Customer Reviews

Yield [Vinyl]

5 star:		(241)
4 star:		(63)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Often regarded, perhaps unfairly, as the "normal" album that followed "No Code", "Yield" is a beast all of its own. What it does display is a band that's really come into itself-- whereas it felt that "Ten" and "Vs." was Pearl Jam escaping their legacy and finding their own feet, "Vitalogy" was a search for a direction, and "No Code" was the push out, "Yield" is in many ways the beginning of the band's second phase-- they know who they are and what kind of music they want to play.

"Yield" has many of the elements of thre preivously albums finally coexisting-- the AOR/arena rock sound (leadoff single "Given to Fly"), the punk numbers in the vein of "Go", "Last Exit", and "Hail Hail" (powerful opener "Brain of J"), the ballads vocalist Ed Vedder can really get himself wrapped into ("Low Light"), but its got a lot more too.

Any belief that this is a straightahead rock record only, take a look at "No Way" or "Push Me, Pull Me", with its odd fills (from various instruments) and falsetto harmonies, or the churning, bubbling "Wishlist"-- a final realization of the sort of sounds "Who You Are" and "In My Tree" leaned towards, although with a self-assurance that allows it to speak on its own. And certainly little on this or any other record can compare to the ecstatic power of "Do the Evolution"-- lyrically and musically one of the most (if not THE most) satisfying songs in Pearl Jam's catalog. Straightahead rock? When all the instruments drop out but the drums and Vedder leads the choir singing "Alleluia"?

Still, if its straightahead rock you're after, look no further than "MFC"-- a great song about hitting the open road and a fantastic piece. The thing about this album is that its got something for anyone who's enjoyed any of Pearl Jam's earlier albums. Confidence, synthesis of sounds, and a settled direction all help to make this one an essential part of the band's catalog. Recommended.

Yield (1998.), the Pearl Jam's fifth studio album

The Pearl Jam are without doubt, in my opinion, the greatest band of the 1990's. From their immortal debut album 'Ten', the greatest selling Seattle album ever, and onwards, the Pearl Jam have consitently produced awesome music very rarely dropping below the highest possible level of greatness. By the end of the 1990's, the Pearl Jam were practically the only band remaining from the grunge explosion nearly ten years earlier, in most part due to their own altering style and ability to 'break' from the grunge mold and diversify their sound. 'Yield', the Pearl Jam's fifth studio album, released in 1998 is the band's final outing for the 90's (NOT their final album!!!) and it is one hell of a good one!

When I listen to any of the Pearl Jam's releases after 'Ten', I have to be realistic. 'Ten' is just phenominal, a perfect flawless album which I believe is almost impossible to top, however, in my opinion, 'Yield' is not far away in greatness, and thats saying an awful lot! After a very masterful and experimental 'No Code', 'Yield' is a return by the band to a more hard rocking sound, with grungy hints of 'Ten' or 'Vs.'. The album was rightfully critically acclaimed at the time of its release by many critics BUT however, it has never sold as many as you would have expected it to (about 4-5 million worldwide, which is NOT many for an album is amazing as this!). However, you've gotta remember that this is the Pearl Jam, the band that withdrew from the spotlight in the mid-1990's and are an underground band at heart who focus on making great music, not the profits that come from it. As I've said above, 'Yield' is much more rock based than 'No Code' however, it doesn't stop any experimental moments from the band including a 1 minute untitled drum showcase and some unusual moments in the song 'Push Me, Pull Me'. Afterall, every Pearl Jam album has a little bit of wierdness and that's what in some ways makes their albums so unique. The 'Yield' album also marked the first time that the band had made music videos since the song 'Jeremy'. This was more part of a record contractual obligation than anything (remember the Pearl Jam just don't DO music videos, its not part of their style!) however, the anime-styled video of 'Do The Evolution' is a pretty interesting watch.

