Customer Reviews

Pearl Jam: Single Video Theory [VHS]

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

People looking for high-volume concert footage, or maybe secretly made videos that just didn't get released to MTV or anything like that, this is not for you (ha-ha).

This video is an intimate, engaging look at Pearl Jam in the studio rehearsing and recording the Yield album (and if I had to pick a favorite album that would possibly be the one). The members of the band speak individually about the songs' inceptions, life in the studio, life as a member of Pearl Jam, how things were and how they are. It's like getting to spend an hour or so just hanging out with the guys.

I am a musician, trying to get my own band started, and personally I found watching this to be inspirational to my causes. Everytime I watch it I get this urge to jump up, go take out a loan so I can buy up some studio time and just do it.

Surprisingly, at no time does Vedder take center stage here. Equal time is spent focusing on all five of them. My favorite insights arfe those given by bassist Jeff Ament about the intensity of playing music that you know is better than anything you've ever done before, and about the psychological power of music.

It's not the typical let's-watch-the-band-get-drunk-backstage video. It's intelligent, intimate, and most of all modest, which is a true rarity among rock and roll bands of this noteriety.

Pearl Jam's Single Video Theory isn't what the title implies. There's no videos or any talk of videos, what this film is however, is a glimpse into what the members of PJ think of the songs off of the Yield release. Yield is one of my favorite CDs by Pearl Jam so to hear each song at least partially performed is gratifying enough. Hearing each member talk about the songs is something that I like about this DVD, I also like the fact that it's not just Ed talking, if anything Mike, Stone, and Jeff get more camera time. To know there's no real power struggle going on is a good pick-me-up. The sound quality is as if you're simply listening to the CD and Ed nails every lyric. To hear every song off Yield played was good because most of my favorites aren't songs I've ever heard PJ play live. Take No Way for instance, they don't play this song very much at all so to hear even the part of it they do play is good enough for me. Same goes for Brain Of J. Two of the songs played best were All Those Yesterdays and Given To Fly but those songs are always played with such emotion that it's hard to screw them up. I really like the way the band describes Given To Fly, I feel it gives the song that much more meaning. In Hiding has an interesting backstory to it and is played in full much to my delight. In Hiding is one of those songs that doesn't really take off till the chorus, so I'm glad they did the song justice and played it in it's entirety.

If you're expecting some stellar live footage, don't count on it, Pearl Jam is playing the songs in a studio. If you're expecting to hear some landmark songs that they've made over the years, don't count on it, Pearl Jam only plays the songs from Yield. If you're a fan of PJ then you're sure to see the beauty in this extremely minimal release. And if you like Yield, then you're bound to love it. I was surprised with what I was given with this DVD but by no means I disappointed. Single Video Theory is no Touring Band 2000, but it gets the job done.

This edition of Pearl Jam's Single Video Theory is a bit different from the VHS versions, though not drastically. For any fan though, it is a must have for its improved sound quality, better video quality, and little features which are not in the VHS version.

"Single Video Theory", the long awaited home video from one of the most amazing bands of our time. It's a glimpse at their recording process for their latest record "Yield", as well as live studio recording of those songs, candid interviews with band members, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Jack Irons, Mike McCready and Ed Vedder. I recommend this video for any fan of Pearl Jam or music similar to theirs; you'll recieve the truth behind this well-rumored band.

Shot entirely in their soon to be demolished (2006) practice studios during the rehearsals for their "Yield" album, "Single Video Theory" shows you Pearl Jam at work. This is a treat, not just for PJ fans. See a band at the top of their game collaborating, jamming, and shaping a great rock album. Highly recommended.

This is not just another narcissistic music video catalogue but an attempt to capture creativity and it is done artfully revealing some of the inner churnings of a band that is semi-elusive compared to their popularity, Pearl Jam.

What is surprising to me about ?Single Video Theory? is that it captures the ?everyday-ness? of the band members as they struggle and revel in the creation of their 5th studio album, ?Yield? And in that everyday-ness we are surprised to find that they come off as everyday people, albeit immensely talented rage rockers at that, but we are brought into the ?ordinary? of an ?extraordinary? band.

What's truly great in the interspersed nature of band interviews, improvs you don't hear on the record, versions of the songs in their early stages (also not on the record), and the pure love for music and creativity that comes across. PJ's best drummer to date (and their has been a few) Jack Irons soaks his arm in a vat of ice as he recoups to once again spread rhythmic intricacies across the skins. Eddie and Stone Gossard go back and forth about who does the e-bow in "Wishlist" and meanwhile we as viewers and fans have a window to the inception of songs. It is truly an irreplaceable experience.

This DVD shows the band at their peak. It doesn't feature some of the quirks of most DVD's like individual chapters or extras, but it does reveal the studio essence of the band...like an inside window to the soul for the opening band to the sun ever evolving.

I'm gonna say this: This is a good little featurette. It's nice to have this notoriously press-shy band sharing their views on the creative process and how they work together. It's cool. It's definetly better than Metallica's awful DVD included in their latest record. It's definetly interesting to watch the band rehearse, and there are some versions of the songs in here that are actually quite better than the versions on the album Yield ("In Hiding", Wishlist", "All Those Yesterdays").

But still... there's a problem with this. It's way too short. It's about 45 minutes long which is hardly worth the price of the DVD. Plus, with NO chapter stops (what a pain in the neck to have to fast-forward through just to hear the (excellent) rendition of "Lowlight" at the tail end of the video) and NO menus, this feels like you're watching a VHS tape. The sound quality is good, and the visuals are great, but it's just too little content.

This would've been a great add-on to the Yield record. But sadly, this was 1998, and that wasn't a common practice then.

There are few contemporary bards with DVD's out right now and it seems a shame after viewing/listening to this one. This DVD has some great audio qualities. The 5.1 audio is fantastic although the video seems slightly out of sync in some scenes. The title must come from the fact that this DVD has no chapters and in order to advance the video you have to use the fast forward feature; Very inconvenient. For this reason alone, I gave the DVD a four star rating. This is a fun, 50 minute video, with music and commentary from the band.

This DVD was exactly what I thought it would be, a great insight to how the greatest band in the world works when recording albums. I enjoyed every second of this masterpiece as I have always wondered how the band would communicate with each other. Any TRUE Pearl Jam fan knows that while music videos are a nice addition, they are not needed. A TRUE Pearl Jam fan loves their songs/products no matter what. I cannot see how antbody would be disappointed in this title as it offers different versions of the songs from Yield and we get to see how Pearl Jam works. Well done Pearl Jam, 5 Stars.

One of America's Greatest Rock Bands heads into the studio to make one of their finest albums. A short but rocking album documentary.