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No Code

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I remember getting this disc as a birthday present the year it came out. Much like the cover artwork, at first it seemed weird and too jumpy, but after repeated listens, it all started to fall in place.

While I'm admittedly not the biggest Pearl Jam fan out there, my comments may seem a bit worthless to bigger fans, But...this album is a masterpiece. It's dark, moody, eerie, ambient, reflective, searching, brutal and peaceful all at the same time, which leads me to some degree to believe that this is Pearl Jams's biggest artistic statement. It starts with the quiet, dark and ambient Sometimes. Then it bursts into the explosive Hail, Hail, which is followed by the hypnotic, middle-eastern Who You Are, which features an elf-like choir sound brought on by the vocal overdubs. It's weird but excellent. In My Tree is hard to describe actually, but it's somewhat catchy and groovy. Smile is a mid-tempo rocker. Off He Goes is a slow, dark, quiet and reflective piece with some poignant lyrics. Habit is a brutal rocker about drug addiction, if I'm not mistaken. Red Mosquito has a Neil Young type feel to it, which is bluesy/country-esque and heavy. Lukin is a 1 minute rocker with Eddie Vedder growling at super speed, which makes it hard to understand what he is saying, check out some websites to get the lyrics. Present Tense starts out slow and absorbing, then turns into a musical assault. Mankind is another heavy rocker, this time out, it's sung by Stone Gossard, which I rather like. He sounds like Ed Roland of Collective Soul. I'm Open is like a poetic number. Musically it's dark, ambient and somewhat new age-esque. Love the chant "I'm Open, "I'm Open". Around The Bend is an acoustic, peaceful number to end out this spectacular disc. This is an excellent, musically transcendent disc. Highly recommended to music lovers with a sense of adventure, space, mood, reflection and introspection.

I don't know why this record did not do as well as its predecessors. It is a great piece of rock music. Maybe it wasn't marketed as well or something? There is easily some of Pearl Jam's best work on this record. And, of course, there is some strange stuff. But hey, it wouldn't really be Pearl Jam without some mild craziness, now would it?

This album is a major step in the evolution of Pearl Jam. There is a feel to this record that was not in the previous works by Eddie Vedder and the boys. There is a calmness. Not to say that there it contains no rock, but not plagued with era-related, stereotypical rock anthems. There is a feel of classic rock and maybe even some blues.

The first single "Who You Are" is very cool. It has this rolling drum beat and an almost Arabic sounding guitar (Eddie denies completely that the song was influenced by the time he spent with, now sadly deceased, Pakistani singer Nusrat Fatah Ali Khan, while working on the soundtrack of "Dead Man Walking." Eddie says that the song was, in fact, built around an old Jack Irons drum beat)

There are no real radio gems on this record. "Who You Are" was on the radio for a little while. "Hail, Hail" also spent some time traveling the radio waves. I was rather surprised that "Off He Goes" did not find its way onto the radio some how. It was an absolutely beautiful song and probably in my top 5 of all Pearl Jam. I really like "Present Tense." The words are nothing but captivating. The song "I'm Open" is a little bit of beat poetry. It is rather good. Without naming everything on the record, I think it is all very well done.

This record gets better and better with age, as I have had it for just over 6 years. The album art is great, the CD comes with "Polaroids" with the lyrics on the back. The vinyl comes with the same "Polaroids" but they are the size of an album. The vinyls pictures are much easier to make out and the sound is superior. Though it is a great CD, if you have the chance, find the vinyl, it is well worth the premium. There is a lot to the record and it is a great addition to any rock CD collection.

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As if Vitalogy wasn't weird enough, Pearl Jam fade even more out of the limelight with the release of No Code - an extremely diverse collection of experimental songs. Every song is so different from each other that I won't be able to do it justice unless I do a track by track review (and even THAT won't do it justice; it needs to be heard to be understood). So here goes:

1. Sometimes - the quirkiest song they ever wrote (until Can't Keep from Riot Act came out). It's a very subtle, and honest song. A nice opener that definitely sets the tone for the rest of the album.

