot Act features a diverse sound, including folk-based as well as experimental songs. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide said "Riot Act is the album that Pearl Jam has been wanting to make since Vitalogy — a muscular art rock record, one that still hits hard but that is filled with ragged edges and odd detours. Stone Gossard said "Riot Act really seems to showcase all of our thing. There's the simple rock songs we could have written in the earlier era, but it covers all the different times and dynamics we have had and still holds together.

The album's lyrics tackle existential matters ("Love Boat Captain", "Cropduster", and "I Am Mine"), as well as social and political concerns ("Green Disease", "Bu$hleaguer", and "1/2 Full"). "Bu$hleaguer" is a commentary on President George W. Bush. A few songs on the album feature lyrical collaborations between Vedder and other members of the group, including two with guitarist Stone Gossard ("Bu$hleaguer" and "All or None"), one with bassist Jeff Ament ("Ghost"), and one with drummer Matt Cameron ("You Are"). Sole lyrical contributions from band members other than Vedder include Cameron with "Get Right" and Ament with "Help Help".

Several songs on the album were inspired by the June 2000 Roskilde Festival tragedy in which nine people died during Pearl Jam's set. The album's first single, "I Am Mine", was written by Vedder in 2000 in a hotel room before the band's first show after the Roskilde tragedy. "Love Boat Captain" includes brief reference to Roskilde ("Lost 9 friends we'll never know... 2 years ago today"). When it was performed at concerts thereafter, Vedder noted the passing of time by updating the lyrics (by 2007, the lyric was "7 years ago today"). The track entitled "Arc" was recorded as a vocal tribute to the nine people who died at the festival. Vedder only performed this song nine times on Pearl Jam's 2003 tour, and the band left the track off all released bootlegs as an act of respect.

Track Listing

1. "Can't Keep" (Eddie Vedder) – 3:39
2. "Save You" (Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Vedder) – 3:50
3. "Love Boat Captain" (Boom Gaspar, Vedder) – 4:36
4. "Cropduster" (Cameron, Vedder) – 3:51
5. "Ghost" (Ament, Vedder) – 3:15
6. "I Am Mine" (Vedder) – 3:35
7. "Thumbing My Way" (Vedder) – 4:10
8. "You Are" (Cameron, Vedder) – 4:30
9. "Get Right" (Cameron) – 2:38
10. "Green Disease" (Vedder) – 2:41
11. "Help Help" (Ament) – 3:35
12. "Bu$hleaguer" (Gossard, Vedder) – 3:57
13. "1/2 Full" (Ament, Vedder) – 4:10
14. "Arc" (Vedder) – 1:05
15. "All or None" (Gossard, Vedder) – 4:37

DOWNLOAD ALBUM
SING IT