The album itself begins with the blistering 'Brain of J', a great hard rocking song. Vedder's howling vocals are back straight away with this song. The song has a deep thundercracking ending which is really cool, and it then runs perfectly into 'Faithful', a song with an awesome starting riff and some great bass playing from Jeff Ament. 'No Way' is a much more mellow sounding track and one of my personal favourites on the album, some of the guitar work is captivating in parts. 'Given To Fly' is one of the more well known tracks off the album, itself being a radio staple, Eddie Vedder sings this one with real emotion. Next up is 'Wishlist' were Eddie Vedder sings about wishing to be a weird variety of things from neutron bombs to Christmas trees! Its a great song, to be followed by 'Pilate', a thoughtful starting song which has a real rocking chorus. 'Do The Evolution' has to be the most powerful song on the album. Aside from being an aggressive, howling song, some of the words are almost prophetic with a number of the lines relating very much to the troubles in the world now (you'll see when you listen to it). Following this is a minute long untitled song which is kind of some experimental drum work from Jack Irons. Some people have criticised this song but I think it breaks the album up well. 'MFC' follows this which is another short and sweet hard rocker. 'Low Light' is a great slower song, with more passionate singing from Vedder and a killer guitar solo from Mike McCready towards the end of the track. Another slower track, 'In Hiding' is also excellent, featuring some catchy rhythms and more great lyrics. 'Push Me, Pull Me, is the most experimental track on the album. It has a weird start which sounds like a washing machine in operation! The song is kind of reminiscent to 'I'm Open' from 'No Code' with Vedder doing voice overs in parts, except this track is much more racier. If the album couln't get much better then we have the closing track, 'All Those Yesterdays'. A slow, almost lullaby-like song with an almost hypnotic nature to it (its another example of the Pearl Jam doing exceptional closing songs). Also there is a hidden track, which is an interesting Spanish/Latin American song with some clever guitar work and heavy drumming.

'Yield' is a masterpiece. The Pearl Jam have done some exceptional stuff during their time but this is up there near the top. Every song is great and it is almost impossible to pick a favourite because they're all so good! If there was any doubt as to the Pearl Jam's greatness, they dispelled it with this album and its has ultimately confirmed them with the greats. 'Yield' is a must buy ... next time your in the record shop, just look for the album with the road sign on the front and get it, you'll have no regrets obtaining this classic!

Pearl Jam has put out consistantly great music while for the most part staying away from the billboard top 40 and off of the heavy radio rotation. Everyone seems to criticize everything the band has done after vs., which is just when they started getting interesting. Pearl Jam got sick of all of these so called "fans" who are always talking about the flavor-of-the-month and wanted to start doing things they're way. Sure they made a few mistakes along the way, like cancelling shows, fighting with ticketmaster, and firing drummer Dave A., but they are still here and are really the only Seattle band left from the "grunge" era. Yield really marked the return of Pearl Jam to the public, with a world tour (They were awesome in concert), a home video (not so great), a cool music video (Do the Evolution) and even a live album which really rocked. Yield may have revived a few old fans from the "Jeremy era" with 'Wishlist' and 'Given to Fly', but the powerful 'In Hiding' and 'Faithful' were my favorite tracks. I don't think this album was as good as "Vitalogy" or "No Code", but anything to get PJ touring again was good enough for me. If you are not a Pearl Jam fan quit criticizing the band for God's sake. I'm tired of hearing from band-wagon music fans.

Conceived at a period of détente in the band's turbulent career, Pearl Jam's fifth album is one that definitively documents exactly where the band was at that particular time (1998). Whereas Yield's predecessor No Code (1996) had been fraught with upheaval and was conversely inconsistent and experimental, Yield itself is its very antithesis.

When No Code was released Pearl Jam were still the main players in the - admittedly failing - grunge scene, yet by the time they entered the studio to record Yield Soundgarden and Screaming Trees had disbanded, Alice in Chains were in an irreversible state of coma, and The Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness had obliterated the last remnants of grunge.

Yield however, showcases the greatness of Pearl Jam. Closing ranks impressively - the war of egos between singer Eddie Vedder and guitarist Stone Gossard having reached armistice - the band took stock, returned to Seattle and recorded their most honest, instinctual and diplomatic work to date.