2. Hail, Hail - a typical Pearl Jam rocker. Great guitar riff and punishing vocals. They show their punk influences in this song.

3. Who You Are - the first single from the album. People didn't know what happened to the REAL Pearl Jam when this song came out. It's so different from anything they've ever done. Great tribal drumming and very melodic vocals provide for one of their most interesting songs ever. Great song.

4. In My Tree - similar drumming as the previous song, another tribal sound. One of my favorite songs from the album, and great live as well (afterall, they are the best live band around).

5. Smile - a very upbeat, happy sounding song. It contains excellent use of harmonica. The chorus is beautiful and melodic. Another great song.

6. Off He Goes - most beautiful song on the cd (and also the longest, clocking in at just over 6 minutes). This is basically a slow acoustic song with brilliant lyrics and beautiful vocals. Probably my favorite song from this album.

7. Habit - another punky song, don't really like this one. The vocals are annoying.

8. Red Mosquito - Pearl Jam's first of several bluesy rockers scattered throughout their next few albums (well, Smile is pretty bluesy too). Great guitar work introduces the song and McCready is all over the rest of the song. One of their best.

9. Lukin - a minute long. Hilarious punk song with hilarious vocals. Can't really describe it, you just need to hear it. Not really a song, but I love listening to it.

10. Present Tense - definitely top 3 songs on this album. Starts off slow and constantly builds. Great lyrics, and like usual, great vocals. Very nice guitar too.

11. Mankind - The mic is given to guitarist Stone Gossard for this song. It shows why he isn't the lead singer, although I do enjoy it. A blatant pop song with very catchy vocals. An entertaining listen to say the least.

12. I'm Open - very different sounding "song". It's mostly spoken word with a nice, melodic "chorus". A very relaxing track with interesting lyrics.

13. Around The Bend - I don't love this song, but it did get much better after hearing the Live At Benaroya Hall version. Another nice, relaxing song that has a tropical feel to it. A little boring maybe, but pretty good.

Sorry if this review became overlong and tedious, but to fully understand how diverse this album really is, I figured it would help by reviewing each track. But like I already said, you won't really be able to tell until you hear it for yourself. So do yourselves a favor and pick up this brilliant album.

For those looking for another TEN, this is the wrong place to go. NO CODE is the key album to understanding Pearl Jam and is the turning point of their career, some say for better, others for worst. However, their progression is a journey, and this release is the one where Pearl Jam came to a fork in the road and chose a direction to follow.

Now, for those looking for another TEN, its time to move on. You cannot expect an artist (a good one, that is) to go on milking the same formula. Where would we be had The Beatles kept singing songs like I Want to Hold Your Hand, instead of traveling to the majesties of Hey Jude, and Revolution, (the White Album version)?

Following Pearl Jam, in some ways, is like following Bob Dylans and The Beatles career. These three aforementioned are true artists, and so their evolution makes a very exciting one to follow. You cant really get the full impact of BLONDE ON BLONDE without knowing the six records preceding it, or RUBBER SOUL without hearing the five albums and myriad singles before that. With this album, you cant really get the full impact without having at least a passing knowledge of the three records before this one.

Commercially, this is Pearl Jams worst release, and there are no biggies in the song selection such as Alive, Even Flow, Daughter, or Better Man. However, just because a particular album does not get a lot of radio play does not necessarily negate it to the recycle bin. Almost all the tracks are very strong compositions. Sometimes the band falls down, such as Present Tense, which seems just a little to preach to me, and Habit, which says the same lines over and over and over for three and a half minutes. Some may really like them, but for me theyre just so-so. Mankind I still dont really know what to do with, because, although I like it, the song is a rather odd selection for the tone of this album. Only one song will take you back to their earlier grunge days, and that is Lukin, which is just over a minute and sounds like Eddies vocal cords are ripped to shreds when he finishes. I have a live version of the song and I cant understand anything he says in it.

Pearl Jam, with their release of TEN in 1991, became one of the major players in the early 1990s along with Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. Of these bands, Pearl Jam has had the longest career, and amazingly did not self-destruct as Nirvana did. There is a reason for this, and this album becomes on of the keys in understanding Pearl Jam.

