here<\/a>, which provides a comprehensive overview of the band\u2019s work in the 1990s. <\/p>\n104. \u201cWasted Reprise,\u201d Pearl Jam<\/i>:<\/b> Not really a song, just Eddie singing part of \u201cLife Wasted\u201d over a solo organ, just to clear the decks for the final few songs on the album.
103. \u201cArc,\u201d Riot Act<\/i>:<\/b> A minute of solo Eddie wailing. Kind of annoying, but interesting only to show that a) he could do more with his voice than critics gave him credit for, and b) it appears to lay the groundwork for his excellent solo Into The Wild <\/i>soundtrack five years later.
102-93. The 2019 fan club singles:<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHistory Never Repeats\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGimme Some Truth\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLove, Reign O\u2019er Me\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSanta Cruz\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFalling Down\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSanta God\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJingle Bells\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAngel\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t Believe In Christmas\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSomeday At Christmas\u201d
<\/b>
I don\u2019t really know what was going on here. I\u2019m thinking these were all recorded during the very <\/i>long delay between 2013\u2019s Lightning Bolt <\/i>and 2020\u2019s Gigaton <\/i>and all released on Spotify around the same time. But I don\u2019t know why. The Christmas songs are just awkward and I think each one was also probably a Lifetime movie at some point. The Who cover is expectedly fine, but that\u2019s about it. For completists only; none of these are songs you would ever play to convince anyone to like Pearl Jam.
92. \u201cBu$hleaguer,\u201d Riot Act<\/i>: <\/b>It was inevitable that the band would record a protest song during the Iraq war and the Bush administration, but this was not the way to do it. Vedder mumbles in the corner snarky lines like \u201cBorn on third \/ Thinks he hit a triple\u201d and the song, such as it is, just falls apart. I\u2019m no Bush apologist, but the best protest songs stand the test of time even as they are of the moment, and this is just cranky and smug.
91. \u201cParachutes,\u201d Pearl Jam<\/i>:<\/b> Stilted time changes, Vedder singing in a high register, and general aimlessness? This is irritating as hell.
90. \u201cAlright,\u201d Pearl Jam<\/i>:<\/b> Overly precious yet also dull.
89. \u201cOl<\/b>\u00e9,\u201d single: <\/b>This was the only new Pearl Jam released between Backspacer <\/i>and Lightning Bolt<\/i>, and it was\u2026 confusing, as I recall. Vedder shouts, then tries to cram in too many words, then repeats himself, and says Ol\u00e9 a lot, and you just want it to stop. The nervy energy of the band is in full force, I suppose; as an instrumental this would have been more fun.
88. \u201cGrievance,\u201d Binaural<\/i>:<\/b> Somehow, this one was nominated for a Grammy, proof that whoever runs that organization doesn\u2019t know shit. So many better PJ songs exist, and this awkward number gets the nod? Ugh.
87. \u201cRival,\u201d Binaural<\/i>: <\/b>Not sure what this is other than annoying. It\u2019s sort of a rock waltz, with some bar-band piano, but it\u2019s the sort of boozy that you feel when you\u2019ve had just one too many, not the fun boozy where you\u2019ve had just enough that everything is awesome.
86-84. \u201cAmongst The Waves,\u201d Backspacer;<\/i> \u201cBig Wave,\u201d Pearl Jam; <\/i>\u201cSwallowed Whole,\u201d Lightning Bolt: <\/i><\/b>Eddie Vedder likes to surf. There, saved you 11 minutes.
83. \u201cYellow Moon,\u201d Lightning Bolt<\/i>:<\/b> Not enough here to warrant repeated listens; it blends into the background.
82. \u201cSleeping By Myself,\u201d Lightning Bolt<\/i>:<\/b> I\u2019d be surprised if anyone in the band had input on this besides Eddie, as it sounds like the earnest from-the-heart music that shows up in his solo work. It\u2019s just not a fit for the whole band, and it gets a bit corny after a while.
