Its Pearl Jam, Enough Said!
597293
It's Pearl Jam, enough said! One thing I don't understand, is why this one song, is NOT available in Amazon Prime music? However,  several of their albums are, & completely intact?
2539082
Can you believe it that it's been 15 years since Pearl Jam burst onto the music scene with its debut album "Ten"? Since then the band has taken a lot of musical (and other) detours, and also has been taken longer and longer between albums, but after a 4 year wait, here its their 8th proper studio album.

"Pearl Jam" (13 tracks, 50 min.) sounds to me like a return to the basics of the band's music roots, namely rocking pretty hard. The album's 5 opening tracks all rock from the get-go, the one harder than the other: "Life Wasted", "World Wide Suicide", Comatose", "Severed Hand" and "Marker In the Sand". After that anyone would need a breather, and the band obliges with the gentile "Parachutes" (not to be confused with the Coldplay song of the same name). It rounds off a near-perfect first half of the album. The second half in comparison falters a bit. Highlights there include "Big Wave", "Come Back" and the close "Inside Job".

In all, this album is a fine album, no question (and certainly an improvement over their previous album "Riot Act", which stands as the band's most disappointing album to date). I find it interesting that this album is simply titled "Pearl Jam", as if the band felt it needed to reintroduce itself to its fans and the rock community. Fact is, a lot of us have signed up for the long ride, good or bad. And this album certainly is a nice addition to the Pearl Jam catalogue.
38798
Vitalogy is kind of like Pearl Jam's take on a concept album.  It has all the great, somewhat related songs and the ususally necessary filler that comes from a concept album.  The fillers(Bugs, Pry, To, Aye Davanita, and Stupid Mop) aren't really terrible, in fact Bugs is hilarious and Aye Davanita and Pry, To have good vibes.  My two favorite songs are Tremor Christ and Immortality, but there are a bunch of other relly good ones like Corduroy, Satan's Bed, and Not For You.  Overall, this album is pretty cohesive, more so than most of the band's others.  While not Pearl Jam's best effort, it's still the one I've listened to the most.
1875036
This "Collector's Edition" is such a great way to revisit Pearl Jam's monumental debut "Ten". Arguably the best album to rise from the "Grunge" era, let alone one of the most important albums in music, the "Ten" album deserves this treatment. The Unplugged DVD(finally released) is a great view of an energetic band gripping the music scene with the Seattle sound. The Redux version of "Ten" is flawless at minimizing the flaws of the original(drowning reverb, later dissaproved by the band themselves) and bringing out the instumental contribution of each band member more clearly. And the memorabilia speaks for itself...WOW!!

If you are a fan of Pearl Jam or music in general, you CANNOT go wrong with this set...5 STARS!
2880968
To misquote Eddie Vedder, Speaking as a fan from the '90's....

Let me preface this by saying that at the time of their individual releases, I thought that Pearl Jam's last two stuido releases "Riot Act" (2002) and "Binaural" (2000) were pretty sweet records. Great Pearl Jam offereings from beginning to end. But over the last few years, I've decided that they don't quite stack up to the rest of the gems in their excellent catalogue.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy both these albums quite a bit, and there are some outstanding cuts from those two records ("Save You," "Cropduster," and "Love Boat Captain," from Riot Act, "Insignificance," "Of the Girl," "Slight of Hand," and "Grievance" from Binaural) but I can remember that when those albums originally came out (as I may have been suffering from an ailment called "new PJ buzz" at the time) saying that I thought both were on par with their best work of the '90's.

Sadly, I was wrong.

Now, don't get me wrong again...both albums were good, better than 98% of other bands offerings in those years, but both records were not without their flaws or filler ("Rival," "Help Help," and "Ghost" all spring to mind as songs best left in the vault). I also think both records would have benefited greatly if there had been some way to have simmered a bit longer, for the pot to have been stirred, songs to have been tweaked and reexamined, as well as if there had been a way to have found room to include the excellent B-sides that came from those sessions---songs like "Down," "Undone "& "Other Side" from the Riot Act sessions, "Sad" & "Fatal" from the Binaural, all may have been the best B-sides PJ has ever produced in their history--far better than most band's best A side material.