The first three albums are begin a descent into the hellish regions of rage and its effects on the human psyche. VITALOGY, Pearl Jams darkest album, almost plays as a concept album about paranoia, pain, and death. Eddie Vedders emotions and struggle for understanding are laid out for all to see, and the all consuming rage will have to either be allievated or only more ill could come. The single most important moment on that particular album is Immortality, where Vedder deals with Kurt Cobains suicide. Had the rage been allowed to continue, Pearl Jam could not have continued for much longer. Its no conincidence that the first two albums sound like earlier extensions of VITALOGY. They begin a downward spiral and absolutely plummet in VITALOGY, and the reason for all the experiments that made VITALOGY so uneven was because Pearl Jam was already, in their rage and fighting their own personal demons, were trying to come up with a way to deal with it.

With NO CODE, their most varied and least accessible album on a commercial level, find Pearl Jam on the morning after. The first three albums represent the night before, drunken rage and struggle for understanding of this inherently insane world (or so it would seem) being nights only companion. From a musical standpoint this release takes the rather roughshod experiments of VITALOGY and builds an album out of them, resulting in the most sonically different album in this bands catalogue. Here, with all sorts of world vibes going down with mantra percussion and some of the softest songs of this bands career, instead of rage Vedder contemplates in a rational manner the problems facing him, and this record shows Pearl Jam finding solace in this course of action.
The experiments on VITALOGY borderline, at times, on the unlistenable with the likes of poorly executed sound collages (Foxeymophandlmama) or the inane (Bugs). Dont think its because of a musical aversion to experimental music, because I really like Revolution 9. Here, however, with the rage gone, the band focuses on this branching out more, and instead of half-realised thoughts on VITALOGY, we have full musical expressions. The chaotic and unrealised song fragments or experimental vibes help indicate Pearl Jams searching, and while making an ascethic contribution, I always find myself skipping over them. The musical expansion on NO CODE, the maturing of a band, ties in with the bands personal growth as human beings. With the rage stripped away, instead we have a more subdued Pearl Jam dealing with problems in their lives with contemplation, which is one reason that it is the single most mellow album in their catalogue. It is sad the fan base couldnt see that.

In the end, this is Pearl Jams turning point. From here on out, their releases (1998s YIELD and 2000s BINURAL) would reflect this and further expand this bands journey. It is a rather sad fact that, despite it being a very strong album, the fan base simply wouldnt rally behind this one. This album had to come out, or Pearl Jam would just continually be plagued with their demons and artistically they would begin to lose their momentum and eventually self-destruct. Without Pearl Jam making this choice to let go of their anger, I do not think theyd still be around today, and I think Cobains death was a very sobering moment for them. With this decision to move on, we have Pearl Jams most touching, heart-felt, and most fully realised album to date.

After completely worshipping this record, I only hope that something greater IS possible, since Pearl Jam has achieved seemingly unreachable standards with this release. Incidentally, I joined BMG Music to buy a new copy of No Code becuase I wore out my first one by loving it completely.

"Sometimes" starts out the album; it is not a stand-out musically, but it earns five stars from me because it is the strangest song I've ever heard...which makes it beautiful! "Hail, Hail" is a favorite concert rave-up, but it's funky riffs and cryptic lyrics make it an especially sublime listening experience. "Who You Are", the beautiful and contemplative third track was the so-called coffin nail of Pearl Jam's radio "career"; so-called "fans" who heard it on that fateful autumn day in 1996 stormed the stations with angry phone calls, complaining that it did not sound like "Jeremy". Indeed. It is far more complex, more melodic, and makes me feel euphoric and downtrodden all at once. It is therapy.

