With the release of the band's new album "Gigaton" imminent, I felt it would be a good time to discuss the wide, and very varied discograph of Pearl Jam. This band is very near and dear to my heart. I'm kind of an outlier in the sense that I prefer their weirder and more experimental moments. I feel the band is mostly at it's best when they are at their most esoteric and thoughtful.
The band started out in a fairly turbulent time in the history of the United States. Our country was in the middle of the gulf war, and heading towards the waning days of George Bush Sr.' s presidency. Generation X was at their peak, and it showed through Pearl Jam's music. In the preceeding years the band did mature and grow out of that angsty phase. To me, this set them aside from a lot of (awful) bands that would go on to ape their "style." I say that because the general public usually listens to their first album and kinda stops at that. You are really doing youself a disservice by only sticking to Ten. I personally don't hate that album, but I find it largely very orver rated in the grand scheme of their output. In any case I preface this list by saying I don't outright hate any of their albums, but I do tend to prefer the band when they were a bit less overly self serious. A lot of people dislike the band for that reason, and I get some people's dislike of Eddie's "yarl" mostly because we had to endure a decade of shitty Creed music. But with Ed I have never really minded that much, and his vocals tend to get a lot less operatic once you venture past the first album. I would even say VS. is a better starting point. In any case, here's a rough estimate of my "list."
1. No Code (1996) - Yeah, I get it. A lot of people don't like this record. It definitely doesn't have the energy of their previous album, but what this album lacks in punch it makes up for in spades in substance. It definitely takes many listens to get into this one, but I found this album to be an extremely enriching experience. This came at a weird time for the band, and it's understandable that this one comes off as a bit odd. However, Ed was really digging into lyrical content that no rock band had, and really has ever covered since. This was the first step the band took into philosophy, self-care, and maturity. They had spent some time off to tour with Neil Young, and you really feel his influence, especially on songs like "Smile" and "Off he goes." This album has been a real guiding light in my life. The band made this transition from a brooding self-destructive "grunge" band to a band that had some really meaningful things to say. As much as I enjoy VS. and Vitalogy for their energy, they are really albums that cover a laundry list of things for Ed to complain about. and that's not to say some of that isn't present here. Lukin and Habit are definitely reflective of what was going on with the guys. Ed had a realy stalker problem, and had to go through years of therapy to overcome depression and anxiety he developed due to not being able to really handle his fame in a healthy manner. Songs like "Red Mosquito" and "I'm Open" show the band exploring a trippy and experimental side that they don't always explore. Also, Smile still slaps.
It's worth noting that former Red Hot Chilli Peppers drummer Jack Irons joined the band for this album and Yield. His influence really shows an interesting shift in the bands style.
But songs like "Who You Are", "In My Tree", and "Present Tense" represent the band leading themselves and the listener to a healthier outlook on life, and that really is why this album earns my top spot. Even "Hail, Hail" has a really deep and meaningful message about relationships, even if it's not the most interesting song they have ever written. Also, I really love the way this album begins with a prayer ("Sometimes") and ends with a lullaby ("Around the Bend"). If you think this album is "boring" that's your loss I guess. It's got a ton to offer. To each their own.
2. Binaural (2000) - Another album that's often unfairly maligned in their catalog. One common criticism is that the production is farily murky in a sense. This could be attributed to the Binarual recording techniques the album got it's name from. and yes, this album is generally on the more mellow side. However, to me, that's not a bad thing. This album represents some of the best songs this band has ever written. Is the execution always on par with the writing? That depends on who you ask. This album was my introduction to this band. My step brother had me listen to the song "Light years" as I was kind of a hater of the band at this point. I had only heard "Ten", and even to this day I have mixed feelings about their debut. There are a few songs that were cut from this album that made their way onto their rarities album "Lost Dogs." "Fatal" really should have made the cut as it's probably one of the best slow songs the band has ever written. but Rival is probably the best song the band has ever written about the topic of school violence (I hate "Jeremy" by the way). "Of the girl", "Thin Air", "Grievance", "Breakerfall", "Insignificance", "Parting Ways", and "Slight of Hand" are probably up there as my favorite songs by the band. "Soon Forget" Is a nice little ukelele tun that was directly inspired by Pete Townshend of the Who. To me this album also represents the band kind of having more fun, and this is the point where they entered into their phase as a classic rock band. I know Ed had bad writer's block, and Mike had some health issues, but despite that this is a very exceptional album.
3. Vs. (1993) - If anyone wants to dive into this band I would say start here. Pearl Jam really explore their punkier side on this album. This record is just pure fury and energy. Ed did away with a lot of the operatic tendencies of Ten and focused more on being visceral. This album is also one of their most finely tuned political statements. Subjects ranging from police brutality ("W.M.A") to gun violence ("Glorified G") to corrupt politics ("Rats") to anti-domestic abuse ("Go", "Animal", "Daughter") are explored here in very metaphorical but blunt ways. Also, "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" is probably the best ballad the band ever wrote, and displays their strengths as storytellers. Also, if you ever get a chance to hear the band duet "Indifference" with Ben Harper, it's totally worth it. Only semi negative thing I would say is this album really deals a fair amount with Eds' conflicting relationship with his fame. While "Blood" absolutely slaps, it's definitely just him complaining a bunch. That being said this subject isn't dealt with quite as much as it is on Vitalogy.
