Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Do the Evolution", indeed., June 7, 2005
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.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's Evolution Baby!!!!, July 25, 2005
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!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pearl Jam: The Band of the 90's, March 8, 2000
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.
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