Customer Reviews

None Too Fragile: Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder

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

 

 

I'm a huge Pearl Jam fan so I read this book a while ago hoping for some insight into the band. I was sadly dissappointed. While the book has lots of nice photographs, it's hardly worth reading. This book is full of misquotes and distorted facts. If you really like Pearl Jam I suggest you read the book "Five Against One" instead. It's a lot longer but well worth your time.

I was excited to get this and start reading - hopefully find some insight into some things that I didn't previously know about one of favorite bands. Unfortunately, however, this book was little more than regurgitated facts easily found on the internet and quotes from other articles. I picked up a few unknown tidbits here and there, but nothing extraordinary. The author took a rather detached stance and didn't really ever allow the reader to know whether or not he actually LIKED Pearl Jam. The drummer history and early band history were both fairly interesting, but you can find out everything in those sections over at lukin.com. The most fun part of reading the book was coming across references to specific shows, then running to my bootleg folder to listen to the show. It's always cool to have some background to put the thing you're listening to in perspective. Except that, even this, is easily available on the web at Five Horizons. It's a decent "refresher-course", but I was looking for something that, when I was done, would make me want other people to read it. When I finished this, I was, instead, just rather ho-hum about the whole thing.

but... PEARL JAM ROCKS

If you have followed the career of Pearl Jam for the past few years I do not reccommend purchasing this book. It seems the writer took all his information from magazine sources, newspaper articles and other media documents. Basically any fan who has followed the band should already know everything in the book.

Nothing in this book that a Pearl Jam fan doesn't know, and for the new fan: many factual errors here. There's no thesis that the author tries to support with this material. A pointless read, yet so simplistic that it leaves you after you close the book.

This book was captivating enough for me to read in one night- but, then again I'm a huge PJ fan. Although the book was entertaining, I found that I really didn't learn anything that I didn't already know (which shouldn't have been the case). The author did little original research or interviews for the book, and instead relied almost entirely on already published magazine articles (90% of which I had already read). The book is chronologically well- organized, but I was surprised to see at least one guaranteed error (The author says that Stone lent his vocals to "Hail Hail", instead of "Mankind".)

I got that same feeling I get when I am reading a concert or album review by someone who knows nothing about the band- but is pretending to sound knowledgeable anyway.

The Bottom Line: The author should have been more active in researching. He should be telling me things that I don't know, and not vice- versa. But... it is entertaining- and a good chronology of the band.

A slim 160-page volume packed with black and white photos chronicling the rise of an underdog staying power of a band Kurt Cobain once criticized (and later reversed his sentiments) for creating corporate grunge. Through public disagreements with Nirvana, boycotts of Ticketmaster, and changing band members, Clarke covers all the bases.

All of the other reviews back up what I'm saying here, but some specific examples of sloppy research and poor journalism. And this is just a few of many:

On page 71, a picture contains a caption: "Backstage at a Lollapalooza gig in 1992 with the Pearl Jam crew." That's not the Pearl Jam crew. It's Soundgarden. You might have heard of them.

Page 68: 'Stone and Jeff let loose at a Lollapalooza gig.' That's Jeff alright. Not Stone, however. That would be Eddie Vedder. A somewhat recognizable guy. Lead singer. You might have heard of him.

Page 61: Pearl Jam on MTV Unplugged in May of 1992. Uh, nope.

page 15: 'Pearl Jam's dour reputation started early on.' Everyone in the picture is smiling. So, not the best caption maybe.

Page 106: 'Mike McCready observes the dwindling queues for tickets...". First off, what an odd caption. Second, the line of ticket buyers in the picture bottlenecks at the end of the street and backs up off the page around the block. Again, dumb writing.

Misqouted song titles galore. ("Get Right" is called "Wanted to Get Right")

The wrong date for their first ever show at the Off-Ramp in Seattle (I would think a "major" biography would want to get this right).

And more where that came from...unfortunate.

Avoid this and check out "5 Against One", even though it has its issues. But none as glaring as this hack job.

I took this out of the library. I specifically came on here to warn everyone: DO NOT spend any money for this piece of crap. I have an affinity for Seattle band history and have devoured many books on the subject(s). I knew a lot about Pearl Jam going into this book and within a few pages was openly correcting the "author" from memory. I put author in quotes for a few reasons: 1) This book is purely a compilation of articles and interviews the "author" read or heard. There is no first-hand information or interviews. 2) It's clear he knows/knew hardly anything about this band and probably hadn't even heard their albums until he was given this assignment. 3) after saying that, you'd think he'd make sure to do some really good research beforehand... he didn't. 4) Tons of errors... I mean TONS. Wrong names in photos (labels Eddie as Stone), gaps in plot that pick up out of thin air the next sentence pre-supposing that he'd supplied information he didn't (it was probably edited out and then no one bothered to re-read it for continuity.) 5) it's just badly written. Who is Martin Clarke? Did he even go to school? How does he have a book even published? 6) You're not going to learn anything about Pearl Jam or Eddie here except some really vague 'facts'. There isn't even an INDEX! I can go ON AND ON...
All of this is completely unforgivable since this edition i have is the FOURTH printing. What is wrong with this publishing company???
Terrible, just terrible!!

Pearl Jam is one of my all-time favorite bands. That is really the only thing that made this book an interesting read. If you're not a fan, I don't recommend it.

The book was presented very "matter-of-fact"ly. As mentioned in previous reviews, a lot of the facts presented were summaries of other news articles and rumors. It didn't really capture the story of a great band with such a lengthy career. It didn't set a scene, and didn't really pull me in.

Also, the overall tone of the book, to me, was not enjoyable to read. If I had to rename it, I would rename it, "The Happenstances and Setbacks of Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam". It seems to me that a band with such success and such a long career would have had some fun touring and writing music. This book doesn't mention ANY of that. It really made it seem like being in Pearl Jam was one disappointing, maddening experience after another.

The one cool thing I can say about the book is that it goes all the way up to the Self Titled record. Most biographies I've seen don't go that far.

If you come across this book in a used book store or are looking for something short to read, have at it. Just know that it has its flaws.

This book was very undetailed. It was barely good enought for the average rock fan let a lone an average Pearl Jam fan. I could have edited it better myself. The grammar was horribly written and the whole book was taken from quotes from other magazines. If you just want to know the basics of the band then read this book.