![]() Referred to as Avocado by diehards, this was the beginning of Pearl Jam’s third stage, the one for me that brought old fans back into the fold. I hadn’t thought much about the band in the years leading up to this album, but that all changed when I heard it. “State of Love and Trust” was originally released on the soundtrack to Cameron Crowe’s Singles in 1992 and a remastered version appeared on the re-release of Ten in 2009, as well as the 2004 greatest hits album Rearviewmirror. From this vantage point, it has the feel of a swan song album the album that could have marked the end of their career as opposed to the start of a new era.Īnd now, a few quick words about “State of Love and Trust”… The rest of the album, though… the passing of time has not been all that kind to it. “Hail, Hail” has endured and become a great live song, while “Off He Goes” is one of Pearl Jam’s best slow songs. No Code feels like it should be better than it really is. This is where Pearl Jam started to veer into that second stage. For now, it’s kind of like high school – not the greatest of memories, but a transitional time period that was needed. It also features a couple quality tunes tunes that have managed to stick around after all these years – “Insignificance,” “Light Years,” and “Nothing As It Seems.” In the end, though, Pearl Jam’s second act might gain some significance the further we get from it. Riot Act in particular was the product of a band existing within conflict, as they were only two years removed from the Roskilde tragedy, an event that would stick with them for the rest of their career and was directly addressed in two songs on the album, “I Am Mine” and “Love Boat Captain.”Īs for Binaural, it was the band’s first album with drummer Matt Cameron, and that should count for something. These two albums come from a band staring straight ahead at a fork in the road – at a point of decision-making about what kind of band they were and wanted to be. Pearl Jam had come so strong out of the gate that a dip in quality was bound to happen. I actually think that a good number of people, Pearl Jam fans included, weren’t along for the ride at this point of the trip. These two albums exist in Pearl Jam’s second stage, one I have to admit I wasn’t totally a part of (see: Phase, Hippie). ![]() But they do have a couple albums that are, you know, not totally great. They don’t have any bad albums, which is impressive given the length of their career. ![]() Pearl Jam’s albums exist on a scale of Wow, This Album Is Great to Meh, This Album Is Okay. Actually, I’m not sure I can say that about any other bands. I’ve grown up with Pearl Jam, and I can’t say that about many bands. I still remember listening to Ten over and over again in my folks’ basement, and the giddy anticipation my buddy and I had as his mom drove us to buy Vs. Why? Because that’s where Pearl Jam resides for me, and where they’ve lived since I first heard them more than 20 years ago. If I included the live albums, we could be here for weeks Pearl Jam probably just released a couple more live albums in the time it took you to reach this point of the piece.Īs for how the rankings were done and now this list was constructed, I let two key things make the decisions, my gut and my heart. The task was to rank Pearl Jam’s studio albums. In the end, I believe I reached a conclusion I can live with. I covered a cork board in Polaroids, string, and index cards that was so extensive, it would make Carrie Mathison jealous. I consulted with experts*, did hours of research, and asked my dog for advice. This was easily one of the most agonizing things I’ve ever done.
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