Pearl Jam - Vitalogy
This is the most intriguing Pearl Jam album to date because of the start contrasts found all the way through it. Not only does it contain some of their finest work on it (“Corduroy”, “Betterman”), but also some of their worst and most ill-advised. (“Bugs”, “Stupid Mop”)
Recorded on their 1994 US tour the album captures the live feel, and that does add to the feeling of the record but there is a feeling that this is a band not at ease with itself. Kurt Cobain’s suicide had a profound effect on them, especially singer Eddie Vedder and this comes through in many of the songs, not least “Immortality”. It is a song that scales great heights; guitarist Mike McCreedy’s fretwork takes it into another level making it one of the highlights here. Other highlights here include the opener “Last Exit” in which Dave Abbruzzie plays a blinder, indeed he does all the way through the record. The pounding drumbeat lay down the platform for a breakneck paced song that starts things off very well. Things start to go wrong when they mess about. “pry, to” is pointless, although not untuneful, it is just the word privacy spelt out over a guitar riff. Maybe this points to Eddie Vedder’s wish for less media intrusion? “Bugs” is the worst song that they will ever write, it is awful, and the goes for “Stupid Mop”, it is a shame that both came along on the same album as it would have been all the better without them. It is in “Stupid Mop” that we see the return of the revolving drumstool as we find Jack Irons replacing the departed, and sacked Dave Abbruzzie. But lets dwell on the highpoints of which there are many. “Tremor Christ” is a good song, apparantly based on a Beatles tune, and “Nothingman” is the first glimpse of the high standard of song writing we will start to expect from bass player Jeff Ament, it is a very beaut
iful song, not unlike “Black” from their debut album.
The best two songs here though are “Corduroy” and “Betterman”. The latter is a song about Eddie Vedder’s stepfather who he constantly battled with throughout his childhood. It is one of the best songs they’ve written, but I feel “Corduroy” is a better song. It gets you jumping and is very tuneful and melodic whilst being a belting song. It talks of the pressure of stardom, the line “..I don’t want to be held in your debt” talks about him not wanting to be a generation spokesmodel. Something that he maybe saw happen to Kurt Cobain and saw could happen to him.
Anyway, a great album, but a shame it couldn’t keep the quality up all the way through. Still for all its inadequacies it is possibly my favourite Pearl Jam album high praise indeed as they haven’t produced a bad one yet!