Pearl Jam Review

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Pearl Jam ReviewIt's quite possible that Pearl Jam is more revered in retrospect than for their musical offerings from the last 5-6 years. Their name is legendary. And their initial 2-3 albums are considered classics. But what have they done lately that hasn't sounded tired and stale?
Even though I'd been burned by PJ's albums in the past, I took a chance on this new one, simply titled Pearl Jam.
Wow. Am I glad I did. Pearl Jam has been reborn!
This album sounds fresh, alive and -- dare I say it? -- vital. They retained their trademark garage band sound and Eddie's sometimes mumbly (but powerful) baritone. But there are melodies and hooks on this album that are infectious. And the playing sounds like a Pearl Jam I haven't heard in a long, long time. It's energetic and meaty.
The album kicks off with the guitar-heavy, toe tapping "Life Wasted," which sports typical Pearl Jam chord progressions but with more oomph behind them.
"World Wide Suicide," the next track, features a sound and energy reminiscent of anything off Vs. or their debut CD (1993 and 1991, respectively).
"Comatose" begins with a Tom Petty-like guitar riff and then explodes in Eddie's growling vocal and bashing, punk-like guitars that would make the Sex Pistols proud.
One of my favorite tracks follows "Comatose": "Severed Hand," which begins with swirling, mysterious-sounding backward-played guitar noodlings before turning into another free-for-all garage band extravaganza.
"Parachutes," a Beatle-esque song featuring acoustic guitar, a jaunty beat and tight vocal arrangements, is a nice change of pace after so many balls-out tracks.
"Unemployable," the next track, is a great riff. Very catchy and upbeat. It reminds me of R.E.M. Very tasty guitar work.
"Wasted Reprise" is totally captivating. Haunting, even. It's less than a minute long, but there's something about it that I absolutely love. The lyrics are sung with such emotion: "I have faced it, a life wasted, I am never going back again."
I can't say enough about this album. It's chock-full of big, BIG guitar riffs, Eddie's over-the-top screaming, crisp production, and heart-on-sleeve lyrics. It's a Pearl Jam you haven't heard in a very long time.
I strongly urge you to buy this new album from Pearl Jam. You won't be sorry.Pearl Jam OverviewWith over 65 million albums sold, Pearl Jam returns with their first studio record in four years. 'World Wide Suicide' is the lead single and video (directed by Danny Clinch) from the album impacting prior to release date. The band will be touring the globe through July 2006 in support of the new album.

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Pearl Jam - Live at the Garden (2003) Review

