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Binaural
Pearl Jam lowered its profile after becoming a worldwide musical phenomenon in the early '90s, pulling back from the touring, radio, and press fronts. And this diverse 13-song outing, lacking another "Alive" or "Better Man," isn't the album to thrust Pearl Jam back into the limelight. Binaural kicks out the jams with a grandiosity worthy of the Who, as Pearl Jam roars through the loose, raucous two-minute-plus opener "Breakerfall" and into another brief rave-up, "God's Dice." Quickly, though, the loud MC5-style guitar outpourings that begin PJ's seventh album (and first to feature former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron) morph into the edgy, taut "Evacuation" and the midtempo "Light Years." The spare, mournful "Nothing as It Seems" (with lyrics and music by bassist Jeff Ament), "Thin Air," and the lilting "Parting Ways" all reflect romantic introspection. Eddie Vedder's poignant ukulele-accompanied "Soon Forget" is an affecting aside, and the rollicking "Insignificance" and Middle Eastern-tinged "Of the Girl" are all noteworthy. That's a strong lineup, but Binaural nevertheless falls short of the heights this talented group scaled in the past.
--Katherine Turman
Ten
Part of the '90s Seattle grunge triumvirate completed by Nirvana
and Soundgarden, Pearl Jam debuted with Ten, their most
accessible, least self-conscious album. Over time, PJ's rep as
a politically correct band just a little too above it all to
prostitute its music on MTV has nearly superseded the music.
But before that, they were a simply an in-your-face, in-your-head,
loud, melodic rock band. And lead singer Eddie Vedder was known
for his possessed stage presence and a primal growl that sounded
like it required three vocal chords. The personal, narrative
singles "Alive," "Jeremy," and "Even Flow" catapulted the
reluctant band into the 10-million-plus-sales division.
Subsequent albums are more intricate, subtle, thematically
complex, and, in many ways, better than Ten. But the band may
never repeat the stampede caused by this debut. --Beth Bessmer
Live On Two Legs
Seventy-one minutes of live Pearl Jam plus an unreleased song?
It's aural nirvana for fans of the reclusive, integrity-driven
Seattle quintet. Pearl Jam are nothing if not passionate and
unabashedly rocking, and this 16-track offering, recorded
during their Yield tour, illustrates why the mumbly voiced rock
deity and his band of merry men inspire such ardor in their
followers. Eddie Vedder's emotive vocals, Mike McCready and
Stone Gossard's raw and raging fretwork and edgy, catchy,
whisper-to-a-scream dynamics are deftly and inspiringly
captured. Though a few staples (including "Jeremy") are
missing, songs running the gamut of the band's seven-year
career--from "Corduroy" to "Nothingman" to the Neil Young-penned
"F*ckin' Up"--more than make up for any exclusions. The breadth
and scope found on Live on Two Legs (a take on the Queen song,
"Death on Two Legs"?) proves the once über-"alternative" Pearl
Jam have struck a loud chord in the mainstream...and that's not
a bad thing. --Katherine Turman
Yield
The Seattle band once notable for its arena rock anthems is now
remarkable mostly for its hushed melodies. On Pearl Jam's fifth
album, the rockers seem slapdash ("Do the Evolution", "Brain of
J"), and the arty experiments sound self-conscious (especially
the 67-second knockoff, "-"). That leaves the ballads, especially
the lovely lilt of "Low Light" and the clear-eyed lament of
"Wishlist." On the latter song, Ed Vedder (as he now calls
himself) yearns to be many different things, from a neutron
bomb to a souvenir key chain. However, the line that sticks out
is, "I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me." Instead of
considering himself lucky to be a rock star, Vedder sounds
relieved to have moved beyond it. --Keith Moerer
All Reviews Copyright Amazon.com 2000
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