81. \u201cSweet Lew,\u201d Lost Dogs <\/i>(Binaural <\/i>outtake): <\/b>Admittedly, this is not a good song. The computer blips, Jeff\u2019s off-key spoken words and a lack of structure automatically doom it to an oddity that only the faithful will enjoy, and probably not even then. It\u2019s Ament\u2019s \u201cTemporary Secretary,\u201d if you will. But lyrically, there\u2019s an effective story about disappointment when meeting your childhood heroes; the Lew in the title is better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and we all know how much Pearl Jam loved basketball. They say don\u2019t meet your heroes; Jeff Ament did, and wrote about it.
80. \u201cSoon Forget,\u201d Binaural<\/i>:<\/b> I\u2019ve never been a big fan of Vedder and his ukelele, and so this short number seems indulgent and crude, as it\u2019s just the singer crooning about how useless and greedy the rich are.
79. \u201cSleight Of Hand,\u201d Binaural<\/i>:<\/b> A case of sound over substance. I\u2019ll bet this was fun to record in the cool new sound system, but the song is a slow fever dream with too much production, cool as it sounds at the time.
78. \u201cGhost,\u201d Riot Act<\/i>:<\/b> Can\u2019t get too excited about this one. McCready tries to save it with some guitar heroics, but the song doesn\u2019t warrant it.
77. \u201cCome Back,\u201d Pearl Jam<\/i>:<\/b> Sappy, slow, maybe an attempt at a torch or blues song, but not pulling it off.
76. \u201cAll Or None,\u201d Riot Act:<\/i><\/b> A rather dull album closer, though the chorus is good.
75. \u201cFuture Days,\u201d Lightning Bolt<\/i>: <\/b>A touching elegy for a friend of Eddie\u2019s who drowned. Not especially memorable, but moving.
74. \u201cHelp Help,\u201d Riot Act:<\/i><\/b> <\/i>Pearl Jam by numbers. Nothing much to recommend here.
73. \u201cForce of Nature,\u201d Backspacer<\/i>:<\/b> See #74.
72. \u201cCropduster,\u201d Riot Act<\/i>:<\/b> See #74.
71. \u201cBuckle Up,\u201d Gigaton<\/i>: <\/b>See #74.
70-69. \u201cNeed To Know\u201d and \u201cBe Like Wind,\u201d PJ20:<\/i><\/b> <\/i>This is sort of cheating, I guess, because this is just a demo, but these are the only songs from the soundtrack to Cameron Crowe\u2019s excellent documentary that hadn\u2019t already been released in another form. They\u2019re interesting curios to show the band working; the former is an early take on \u201cThe Fixer\u201d and the latter is a moody solo McCready guitar figure.
68. \u201cIn The Moonlight,\u201d Lost Dogs <\/i>(Binaural<\/i> outtake): <\/b>Having Matt Cameron join the band rejuvenated the songwriting; there were more finished tracks left off this album than any album since Ten<\/i>. But this is one of Cameron\u2019s rare lesser offerings as a songwriter; the blues riff is new to the band, but Vedder\u2019s mumbling and a general feeling of \u201cmeh\u201d permeates. McCready\u2019s solo even fades out halfway through as the song ends, and that\u2019s just not cool.
67. \u201cThin Air,\u201d Binaural<\/i>:<\/b> Vedder mumbles his way through this one, and then it ends, and nothing is different.
66. \u201cRetrograde,\u201d Gigaton<\/i>: <\/b>See #74. I\u2019m sorry to be repetitive, but there\u2019s a fair amount of latter-day Pearl Jam that\u2019s just dull.
65. \u201cOther Side,\u201d Lost Dogs <\/i>(\u201cSave You\u201d B-side):<\/b> Jeff Ament wrote this acoustic piece about longing for your partner, whether you\u2019re alone in the city or whether he\/she has passed on. The chorus is sung a bit awkwardly but the verses are rather touching.