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Pearl Jam - Live at the Garden (2003) ReviewLet me preface this by saying that I have been to maybe 150 shows in my life, and the 7/8/03 MSG show is the best show I have seen by any band, ever. Coming from a huge music fan, that's saying a lot.
Ok, here goes. I'll try to write it for the casual fan who may not know every song.
First let's start with quality. The video work is fine. Nothing fancy. It's a little jumpy sometimes, but good overall. The 5.1 surround sound is quite nice as well. There are lots of extras on the DVD as well, including an easter egg. It includes lots of tour montages, bonus clips (Ed pre-show solo stuff), etc. But the main part of the dvd, the show itself, is probably what you want to hear about so I'll try to be specific. I'll do a song-sy-song review below:
set:
Love Boat Captain: Good opener. The sound is a little off, but gets better during the next couple of songs. This is off the latest album. It references the 9 people who were killed during their set at the Roskilde Denmark show in 2000
Last Exit: Good rocking song that gets the crowd going.
Save You: Same as above. Good version. Off the last album
Green Disease: Also off the last album. You'll notice that the crowd doesn't go insane for some of the newer stuff, but because the MSG shows had such a high fanclub turnout, the reaction is better than expected. This is a fun, hard song.
In My Tree: This is a new, slower version of the song off of No Code. This is one of my all-time favorite songs, and they nailed the new version this time. This was the first tour they tried it this way, and it worked.
Cropduster: Also a new song. Good, but for the casual fan nothing spectacular.
Even Flow: Mike totally owns the middle jam, and the crowd goes nuts for it.
Gimme Some Truth: John Lennon cover. It was nice to see.
I Am Mine: This is prefaced by a nice speech from Eddie about Sept 11. You have to rewind to the end of the previous song to hear it. Good version as well.
Low Light: Had I not seen it a few days earlier I would have gone nuts. They broke it out in Boston on 7/3 for the first time in 5 years and the place went nuts. They also went nuts at MSG.
Faithfull: Great hard-rocking song from "Yield"
Wishlist/(Why Can't I Touch It?): Great light show for this, and the tag at the end is a Buzzcocks cover. Before the show, 3 members of PJ came out when the Buzzcocks finished their set and played this song with them. Great crowd singalong!
Lukin: 1-minute rocker from No Code that goes right into the next song
Grievance: Good hard song, was nominated for a grammy 3 years ago.
1/2 Full: Gotta love Ed w/ the mirror during this one. Great guitar from Mike on this song...very bluesy.
Black: Decent version. Great solo at the end from Mike. There are better versions, but this is pretty good.
Spin The Black Circle: Great hard song circa 95. A crowd pleaser.
Rearviewmirror: Awesome first set closer. Insane ending, crowd and band going nuts w/ the strobe lights.
enc 1:
You Are: Nice light show, great vibe to this song.
Thumbing My Way: Good slow song from the last album.
Daughter/(With My Own Two Hands): This was around the time I realized it had gone beyond being just a great show to being something special. Ben Harper comes out and sings the Two Hands tag w/ the band. I still get chills watching it. The crowd loves it.
Crown Of Thorns: Crowd going nuts by this point. It is a Mother Love Bone cover, which is Stone/Jeff's band before PJ that broke up when the lead singer died of an overdose. They played it twice on the 2000 tour (the first time being at their 10th anniv show), and twice on the 2003 show. I never thought I'd see it.
Breath: Yeah, the band is on fire at this point. Breath was the song they broke out at the MSG II show in 98 for the first time in years. It's special to see them play it there again.
Better Man: Not a particularly great version, but the crowd singing the first verse alone makes it worth listening to.
Do The Evolution: Watch the band during this...they start freaking out. Eddie gives a speech after the intermission explaining why. Considering Roskilde 2000, it's totally understandable. You could literally feel the floor moving if you stood still. MSG is raised off of ground level, and the crowd was going so nuts that they caused the whole place to shake. Watch Ed in particular.
enc 2:
Crazy Mary: 1 word: RIP. That's all I have to say
Indifference: Ed re-introduces Ben Harper. They have played this with Ben a couple of times before. This was my first time seeing this older song and I was loving it.

Sonic Reducer: Buzzcocks' member comes out. This is an old Dead Boys cover. I had never seen it live either and it was great. Maybe not as intense as it was on the early tours, but still rocking.
Baba O'Riley: Another Buzzcocks' member comes out. I will *never* forget the look on the usher's face next to me when the crowd sang the middle bridge part. He just had this huge grin on his face, like "wow, that was freaking cool as hell!!!"
Yellow Ledbetter: Nice closer, with Ed mumbling some new lyrics. Not a great version by any means, but different which is always good.
I'm not sure I can say enough about this show. I have never seen so many people leave a show speechless with their jaws on the ground.Pearl Jam - Live at the Garden (2003) Overview

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Backspacer Review

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Backspacer ReviewThis is Pearl Jam's best album of the 2000s. Continuing where Pearl Jam left off, the band matches the energy of their last outing with better, tighter songs. The lyrics (notably, all are credited to Vedder) are exceptional. No longer bound by anti-Bush righteous rage, Vedder seems to feel freed to sing songs with more empathy and positive energy. There are still plenty of songs about troubled souls and surfing, but the overall tone is warmer and filled more with empathy than anger.
The band's playing is excellent as always, and Brendan O'Brien's return to the fold is welcome - this album, even more than the Ten Redux cd, is proof positive that O'Brien is THE man to produce Pearl Jam's albums. He adds a few touches of keyboards and strings here and there to augment the standard guitar/bass/drums rock format, and the result is a sound perfectly suited to Pearl Jam's strongest batch of songs in years.
Pearl Jam fans who have been waiting for a new great album but weren't quite convinced by their previous cd should give this one a shot, and fans who have stuck with the band all these years will not be disappointed. This is Pearl Jam for 2009 and beyond.Backspacer Overview