(Of course, these songs are now commercially available on "Lost Dogs," PJ's collection of B-sides, covers, & Christmas singles that came out in '03)

But never once in my writings did I compare Binaural or Riot Act to the perennials. No Code (1996), Yield (1998), or Vitalogy (1994) have always been considered by me as the holy trinity of PJ albums. All flawless gems, each one a five-star classic.

Those were the albums you'd want to play to introduce (or convert) someone to Pearl Jam.

Now, with all that being said as preface, this new album, eloquently titled "Pearl Jam,"at this moment, might just be my favorite Pearl Jam record ever .

Way better than their freshman and sophomore releases of Ten (1991) or Vs. (1993), by a long shot. More rocking than Yield or No Code, and perhaps better writing than Vitalogy.

There are no weak songs on "Pearl Jam," no filler. Even the barely minute-long "Wasted Reprise" gives me the chills. The first 5 songs are, without a doubt in my mind, the most rocking five songs to ever start off a PJ record. From the poppy and catchy "Unemployable," to the mournful "Gone" and the soulful "Come Back," lyrically, musically, topically, this is finest offering the band has ever made us.

For those of you who have been waiting...for those of you saying that Pearl Jam was a great band who had never given us their great album, the eponymous release "Pearl Jam" is finally Pearl Jam's "Who's Next." Finally, this is their "Physical Graffiti." This is their "White Album".

Or to be more modern in reference, this is their "OK Computer," their "Elephant" their "The Woods."

This is the record you'll want to hand someone in 50 years time and say, "Here. This was what the finest American rock band in history sounded like in their prime. Enjoy."

Though the world of music, and the real world might both be spinning in the toilet. With wars and debt and disease and hopelessness abounding, we can still look to and rock out with Pearl Jam, as they have given us something very special with this record.
1006153
From the first few chords of When She Comes you know that you didn't buy another band trying to sound like Pearl Jam or Creed.  These guys do their own thing and rock like a bunch of mofos while they're at it.  I recently caught them on the MTV Campus Invasion tour and they really perform like a real band, talking to the crowd, interacting with each other ...on stage!  Burn it Black is probably the most refreshing CD I have heard this year.  Some tracks are pure heavy slugfests that feel a lot more pure than heavy wannabes like Staind (the title track, Bullet, Sherman), but then they can pull out the mellow hat and take you on some interesting slow tempo songs (Only Hurts A While and the album's best song Ms. Fortune).  The latter song possesses a vibe that draws you in with the dreamy verses than rocks you out by the chorus.  There's a kind of versatiltity in these songs that other bands can't hold a candle to.  This praise isn't coming from some nu-metal or fake alternative fan either, my favorite bands are Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains.  To hear an original alternative fan like myself rave about a new band is rare.  These guys are AWESOME!!!  Other standouts that missed the above mentioning are the interesting almost Incubus-like sound of I,IV,V and the almost funky Bloodstained.  On another note, the guys in the band are frickin' cool too, they actually meet their fans.  I got the chance to land a few autographs and they're really cool guys.  They were funny, polite, down to earth and they dug my STP shirt.  Okay, that's enough hyping for this review.  I can't recommend to you enough this album.  I don't [care]who you are or what you like, BUY IT!
3731171
I have a lot of respect for the guys of Pearl Jam releasing all of these live shows officially, mistakes and all. But there in lies the charm of the discs. It feels like you're there. This one is no exception, featuring loads of great songs spanning the two discs, including past hits like Even Flow, Alive and Black. And some of the bands newer material. I'd definatly recommened this to any intrested Pearl Jam fan.
3394573
Pearl Jam has long been one of my faviorte bands.  They are one of the most intelligent and charismatic bands that are around.  I just finished listening to Binaural for the second time and have formed opinions.  There  are some very good, powerful songs on this CD, Light Years and Sleight of  Hand to name a couple. These songs are amongst a group of my favirotes.  There is some meaty guitar licks and excellent lyrics.  But I have some  questions.  Pearl Jam has made it quite clear that they will never put out  a Ten or a V.S. again.  It always seems like people are just fine with  that.  But would that be so horrible?  Would this be the worst thing that  ever happened?  Would this cause their fans to revolt and say that they are  not being creative and not changing?  Why does a band have to change  conatantly to be taken seriously?  Most of the time that I hear that a band  is really growing or maturing on their new release, I find that I don;t  seem to care for it as much as their earlier work.  Every time I get the  latest release from Pearl Jam, I am hoping and praying for something that  even vaguely resembles their first couple outings.  But every time I get  the new disc, I think to myself, This is good stuff but it never meets my  expectations.  Remember the first time you listenes to Ten.  It just  grabbed me and never let go.  I appreciate that the guys previous success  has allowed them to really please themselves and put out the music they  want to.  But it would really be great for them to light a fire under  themselves and put out some music that is exciting and monumental again.  Up tempo numbers never hurt anybody. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing  fundamentally wrong with this disc, and I am sure that it will grow on me a  little more.  Long live Pearl Jam.
713783
Love every song on this album. Im a huge Pearl Jam fan and I feel that this album contains some of their best work. Unthought Known, Supersonic just excellent!!!
717107
Pretty interesting solo album, definitely not Pearl Jam-y...which is a good thing I believe.
2472310
If you didn't catch Pearl Jam bootlegs CDs, their live on two legs album, their live on ten legs album, their greatest hits CD, their re-releases of their first three ablums and now the movie CD...you may be wondering what's here. Well, the first CD has some rough demos, but check out Black & Not For You.

