Customer Reviews

Merkinball

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am an avid Pearl Jam fan, and have disovered that their best work is often found on their singles, and this 2 song album. I Got ID and The Long Road are probably two of their greatest songs, along with Yellowledbetter and Breath, I think that Pearl Jam has shown that they are truly great artists. Don't get me wrong, their other albums rocked also, and since their release of Yeild I am anxiuos to see what they have in store for fans like myself in the future. Ever since Ten came out I have been following Pearl Jam, and really like the work that Neal Young has inspired in them. I only hope to see them do something together again in the near future.

This single is packaged exactly like Neil Young's "Mirrorball", which is fitting since it's actually a "companion piece" to that album and Neil even plays guitar on "I Got ID". It only includes two songs, but both songs are top quality material. "I Got ID" has a sort of a ballad-ish feel to it for a while until the heavy guitar chorus kicks in... really hard to explain this song, but trust me when I say that it's one of the band's finest. The version on this CD is great, but I personally prefer this song live (a GREAT live version of this song, also called "I Got S**t", can be found on the Katowice 2 live album). The second song, "Long Road", is really the reason why every Pearl Jam fan should own this album; it is simply too beautiful to put to words. If you've heard a live version of it before, forget about it; the studio version blows all other versions of this song away. This song is also included on the "Dead Man Walking" soundtrack, along with another Vedder contriution called "Face Of Love", so if you like this one, check the other one out as well. Also worthy of notice is a hard-to-find Pearl Jam B-Side called "Dead Man" that was originally written for the film, but never included on the soundtrack. Find it on the import "Off He Goes" single.

These 2 songs deserve the cd all to themselves. Pearl Jam and Neil Young push each other to the best they can deliver on this one (in contrast to Mirrorball, which I found a real disappointment). Young's guitar playing on Id is reminiscent of his Rust Never Sleeps era, and is simply electrifying, conveying even more emotion than Vedder's vocals.
Long Road displays Pearl Jam's ability slow it down a bit and make really beautiful music.
I don't really think these 2 songs quite mesh with any of their full lengths in style. But this cd is a must for anyone who likes Pearl Jam, in my opinion... the versions released on the live cds still don't compare to these recordings.

First of all, the last review is pretty much spot on. Long Road is not only probably PJ's best song, it is one of the most beautiful songs for years. Wriiten as a reaction to the passing of one of his High School teachers, Long Road is a sombre, yet ultimatley uplifting song. Although Eddie's vocal is full of emotion, it's as if he accepts the grief + sadness because he believes they will meet again ("there's no need to say goodbye").

It's a subject he would revisit in later years, ( Light Years ) but this release, in between Vitalogy and No Code is a perfect mark for the 2nd phase of Pearl Jam's work. Neil Young lends his experience to both songs, as Mike + Stone did not play on either track. It's a release that is probably owned by most dedicated Pearl Jam fans, it's a release that should be in all homes.

These two songs definetly deserve their own album. "I Got ID" is an emotional catharsis and Vedder's howling voice will bring you to tears. "Long Road" has the exact effect, but on a more tragic level. The first song stings with anger while the second leaves you breathless. You will never stop listening to this. Believe me.

I've been a Pearl Jam fan for a long time, so there was no doubt whether or not to buy this CD- the name on the label told me it was good. But when I heard the sample of "I got Id", I still was completely in awe. It was a soothing blend of guitars fronted by Eddie's priceless voice. That clip of the song stayed in the back of my head until the CD came in the mail. "Long Road" is also far from average song. Pearl Jam amazes me time and time again how they can come up with songs that touch emotions better than anything else you can experience. I'm only sad I hadn't heard it sooner. Pearl Jam fan or not, this is the best five bucks you'll ever spend.

these two songs are some of pearl jam's best of all time. these songs hearken back to the TEN days (a VERY VERY good thing) and in some ways surpass a lot of the TEN days material. i got ID is simply stunning...the guitar work isnt as defined as most pearl jam, in some ways working like sonic youth's trademark feedback backwash guitar style, letting eddie's intense, personal yet somehow non-sensical vocal preformance explode over the rest of the band. Long Road truly is a long song-one of the longest regular songs pearl jam have ever done (excluding bonus track cd closers and stupid mop...), and is a low-key ballad that uses keys better than any other pearl jam song to date.

if you call yourself a pearl jam fan, you MUST own this gem.

I recently bought the Touring Band DVD and as I put it on, it was this song called Long Road. ... Knowing how good these songs were live, I had to find the studio versions and here I found the studio recordings completely blowing away the live ones.

I Got Id: Opening with a cool chord progression, then it builds up to this huge chorus which it goes into a nice solo. Some great singing by Eddie. 8/10

Long Road: THE absolute reason to spend your money on this. This song is so epic and dynamic that it's hard to put in words. The melody and the vocals just really carry this song and also the atmosphere of the drums bringing it into a tribal-like part. Then there's the keyboards. You almost think this was part of a movie soundtrack.(Which it actually was for Dead Man Walking). 11/10

Even though this only has 2 songs, it's 2 of the band's best and you really have to hear Long Road, the reason to buy this.

In this ep, pearl jam record two simple yet amazing songs. Both full of emotions and an attitude that we hadnt heard out of this great band before. Plus neil youg playing with the band. Cant get better than that, yet it does. The much acclaimed long road is here, in its purest form, and i got id, a wise rocking song that pushes your nerves to pleasure through sound.Even though there are better versions of long road, this cd is worth twice its price and is definetively a must have.

i got id is a track that could have easily been put on any of the five main release cd's. vedder is at his best and there is some great guitar work. one of those songs like dissident with a catchy but not necessarily cheerful chorus. the second track long road is the cd's best. the song incorporates the expected brilliant vocals and lyrics, with tribal drums + guitars to create simply awesome sound. first time i heard this was at a live concert in melbourne, australia 1998. it was the first song of the concert and absolutely blew me away. all in all merkinball is a must for the collection.