Other great tracks (they all are; it's difficult to limit myself), include "Smile", reminiscent of Neil Young's "Hey Hey, My My", but with a pleasing pop hook and a charming chorus. "Off He Goes" is without a doubt, Pearl Jam's greatest song; it is a fairy tale ballad set off with beautiful liquid guitar ripples, and is even more amazing live. 'Mankind" is a cheery number featuring 'Cready ripping it up on his Fender and Stoney taking the lead on vocals. It's great with beer. "Red Mosquito" is another McCready feature; his guitar sounds like a Led Zeppelin mosquito. "Habit" is an outstanding extended punk jam session showing Eddie's Sex Pistol inclinations. "In My Tree" takes one back to childhood optimism and hopscotch games...and ye fans o' Creed can note that the "arms wide open" motif is not a Scotty Crapp invention...it appears numerous times in "In My Tree". "Around the Bend" is a beautiful closing lullaby; Eddie takes the listener in his arms with his sweet voice and reassures that everything will be alright. As one who has been known to say, "I should be sending Eddie Vedder Father's Day cards," this number has special meaning to me.

No Code is not for everyone. If you wish that Pearl Jam still sounded as they did in their "Jeremy" days, have never heard "Rival" or "In Hiding", or complain that "Nothing As It Seems" lacks a "hook", you might want to try Live On Two Legs and get comfortable with "Hail, Hail", "Red Mosquito", and "Off He Goes" before jumping in. However, if their 4-12-00 performance of "Greivance" on Letterman had you back-slapping your buddies and enjoying a joint, if you've attended at least one concert and did not cry when they failed to play "Alive", or if you jump every time you hear someone say "Dead Man", this is a must-have.

After expressing their highly liberal political views with Vs. and going all out artistic with Vitalogy, Pearl Jam had established themselves an unpredictable musical group... not just a 'rock band'. But what was ahead... was beyond unpredictable.

1. Sometimes - The mood setter... the softest, mellowest Pearl Jam track to date. Not brilliant as an individual song, but as an opener, it's key.

2. Hail Hail - Right after a mellow track... BOOM! A loud, fast rocker... Pearl Jam style. Relationship problems... in a slightly pop fashion, though still suitable for a hard rocker audience. It's awkward that it never took off as a big hit.

3. Who You Are - New drummer Jack Irons' jungle beats are incredible... when this was released to radio, it obviously received a big "Huh?" in response from the listeners. It's impossible to truly understand the history of the band without listening to this track.

4. In My Tree - Somewhat like a second, low key part of Who You Are, but stands on its own just as well. "Up here in my tree... newspapers matter not to me..."... it might have a political edge (ignoring the media), but that could be stretching it. Jack's drumming shines again.

5. Smile - No explanation; just lyrics. "Don't it make you smile? When the sun don't shine... it don't shine at all. Don't it make you smile?" ... "I miss you already... I miss you always..."... wow.

6. Off He Goes - An acoustic gem. The loss of a great friend... who returns... then leaves again. Longer than the usual Pearl Jam track, but that just adds to the quality. Eddie's soft and soothing vocals are simply amazing.

7. Habit - Probably an anti-drug song. Remember Spin the Black Circle? Similar, but slightly less faster and aggressive.

8. Red Mosquito - It's difficult to define its style, but it sounds out of this world... it's also a favorite of many fans. Parasitic... regrets... wow. It simply sucks you in.

9. Lukin - Matt Lukin. Short. Fast. Angry. ... Yet kinda funny.

10. Present Tense - Unlike Red Mosquito, in that it preaches NOT to regret the past... to keep on moving forward, no matter the consequence. "You can spend your time alone redigesting past regrets or... you can come to terms and realize you're the only one who cannot forgive yourself... or...".

11. Mankind - Stone Gossard shocks us all, and steps up the microphone for a track. Seems desperate... but not in an aggressive way. Anti-assimilation... about thinking for oneself, and wondering why more don't.

12. I'm Open - Who knows? Remember Pry, To or Aye Davanita? It's somewhat like that, but it's very chilling...

13. Around the Bend - Often described as a lullaby... just as slow and soft as most of the album. "There's a sun around the bend..."... one must wonder if he's singing about the band's future (yes, that's stretching out a little), judging by how they've continued to shine on, despite their twists and turns.

