Riot Act

Pearl Jam

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 12, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00006M183
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (397 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,725 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
It's strange to think Pearl Jam was once herded under the grunge umbrella alongside pathos-spewing acts like Nirvana and Alice in Chains. The Seattle group's eighth album (give or take the 72 bootleg-style double CDs they released in 2001) has more in common with classic rock institutions like Crazy Horse and the Band than the snarling forces that were trying to tear away at their legacies. Appropriately, Riot Act is built on thematic pillars--love, death, politics--and fueled by dense, uncompromising power chords. It takes yet another step away from the courteous tones of the band's cornerstone LPs, Ten and Vs, and proudly flaunts egotism ("I know I was born and I know that I'll die/ The in-between is mine," Eddie Vedder sings on "I Am Mine") and a dark underbelly ("Green Disease"). But it's far from insufferable: If any band can make self-obsession sound hospitable, it's Pearl Jam. And when Vedder sneaks in the line "All you need is love" on the rollicking "Love Boat Captain," he proves that despite his furrowed-brow demeanor, he's a born entertainer. --Aidin Vaziri

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

239 of 257 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best?, November 26, 2002

By	Jarrod R. Lowe (Lexington, KY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sigh.

Every post grunge-era Pearl Jam album resurfaces these kind of talks. Why isn't X better than Y? Why couldn't they have done X like Y? Why isn't Ed/Mike/Stone/Jeff/Current Drummer better than they were on Y?

Honestly, I'm surprised people want to talk in circles about something like this.

I can remember when Vitalogy came out, listening the hell out of it, while many of my friends/contemporaries/whatever said that it stuck. "What's with all the punk stuff? Why did they put crap on there like "Bugs" and "Foxymop"? It ruined the album." At the time I can remember thinking that these once flannel-clad individuals, who just a few years prior had gobbled up any shred of music made available by the band, were now turning a deaf ear because there is a two minute musical/vocal track where Eddie repeats P-R-I-V-A-C-Y, and a couple great little experimental tracks (one of which, was placed conveniently at the end of the album for easy skip-over). This astounded me, because nearly all my friends hated Vitalogy, and I thought it was their strongest work to date. If you went in and cut out all of the experimental stuff, you still have one of the best 45 minutes or so of rock produced in the '90s. But no matter. This was the beginning.

No Code followed up a few years later. Barely a blip on the pop culture radar. "Who You Are" came and went as a first single, and nobody was left around for the following two radio releases "Hail Hail" and "Off He Goes," which rank (to me) as two of their best. No matter, thought I, their my band now. "Not For You" indeed.

Yield came and went, no biggie. No videos, no promotion. Maybe the best rock album to come out in the late '90s, totally ignored, except for some hardcore PJ fans & some great reviews.

Then came the tour, which I had the opportunity to see a couple of shows. People said things to me like "They're still together?" and "I sure wish Eddie would write something more like Yellow Ledbetter." Meanwhile, I was more than satisfied w/ performances of "Evolution" and "Given To Fly".

Between "Yield" and the next album was the "good intention paving the path to hell" single that was "Last Kiss". Sure the proceeds went to the Kosovo refuges, and it was kept from the #1 spot on Billboard only by "Livin' La Vida Loca", but the die was cast, and the band was reluctantly thrown back into the spotlight. Still, no video, no promotion.

Binaural came out in 2000. Good songs. Overproduced? Under-produced? Maybe. Still, "Grievance" and "Insignificance" alone made the album better than good. "Eddie's voice doesn't sound as strong," and "Why doesn't he belt something out like he did on Vs," and "Where's my Limp Bizkit album" were heard at the record stores. The 2000 tour that followed was one of the best to date, maybe the best. Unfortunately the tragedy in Europe occurred, and briefly brought the band back into the spotlight. "Pearl Jam was playing a festival in Europe? Must be the only place they can sell tickets anymore," I heard.