4. Yield (1998) - Another one of their "Weird" albums. Though to be honest I don't find Yield all that odd for the most part. It's definitely one of the bands more mellow albums, but it's a breath of fresh air if you listen to their albums chronologically. This album is really interesting in that it contains a weird deceptive calm to it. There are a lot of philosophical and political undertones going on. Sometimes they aren't that subtle: "Do the Evolution", and the fantastic "Brain of J". "Faithful" is also drenched in a lot of meanings that can be interpreted in a lot of different ways. However I would say this album can also be the band at their happiest and calmest. "In Hiding", "Wishlist", "Pilate", and "Low Light" show a side of this band that didn't really come through up to this point. Gone is the incessant bitching about fame that was present on Vitalogy and Vs. Also "MFC' is a great live staple to this day. I can't talk about this album without mentioning "Given to Fly." Yes, it's a pretty blatant copy of the basic structure of "Going to California" by Led Zeppelin, but it's a very loving one at that. Also, "Push me, Pull me" is a well put together and weird-ass experiment.
5. Vitalogy (1994) - While I've spent a fair amount of time making jabs at this record, It's actually quite good. Yes, this album reads like a lot of the band venting and lamenting their lot in the world. However, the album makes up for a lack in some lyrical substance with a ton of energy and weird creative mucking about. This album shows Ed's Fugazi influence in full force. Ed's writing had gotten a bit more cryptic and less personal on this album in some ways. But that's one of the album's strengths, and honestly, it leads to the band writing much more interesting music in the long run. This album is kind of desolate and bleak though, maybe even more than Ten. If it weren't for the punk tendencies on the harder tracks, I wouldn't enjoy this as much. Some of the weirder tracks get a lot of hate, but I feel like it gives the album a sort of semi concept in a sense. I don't love this album as much as some other people do due to the often dour and negative tone of the album but that doesn't mean I don't like it quite a lot. Also, I really relate to the song "Betterman" a lot as a result of the experiences I had with my family growing up.
6. Lightning Bolt (2013) - This album can be a slightly mixed bag, but overall I feel it's aged decently well. Tracks like "Getaway", "Mind Your Manners", and "Lightning Bolt" show the band still have a ton of energy and bite. "Pendulum" revisits some of the Pink Floyd Esque moodiness of Binaural to great effect. "Infallible" and "Swallowed Whole" are great tracks as well. "Yellow Moon" is a perfectly enjoyable track, but does feel like a leftover from Ed's "Into the Wild" soundtrack. "Sirens" took me a long time to get into. I do like the track, but it's not their strongest ball and or single. It's heck of a lot better than the tepid "Just Breathe" off of Backspacer. Also while I don't love the closing track "Future Days" it's also much better than the cringe-inducing "The end" From the previous album as well. "My Father's Son" is also a great punk rock stomper.
7. Ten (1991) - I "get" why this album is so popular. and I don't completely hate every song on this album. "Oceans", "Porch" and "Garden" are definitely up there as songs I love. I really love the early live versions of "Alive" but I don't like the studio version as much. "Even flow" is an ok song that has a great message, but let's be honest, even the band has to be sick of playing that song by now. Heck they even speed through it now like they don't really give a shit. "Black" is a song I am not crazy about on the album, but you can tell the band loves playing it live, and Eddie sings it with a fondness now that really makes it endering.... years and years later. "Once" is a solid opener, though takes a whole weird messed up meaning if you read it in it's intended pairing with "Alive", and the b-side "Footsteps." What I absolutely HATE about this album is it's overly dramatic and cringe-inducing self-serious sense of drama. A lot of people hate on this band because of this reason, and on this album alone I kind of get it to a degree.
Fun factoid, I have been working right by the school that was the basis of the story for the song "Jeremy." I definitely get why Ed Wrote this song. He's really well-meaning and an empathetic guy to an extent. I just feel like he learned to dial back his drama on subsequent records, much to my relief and the betterment of the band.
What I do dig about this album is it's Stevie Ray Vaughan influence. I'm glad they only contained that influence to this one album, but it's really an endearing quality that highlights Mike's skill as a guitarist.
8. Gigaton (2020) - I know it's kind of early to rank this album as I've only heard it maybe once at this point, but it's got the best of many facets of this band. It's got some of the weirder tendencies of their 1996-1998 output but with more energy. It feeds off of the strengths of their last two albums while culling the stuff that didn't work well at all. This is all a pleasant surprise as I fully expected to hate the album based on the first two singles. However, the No Code fan in me knew that the weird nature of this album's first single was probably a good sign. What did surprise me is the range of tones and emotions going on in this album. I would say that there are a couple semi-weak songs (here's looking at you "Alright") but the extremely long time the songs had to really age and come out light a fine wine really are to the betterment of this album. As much as I like Lightning Bolt, there are a few songs on that album that feel a little rushed. I think the band knew that and took their time with this release. I think this album will age very well overall. My only inital thought is that there's a bit of inconsistency in the quality of the album as the songs seem to be all written at different points over the last few years.
