{"id":47753,"date":"2015-08-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-31T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/features\/things-so-much-clearer\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T11:39:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T11:39:45","slug":"things-so-much-clearer","status":"publish","type":"feature","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/features\/things-so-much-clearer\/","title":{"rendered":"Things So Much Clearer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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One of the definitive rock groups of the last 20 years, Pearl Jam<\/a>\u00a0started out huge and has retained a large, loyal following since their heyday at the height of the grunge explosion. Never really a grunge band, Pearl Jam has embraced classic rock, arena rock and some punk in equal measures, but the true treat is their legendary, marathon live shows, which include deep cuts, choice covers, audience participation and a never-ending intensity and joy. Their music has matured in the last decade along with their audience, but the whole of their catalog remains a triumph of exciting, classicist, unpretentious, emotional rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, and the band members remain committed to social and political causes. Below is a ranking of their 10 studio albums from worst to best.<\/p>\n

\"pearljam_nocode\"10. No Code<\/i> (1996)<\/b><\/p>\n

Experimentation is fine. The band indulged in plenty of it on Vitalogy <\/i>and came up with a great record. But after the Ticketmaster incident, the furor of the commercial grunge era, and the album recorded with Neil Young, Pearl Jam took some time to settle down and explore subdued acoustic themes. The resulting album No Code <\/i>isn\u2019t so much bad as it is dull; even the solid rockers, like \u201cHail Hail\u201d and \u201cRed Mosquito,\u201d seem worn out (save for the short thrasher \u201cLukin\u201d). \u201cOff He Goes\u201d is the best example of this subdued approach, though, a heartfelt ode to a friend that showcased a side to the band not many knew existed.<\/p>\n

9. Lightning Bolt<\/i> (2013)\"pearljam_lightning_150\"<\/b><\/p>\n

As Pearl Jam hits middle age, they have reached a sort of ambassador status, carrying the torch for classic rock like The Who but staying true to their musical ideals. They can still turn out rousing punk-rockers like \u201cMind Your Manners\u201d and hit emotional highs like \u201cPendulum,\u201d and most of this disc is enjoyable for fans (check out the bassline on \u201cMy Father\u2019s Son\u201d) but unlikely to win many converts. It\u2019s the kind of album they should be making at this point in their career, and if it is rarely exciting, it\u2019s always rock solid.<\/p>\n

\"pearljam_riot\"8. Riot Act<\/i> (2002)<\/b><\/p>\n

Just as No Code <\/i>followed the more exciting Vitalogy<\/i>, so did the subdued Riot Act <\/i>follow the superior Binaural<\/i> and mark the start of the band\u2019s second phase. Much of the music is mellower than before, with a warm, burnished sound born of life experience. The visceral rocker \u201cSave You\u201d is a standout from the rest, while \u201cThumbing My Way,\u201d \u201cI Am Mine\u201d and \u201cYou Are\u201d are highlights that point the way forward.<\/p>\n

7. Backspacer<\/i> (2009)\"pearljam_backspacer_150\"<\/b><\/p>\n

Probably the most fun record in the band\u2019s catalog \u2013 not a word normally associated with Pearl Jam albums \u2013 Backspacer <\/i>flies by at 36 minutes and 11 songs. That\u2019s not to say the music is carefree or lighthearted, but that it\u2019s the least serious the songs have been since Vs.<\/i> without resorting to clich\u00e9s of youth. The first half is the band\u2019s garage rock fantasy, rollicking from \u201cThe Fixer\u201d to \u201cGot Some\u201d to \u201cJohnny Guitar,\u201d before opening up to the expansive, moody \u201cSpeed Of Sound\u201d and the lovely acoustic solo \u201cJust Breathe,\u201d probably the loveliest song Vedder has ever recorded. The stronger songs on here make the lesser songs pale by comparison, especially in the middle of the disc, but it\u2019s still a solid rock record without pretense or affectations in a year (2009) when that was sorely needed.<\/p>\n

\"pearljam_s-t\"6. Pearl Jam<\/i> (2006)<\/b><\/p>\n

The avocado album! Coming off the downbeat Riot Act<\/i> and a four-year recording hiatus, Pearl Jam roared back with the robust, frenzied anti-war rocker \u201cWorld Wide Suicide\u201d and their eponymous eighth album. The songs simmer with urgency and speed, rocketing through \u201cComatose,\u201d \u201cLife Wasted\u201d and \u201cMarker In The Sand\u201d before slowing down a tad for \u201cUnemployable\u201d and the acoustic \u201cGone.\u201d As with Backspacer<\/i>, there are a few meandering midtempo cuts that don\u2019t stack up to the rest, but it\u2019s all forgiven by the seven-minute closer \u201cInside Job,\u201d a slow-burning epic with a long, haunting instrumental open and impassioned vocals (as if Vedder has any other kind) that sounds like nothing the band has done before or since.<\/p>\n

5. Yield<\/i> (1998)\"pearljam_yield\"<\/b><\/p>\n

Perhaps sensing the meandering acoustical tendencies of No Code <\/i>didn\u2019t sit well with fans, the band sharpened that approach and blended it with the harsh near-punk of Vs. <\/i>The result could have been a stylistic mess, but instead, it\u2019s an engaging disc with moments of low-key reflection broken up by shattering neo-punk rockers like \u201cDo The Evolution\u201d and \u201cBrain Of J.\u201d While those moments are necessary, it\u2019s the slower numbers \u2013 like the underrated \u201cNo Way,\u201d \u201cMFC,\u201d \u201cIn Hiding\u201d and \u201cGiven To Fly,\u201d which manages to be muted yet majestic at the same time \u2013 that prove that bombast is not the only way to affect change. It was clear at this point that the band was moving away from the sound that made them famous, and one wishes that this was a little more equal parts rock and reflection, but it\u2019s still an engaging disc that gets better with age.<\/p>\n

