Pearl Jam. No Code (1996)

No Code is the fourth album by American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, released in August 1996 through Epic Records. Following a troubled tour for its previous album, Vitalogy (1994), in which the band engaged in a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster, the band went into the studio to record its follow-up. The music on the record was even more diverse than what the band had done on previous releases, incorporating elements of garage rock, worldbeat, and experimentalism.

Although No Code debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, it left a large section of the band’s fanbase unsatisfied and quickly fell down the charts. Although the album is certified platinum in the United States, it was the first Pearl Jam album to not reach multi-platinum status.

While Vitalogy had shifted away from the earlier albums' accessible compositions and polished production, No Code represented a deliberate break from Ten's anthemic stadium sound, favoring experimental ballads and noisy garage rockers. It stood out with its emphasis on subtle harmony ("Off He Goes"), Eastern influences ("Who You Are"), and spoken word ("I'm Open"). Jack Irons lends a tribal drum sound on the songs "Who You Are" and "In My Tree". Vedder said, "We realized that we had an opportunity to experiment." David Browne of Entertainment Weekly stated that "No Code displays a wider range of moods and instrumentation than on any previous Pearl Jam album".

The lyrical themes on the album deal with issues of spirituality, morality, and self-examination. Vedder said, "I think there's a little self-examination in those songs, something that a lot of my friends are going through too, as they approach 30." Vedder has said that he wrote the song "Off He Goes" about himself and how he is a "shit friend". For the first time on a Pearl Jam album a band member other than Vedder contributed lyrics, with guitarist Stone Gossard penning the lyrics to "Mankind". Gossard also sang lead vocals on the track.

The lyrics to "Smile" are taken from a note that Dennis Flemion of The Frogs hid inside Vedder's notebook while he was onstage performing. The words used in the note are taken from the Frogs songs "This Is How I Feel" and "Now I Wanna Be Dead". Flemion is given credit in the "No Code" vinyl, but the credit is inexplicably absent from the CD version. The lyrics to "Red Mosquito" were inspired by Vedder's stay at a hospital in June 1995 due to food poisoning and his attempt to perform at a concert that day at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park in front of 50,000 people. Vedder only made it through seven songs and the band was forced to cancel the remaining dates of the short tour that it was on. "Around the Bend" was written by Vedder as a lullaby that Irons could sing to his son.

Track Listing

1. "Sometimes" (Eddie Vedder) – 2:40
2. "Hail, Hail" (Stone Gossard, Vedder, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready) – 3:41
3. "Who You Are" (Gossard, Jack Irons, Vedder) – 3:50
4. "In My Tree" (Gossard, Irons, Vedder) – 3:59
5. "Smile" (Ament, Vedder) – 3:52
6. "Off He Goes" (Vedder) – 6:02
7. "Habit" (Vedder) – 3:35
8. "Red Mosquito" (Ament, Gossard, Irons, McCready, Vedder) – 4:03
9. "Lukin" (Vedder) – 1:02
10. "Present Tense" (McCready, Vedder) – 5:46
11. "Mankind" (Gossard) – 3:28
12. "I'm Open" (Irons, Vedder) – 2:57
13. "Around the Bend" (Vedder) – 4:35

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Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam (2006)

Pearl Jam is the eighth studio album by Pearl Jam and its debut release for J Records. Released on May 2, 2006, it was the band's first full-length studio release in almost four years, the longest gap between Pearl Jam's studio albums to date. Following its appearance on the 2004 Vote for Change tour, the band commenced work on a new album. The music on the record was proclaimed as a return to the band's roots.

Pearl Jam debuted at number two on the Billboard charts. Pearl Jam was well-received critically, and eventually outsold the band’s previous release, Riot Act (2002). The band supported the album with a full-scale tour in 2006. The album has been certified Gold in the United States.

Many claim the new album is a return to the band's roots, with even Mike McCready having compared the new material to Vs. in a 2005 interview. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide said, "Nearly 15 years after Ten, Pearl Jam finally returned to the strengths of their debut with 2006's Pearl Jam, a sharply focused set of impassioned hard rock." Eddie Vedder said, "It's easily the best stuff we've done but also some of the hardest stuff. It's very aggressive, because again, it's kind of a product of what it's like to be an American these days. It's pretty aggressive, especially when you turn it loud." The album begins with a number of up-tempo songs before expanding to a variety of tempos for its second half, with Ament observing that "the front of the record is so extroverted but it ends up so introverted."