64-63. \u201cLightning Bolt,\u201d Lightning Bolt<\/i> and \u201cTake The Long Way,\u201d Gigaton: <\/i><\/b>\u00a0I don\u2019t have any opinions on these songs. They come and go.
62. \u201cLife Wasted,\u201d Pearl Jam<\/i>: <\/b>A lot of energy went into this song, in an attempt to shake off the cobwebs and ennui that cluttered half of Riot Act<\/i> four years prior. It\u2019s fine musically, but Vedder ruins it with his overdriven vocals in the verses, and the chorus is lacking.
61. \u201c4\/20\/02,\u201d Lost Dogs (Riot Act <\/i>outtake):<\/b> A gut cry and elegy all at once for Layne Staley, the former singer of Alice In Chains and a Seattle contemporary of the band who died of an overdose, but not before influencing many bands who followed (Godsmack, et al). As a song, it\u2019s not especially great, but it wasn\u2019t meant to be, as Vedder has something to get off his chest: \u201cSo all you fools who sing just like him \/ Feel free to do so now, because he\u2019s dead\u2026 So sing just like him, fuckers \/ It won\u2019t offend him, just me.\u201d
60. \u201cEvacuation,\u201d<\/b> Binaural<\/i>: <\/b>A sort of attempt to meld the sound of Vitalogy <\/i>and Yield<\/i>, not altogether successful. Proof that the band had moved on from the past, but that\u2019s about it.
59. \u201cParting Ways,\u201d Binaural<\/i>:<\/b> Not a compelling song, but a necessary one, in light of Eddie\u2019s breakup with his partner Beth around this time. The viola at the end is a lovely touch.
58. \u201cNever Destination,\u201d<\/b> Gigaton: <\/i>A fun, if derivative, rave-up.
57.<\/b> \u201cUndone,\u201d Lost Dogs <\/i>(\u201cI Am Mine\u201d B-side):<\/b> Left off of Riot Act<\/i>, and for good reasons: It\u2019s bright, pleasant and unnecessary.
56<\/b>. \u201cCan\u2019t Deny Me,\u201d single: <\/b>Released in 2018 and originally intended for Gigaton<\/i> but rightfully shelved, as its overly strident sound wouldn\u2019t have fit. It\u2019s a protest tune against gun violence and was something of a modern rock hit; too raw and shouty to endure, but something the band needed to say after the Parkland shooting. It\u2019s refreshing to see that passion after all these years; it\u2019s why we love these guys.
55 \u201cArmy Reserve,\u201d Pearl Jam<\/i><\/b>: The band was no stranger to writing songs from a female point of view, one of the few big-name rock bands who ever bothered to do that. This one tells a brief story of a mom whose husband is away at war and who has to continue to reassure her children that Dad is OK and is coming home, even if she knows that may not be true.
54. \u201cOf The Girl,\u201d Binaural:<\/i><\/b> <\/i>A subdued number, a little too warm and chill, perhaps, but something different.
53. \u201cUnthought Known,\u201d Backspacer:<\/i><\/b> <\/i>Rather average in its verse, but exploding into a triumphant chorus, with lyrics about what we are actually doing with our lives, and what we can experience when we break out of our self-imposed limited thoughts.
52. \u201cMy Father\u2019s Son,\u201d Lightning Bolt<\/i>:<\/b> This is the flip side of \u201cMan Of The Hour,\u201d an excoriation (whether personal or universal) of an absentee and\/or subpar father. \u201cNow father you’re dead and gone and I’m finally free to be me \/ Thanks for all your dark gifts for which I’ve got no sympathy,\u201d growls Eddie, and he means it.
51. \u201cFatal,\u201d Lost Dogs (Binaural <\/i>outtake):<\/b> A solo Stone Gossard write, performed with pathos by Eddie; it\u2019s hard to discern the meaning from the somewhat oblique lyrics, but many fans interpret is as being about an affair.
