Editors Blog
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam: Gods or a Cult?
As the flannel-clad rockers rerelease their classic 1991 debut album, SPIN's David Marchese considers the Vedhead legacy.
By David Marchese 12.12.08 3:03 PM
Pearl Jam
Dig out your flannel, Pearl Jam fans!
Word came this week that the band is readying a deluxe re-release package of their first album, 1991's Ten, which is set to include remixes, demos, vinyl LPs, live material, extended liner notes, and a pair of vintage Eddie Vedder jean shorts.
You've got to hand it to the band. For all their obvious discomfort with the big rock machine, the guys have always gone out of their way to offer fresh product to their insatiable fan base (Vedheads? Pearl Harborers?). Yet somehow, they've never come across like a crass indie-indebted version of KISS. The Seattle quintet has mastered the art of maintaining its career without selling its soul.
Lord knows they could have. In today's flat sales-scape, Pearl Jam's early success seems like it took place in some magical land of milk, honey, and robust record sales. Nearly ten million copies sold of the debut. Six million for the follow-up, 1993's Vs. The following year's Vitalogy, racked up another five. It's hard to think of another rock band from the last twenty years that can match Pearl Jam's straight from the gate sizzle. Even rarer is the act that racks up a mega-selling debut and isn't playing state fairs two decades down the line. Just ask Hootie and the Blowfish.
For a while, it seemed as if Pearl Jam's desire to do things their way would be their downfall. In their weaker moments, bleary-eyed music-biz muckety-mucks might even argue that the band's integrity was its downfall.
A battle with Ticketmaster relegated Pearl Jam to playing the boonies for three years in the mid-90s -- exactly the time when they could have been filling stadiums. 1996's No Code was willfully weird and insular, favoring meditative moments like "Who Are You" and "Off He Goes" over the galvanizing punch of "Alive" or pop accessibility of "Daughter." Excepting the fluky hit cover of "Last Kiss," by the time of 1999's Yield, Pearl Jam's moment had passed. Releasing 72 live albums between 2000 and 2001 ensured it would never return.
Listen: Pearl Jam, "Off He Goes" (Live at Bridge School 1996)
It takes more than talent to become one of the biggest bands in the world. There has to be something special, almost mystical, in the group's style and sound and personality that resonates with the culture at large. Pearl Jam had that. Then they willingly gave it away.
Now, seventeen years after Ten, the last of the great grunge bands is essentially a latter-day Grateful Dead, revered by a large group of diehards and, at best, peripheral to everyone else. It's been a unique trajectory, one made even more so by the debatability of its direction.
Pearl Jam could have been gods; instead it's a cult. One whose genesis can be pre-ordered today from pearljam.com.
A lot has changed since 1991.
Watch: Pearl Jam, "Even Flow," from Ten
the big difference between the Grateful Dead cult and the Pearl Jam cult is that Deadheads have encompassed a generation and created a guide of free love, acid-trippin', festival gatherin' and Jammies are...who are they? they're just folks who wear flannel...wow that's kind of basic. and a somewhat reason why i can never acknowledge the greater graces of Pearl Jam and why i would never drink their kool-aid.
The Grateful Dead were the best touring band of all time, their current incarnation of The Dead, Other Ones,Terrapin Station is a disservice to the legacy of The Grateful Dead. Pearl Jam is a rock n roll juggernaut that can sell out arenas when they choose to play them, they have fans that will travel to see them but not the mobile carnival that Jerry & the boys used to command.
Actually, there are LOTS of differences between Pearl Jam and the Grateful Dead. 1. Peal Jam are better musicians. I discovered this recently while listening to the Deadcast on iTunes. Jerry couldn't play guitar. He fucking throws out clams, frogs, missed notes, the guy HAD to be super, super. super smacked out to play as sloppily as he did. Deadheads are not cool either. Usually either mean, smelly, and stoned, or a combination of the three. It's good the Dead stopped touring. I was into the Dead for a while, though I wasn't a nice person then either. But I learned. Pearl Jam on the other hand, I'm a bit more optimistic about. You can't build an entire culture and not expect it to not disipitate and Pearl Jam seem aware of this. I dunno I like Pearl Jam, I liked the Pear Jam bootleg series, though I haven't liked any of Pearl Jam's recent stuff (who''s listening?). Just too safe, to close to home for me guys. Maybe that's why Pearl Jam are still at the "cult" level. Probably not. Oh, KISS fucking ROCKS still!
Anthony Porter Lynch
"they're just folks who wear flannel". Wow, that may be the worst observation of Pearl Jam's devoted fan base ever put into text. You may know a little something about TGD, but you obviously don't have a clue about PJ. I have been to seven live shows over the past ten years, and could probably count the flannel shirts there on one hand. For those of us who don't have a strong faith in an imaginary friend who lives beyond the clouds, PJ's music, views, and message is the closest thing to an actual religion that we have.
What did the Deadhead say when he ran out of dope? This band SUCKS!
First off you need to listen to pearl jam with headphones on to get the full experience. You will hear running water people talking and other strange sounds not audible thru a stereo usually.On binaural the effects they pull off with dual speakers fading in and out gets right into your head.
If you only know their "hit" songs you are really missing out. Listen to their chord progressions and the drumming is always anything but ordinary.
I would compare them to Led Zeppelin. I was listening to all the Led Zeppelin recordings and the bands are very similar.
Pearl Jam is a creative band that puts out music that is music you have never heard before and they sound like no one else and they do not give a crap if you do not like it.
I have seen them at small venues, epic venues, in the rain, even in Maine and they put on a killer show every single freakin time.
Not only that they have survived whereas Nirvana emoed out and faded away, soundgarden imploded and the Smashing pumpkins are pompous asses.
Pearl Jam are gods right up there with rolling stones and led zeppelin...period.
Sorry some people believe in the truth and hope.... and sorry some people write songs to promote those truths and beliefs... Its not for everyone.... but I fucking LOVE IT!!!! Maybe when I grow up I'll be 60 yrs old and still tripping balls! Unshowered and talking to a green bear that rides a unicorn across such a beautiful sky of rainbows and marshmallows! Or... I could complain that the unemployment rate in my part of OUR country has hit %20 and something has change, has to give! People are losing everything, losing houses just to stay alive!!! The fear thats been instilled for the last 8 yrs, has finally caught up and is settling in! Make change!!!
Eddie Vedder is a narcissist. Look at him; he's a f-cking mental patient.
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