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Ten Review

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Ten ReviewThe album, named after the Jersey number of basketball star, Mookie Blaylock, has been considered as being among the finest and most influential albums written during the 90s, and with reason. Before 91, Michael Jackson was atop the charts, the king of pop. It was not until the rise of Nirvana, and subsequently Pearl Jam, that the 'King' was dethrowned. Armed with epic, sweeping hard rock anthems and the bleedingly powerful vocals from Eddie Veddar, Pearl Jam found itself atop the charts themselves.
I admit, I hated 'Ten' for the first full year of it's release. It took some time to sink in. I was too accustomed to Weird Al, Madonna and 'Sweet Dreams'... I was still submerged in the 80s, and the blistering power of Pearl Jam was simply too much for me. Yet as I grew familiar with the Seattle quintet, so did my appreciation of their music. It was not until 93's "VS" that I realized that Pearl Jam had become my favorite band of all-time. I have been ardently following their career ever since.
Song by song review:
1. Once - With a profoundly suspenseful and edgy guitar to backdrop the first emergence of Eddie's vocals, this song is immediately famous. Plus it's got a haunting oceanic intro to boot...
2. Even Flow - Arguably Pearl Jam's most famous song, Even Flow is easily deserving of such status. It explodes into a narrative about a Homeless man, and manages to maintain the ripping intensity for 5 solid minutes.
3. Alive - Another contender for the most famous song by Pearl Jam, this song roars for nearly 6 minutes. Starting somewhat slow, this song builds to a climactic guitar solo that rivals any Zeppelin or The Who.
4. Why Go - Similar to "Even Flow" in it's blinding energy, this song is a standout among standouts. A guttural, hypnotic guitar underscores Eddie's portrayal of a conflicted girl's tortuous homelife.
5. Black - Originally slated to be Pearl Jam's fourth single from the album, following 'Alive', 'Even Flow', and 'Jeremy', this could have become the biggest. A six minute operatic of love and loss, this song is among the most moving in Pearl Jam's catalogue. Deep, gentle guitars accentuate Eddie's somewhat subdued singing.
6. Jeremy - Spawned one of the most famous music video's of all time, coming in at #6 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of 'best videos of all time'. This song carries a strength in every stroke of the strings, that you can't help but be emotionally drained and exhilerated by the end of this harrowing, disturbing epic.
7. Oceans - One of the two best songs Pearl Jam ever wrote, the other being track 11 of the same album. This song is beautiful beyong comparison, with guitar and drumwork that match the songs title. As we lilt through this song of reunion, we glide along the waves that Eddie so poignantly describes.
8. Porch - Perhaps the most forgettable song on this album, Porch somewhat departs from the overall feel that the rest of the album creates. This is not to say that it is a bad song, as we find Eddie at what could be his angriest. Nearly rapping his way through a lot of lyrics in under 4 minutes, this song is not without it's merit.
9. Garden - Underappreciated, this song is quietly suspenseful in it's beginning, until the pressure is too much, and the floodgates open. The tumultuous uprising is textured and melodic, yet like the tide goes down once more before a climactic finale.
10. Deep - Just like the title, this song opens with a gaping guitar slide and solo that breaks down the barrier between subtlety and power. Truly deserving to be placed in this perfect album.
11. Release - Eddie Vedder's personal tribute to his dad. The guitar matches his soulful wails, begging for the love of a lost father. Finishing out with the same melody that began 'Once', this CD leaves you the way it left you, only now you are an elevated human being.
Man, I love these guys...Ten OverviewNo Description Available
Track: 10: Deep,
Track: 11: Release,
Track: 1: Once,
Track: 2: Evenflow,
Track: 3: Alive,
Track: 4: Why Go,
Track: 5: Black,
Track: 6: Jeremy,
Track: 7: Oceans,
Track: 8: Porch,
Track: 9: GardenMedia Type: CDArtist: PEARL JAMTitle: TENStreet Release Date: 08/27/1991

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Hawaian Guitar Banjo Ukulele & Guitar 1926-1949 Review

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Hawaian Guitar Banjo Ukulele & Guitar 1926-1949 ReviewFour decades before Jimi Hendrix played guitar with his teeth, Roy Smeck was biting the strings on America's vaudeville circuit. An astonishing instrumentalist already, Smeck had to compensate for his lack of a singing voice by developing jokes and visual guitar gimmicks. Among his tricks were simulating a banjo duet on a single banjo, or playing Yiddish, Chinese or Scottish instrumental versions of "Yes Sir, That's My Baby." Roy could play anything with strings on it, and he could do it upside down, behind his back, or both. Eventually Hollywood discovered him and he was featured in the first talking picture ever. Ironically, "talkies" proved to be the downfall of vaudeville, and with it went Smeck's career. But to this day, Smeck remains America's original guitar hero. His virtuosity is rivaled by few, and this superb collection by Yazoo features 14 intrumentals with nothin' fancy but incredible playing.Hawaian Guitar Banjo Ukulele & Guitar 1926-1949 Overview