Vitalogy sold 5 million units U.S... No Code sold 1. Why? A lot of Pearl Jam's original fans were into their angrier, catchier side... songs like Even Flow, Go, and even Spin the Black Circle. Of course, none of us are wrong... some of us prefer early Pearl Jam, others love their latter albums, and there're those of us who enjoy them all. Having made no videos since Ten, their record sales continued to decline... and this proved to be a 4 million unit drop, in just the U.S. alone. But how would they respond to this? A long hiatus? A return to Ten-style "grunge"? Or would they continue evolving? We would find out in just 2 years...

Pearl Jam never really was grunge. They came from the Northwest in the early 90's, they had distortion pedals, and they had long hair, so I suppose they were pretty well doomed by association. But they were just a rock band, and for a brief moment, they were THE rock band. They outsold every other band from the era. Even the over-worshipped Nirvana's sales were no match (though the extremity with which Cobain is praised means that in the long run Nirvana will probably overtake them).

And, though they weren't really grunge, they were the ones to put it to bed once and for all, with this album. It takes them just two songs. The first, one of the albums many highlights, is Present Tense. It significies Pearl Jam's leaving behind the anger once and for all. "You can spend your time alone," Vedder sings, "redigest in past regrets....makes much more sense to live in the present tense." With the biggest band of the era turning away from the rage that dominated the early 90's, it was doomed to end. And the second song, closer Around the Bend (which was written amusingly to be both a lullabye and a serial killer's song to someone he's just eaten), waves goodbye to the multi-platinum days they'd never enjoyed and looks ahead to happier, more creative, days ahead.

The album, played front to back, is far and away one of the best I have ever heard. Seeking, hopeful, and centered, it's not a concept album, but it might as well be. Listening to it and knowing that it closed the coffin on grunge once and for all times, it certainly feels it. Pearl Jam hasn't yet topped it, though Vitalogy and 1998s Yield are both incredible albums. Maybe someday they will. I have great hopes..after all, there's a sun around the bend.

This is my second try at reviewing this CD, because I got caught up in the enthusiasm of the music the first time around and busted the 1,000 word limit. That's how much I liked it though. This is PJ's seminal masterpiece to date as well as their least-selling work. That's probably due to coming on the heels of the inaccessible critic's darling "Vitalogy". This is one of two PJ works featuring the drumming of Jack Irons and I think it provided them with some karmic cohesion as well as some experimentation. Whatever chemistry came together here, it sounds out of this world. No Code is a spiritual journey featuring a variety of different sounds and tempos. Track by track here it is: "Sometimes"--A hushed prayer with some thunder sounds a.k.a. The Doors "Riders on the Storm." "Large fingers pushing things/Your a God and you've got big hands." "Hail, Hail"--As your lulled into a silence by "Sometimes" your hit with the pounding axe chop of the first notes of Hail, Hail. It takes me by surprise every time. One of PJ's best rockers. "Who You Are"--this has a collective conscious tribal drumming sort of feel. I picture the PJ-5 dancing around a fire, "transcend where we are" "In My Tree"--the spiritual journey is elevated with some of the best complex drumbeat around. The song simply explodes as Vedder screams, "Up here so high I start to shake/up here so high the sky I scrape" This one makes the rage within beautiful. "Smile" A lighthearted romp shows PJ doesn't always have to be angry and a little harmonica to boot. Ament and McCready switch the bass and lead. "Off he Goes"--A quiet folk-country tune about an inaccessible drifter that can't stand still and can't stop taking drug trips. "Habit"--This one's on the edge with Vedder railing against people caught up as slaves to the drugs they take that are no longer recreational. The chorus is a little repetitive but it is a scorcher. "Red Mosquito"--This is one of the CD's highlights with an absolutely emotive guitar bridge by Mike McCready. It speaks volumes. Brilliance speaking with the strings. "Lukin"--This one's pure punk fury. One of my fave PJ tunes. It's about Vedder returning to his home and being stalked by some psycho fan. The words are pretty near indecipherable, but all the emotion is there clocking in under a minute. Phenomenal song. "Present Tense"--PJ's best song hands down. This one is epic with lyrics that delve deep to the soul. It starts slow. Vedder ponders, "Do you see the way that tree bends/does it inspire/leaning out to catch the sun rays/a lesson to be applied/are you getting something out of this/all encompassing trip" The idea started out with something as trite as Pete Townsend's initial's PT and grew to this beauty. The song builds to a rhythmic jam at the end. "Mankind"--The album's low point but it shows them coming through as a band letting Stone Gossard take the lead singing. "I'm Open"--Spoken word poetry with some ethereal background flow. There's a wolf howling in there somewhere. "If he only knew now, what he knew then" Sometimes we lose life's lessons along the way. This is turned around from the refrain in "Smile" "If I had known then/what I know now." The CD closes with "Around the Bend"--a lullaby to put you back to sleep after you've taken the spiritual journey with Vedder and Crew. This is Pearl Jam's most cohesive album and almost reaches a concept album with the never-ending search for spirituality in life and actually shows that some level of satisfaction can be reached along the way. This is my favorite work by my favorite band. It reveals them at their peak and time will hold it up as a classic. Don't miss out and go get this one.