\"pearljam_vs\"4. Vs.<\/i> (1993)<\/b><\/p>\n

One heck of a sophomore release, Vs. <\/i>shies away from the expansive, moody sound of the debut and turns to faster tempos, harsher production, and biting lyrics, seemingly more inspired by the Buzzcocks than Neil Young this time out. The opening triptych of \u201cGo,\u201d the thrashing \u201cAnimal,\u201d and the moving, elegant acoustic \u201cDaughter\u201d is one of the better triple-openers of the \u201890s, but the soaring \u201cRearviewmirror\u201d steals the show. The songs that steer angrier are the least effective, such as \u201cLeash,\u201d \u201cBlood,\u201d and the satirical \u201cGlorified G,\u201d but the signs of experimentation in the drum-led \u201cW.M.A.\u201d and the sinister \u201cRats\u201d are two good examples of what would become a trend. An uneven album, but necessary to understanding the band\u2019s personality.<\/p>\n

3. Binaural<\/i> (2000)\"pearljam_binaural\"<\/b><\/p>\n

In which former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron joins the band and shakes things up after Yield<\/i>. Gaining Cameron and some radio airplay for the (annoying) cover of the oldie \u201cLast Kiss\u201d rejuvenated the band, and their first album of the new millennium set the stage for the rest of their career. Three garage rock tunes under three minutes each kick off the disc, announcing a return to post-1993 form, before the Pink Floyd-influenced \u201cNothing As It Seems\u201d and the layered \u201cInsignificance\u201d present themselves as two of the band\u2019s best songs. The pensive \u201cThin Air\u201d and \u201cOf The Girl\u201d remain subdued highlights, and if the disc falls apart a little bit toward the end (\u201cRival\u201d is particularly grating), it\u2019s still a solid classicist rock album from a group that was still standing and ready to reward its longtime, loyal fans.<\/p>\n

\"pearljam_vitalogy\"2. Vitalogy<\/i> (1994)<\/b><\/p>\n

An absolutely fascinating alt-rock record 20 years after its release, this disc is where Pearl Jam indulged all its tendencies to experiment, consciously shedding the grunge tag and the hangers-on from the scene. No way a band on its third record would release something like \u201cBugs,\u201d \u201cHey Foxymophandlemama, That\u2019s Me,\u201d or \u201cAye Davanita\u201d unless they were trying to make a statement, and make it they did. The intense \u201cSpin The Black Circle\u201d announced both an old-school love of vinyl before that was a thing, winning the band a Grammy in the process (Vedder\u2019s quote: \u201cI don\u2019t really know what this means.\u201d The documentary PJ20<\/i> would later show that Stone Gossard keeps his locked up in a dusty corner of his basement). \u201cNot For You\u201d is a rebuke to the aforementioned hangers-on and a rallying cry to true fans \u2013 and a great song to boot \u2013 while \u201cBetterman,\u201d \u201cCorduroy\u201d and \u201cImmortality\u201d are among the band\u2019s best, most heartfelt songs. Even the lesser-known songs fire on all cylinders, especially \u201cTremor Christ\u201d and the mournful \u201cNothingman.\u201d Taken with the admittedly hard-to-love experimental songs, it all adds up to one of the strangest, most personal and best rock records of the decade.<\/p>\n

\"pearljam_ten\"1. <\/b><\/i><\/b>Ten<\/i> (1991)<\/b><\/p>\n

There is every rock album of the last 25 years, and then there is Ten. <\/i>It\u2019s that simple, but it got overshadowed a bit by Nevermind <\/i>coming out the same year and the hype and zeitgeist that followed Nirvana. To this day, top rock album countdowns routinely put that album near the top of the list and, if Ten <\/i>makes it, somewhere near the middle or bottom. They are wrong. This is a flat-out stunning album, an emotional, moody, hard rock powerhouse that the band never tried to imitate. Part of this is the echo-heavy arena-rock production of Brendan O\u2019Brien, and the band has never been that fond of how the finished work sounded, but even the 20th<\/sup> anniversary remix that stripped away the echo only underscored how excellent the songs really are. Conversely, the production is what makes the original album so much better, as the serious themes of homelessness, mental breakdown, child abuse and neglect, school shootings, and hope among the ruins are given extra weight by the layered vocal harmonies and stadium-size guitar work. Mike McCready\u2019s playing work is phenomenal on the anthemic \u201cAlive,\u201d the charging \u201cEven Flow,\u201d the rampaging \u201cPorch\u201d and the more subduded, vaguely psychedelic \u201cGarden,\u201d but it is with \u201cJeremy\u201d that the band truly found its direction and spirit, creating the best song of the decade. As with pretty much every PJ album, the final song is a bit of a downer, but when Vedder reaches into his upper range to ask for release, you actually feel it through the speakers. Ten <\/i>is nearly flawless; the fact that it is a debut is even more impressive, and it remains a prime example of what rock music can and should be.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pearl Jam Albums Ranked Worst To Best<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":49786,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"feature_type":[32],"class_list":["post-47753","feature","type-feature","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","feature_type-feature"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature\/47753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/feature"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"feature_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature_type?post=47753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}