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Music for the Motion Picture Into the Wild Review

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Music for the Motion Picture Into the Wild ReviewFor all those Pearl Jam fans out there, the release of what is essentially a solo acoustic Eddie Vedder album is manna from heaven. Of course, most PJ fans out there these days are in their 4th or 5th decade of life, and there are many young folks who view PJ as outmoded and other naysayers who have grown tired of Ed's gruff, mumbly baritone. But I belong to the first group, so I think this little album is pretty great.
"Into the Wild" is a 30-minutish album that has Eddie playing a variety of acoustic instruments over 11 short tracks. It's classic Vedder, but stripped-down and bare, kind of in the balladic "No Code" or "Binaural" vein with more acoustic strumming and minimal accompaniment. The tunes were written as a movie soundtrack, and having seen the film, it's hard not to picture Emile Hirsch traipsing over hill and dale during the songs. On the other hand, most of the numbers do have lyrics, which is a bit unusual for a soundtrack, and was sometimes distracting for me in the theater. But this review is about the music...
Many of the tunes are upbeat, rocky-mountain-high, kind of anthems, as on "Setting Forth," "Far Behind," and the all-instrumental "Tuolumne." The other half are more introspective, balladic numbers (in keeping with the kind of celebration of freedom/wasteful tragedy duality of Chris McCandless' tale), as on the banjo-inflected "No Ceiling," "Rise" (the ukelele invokes Ed's "Soon Forget" from Binaural or "Goodbye" from A Broke Down Melody -- I'm thinking an all uke-vocal album by Ed would be pretty great), "Long Nights," "Society," and "The End of the Road." "Hard Sun" is a stand-out in a number of ways -- clearly the one number that might either get radio-play or be released as B-side single. Also, it's written by Robert Peterson (aka Indio) and features some backing chorus vocals by Sleater-Kinney frontwoman Corin Tucker (it would be awesome if Ed made a proper single out of "Modern Girl" and released it with "Hard Sun"). It's definitely the big anthem of the album and the only tune over 4 minutes long. "Society" is the other track not written by Ed -- in this case, the author is Jerry Hannan who also sings back-up underneath. "The Wolf" features Ed doing his Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan inspired vocal howling (reminiscent of "Arc" without the overdubs) over an organ drone. And then there's "Guaranteed," a great tune that really has two versions embedded in the same song -- first the vocal version that has Ed singing over acoustic guitar (this was played during the end credits of the movie) and later, in a "hidden track," the "Humming Version" that starts around 4:40 after a minute or two of silence (who invented hidden tracks anyway? why would I want to endure two minutes of silence or have to press fast forward to get to more music?). The humming version is what opens the film, and features Ed humming the sweet soulful melody over the same guitar rhthym. So for me, the standout tracks are "Hard Sun," "Guaranteed," "Setting Forth," "Far Behind", "Rise," and "The Wolf." That's half the album, so you can see I think it's all pretty great and will leave fans itching for a real solo album someday.
This review wouldn't be complete without some discussion about iTunes. iTunes has available, for $2 more, the "deluxe version" of this album (NOT sold here at Amazon), which augments the original soundtrack with 4 more numbers -- "No More" (a cover) and "Photographs" (a short instrumental) lifted from the soundtrack to the documentary 'Body of War,' a live version of "No More," and a live version of "Here's to the State," one of Ed's concert staples that has him railing against various operatives in the Bush administration. iTunes also sells "Guaranteed (Humming Version)" as a separate track, but it's just the "hidden track" from the 7-minute "Guaranteed" that isn't available as a single downloadable track. Since the original soundtrack is only about a half-hour long, most fans will welcome the extra 12 minutes of music, but the truth is the tunes don't completely fit with the rest of the album and some will no doubt find the strong political messages of "No More" (War) and "Here's to the State," typical of Ed, tiring.
And so, "Into the Wild" is a short little album written as a movie soundtrack that is loaded with little gems by Eddie Vedder on vocals and acoustic strings. If you like Ed and can put up with the brevity of the songs themselves and the album as a whole, it's sure to please, and leave you wishing there were more. And there is a little more, only if you're interested you'll have to get it from iTunes... or somewhere else ;).Music for the Motion Picture Into the Wild OverviewThe young, idealistic Christopher McCandless, played by Emile Hirsch abandons all possessions and life as most of us known it for the Alaskan wilderness. This incredible and intense true story has touched a nerve with millions around the world.

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