I'm quite sick of reading that 'No Code' is a 'difficult' album, one you will listen to 'from a distance'. There is nothing at all difficult about the album: it's just a collection of 13 incredible songs. 'Hail, Hail', 'Habit', 'Red Mosquito', 'smile', 'lukin' and 'Mankind' are basic rock songs, great rocksongs, but still rock. What's difficult about that? 'Off he goes, 'around the bend', 'sometimes' are beautifull slow songs... But in 'I'm open' and 'Present Tense'one can hear the purest form of doubt and beauty there is to find in the rock catalogue. The only song you can see as 'difficult' is the brillant 'in my tree', with a complex rythm-pattern, overplayed by sometimes atonal guitar riffs. Of course, it's not really popmusic, but if you just listen to the music, you can only come to one conclusion: this album is absolutely brillant

Upon getting this CD in your hand and opening the creatively cut and folded box you get the feeling you're in for quite another journey. Vitalogy was their first album experimenting with different box art and it was done very well. It fully captured the feel of the album and this one is no different. No Code gives you lyrics on the back of collectable mock polaroid photos inside a little sleeve. Throughout the art of No Code you see a variety of pictures, some gruesome and others slightly disturbing but they all cover a wide range of either cultures or groups of people. This is the album that Pearl Jam went in a variety of different directions. While doing this PJ lost most of their casual fans but only reaffirmed thier hardcore fans belief that they're one of the best bands.

'Sometimes' opens the album up slowly while building up near the end. It's probably my least favorite song on the album but it works as an opener to show you what direction they are going in. Hail Hail is one of the more upbeat songs and has some of my favorite lyrics like "are you woman enough to be my man?...bandaged hand in hand". Songs like In My Tree and Who You Are certainly can be described as experimental be it the clapping or the interesting drumming. It should be said that No Code probably wouldn't have happened like this without Jack Irons on the drums. The experimentation will probably take some time for people to get used to but rest assured it will come with time.

This album has worked it's way up my charts of favorite albums(and favorite PJ albums) with songs as strong as Smile(upbeat with beautiful solos), Off He Goes(slower paced and powerful lyrics), Red Mosquito(in the vein of Smile with another great solo) and possibly their best slow song Present Tense. I've used Present Tense in a small little video I made for Hurricane Katrina relief and it fit beautifully with the lyrics and overall mood of the song. If anyone has given up on this album or are tempted to I ask you to keep giving it listens. Eddie Vedder excels at writing lyrics that fit critical points in our lives and it especially rings true on No Code.

If you want evidence listen to I'm Open. It's not really a song so much as a story. Ed does a great voiceover fit for any storyteller as he talks about when a child becomes an adult and the magic of childhood disappears. It gave me chills to listen to it and when you listen to the lyrics in pretty much all of these songs you can get the same effect.

While No Code is a softer album than their others it's still just as amazing. There's still the hard rockers like Habit, Lukin, or Hail Hail but Pearl Jam really matured with No Code. It was certainly for the best and necessary to stand the test of time. If you've been getting Pearl Jam albums I definately suggest to not stop and get this. New fans of PJ I'll give you the same advice I was given. Start with Ten and feel the growth of the band all the way to Riot Act.