50. \u201cHitchhiker,\u201d Lost Dogs <\/i>(Binaural <\/i>outtake): <\/b>Gotta love a song that starts out with Vedder shouting \u201cYou fool!,\u201d but this one just sort of chugs along. Surprised that Vedder wrote it solo, as it has Jeff Ament all over it, at least to me. The off-the-rails breakdown in the middle is interesting, though.
49<\/b>. \u201cGet It Back,\u201d single: <\/b>Released in late 2020, several months after Gigaton<\/i>, as part of a voting rights effort. It\u2019s solid, especially in the choruses. You can usually count on a Matt Cameron song like that.
48-47. \u201cGet Right\u201d and \u201cGreen Disease,\u201d Riot Act<\/i>:<\/b> Two short pop-rockers with some great staccato drumming from Cameron.
46. \u201cDown,\u201d Lost Dogs (<\/i>\u201cI Am Mine\u201d B-side):<\/b> Nothing terribly memorable about this one, just a fun rave-up with a solid solo.
45. \u201cMarker In The Sand,\u201d Pearl Jam:<\/i><\/b> <\/i>Solid, if unremarkable, and Vedder\u2019s yelping gets old.
44. \u201cGonna See My Friend,\u201d Backspacer<\/i>:<\/b> Much like Binaural <\/i>nine years prior, Backspacer <\/i>opened with three quick blasts of punk-meets-Who rock blasts. The song\u2019s energy is just fine, kickstarting the shortest Pearl Jam album, <\/i>but Vedder\u2019s singing is almost desperate, compared to the natural fire in the similarly-felt \u201cWorld Wide Suicide\u201d three years prior, and it\u2019s a detriment here.
43. <\/b>\u201c1\/2 Full,\u201d Riot Act<\/i>:<\/b> This one could have been better; the snarling guitar opener portends attitude, and Vedder sort of tries, but it doesn\u2019t come together in the way McCready intended it to.
42. \u201cComatose,\u201d Pearl Jam<\/i>:<\/b> Every PJ album has to have one of these, a nervy punk song where Vedder yelps about something. It\u2019s a grand tradition extending from \u201cLeash\u201d to \u201cSpin The Black Circle\u201d to \u201cDo The Evolution\u201d to here.
41. \u201cGetaway,\u201d Lightning Bolt<\/i>:<\/b> The band\u2019s 10th album starts off with this decent offering, a consolidation of strengths.
40. \u201cJohnny Guitar,\u201d Backspacer<\/i>:<\/b> A character study, evidently inspired by an album cover Vedder saw, and little more than a fun rocker.
39. \u201cSuperblood Wolfmoon,\u201d Gigaton<\/i>:<\/b> An upbeat romp. Cameron drums the heck out of it.
38. \u201cSupersonic,\u201d Backspacer<\/i>:<\/b> A ferocious rave-up, Ramones energy meets Elton John\u2019s \u201cSaturday Night\u2019s Alright For Fighting,\u201d with an off-kilter guitar solo skronking around the middle.
37. \u201cRiver Cross,\u201d Gigaton: <\/i><\/b>A solemn piece driven by slow organ and occasional drumming. Eddie sings the hell out of it, repeating \u201cWon\u2019t hold us down\u201d like a mantra. To me, there\u2019s a throughline from a young Eddie singing \u201cI\u2019m still alive\u201d to a wised-up mature Eddie singing \u201cCan\u2019t hold us down.\u201d
36. \u201cThe End,\u201d Backspacer<\/i>:<\/b> A lovely song (strings and acoustic guitar only) about growing old, told from the viewpoint of someone dying (maybe from dementia, or another terminal illness). The song definitely resonates more with each passing year, especially with the chilling hard stop after Vedder\u2019s final lyric (\u201cI\u2019m here, but not much longer\u201d).
