Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 2, 2006)
• Original Release Date: May 2, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000ETQRCM
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (390 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,204 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #31 in

  Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Grunge

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

If its debut album 15 years ago made Pearl Jam apprehensive with success, the Seattle quintet better buckle in for a return to eminence. On its eighth studio release--and first since 2002--the band socks away the adventurous experimentation that dogged some of its most recent records to investigate a post-September 11, war-ravaged world overflowing with urgency and significance. "It's the same everyday in a hell manmade/What can be saved, and who will be left to hold her?" lead singer Eddie Vedder wonders in "World Wide Suicide," one of several contemptuous rants on the Bush administration. Yet the album's spark is more than political. Songs like "Life Wasted," "Comatose" and "Big Wave" embrace the garage-rock past, as guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard play off each other with the primal lucidity of a decade ago and drummer Matt Cameron, one of rock's best, adds raw backing vocals to Vedder's polished craft. But Pearl Jam also turns up some of its most harmonious works since "Daughter," including "Marker in the Sand," with its radio-ready chorus, the tuneful "Parachutes" paced by Gossard's divine strumming, and the burning narrative and Urge Overkill punch of "Umemployable." Finally Vedder pleads for a lover's return in "Come Back," a keyboard-soaked love song complete with a chilling Gossard solo. It's got a soulfulness that begs for Sam Cooke to sing it and an originality that shows that a vibrant and cocksure Pearl Jam is back in town--and ready to retake the world. --Scott Holter

Recommended Pearl Jam

rearviewmirror	Riot Act	Live at Benaroya Hall
Live on Two Legs	Vitalogy	Live at the Garden (DVD)

Product Description

Japanese pressing of their 2006 album with no extras.13 tracks. J Records. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

146 of 178 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant new album from a band I'd long since given up on!, May 3, 2006

By	Just Bill (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

It's quite possible that Pearl Jam is more revered in retrospect than for their musical offerings from the last 5-6 years. Their name is legendary. And their initial 2-3 albums are considered classics. But what have they done lately that hasn't sounded tired and stale?

Even though I'd been burned by PJ's albums in the past, I took a chance on this new one, simply titled Pearl Jam.

Wow. Am I glad I did. Pearl Jam has been reborn!

This album sounds fresh, alive and -- dare I say it? -- vital. They retained their trademark garage band sound and Eddie's sometimes mumbly (but powerful) baritone. But there are melodies and hooks on this album that are infectious. And the playing sounds like a Pearl Jam I haven't heard in a long, long time. It's energetic and meaty.

The album kicks off with the guitar-heavy, toe tapping "Life Wasted," which sports typical Pearl Jam chord progressions but with more oomph behind them.

"World Wide Suicide," the next track, features a sound and energy reminiscent of anything off Vs. or their debut CD (1993 and 1991, respectively).

"Comatose" begins with a Tom Petty-like guitar riff and then explodes in Eddie's growling vocal and bashing, punk-like guitars that would make the Sex Pistols proud.

One of my favorite tracks follows "Comatose": "Severed Hand," which begins with swirling, mysterious-sounding backward-played guitar noodlings before turning into another free-for-all garage band extravaganza.

"Parachutes," a Beatle-esque song featuring acoustic guitar, a jaunty beat and tight vocal arrangements, is a nice change of pace after so many balls-out tracks.

"Unemployable," the next track, is a great riff. Very catchy and upbeat. It reminds me of R.E.M. Very tasty guitar work.

"Wasted Reprise" is totally captivating. Haunting, even. It's less than a minute long, but there's something about it that I absolutely love. The lyrics are sung with such emotion: "I have faced it, a life wasted, I am never going back again."

I can't say enough about this album. It's chock-full of big, BIG guitar riffs, Eddie's over-the-top screaming, crisp production, and heart-on-sleeve lyrics. It's a Pearl Jam you haven't heard in a very long time.

I strongly urge you to buy this new album from Pearl Jam. You won't be sorry.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pearl Jam is their hardest record yet, May 3, 2006

By	M. Mayer III - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

To start off, many people say this is a comeback album but the truth is they never went anywhere to comeback to. They've always been a 'classic rock' band at the core with influences such as The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Buzzcocks, among others.

I'll start off with the cover, which is a blue gradient background with an avocado. The avocado can symbolize many things since it has a unique pit. On the inside of this album you see that uniqueness with the artwork. Each song has two pages, one of the lyrics and the other a picture of a face zombiefied or altered in some way. The pictures are rather good and with the exception of the last picture which has Eddie's head covered in blood amidst the rest of the band members' heads also covered in various gory ways. It's no doubt a disturbing picture but you get the impression this CD isn't for the faint of heart. Most songs have a strong message about what's going on in the world from the war on Iraq to love ones lost.

I can say my political views are not the same as Pearl Jam's but it didn't stop me from enjoying the music. That's because the lyrics are done in a tasteful enough way to not alienate fans entirely but still get their message across. That's really the best way to do things IMO and Ed's lyrics shine. He's acknowledged he's gotten away from the story telling his lyrics used to have in earlier work and he comes back to that here.