Now comes "Riot Act". Once again, same old story, same old song and dance. 15 songs, some funky, some experimental, some traditional, and still the same comments. "Well, 10 years ago, they'd have never done an album like this," and "Why can't Ed sing like he did on X, Y, or Z?" Well, there's your answer. 1991, by my last check, was nearly 12 years ago. In 1991 you had some great bands, like Nirvana and Faith No More, and Soundgarden, and PJ. You also had a ton of crap and pop on the radio (hair metal, NKOTB, etc). The more things change the more they stay the same. 2002 we get a new Nirvana single (not their best-effort, but I'll sure as hell take it), a new album w/ vocals by Chris Cornell (backed by RAGE...what a concept!), as well as a brilliant single by Pearl Jam, and a new album that (what a frickin' surprise) doesn't bow down or bend over for anyone. What brilliance! Pearl Jam doing something their own way? Whodathunkit? And still we hear..."Eddie, why can't you sing like you did on X? I miss those days."

Well, I wish the Beatles would put out another "White Album", but it's not going to happen.

Pearl Jam is here. They're still putting out damn good music. They didn't kill themselves, they didn't succumb to drugs, they didn't marry super models and fancy cars and run them both off cliffs. They haven't done commercials for soda, or for car companies, and they've yet to release a over-hyped, over-marketed greatest hits collection in order to pacify all those who should have been buying their albums all along.

To Quote a track from Riot Act: "I've seen it all before... bring it on, cause i'm no victim ...."

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The album that got me back into Pearl Jam, April 30, 2003

By	M. Price "exeter25" (Albany, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you're anything like me, you were one of those "cool kids" who heard of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Nirvana before anyone else that you knew, and exposed all your friends to this new wave of Seattle music primarily based around Sub-Pop Records in the early 90's. Then, once Pearl Jam got popular, they changed up their style a bit and got way too popular for such anti-mainstream grunge fans of the early alternative music era. It happened to me, and now I'm regretting being so damned pretentious.

Pearl Jam is proving that you can grow up, and your music can grow up with you. As a huge fan of "Ten", I moderately liked "Vs.", but after they got such a huge following, my angsty teenage grunge fan self didn't even give "Vitalogy" a chance, let alone any of their other subsequent albums. Then after hearing 'I Am Mine' on the radio a few months ago, I decided to give "Riot Act" a chance, and I was blown away by how much my musical tastes have changed, and how much I've grown over the past decade. Pearl Jam has embraced adulthood, the band members themselves now being a group of thirtysomethings, and it's once-teenage core fanbase now being a group of twentysomethings. Their current style reflects that change so much that it's amazing.

I had the good fortune to see them live last night. I was not disappointed. And now after hearing many songs I didn't know before, along with liking my copy of "Riot Act", I'm going back to find out what I missed after all these years. Give this album a chance, not with the mentality of "This is the band that wrote Evenflow and Jeremy", but with the mentality of "This is a more mature, introspective Pearl Jam, and they can change just like I do". You'll enjoy the album a lot more that way.

51 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Proves why they're the best thing going in Rock & Roll, November 20, 2002

By	J. N. Mohlman (Barrington, RI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

While "Riot Act" isn't the best album they've put out, Pearl Jam has undeniably risen above the mindless swill dominating radio today. In between the bubble gum pop, the borderline psychotic rap-rock and the over the top wailing that passes for rock, it is refreshing to listen to an album that actually has some thought put into it. Pearl Jam really stretches its legs musically on this album, and while not always successful, this is still a complex, varied album that is fascinating to listen to.

It kicks off with "Can't Keep" a brooding, rumbling number with some really interesting vocals. Like many of Pearl Jam's songs, it is open to interpretation, but on the surface at least, it seems to touch on their recurring theme of living for the day and within the moment.

Next is "Save You", a scorching number about trying to save someone from himself. There is a strong overtone of overcoming addiction, although drugs are never specifically mentioned; it may be significant that Mike is pictured opposite the lyrics in the liner notes, as he has had his own battles with addiction.

