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pearl jam: album by album

Ten  (1991)

Released four weeks before Nirvana's Nevermind, Ten will always be linked to it and considered as one of the albums to usher in the arrival of alternative and grunge.  How strong Pearl Jam's ties to this movement is debatable, though, because they'll always be a classic rock band first.

For me, Ten doesn't hold up as well as some of their other albums.  Most people point to Ten as PJ's greatest work, but it ends up being the weakest until they reach lower lows once we leave the 90s.  A lot of these songs take on a new life in concert (Porch, Even Flow) but they don't translate as well on the album.  It's still a landmark album because it's the first, but it only hints at what Eddie and Co. are capable of.

Best Song: Black - Arguably, PJ's best song of all-time.  Evocative lyrics from Eddie and great solo guitar work. 

1. Once

2. Even Flow

3. Alive

4. Why Go

5. Black

6. Jeremy

7. Oceans

8. Porch

9. Garden

10. Deep

11. Release

1.5

2.5

4

2

5

4

3

4

3.5

1

3.5

Vs. (1993)

Vs. qualifies as the most interesting album Pearl Jam has ever put out. How can a follow-up to a successful debut be so schizophrenic and inconsistent? Vs. manages to reach some of the highest highs but contain some of the worst tracks they have ever laid down.

I've always viewed Vs. as an album in transition. And the release of Vitalogy a little over a year later seems to bolster that claim. (Note: the following isn't the exact order, but it's close enough) The first half of the album seems to pick up where Ten left off.  In the middle of the album, they get lost and produce some of their worst tracks.  They then start to find their way and foreshadow towards Vitalogy at the end of the album.  The more I listen to it, the more I can hear the slow, painful, progression from Ten to Vitalogy.

Best Song: A toss-up, but I'll go with Rearviewmirror.  Nothing like freeing yourself from abuse to get the fists pumping.

1. Go

2. Animal

3. Daughter

4. Glorified G

5. Dissident

6. W.M.A.

7. Blood

8. Rearviewmirror

9. Rats

10. Elderly Woman...

11. Leash

12. Indifference

3.5

4

3.5

2

3.5

1.5

1

5

1.5

5

4

4.5

Vitalogy (1994)

Simply put, Vitalogy is Pearl Jam's masterpiece. They were able to combine varying song styles and mature lyrics into a tight, cohesive package that stands the test of time. 

When the drums kick up "Last Exit," Vitalogy takes you by the throat and refuses to let go. "Nothingman," "Better Man," and "Immortality" show Eddie at his contemplative best and he's reached new heights as a songwriter. The production on the album is definitely more stripped down than what we had gotten used to and it lends Vitalogy an immediacy that didn't show up before. 

Like all great bands, Pearl Jam find themselves stretching in new directions on the album. "Bugs" is a great quirky accordion-driven stomp, "Aye Davanita" moves along with a great groove, and "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me" is both creepy and fascinating in the same vein as "Revolution 9" and "Fitter Happier."

I never tire of Vitalogy. Never. And if I haven't listened to Pearl Jam in a while, it's the first album I reach for. Not only is it Pearl Jam's best, but Vitalogy deserves serious consideration for all-time status.

Best Song: There are so many great ones, but I always come back to the powerful Immortality.

1. Last Exit

2. Spin the Black Circle

3. Not For You

4. Tremor Christ

5. Nothingman

6. Whipping

7. Pry, To

8. Corduroy

9. Bugs

10. Satan's Bed

11. Better Man

12. Aye Davanita

13. Immortality

14. Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me

4

3

4.5

3.5

5

3.5

2.5

5

3

4

5

3.5

5

3

No Code  (1996)

Fresh off the achievement of Vitalogy, Pearl Jam weren't about to rest on their laurels, choosing to continue expanding their sound on the ambitious No Code. The result is another high mark to establish a streak of great albums.

While not typical of what we had become accustomed to from Pearl Jam, it's a rewarding change of pace. The first 10 songs constitute as good a set of songs as any in Pearl Jam's catalog - anchored by the mesmerizing "Off He Goes." "Red Mosquito" might be their most underrated song and "Who You Are," "Smile," "Lukin," and "Present Tense" establish other high points of the album.

As with Vitalogy, No Code is an album that I never tire of. And I think it would have been interesting to see Pearl Jam continue on this path of experimentation and different styles. As it stands, No Code is practically an island compared to the rest of their albums, but holds up extremely well as one of their best.

Best Song: The stunning and incomparable Off He Goes

1. Sometimes

2. Hail, Hail

3. Who You Are

4. In My Tree

5. Smile

6. Off He Goes

7. Habit

8. Red Mosquito

9. Lukin

10. Present Tense

11. Mankind

12. I'm Open

13. Around the Bend

3.5

4.5

4

3

4

5

3

5

3.5

4

2.5

2

3

Yield  (1998)

For some people unhappy with the musical turn of No Code, Yield was a celebrated return to form. In a way, it is a return to form. But it doesn't make it better than its predecessor.