35. <\/b>\u201cComes Then Goes,\u201d Gigaton:<\/i><\/b> <\/i>An inspired acoustic ballad that acts an elegy for Chris Cornell, who had taken his own life before the recording. Even more than Layne Staley, the band felt Cornell\u2019s death. Vedder found himself the only one standing from the \u201cBig Four\u201d (five, if you count STP), and fans were half-joking that people needed to check on him.
34. <\/b>\u201cUnemployable,\u201d Pearl Jam<\/i>:<\/b> Great slice of life tune\u2014some say Springsteenesque\u2014about a blue-collar man losing his job and lying awake at night, thinking about his unpaid bills, getting up to smoke even though he hates it, and realizing his life is \u201csacrifice\u2026 was a dream that had to die.\u201d
33<\/b>. \u201cThe Fixer,\u201d Backspacer<\/i>:<\/b> Only two PJ songs were nominated for Grammys from the year 2000 forward; this is the second, and better one (the first was \u201cGrievance,\u201d and don\u2019t get me started). This one is almost pop-rock, Eddie accenting the third word of each verse by swooping it up an octave, and a general positive vibe.
32. \u201cEducation,\u201d Lost Dogs <\/i>(Binaural <\/i>outtake):<\/b> A fine Vedder-penned song with a sort of mystical gypsy feeling and some notable vocal gymnastics; McCready, as usual, crushes in his brief solo. In an alternate universe, this one and \u201cSad\u201d (coming later on this list) would have appeared on Binaural <\/i>in place of some of the duller tracks, and perhaps the album would have been better received by the faithful.
31. \u201cMind Your Manners,\u201d Lightning Bolt<\/i>:<\/b> As noted elsewhere, every album needs its short punk-rock song, just to prove the guys can still do it, and to provide a little juice to the slate of midtempo tunes that fill the rest of the albums. This one is as good as the others, particularly the bridge and solo.
30. \u201cSeven O\u2019Clock,\u201d Gigaton<\/i>: <\/b>A much more effective protest song than the others higher up on this list, with some of Eddie\u2019s most complex lyrics. It\u2019s a potent jab at Trump (\u201cSitting Bull and Crazy Horse, they forged the north and west \/ Then you\u2019ve got Sitting Bullshit as our sitting president\u201d), but that\u2019s only a brief reference (and could apply to any president, really, for whom you are not a fan). The song concerns fighting for what you believe in even if the powers that be are actively trying to take it from you. Which would never happen in America, of course.
29. \u201cSirens,\u201d Lightning Bolt<\/i>:<\/b> While in a hotel room on tour, Vedder heard some sirens out his window, and it got him thinking about the fragility of life\u2026 wondering if those sirens were coming for him. The resulting lyric is a great one about holding on to what matters because you\u2019re afraid to lose it; it\u2019s also proven to be one of the band\u2019s biggest hits, racking up 88 million (!) listens on Spotify.
28.<\/b> \u201cLet The Records Play,\u201d Lightning Bolt<\/i>:<\/b> This one is somewhat divisive among fans, but I think its chunky riffage and joy of music is addictive fun. It\u2019s a dad-rock update on \u201cSpin The Black Circle\u201d from two decades prior. Life got you down? Have a drink and put on your favorite album.
27.<\/b> \u201cLove Boat Captain,\u201d Riot Act<\/i>:<\/b> During the Binaural <\/i>tour, at the Roskilde festival in Denmark, nine people were trampled to death while the band played. Eddie had asked the crowd to step back, but they continued to surge forward throughout the show, and at one point he had to stop the music and implore everyone to take one step back. Then again. Then again. And when there was space, there were nine bodies on the ground who didn\u2019t move. Eddie fell to his knees in horror. This song (co-written by new band member and keyboardist Boom Gaspar) attempts to honor their memory: \u201cLost nine friends we’ll never know, two years ago today \/ And if our lives became too long, would it add to our regret?\u201d (Note: For obvious reasons, this is the only show that was not released from that tour).