Current socio-political issues in the United States are addressed on the album. The Iraq War is addressed in the songs "World Wide Suicide", "Marker in the Sand", and "Army Reserve". The lyrics of "World Wide Suicide" depict anger against the war. Other themes addressed on the album include substance abuse ("Severed Hand"), poverty ("Unemployable"), leaving everything behind to start again ("Gone"), and loneliness ("Come Back"), Vedder wrote the lyrics for "Life Wasted" after attending the funeral of Johnny Ramone. Damien Echols, one of the three members of the West Memphis 3, co-wrote the lyrics to "Army Reserve". For the first time guitarist Mike McCready contributed lyrics to a Pearl Jam album, penning the lyrics to the closing track "Inside Job". This is the second studio album by the band that does not contain any cursing in the lyrics (the first being Binaural).

Track Listing

1. "Life Wasted" (Stone Gossard, Eddie Vedder) – 3:54
2. "World Wide Suicide" (Vedder) – 3:29
3. "Comatose" (Mike McCready, Gossard, Vedder) – 2:19
4. "Severed Hand" (Vedder) – 4:30
5. "Marker in the Sand" (McCready, Vedder) – 4:23
6. "Parachutes" (Gossard, Vedder) – 3:36
7. "Unemployable" (Matt Cameron, McCready, Vedder) – 3:04
8. "Big Wave" (Jeff Ament, Vedder) – 2:58
9. "Gone" (Vedder) – 4:09
10. "Wasted Reprise" (Gossard, Vedder) – 0:53
11. "Army Reserve" (Ament, Vedder, Damien Echols) – 3:45
12. "Come Back" (McCready, Vedder) – 5:29
13. "Inside Job" (McCready, Vedder) – 7:08

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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

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Pearl Jam. Vs. (1993)

Vs. is Pearl Jam's second album, released on October 19, 1993 through Epic Records. Upon its release, Vs. set the record for most copies sold in a week, a record that has since been broken. Vs. occupied the number 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for five weeks, the longest span for any Pearl Jam or grunge album. As of 2007, Vs. has been certified 7 times platinum in the United States.

The album featured a much looser and rawer sound compared with their debut album Ten. The songs on the album tackle personal as well as social and political concerns. Topics on the album include child abuse ("Daughter"), gun control ("Glorified G"), racism ("W.M.A."), and the media ("Blood").

The picture on the front cover is of a sheep from a farm in Hamilton, Montana. According to bassist Jeff Ament, the cover was a representation of how the band felt at the time, with Ament stating "we were slaves."

Track listing

All tracks by Dave Abbruzzese, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder.

1. "Go" – 3:12
2. "Animal" – 2:49
3. "Daughter" – 3:55
4. "Glorified G" – 3:26
5. "Dissident" – 3:35
6. "W.M.A." – 5:59
7. "Blood" – 2:50
8. "Rearviewmirror" – 4:44
9. "Rats" – 4:15
10. "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" – 3:15
11. "Leash" – 3:09
12. "Indifference" – 5:02

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Pearl Jam. Binaural (2000)

Binaural is Pearl Jam's sixth studio album, released on May 16, 2000 through Epic Records. As of 2007, Binaural has been certified gold in the United States.

Binaural found the band dabbling with experimental art rock. The album is the band's first to not contain any cursing in the lyrics, despite the ferocity of some of the music and subject matter. "Soon Forget" is heavily influenced by The Who song "Blue, Red and Grey" (from The Who by Numbers LP). Eddie thanks Pete Townshend on the lyric sheet. Additionally, the intro to the opening track "Breakerfall" uses the riff from the song "I Can See for Miles" by The Who. Guitarist Stone Gossard penned the lyrics for three songs on the album ("Thin Air", "Of the Girl", and "Rival"), and bassist Jeff Ament for two ("Gods' Dice" and "Nothing As It Seems").

The cover art image for this album is a Hubble Space Telescope photo of the Hourglass Nebula. Hubble Space Telescope photos of the Helix Nebula and Eagle Nebula are also featured in the inside cover and liner notes for this album, respectively. The photos were used with the permission of NASA.

Track listing

1. "Breakerfall" (Eddie Vedder) – 2:19
2. "Gods' Dice" (Jeff Ament) – 2:26
3. "Evacuation" (Matt Cameron, Vedder) – 2:56
4. "Light Years" (Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Vedder) – 5:06
5. "Nothing As It Seems" (Ament) – 5:22 *
6. "Thin Air" (Gossard) – 3:32
7. "Insignificance" (Vedder) – 4:28
8. "Of the Girl" (Gossard) – 5:07 *
9. "Grievance" (Vedder) – 3:14
10. "Rival" (Gossard) – 3:38 *
11. "Sleight of Hand" (Ament, Vedder) – 4:47 *
12. "Soon Forget" (Vedder) – 1:46 *
13. "Parting Ways" (Vedder) – 7:17

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Pearl Jam. Vitalogy (1994)

Vitalogy is the third major release and a loose concept album by the band Pearl Jam, released on December 6, 1994. Upon its release, Vitalogy became the second-fastest-selling album in history, behind only the band's previous release Vs. As of 2007, Vitalogy has been certified 5 times platinum in the United States.