The first three songs get Yield off to a pretty good start, but it doesn't hit a great song until "Wishlist" at number 5. It's one of Pearl Jam's most beautiful songs both musically and lyrically and the unfinished ending adds to its mystique and timelessness. 

The one weakness in Yield lies in the middle of the album, where it hits a bad song-good song rotation, beginning with the ordinary and severely overrated "Given To Fly." "Pilate" and "[red dot]" are the other mediocre songs polluting the middle. 

I have held out for years that Yield was their second best album, but it hasn't held up as well for me as I thought it would. It still remains third of this string of three landmark albums and it will serve as a pseudo-template for later releases.

Best Song: The aforementioned Wishlist

1. Brain of J

2. Faithful

3. No Way

4. Given to Fly

5. Wishlist

6. Pilate

7. Do the Evolution

8. red dot

9. MFC

10. Low Light

11. In Hiding

12. Push Me, Pull Me

13. All Those Yesterdays

3.5

3.5

3.5

3

5

2

4.5

1.5

4

3.5

3

4

4.5

Binaural  (2000)

Binaural and Riot Act are essentially the same album, and they are both disappointing. The sad thing is that, even if you took the best songs off each and put together a "Best Of" these two albums, the result would still be subpar.

Binaural came first in 2000, and the band just sounds tired. For good reason, though, as this was their fifth studio album in six-and-a-half years. Tired, actually, might not be the best word, since they follow up with a pretty extensive tour that began the bootleg release program. So, change tired to disinterested.

Binaural lacks a standout track, but does manage to come up with a few good songs. "Nothing As it Seems," the best track here, is a midrange Pearl Jam song at best. "Thin Air," "Insignificance," and "Parting Ways" are decent enough, but it is unfortunate that they are the only ones worth listening to. Binaural is notable, though, for some severe misses that Pearl Jam hasn't had since Vs. in "God's Dice," "Evacuation," "Grievance," and "Sleight of Hand."

Best Song: Nothing As It Seems

1. Breakerfall

2. God's Dice

3. Evacuation

4. Light Years

5. Nothing As It Seems

6. Thin Air

7. Insignificance

8. Of the Girl

9. Grievance

10. Rival

11. Sleight of Hand

12. Soon Forget

13. Parting Ways

2.5

2

1

3.5

4

3.5

3

3

1.5

3

1.5

2.5

3.5

Riot Act (2002)

Riot Act followed two years later and left me scratching my head. Nobody was clamoring for a new Pearl Jam disc and after the disappointment of Binaural, you would hope they would take some time and regroup.  As it stands, it practically came and went without any notice. The throwaway nature with which it seemed to arrive mirrored the quality. "I Am Mine" is probably their best song since Yield, but that is the only above-average track on the entire album.

Whereas Binaural showcased a disinterested band, Riot Act seemed completely unnecessary. The leadoff track "Can't Keep" is one of the most frustrating songs in Pearl Jam's catalog. It actually shows promise and putting Riot Act in the CD player for the first time would be encouraging, but the song goes absolutely nowhere. It builds a little and then lets down again and again. Of course, Riot Act was barely able to build anything and stands as the worst collection of Pearl Jam songs.

Best Song: I Am Mine, which actually deserves much better than its surrounding mediocrity

1. Can't Keep

2. Save You

3. Love Boat Captain

4. Cropduster

5. Ghost

6. I Am Mine

7. Thumbing My Way

8. You Are

9. Get Right

10. Green Disease

11. Help Help

12. Bushleaguer

13. 1/2 Full

14. Arc

15. All or None

2

3

3

2.5

2

4.5

3

2.5

1.5

2.5

2

2.5

2

2.5

3

Pearl Jam (2006)

After two subpar releases, Pearl Jam took their time on a follow-up. The patience paid off as they sound revitalized and have put together their best album in 10 years. "Marker in the Sand" is one of the highlights early on.  It showcases Pearl Jam at their best by combining hard-edged verses with a chorus that slows things down a little.

The penultimate track "Come Back" is their best song since "Off He Goes" and an instant qualifier for top ten of all-time. Eddie's voice is strong here and the band brings the song home at the end. It's simply mesmerizing. If there is one weak spot on the album, it lies towards the end of the middle with "Big Wave" and "Gone."  

These are barely weak points, though, because there isn't a bad song here. After a four-year layoff and two bad albums, I was starting to wonder if Pearl Jam was even relevant anymore. Pearl Jam answers that here with a resounding "Yes!"

Best Song: Come Back

1. Life Wasted

2. World Wide Suicide

3. Comatose

4. Severed Hand

5. Marker in the Sand

6. Parachutes

7. Unemployable

8. Big Wave

9. Gone

10. Wasted Reprise

11. Army Reserve

12. Come Back

13. Inside Job

4

3

4

3.5

5

3.5

4.5

3

2.5

3

3.5

5

4.5