Third is "Love Boat Captain" which is perhaps the most personal song the band has ever produced. Dealing explicitly with the nine fans that died at the Roskilde festival during the summer of 2000, Ed does some of his best writing in this song. He deftly juxtaposes the wisdom of the old with the despondence of the young, and finds love as the vehicle to find your way through. A genuinely beautiful song, with unusual arrangements and a great message.

"Cropduster", is a rather grim song and definitely not one of my favorites. Ed sings about the chance nature of life on Earth, which even if you agree with him, doesn't offer any redeeming message; which is odd for him. There's some interesting rhyming on this track, and I like the way the chorus is arranged, but it's nothing special.

The fifth track, "Ghost" has some great lyrics, but the music is rather uninspired. It deals with something many of us have felt post 9/11: the need to run away in order to reground ourselves, to evaluate and come to grips with the information we are bombarded with daily. The music is kind of repetitive, although Mike (or Stone) does kind of go off at the end.

The next three songs form the emotional and musical heart of the album. The first is "I Am Mine" which I'm not going to discuss, because it's been on the radio for months now. The next track is "Thumbing My Way", which is an absolutely beautiful song. It really shows how far Pearl Jam has come that such a mellow track can still be so powerful. In it Ed considers coming to grips with past regrets; while it not always easy, he ultimately offers hope with the line "no matter how cold the winter...there's a spring around the bend." The last of the three is "You Are" which couldn't be more different from "Thumbing My Way" and its gentle melody. The guitar is unlike anything I've ever heard, and was apparently accomplished by running Mike's guitar through a drum machine. At any rate, it is a fascinating, haunting song with simple but intense lyrics ruminating on love.

"Get Right" is another lyrically straightforward song from Matt about conforming for other peoples' benefit. That said, Ed's vocals are top notch and unusual; a very straightforward delivery without any of his trademark graveled speech. The guitars are also fantastic; a really driving beat with some great McCready riffs.

Next is "Green Disease", which is a really catchy tune, with rather insipid lyrics. I just don't understand how men who have so much money of their own can have so much resentment towards other wealthy people. Moreover, their understanding of economics seems to be limited at best, and comes across as naïve.

"Help Help" is an absolute head scratcher; Ed sings the whole thing in a falsetto voice, and while there are some interesting things going on with the drums and guitars, none of it could be described as melodic.

The twelfth track is "Bu$hleaguer" about you know who. There's some pretty clever rhyming on this track, but frankly, the song is beneath Pearl Jam. It comes across as bitter and mean-spirited, and isn't at all in their tradition of having strong opinions without shouting other peoples' down.

Fortunately, they redeem themselves on "1/2 Full", which is maybe my favorite song on the album. It's Pearl Jam meets electric blues, and the opening would make Stevie Ray Vaughn smile. Ed's voice is in fine form and Matt's drumming powers the song.

"Arc" is just Ed wailing against a backdrop of keyboards. It's kind of interesting to listen to (vaguely reminiscent of the Muslim call to prayer) but not a song by any stretch.

Finally, there's "All or None" which is in keeping with Pearl Jam's tradition of ending albums on a contemplative note. Another mellow track, it sounds like it was written to be played in a small, smoke filled club, late at night. It seems to be about breaking out of the patterns of the past, and moving on to something better, but as usual, that's open to interpretation.

Ultimately, "Riot Act" is an album with a lot of peaks and valleys, but that's what makes Pearl Jam such a powerful band. They're willing to put themselves on the line, to throw musical curveballs, and try new things. In this case they have produced an album of great emotional depth and enormous musical breadth. There are some toe tappers, there are some head scratchers, and there are some really powerful and personal lyrics. You can listen to this album just to have some great music on in the background, or you can listen to it in order to challenge yourself and what your life is all about. And that... is what Pearl Jam...is all about.