Vedder's enchantment by nature and wilderness is brought prominently to the fore, and his elegant vocals belie the oft-pious bellow of earlier works. Indeed, Vedder's piety forms the basis of Yield, with the songs 'Faithfull' (marriage), 'Given to Fly' (christianity and penance), and the tiresome 'Wishlist' (contentment) - supported by bassist Jeff Ament's 'Low Light' and Gossard's 'All Those Yesterdays' - bearing witness to a more mature take on life's spiritual and secular ambiguities.

Additionally, Gossard and lead guitarist Mike McCready have never combined better than on Yield, with the former's refound gift for compositionally strong riffs perfectly complemented by the latter's uncharacteristically discreet lead playing. Pearl Jam's secret weapon on Yield however, is drummer Jack Irons in what was to prove his final outing with the band. Aside from his generally calming persona (as seen on the documentary of the album's recording, Single Video Theory) his propulsive and often eclectic approach to the drumkit ('Red Dot') suits Pearl Jam's expansive sound far more than current incumbent (ex-Soundgarden-er) Matt Cameron's.

Relaxed, inventive and adventurous, and without the merest hint of grunge cliché, Yield is the sound of a band finally at ease with both its superstar status and its loss thereof.

This is just an all around great album that shows the true colors of pearl jam.

1. Brain of J- kind of a strange way to start a cd, up beat, over all not bad 7/10

2. Faithful- just an amazing song, nothing really more to say about it. 10/10

3. No way- A more low slow pounding rock song, really grows on you, espically live. 8/10

4. Given to fly- Another simply amazing song that words cant really describe, makes the cd worth it 11/10

5. Wishlist- a slow song that is really down to earth, and easy to listen to. one line sums it up for me " i wish i was the verb to trust and never let you down" 10/10

6. Pilate- Another darker song, really gotta listen to the lyrics to get what is going on and what he is really saying, another one that has to grow on you 7.5/10

7. Do the evolution- Classic hard rocking pearl jam, nuff said 9/10

8. Red dot- strange, very strange. "we're all crazy, we're all crazy at war", i just sang the whole thing for you, not worht rating

9. MFC- an up tempo song that really gets you going, means mini fast car, 9/10

10. Low light- A beautifully written song that just gets better every time you listen to it. excellent live 10/10

11. In hiding- what i consider to be the most under rated songs on the entire cd, another beautiful song 11/10

12. Push me, Pull me- strange, mostly eddie talking 6/10

13. All those yesterdays- An absolutely great way to end an amazing cd, really makes you think, starts off slow n ends strong. 10/10

Only one thing left to say BUY IT one of their best full albums since "Ten"

It seems half the world has ADHD and can barely spend 45 minutes listening to one of the greatest singer songwriters of our time lay his soul and psyche bare album after album. What other band out there delivers this much diversity, raw energy, honesty and melody so consistently? Do the people rating this a 1 or a 2 even have their speakers plugged in correctly?

I know it is only fair to compare a band or even a human being to what they were the day before but the Ten and Vs. comparisons were tired in 1994 and they are even more tired 15 years later. Imagine a new band released Yield in 1998 or even today. Given to Fly Wishlist, Do the Evolution, In Hiding - all would be in nonstop rotation on rock radio and be considered classics if this was the band's first LP. Instead the only songs that linger on the radio from PJ are from Ten and Vs. with Betterman thrown in as the lone post mega-popularity concession. Without the name Pearl Jam and the heavy weight it carries this album would have sold way more copies. I guess this is true of a lot of bands after they have passed their peak in fame who are still producing quality work.

As with most Pearl Jam albums released after Vs. this one needs a couple listens for proper appreciation. Highly recommended!