26. \u201cGot Some,\u201d Backspacer<\/i>:<\/b> Maybe \u201cThe Fixer\u201d got the Grammy nod and the airplay, but this is the better song, a surging, unpretentious rocker that gets you pumped. What exactly does Eddie have? No idea. It doesn\u2019t matter.
25. \u201cSevered Hand,\u201d Pearl Jam:<\/i><\/b> <\/i>A loping, assured rocker, one of the unsung gems from the avocado album.
24. \u201cWho Ever Said,\u201d Gigaton<\/i>:<\/b> What starts as a generic Pearl Jam song gives way into a completely different song halfway through, gaining in steam before restating the main theme. It\u2019s a condensed epic, not something the band often attempts, and it\u2019s a very good song.
23. \u201cInfallible,\u201d Lightning Bolt<\/i>:<\/b> A great minor-key descending riff drives this song about mankind\u2019s blind belief that we\u2019re indestructible. Some interpret this as a call to action on climate change, some to refusing to change one\u2019s ways in a relationship (I\u2019m right, she\u2019s wrong); interpret it how you like, since it applies to most people in some way or another. (Except my wife, who, if she\u2019s reading this, is always right.)
22. \u201cCan\u2019t Keep,\u201d Riot Act<\/i>:<\/b> There\u2019s a warm, burnished sound to Riot Act <\/i>that was also present on Binaural <\/i>and that envelop the listener like a hug, the only Pearl Jam albums to do this (No Code <\/i>was similar in spots, but too willfully weird). It\u2019s a song about breaking away from restrictions, whether they be imposed by others or by a belief that suicide is the only way out; some feel this song was written in response to Elliott Smith\u2019s suicide.
21. <\/b>\u201cLight Years,\u201d Binaural:<\/i><\/b> <\/i>More than any other, this song really set the tone for how all future Pearl Jam would sound. It\u2019s classicist rock, with thoughtful lyrics, a confident instrumental midsection and a sense of growing up. That self-assuredness was welcome and wholly deserved.
20. \u201cGone,\u201d Pearl Jam<\/i>:<\/b> A moving ballad about leaving something for good. If you\u2019ve left home, or left a bad relationship, or a job, or moved to a new state, etc., then you\u2019ll feel this one.
19. \u201cI Am Mine,\u201d Riot Act<\/i>:<\/b> This is one where Vedder\u2019s murmur actually fits the song, feeling like a conversation with a friend where you leave feeling uplifted.
18. \u201cMan Of The Hour,\u201d single\/Big Fish <\/i>soundtrack:<\/b> A lovely, moody piece about losing your father and realizing all he did for you. It was written specifically for the movie, but the themes apply universally to any male figure who influenced you when you need it most.
17. \u201cSad,\u201d Lost Dogs (Binaural <\/i>outtake): <\/b>Lost Dogs <\/i>is one of the great rock odds\u2019n\u2019sods album, with quite a few songs that should have made albums but were relegated to B-sides. There\u2019s a great riff here and a propulsive energy that would have livened up the second half of its parent album, had it appeared. Which it should have, instead of \u201cRival\u201d or other such nonsense.
16. \u201cJust Breathe,\u201d Backspacer<\/i>:<\/b> It took 18 years, but Pearl Jam finally wrote a flat-out love song without sounding cheesy. Eddie\u2019s breaking voice every third word, the absolute sincerity of his delivery and the exquisite music results in a truly moving song.
15. \u201cDance Of The Clairvoyants,\u201d Gigaton<\/i>:<\/b> It\u2019s cool, it\u2019s different, there\u2019s a definite vibe that carries the song here, but it\u2019s the final minute that raises this up so high, as Vedder\u2019s voice circles around itself over an electro-pop beat.