To start off, Life Wasted is a strong rocking sound to kick off the album. The chorus can and probably will get stuck in your head after a few listens. What I love the most is Mike's guitar solo near the end. It's subtle enough to where you may not pick it up on the first few listens unless you're looking for it but once you recognize it the song feels much stronger. After that is the first single Worldwide Suicide, which has been well received. It's easy to see why it was picked as first single and fits well in the beginning of the album. I won't say much else because chances are you've heard it. The third song, Comatose, was played live once but this version is so much better. Granted the live version I heard was horrible quality but I picked up so much more here. The song has the pace of Spin The Black Circle or even Lukin. Eddie growls through much of the song and the pace is insane. This song is sure to be fun live and the addition of a quick solo by Mike helps give the song more substance. It's definately the fastest track on the album.

Next up is the song they played on SNL, Severed Hand. This is my favorite song on the album. The lyrics are a bit gruesome with "Tried to walk, found a severed hand/Recognized it by the wedding band". The best part is the chorus as Eddie sings "Yeh..." in a very memorable way. During the song it builds up to the bridge where it just explodes with a brilliant Mike 30+ second solo, his best on the album. Going to beautiful live as well. Next up is Marker In The Sand and I wondered how they top Severed Hand or where the album was going to go. Up until this point there's been 4 hard rocking songs and this one starts the same, or does it? Let me just say this song has a chorus entirely opposite what I was expecting it to me. I won't say how but it's a real treat. This song has the most politically driven lyrics as he sings "I feel sickness...A sickness coming over me/Like watching freedom...Being sucked straight out to sea". This song just keeps going strong and I love the end. Eddie really let's everything go and as he finishes you can hear Boom's organ come in which fits perfectly.

Parachutes is the first slow song on the album. People have said you can hear a strong Beatles influence but I can't say since I'm not a Beatles fan. It's probably my least favorite song but by no means horrible to the point of skipping it. The song stands out in the sense as it's the most different track on the album and I think fits perfectly in the middle. Unemployable was a B-Side on the WWS single and honestly have fallen in love with it the more I've heard it. The chorus is mainly what kept growing on me and Eddie sings it in a way I've never heard him sing before. Almost to a point where you wonder if this is still Pearl Jam you're listening to but it definately is. A nice mid-tempo song to kick off the second half of the album and it leads into the hard rocking Big Wave. This song has become my second favorite off the record. I was expecting a song like Oceans from Ten since it has that similar surfer theme going but it reminds me more of Pilate. The chorus is sung fast and I have to admit I love singing along with it. Mike finishes it off with another ripping solo.

Gone is the studio version of the live song Eddie played solo last year. Only this time the whole band is in it and I love this version all the more. It's a slower acoustic type song and the lyrics fit this day and age well as he sings "When the gas in my tank/Feels like money in the bank". The lyrics have a similar vibe to Elderly Woman off Vs and Eddie sings it like he did Indifference. Wasted Reprise is just a short one minute interlude with touching music as Eddie sings the chorus from the first song Life Wasted. It feels artistically placed on the record. Army Reserve follows as another song with lyrics very politically driven as it tells a story about those families left behind from the war. Come Back is a great bluesy song about yearning for a lost loved one. The song builds up to the climax at the end that gave me a few chills. It may seem a bit stale at first but stick it through and you'll be rewarded, I know I was.

For the last song we have Inside Job, a Mike McCready song. The first two minutes are a tad bit misleading, or at least they were to me. I was expecting something else when Eddie finally started singing but got something else. I like the song but it's not their best closer. It's certainly an epic 7 minute track that includes some vintage Mike guitar work. I'd put it about middle of the pack for a Pearl Jam closer.

All in all, I obviously love the album. If I had to I'd say I'd put it as their third best record behind Binaural and Vs. but there's still time to move up or down. It's definately their hardest rocking record since Vs. and you can see how much the band has grown. I'm just glad that the politics that are there don't bash you over the head and the slow songs they did have are top quality. I'd say this record will be up there for my Best Album of 2006 and I give it a 9.5/10 overall.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Next Stop Falling, May 15, 2006

By	doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

It totally blows my mind that people are still whining about how Pearl Jam no longer sound like they did on Ten. Well that was only fifteen years and eight albums ago. (Plus two compilations and about 150 live albums.) Well here's a new flash, genius – the only Pearl Jam album that sounds like Ten is Ten. They quickly left the power grunge behind and turned to a garage/classic rock focus, while leaving the flannel kids stuck in a 1991 time warp. Besides, they're in their forties now, and long ago grew bored with what they were doing in their mid-twenties. For the rest of us who can appreciate the developing talent and vision of serious musicians, not to mention the passage of time, Pearl Jam has now delivered the strongest of their latter-day "mature" albums.

After a few rather dreary albums, Pearl Jam seems to have gotten their spark back, and maybe the critics are right in crediting the current political situation. The best rockers on this album, such as "Life Wasted", "Comatose," and "Severed Hand" have a crunch that hasn't been heard since No Code. Even a few of the slow-burners, especially "Gone" and "Inside Job" (which features the first-ever lyrics from Mike McCready) have a sense of menace that hasn't been present in Pearl Jam's ballads since – you guessed it – Ten. And believe it or not, Eddie Vedder is still developing as a singer and lyricist, as he finds more and more subtle ways to convey every emotion from righteous anger to solemn empathy. This new album is a return to form that will satisfy serious Pearl Jam fans and lovers of real rock. There's not an ounce of grunge here – and there shouldn't be. [~doomsdayer520~]