I know Pearl Jam fans (and I'm one of them) go crazy over Pearl Jam material, but come on, the world didn't need to hear the demo for "Goat". This is a good album, but it's not 5 stars. I would recommend getting Crown of Thorns, Walk With Me, and be sure to check out the second  side, chock full of demos.

What bothers me is that some fans automatically rate this CD 5 stars, the bestest thing ever...it's a nice trip up to Pearl Jam's attic. But this isn't the best version of "Rearviewmirror" (in my opinion) and "Blood" remains one of Pearl Jam's worst songs.  Every Pearl Jam fan has their own personal favorite live edition of a PJ song, and there's some goods ones in here...and others that kinda fall flat.
2378626
certainly nothing to be ashamed of as a debut... they couldn't be blamed for showing their influences so much; they were concentrating on making a good album, so good for them. There ARE some great songs on here, like  "Israel's Son", even though the riff rips off Pearl Jam's  "Even Flow" (like I said, big whup) and "Tomorrow" of  course, even if the CD has a "sameness" to it. But if you like  the stuff, then that's an upside.
4582836
Continuing their evolution from Yield, the band puts out another album that brings us ever closer to the true Pearl Jam. With contributions from every member this time out, the listener gets to see and feel what the  lyricist was thinking at the inception of the song. With the near perfect  mix of rockers, ballads, and mid-tempo grooves, Binaural is one of those  rare cd's that you can put on and not have to worry about skipping the  occasional lemon. For the true beauty of this record, listen with two ears.
2295414
Have no fear; this isn't another my-favorite-band-is-far-better-than-your-favorite-band ranting. Hey, we're individuals right? I'll leave it at that.
When I have this album playing through a good pair of headphones and with my eyes closed, I'm the only person on earth. In fact, I almost have to be alone sometimes when I'm listening to Ten; distractions just can't be tolerated when all I want to do is to immerse myself in Ten's incredible sounds, melodies, nuances. To the disappointment of PJ fans, I must admit that each new Pearl Jam album strays a bit further away from my taste. Vs. is a really great follow-up, but Ten just can't be topped. Like as mentioned in earlier reviews, it has a lot do with being the debut album, and with the whole presentation of the music not being affected by self-conscious. Sometimes the raw beginnings of an eventual great band is their best, or at least most cherished, incarnation for a fan. It's great to back and hear a band before they got all polished up.
It's simply an amazing work, from the first track to the last. And I'd have to say that any import version of Ten with extra tracks would only take away from the presentation if playing through the whole CD. "Release" and "Master/Slave" wrap it up perfectly, and that's that. In my opinion, I feel that Ten is one of the timeless keystones of American rock music.
Aside from the usual standout tracks, my faves are "Garden" and "Release," both brilliant and moving tracks.
And an added recommendation if I may; If you want a little repose away from the "my-favorite-band" grunge war, keep an eye out for a new flavor: a 5-man band in Australia named themselves Powderfinger after Neil Young's song and published a 7-track EP in 1993. Since then, they've become a beloved part of Australia's music scene. They're little known in the USA, having released only one album here as well as a track on the Mission: Impossible soundtrack (versus 5 albums, 3 EP's, and a plethora of great singles/b-sides in Australia). Although they've carved out a niche and sound of their own over the years, and proved to be a very creative and versatile band in the process, in their first album, Parables for Wooden Ears (1994), I can hear cues from Pearl Jam's Ten and sounds that would have been welcome here during the early 90's rock scene. Standout albums are Double Allergic (their 2nd) and Internationalist (3rd). They continue to rock it with a 5th album release in mid-2003. Taste soundclips of all their songs and see their music videos at [...]
2833718
Everyone knows that Pearl Jam is a great band and that is a good album by know so I am going to tell you about a new band that you have got to listen to. Their name is Rose Hill Drive, and they rock with a fire unseen since Led Zeppelin. IF you want to see the return of rock and roll then check these guys out and give them your support. Their Ep is here on amazon and their album is coming out in August, be ready for the music world to be turned upside down.
1546195
There's only a handful of bands that first emerged on the scene in the early 90s who are still recording albums, let alone producing truly great music like Pearl Jam.  Their latest release Backspacer is one of their best, with every track worth a listen.