13-14. \u201cBreakerfall,\u201d and \u201cGod\u2019s Dice,\u201d Binaural<\/i>:<\/b> I\u2019ve long sung the praises of Binaural <\/i>to the unconverted, especially the first half of the album, and these rollicking, brief openers (together, the songs total 4:45) shows a band refocused on the future. With Cameron as permanent drummer, and the band alone among its peers, it was the moment they leaned into the sound that would define their future.
12. \u201cSpeed Of Sound,\u201d Backspacer<\/i>:<\/b> This song gets under your skin. Maybe it\u2019s the spare, elegant guitar licks that underpin the chorus in lieu of words, maybe it\u2019s Vedder\u2019s lyrics about living with regrets, maybe it\u2019s how Cameron\u2019s drums aren\u2019t in the normal 4\/4 time, maybe it\u2019s the overall melancholic feel.
11. \u201cI Believe In Miracles,\u201d single and\/or Live At Benaroya Hall:<\/i><\/b> <\/i>The band had played this Ramones cover live and electric, and it was fine. But then in 2003 they slowed it down and made it acoustic at the benefit Benaroya show, and the song took on vibrant new life. The hopeful lyrics don\u2019t really fit with an electric and\/or punk ethos; Vedder sings this the way it should have been sung, imbuing his trademark earnestness into \u201cI used to be on an endless run \/ Believed in miracles \u2019cause I\u2019m one \/ I have been blessed with the power to survive \/ After all these years, I\u2019m still alive.\u201d That it called back to one of the band\u2019s early alternative anthems may have been a happy accident; either way, it felt like a continuation of life and hope. A single live acoustic version, from a different show, was also released in 2019, but the Benaroya one is the one to seek out.
10. \u201cOf The Earth,\u201d non-album live track: <\/b>Perhaps this is cheating, because this song has never been released in any format; I\u2019ve only ever heard it on Pearl Jam\u2019s SiriusXM satellite channel. But man, is it worth finding, because McCready just goes off. The man has only gotten better with age as a guitar player and this one allows him and the band a long jam session that just sweeps up the listener. Maybe it wouldn\u2019t work in the studio, like most jam bands, but it\u2019s easily one of the best songs the guys have performed in the last two decades.
9. \u201cThumbing My Way,\u201d Riot Act<\/i>: <\/b>A beautiful acoustic piece about getting back to someone or something that you love, that holds your heart, even if it takes a while. It\u2019s an open road piece\u2014thumbing is an allusion to hitchhiking\u2014that should accompany any journey.
8. \u201cNothing As It Seems,\u201d Binaural<\/i>: <\/b>Expansive, moody and compelling, this is the band\u2019s space rock moment, and an expansion of their capabilities as they settled into their second phase. Bassist Jeff Ament played an upright bass, McCready added a distortion pedal but faded so as not to overpower the song (until his excellent solo) and the band realized it had something cool and different and released this as the first single from the new album. Further enhancing the brooding atmosphere are Ament\u2019s lyrics, concerning his childhood in Montana; it\u2019s opaque, and even Ament later admitted that it was fragments of something darker from his past that he couldn\u2019t quite verbalize.
7. \u201cPendulum,\u201d Lightning Bolt<\/i>: <\/b>A gorgeous song about depression, or at least the lows and highs of life, with some of Eddie\u2019s best vocal work of his career. He\u2019s only grown into a better singer with each passing year; his holding of the note on the word \u201cago\u201d could break your heart.