Compared with their previous two albums, Vitalogy was more varied and idiosyncratic. Sparse productions and often bizarre lyrics (such as on "Bugs") made the album inaccessible without repeated listens. Eddie Vedder's hooks are a primary draw, built around furious guitar riffs and arrhythmic drum beats. With Vitalogy, the band started to incorporate more punk influences into their music. During this era Vedder began to be featured more on rhythm guitar.

Many of the songs on the album seem to be based on the pressures of fame and dealing with the resulting loss of privacy. These include "Not For You", "Pry, To", "Corduroy", "Bugs", "Satan's Bed", and "Immortality". In "Pry, To" the phrase "P-r-i-v-a-c-y is priceless to me" is repeated. (When played backwards the song contains a hidden message that sounds like "Oh, Pete Townshend, how you saved my life!" and contains variations of this. It is well known that Eddie Vedder is a huge fan of The Who.) Many think that the lyrics of "Immortality" may be about Kurt Cobain's suicide, although Vedder has denied this. Many of the lyrics appeared in live versions of the song before Cobain's suicide, although some lyrics were altered following Cobain's death.

Track listing

All tracks by Dave Abbruzzese, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, except where noted:

1. "Last Exit" – 2:54
2. "Spin the Black Circle" – 2:48
3. "Not For You" – 5:52
4. "Tremor Christ" – 4:12
5. "Nothingman" (Vedder, Ament) – 4:35
6. "Whipping" – 2:35
7. "Pry, To" – 1:03
8. "Corduroy" – 4:37
9. "Bugs" – 2:45
10. "Satan's Bed" (Vedder, Gossard) – 3:31
11. "Better Man" (Vedder) – 4:28
12. "Aye Davanita" – 2:58
13. "Immortality" – 5:28
14. "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me" (Pearl Jam & Jack Irons) – 7:44

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Pearl Jam. Ten (1991)

Ten is the debut studio album of Seattle-based rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1991 through Epic Records. Ten took over a year to become a success, but by late 1992 it had reached number 2 on the Billboard charts. Ten produced three hit singles: "Even Flow", "Alive", and "Jeremy". While Pearl Jam were accused of jumping on the grunge bandwagon at the time, Ten was instrumental in the rise of alternative rock in popular music. As of 2007, Ten has been certified 12 times platinum in the United States and remains Pearl Jam's most successful album.
Pearl Jam's original name was taken from after the professional basketball player Mookie Blaylock. It was changed after the band signed to Epic Records, as record executives were concerned about intellectual property and naming rights following Blaylock's inking of an endorsement deal with Nike. In commemoration of the band's original name, the band titled their first album Ten after Blaylock's jersey number.

Track Listing

1. "Once" (Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard) – 3:51
2. "Even Flow" (Vedder, Gossard) – 4:53
3. "Alive" (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:40
4. "Why Go" (Vedder, Jeff Ament) – 3:19
5. "Black" (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:43
6. "Jeremy" (Vedder, Ament) – 5:18
7. "Oceans" (Vedder, Gossard, Ament) – 2:41
8. "Porch" (Vedder) – 3:30
9. "Garden" (Vedder, Gossard, Ament) – 4:58
10. "Deep" (Vedder, Gossard, Ament) – 4:18
11. "Release" (Vedder, Gossard, Ament, Mike McCready, Dave Krusen) – 9:04

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Pearl Jam. Yield (1998)

Yield is Pearl Jam's fifth album, released on February 3, 1998. As of 2007, Yield has been certified platinum in the United States.

Overall, Yield resembles the straight-ahead rock approach of the band's early work. The album was inspired by Daniel Quinn's novel Ishmael, Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita, and the writings of Charles Bukowski, amongst others. The album title is rooted in the idea of "yielding to nature", a theme central to Daniel Quinn's novel Ishmael. Guitarist Stone Gossard penned the lyrics for the songs "No Way" and "All Those Yesterdays", and bassist Jeff Ament, making his first lyrical contributions to a Pearl Jam album, penned the lyrics for the songs "Pilate" and "Low Light".

Track Listing

1. "Brain of J." (Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder) – 2:59
2. "Faithfull" (McCready, Vedder) – 4:18
3. "No Way" (Stone Gossard) – 4:19
4. "Given to Fly" (McCready, Vedder) – 4:01
5. "Wishlist" (Vedder) – 3:26
6. "Pilate" (Jeff Ament) – 3:00
7. "Do the Evolution" (Gossard, Vedder) – 3:54
8. "●" (Jack Irons) – 1:06
9. "MFC" (Vedder) – 2:27
10. "Low Light" (Ament) – 3:46
11. "In Hiding" (Gossard, Vedder) – 5:00
12. "Push Me, Pull Me" (Ament, Vedder) – 2:28
    
13. "All Those Yesterdays" (Gossard) – 7:47

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