9. Riot Act (2001) - My opinion of this album has changed drastically over the years. Initially, I found it a little on the boring side... and to some degree there's some truth to that statement. There are a ton of great songs on this album though. "Can't Keep" is one of my favorite openers. "Cropduster" is a really interesting song that shows off Eds' penchant for philosophy really well. "I Am Mine" is a great song about finding strength in one's self. "Half Full" is a decent jam that was tailor-made for the purpose of adding a little spice to the bands live set. I would say similar things about "Green Disease" and "Get Right." "All or None" and "Thumbing My Way" are heartbreaking and beautiful songs. There is definitely something to be said for this album feeling... sluggish. The band had been dealt a blow when a number of their fans had been crushed to death at a concert that went horribly wrong prior to making this album. Add to that the looming presence of 9/11 and it's easy to understand why this band would be a bit beleaguered. Speaking of beleaguered there's the song "Bushleager." I personally appreciate what the band was going for in writing this song. It's kind of an odd spoken word track in the vein of "Push me, Pull me" but it definitely shows off Ed's wit as a songwriter.
Overall this album has generally aged well for me, even if I didn't like it at first. I would say the opposite about the next entry.
10. Pearl Jam (2006) - This album was billed as the kick in the groin that listeners needed after the sluggish Riot Act. I would argue about half of that album lives up to that title. The other half, not as much. This was an album I played to death when I was in college and the country was in the middle of two wars. It's got spunk, anger, and an axe to grind. However, I don't feel this album has aged particularly well. Sure, "Severed Hand", "Marker in the Sand", "Comatose" and "Worldwide Suicide" are still hard-hitting songs that hold up extremely well. The other songs mostly just don't. "Army Reserve" being a slight exception, though it's a song that was partially written by someone that's not even in the band. However, this album is fairly dark and represented the time it was made in very aptly. I fear we will soon be going through even tougher times than what this album represented fairly soon.
"Come Back" is a decent update on a "Black-esque" ballad, but doesn't quite have the same charm, and is a bit on the depressing side once you get into the lyrical content. "Big wave" is a fun little punk song that doesn't quite feel like it fits on the record. While I will defend "Parachutes" as a decent update to "Oceans" it's a bit awkward and doesn't quite work overall. Same goes for "Unemployable". A lot of these latter side tunes just suffer from being kind of awkward ideas that could have been executed a little better. A lot of people really like "Inside Job" but I'm kind of mixed on the song. I do think it's a fitting way to end a dark album on a hopeful note, but it's a bit too dramatic at some points. I also just feel like this song doesn't quite live up to it's potential. I have similar feelings about the opener. While "Life Wasted" isn't a terrible song, it just is so self-serious.
11. Backspacer (2009) - I'm probably ranking this album lower than I should but to me, this album falls under the category of being too safe. Don't get me wrong, "Force of Nature" is probably one of the best latter-day Pearl Jam Songs ever written, but many songs feel very underdeveloped and even forced. This does have one of my favorite album openers in the fun "Gonna See My Friend". "Johnny Guitar" is a fun if not oddball tune. "Unthought Known", "The Fixer", and "Amongst the Waves" are some of the most hopeful and uplifting tunes the band has ever written. However, this album really stinks of commercial pandering. Around this time the band got a new manager, and their professional decisions started to get kind of weird. They made a video for the Fixer that's essentially an ad for a big box store. I'm sure Target paid the band very well for that, but this is a decision the band would have scoffed at, even in their Yield days. This album is also way too short. Songs like "Got Some" and "Supersonic" are fun, but kind of forgettable. This album also contains the worst closer in the bands catalog. "Just Breathe" and "The End" are sugar coated eye rolling cheese that this band can do way better than forcing on the public. If it weren't for a few strong tracks I would say you can skip this one mostly.
Honorable Mention - Lost Dogs (2003) - This isn't technically an official album, but it's worth mentioning because it features some of the best songs the band has ever written. For some unfathomable reason, the band cut some great songs from their albums and they made their way onto this release. The songs from Binaural ("Sad", "In the Moonlight", and "Fatal" are especially great) and Riot Act ("Down", "Other Side") really shines here. There are some songs that were re-recorded for this release. Specifically "Alone", "Hold On", "Dead Man", "Wash", "You", and "Hard to Imagine" have versions that are completely different from their initial b-side releases. While these versions are mostly not bad, it's an odd choice in an album where most of the songs are pretty true to the original versions. If it weren't for the fact this technically isn't an official release per se, I would rank this above Lightning Bolt on this list. It's that good of a collection of songs.