6. \u201cSave You,\u201d Riot Act<\/i>: <\/b>A double-tracked monster riff and Cameron\u2019s cavernous drums propel this song, ferocious but not in the faux-punk-scream way that the band would later adopt when they were trying <\/i>to rock (\u201cMind Your Manners,\u201d etc.). The live wire in the song is driven by the lyrics, which are an annoyed, pleading shout to those friends who live self-destructive lives. \u201cI\u2019m not living this life with you, I\u2019m selfish and clear \/ And you\u2019re not leaving here without me,\u201d Eddie sings. \u201cFuck me if I care, but I\u2019m not leaving here \/ You helped me when I was down, I\u2019ll help you when you\u2019re down \/ Why are you hitting yourself \/ Come on, hit me instead.\u201d
5. \u201cYou Are,\u201d Riot Act<\/i>:<\/b> A vastly underrated track, and proof of Matt Cameron\u2019s songwriting skills (as alluded to at the top of this essay). There\u2019s a mechanical feel to it, enhanced by guitars everywhere, which McCready and Gossard set to a delay so each note vibrates past its initial sound. It\u2019s a cool effect and many fans consider it among the best, if not the best, track on the disc. (Bitchspork, that other music review site, barely mentioned it in their ass-backward take on the disc, which tracks).\u00a0
4. \u201cWorld Wide Suicide,\u201d Pearl Jam:<\/i><\/b> <\/i>An anti-war track that came along at just the right time, and the most energetic and cutting song since probably 1998\u2019s \u201cDo the Evolution.\u201d It\u2019s a surging blast of energy that calls out those who send soldiers to far-off lands to die, nothing more, nothing less.
3. \u201cQuick Escape,\u201d Gigaton<\/i>:<\/b> Cameron\u2019s drums drive this spacious, confident rocker about the joy of traveling, especially with people you like. There\u2019s a brief swipe at Trump, which is quickly forgotten with the wordless backing vocals behind Eddie and, to close the piece, McCready\u2019s best solo on record in over a decade. Like \u201cAlive,\u201d it\u2019s a moment you don\u2019t want to end, and it really kicks the song up a notch or six, particularly when he and Cameron are dueling each other.
2. \u201cInsignificance,\u201d Binaural:<\/i><\/b> <\/i>A crashing, dramatic rocker, and an ominous look at how humans cause the destruction of others without even knowing it. Specifically, Eddie would later say this was referring to Boeing, headquartered in Seattle (\u201cforgive our hometown\u201d), the aerospace company that helped make weapons of war (\u201cbombs dropping down\u201d and \u201chuman tide rolls in\u201d), and those same factory workers who then went to the bar on the weekends to drink and listen to music and consume without thinking about the effects of their actions. But it\u2019s not as didactic as that sounds and it\u2019s so easy to get caught up the sweep of the music that it takes a minute for that message to sink in.
1. \u201cInside Job,\u201d Pearl Jam:<\/i><\/b>Eddie wears his heart on sleeve. It\u2019s why we love this band. And I grant you that rock and roll is this band\u2019s DNA, but emotion is interwoven into the music and lyrics just as much as slashing guitars and old-school punk-meets-classic rock ethos. This song is stunning, opening with a long piano\/acoustic guitar duet that sets the mood before Vedder\u2019s murmured, almost offhand vocals, which eventually explode into the full band at just the right time. It\u2019s a song of hope, ultimately: \u201cHow I choose to feel \/ Is how I am \/ I will not lose my faith \/ It\u2019s an inside job, today,\u201d Vedder sings, with passion, with the music then shifting to a major key. McCready gets a triumphant guitar solo to close the seven-minute song, and you have the finest piece of music the band has recorded in the last 23 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Pearl Jam Song Countdown (2000 and Beyond)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":48383,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"tags":[],"feature_type":[32],"class_list":["post-47956","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\/47956","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"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature\/47956\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47956"},{"taxonomy":"feature_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature_type?post=47956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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By the dawn of the new century, Pearl Jam had transitioned into the second phase of their career. Grunge and alt-rock was done. Drummer Jack Irons (the third drummer in the \u201990s for the band) had left after 1998\u2019s Yield<\/i>. The band had hit with a cover of the oldie \u201cLast Kiss\u201d in 1999, but the question remained: what now?<\/p>\n