One of the myths of "grunge" rock is that it is/was really heavy rock, bordering on metal.  Although some Pearl Jam cuts lean closer to punk and Nirvana was definitely more of a hard sound, Pearl Jam have always been a "finesse" band in my humble opinion, not afraid to show their tender side and write very compelling pop songs.

Backspacer is no exception, although it really rocks when they kick into high gear and I have to compliment the drumming on this album throughout.  I know, it's strange to single out the drumming, but Matt Cameron (of Soundgarden fame although he's been with the band for over 10 years) really does an amazing job.

If you're an old Pearl Jam fame who hasn't given the band a chance over the last few years, I highly recommend you check out this album.  If you've never heard Pearl Jam, you've obviously been hiding under a rock for nearly two decades. However, this isn't a bad place to start checking them out.

I like to crown one album as the "best" for a particular year, and so far Pearl Jam is right up there with Backspacer for 2009. Time will tell if it gets my final vote!

ebhp
3087268
"No Code" has been reviled by many people, but when I picked the album up and listened, I found that many of the bad comments I had read were unfounded. "All a bunch of filler" said one review-well, let me tell you, this album is anything BUT filler. Every song is another experimental soundscape that transports you to a different part in the Pearl Jam universe. Definitely Pearl Jam's most difficult and far-reaching record, "No Code" is one of the most rewarding albums to have in your collection because it takes some effort, and many listens, to appreciate its full power. A few standouts: "Sometimes" is a daring low-key number with a trancendental side where singer Eddie Vedder bravely lets his voice go slightly out of key numerous times. "Hail, Hail" and "Habit" are classic rockers that will have you swaying and head-bobbing. "Red Mosquito" has a definite Niel Young sound to it, "In My Tree" and "Off He Goes" are beautiful slower numbers. One of my favorites is "Mankind", which is sung by Stone Gossard and is the single most accessible and poppy tune on this album and probably the most pop-inflected thing Pearl Jam has ever done. This song just adds to the album's aura of challenge because it comes between the dirge-like "Present Tense" and the free-verse experiment of "I'm Open". All in all, "No Code" might not be Pearl Jam's best album (I'm convinced that that place will always be reserved for all eternity by the brilliant power of "Ten"), but it is probably their most rewarding. If you have only room in your collection for a few Pearl Jam records, make sure "No Code" is one of them.