'Yield' is incredibly awesome , emotional, & one of Pearl Jam's more fun albums

Also one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 90s, if they made more music videos for this album besides just 'Do the Evolution', it couldve sold 10 million

I was somewhat disappointed in Yield by the very fact that the guitars sound asleep; the sound quality of this album is rather poor. The faster songs on the album, like Brain of J and Do the Evolution are something like rubberbands. They stretch trying to be something like old Pearl Jam, but fall short. The version of Brain of J is much better on the Wishlist single, because its much louder and faster and the band feels freer. Listen to McCready's guitar in the middle of the song of both versions. Do the Evolution is a rockin' song, but feels feeble in its attempt at constructing something great. Pilate, sounds kind of stupid at first but then it grows on you and gets stranger. There's a great line in the middle of the song when it slows down. Highlights of the album include Lowlight, All Those Yesterdays,Given to Fly, and the clever-written Wishlist. In short, Yield, though not great, works because it has slow great songs that gently build up. The band is not better in the faster songs, and that has something to do with that monotonous clobber, Jack Irons. Ironic that his last name is Irons.

First of all, I have to comment on the poster below who says that Pearl Jam sold out. He says there is always MetallicA, whos hasn't sold out. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKIN MIND!!! Metallica sold out 8 years ago with the release of the Black Album. Let's see, Ten sold about ten million copies. Every album since hasn't even come close to selling that many, with the exception of VS. I thought that selling out was when a band made music for the masses, not necessarily what they like. Let's see; Brain of J, has that heavy grunge-like riff to it, not unlike Porch. All Those Yesterdays is a beautiful masterpiece of a song, not unlike Black. And Do The Evolution is heavier than anything MetallicA has done since 1988. Also, Pearl Jam has been performing Last Kiss for quite a while live, and they even released a live version to their fan club members last year. They made a studio version of it for a benefit album. They liked the damn song so they played it. Is that selling out? I think not!!! MetallicA was the most influential band of the eighties, but now YIELD to Pearl Jam, the most influential band of the nineties. Put that whiskey in your jarro and chug it!!!

OK, dear reader and avid consumer of all things musical, just to let you know where I'm coming from it's near impossible for me to be critical towards a band as talented as Pearl Jam. Yield finds them at the top of their game, with drummer Jack Irons (formerly of the Red Hot Chilis) bringing out some experimental sounds to match enticing rhythms.

The one critique for PJ I have though is that their penchant for musical experimentation sometimes leaves the entirety of their albums somewhat incoherent with a couple of songs that just beg to be skipped over to get to the good stuff. Those detractors are limited here in Yield, more so than any other PJ album besides the phenomenal "No Code."

The crunchy furious, "Brain of J" starts off the album with a straight ahead scorcher. "Faithfull" and "No Way" are two of PJ's best. It makes me wonder why "No Way" isn't played more often in concert. Its muted funky rhythm guitar with McCreary's hushed wailing lead is pretty near perfect. It's PJ doing what it does best. "Given to Fly" never quite reached me until I heard it live on all of PJ's Binaural Live albums. It's passionate and a testament to the unfailing hopefulness of the human spirit. The song just lacks a definitive chorus. The detractor songs that push and pulls "Yield" from the top of the PJ stack are the clunky, annoying and repetitive chorus of "Pilate." The drummers aberrational experiment of "-" red dot song, which proves that you just shouldn't let drummers lead anything musical by themselves. Let them fill in the punch in a supporting role, but don't let Irons go off by himself and just come up with something. "Push me, Pull me" is pretty difficult to get through as well. But the beautiful thing about this band is that they are willing to try new things. Sometimes those new things are interesting, sometimes sublime, but sometimes not all together a good listen. We close off with a Beatle-esque "All Those Yesterdays" with some tuba-like sounds from Ament's bass...how does he do that? I almost forget the hidden track...a Middle Eastern jam session that belies the connection Vedder had going with Pakistani Nusrat Ali Fateh Khan at the time. It's an experiment that works and shows that PJ is making music on their own terms, willing to try new things, and not just recording to sell records.

Phenomenal recording from rock's greatest band currently playing. This is one of their CD's that would appeal to a broader audience and not just PJ fanatics, like myself. It yields some good tunes.