Pearl Jam - Vitalogy

Vitalogy reaffirms the Seattle quintet's status as the principled, proudly confused voice of a generation. On their third album, they've found their footing as a raw, forward-looking '90s rock act that fearlessly tackles the Biggest Questions.

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Lead track "Spin the Black Circle" celebrates the healing power of Eddie Vedder's LP collection, but it is overshadowed by such masterstrokes as "Immortality" (which can be read, right or wrong, as a reaction to Kurt Cobain's suicide), the Lennonesque "Tremor Christ" and a thrilling anthem for the pro-choice movement, "Whipping


With the release of Vitalogy, Pearl Jam takes on a new direction toward obscurity. After the two extremely popular, rock anthem, grunge records, "Ten" and "Vs.," Eddie Vedder and company have made a rather impressive attempt at growing beyond the grunge roots that made them what they are today. This record is amazing, and main-stream enough. But, you can feel the winds of change coming in the new material.

There are some extremely strong songs on Vitalogy. The first single off the record, called "Spin the Black Circle" was rather punk-rock, very different than most Pearl Jam. The B-Side was the better of the two tracks on the single. "Tremor Christ" ended up being the bigger radio song in the long run, as the single did not do all that well. It was strange to see what they released as singles from the record. Next was "Not For You," a rock anthem, very Pearl Jam. It's B-Side is a non-album, improv track called "Outta My Mind." The final single released was a great song called "Immortality," Its B-Side, a cover of "Rearview Mirror" from "Vs.," by a band called "The Frogs."

The strange thing about the record is the songs that weren't released as singles. "Betterman," "Corduroy," and maybe even "Nothingman" were great songs that found their way the radio even without the backing of Epic Records. They are some of the strongest songs on the LP, they could have easily done better than they did with a little marketing.

Though, it does seem, that Pearl Jam does some of this to themselves. A band, troubled for some time, with internal shake-ups, squabbles, and an ongoing battle with Ticketmaster, seemed to be allergic to the limelight. This record came out in the middle of the aforementioned strife in the band's history. But, even though all of this was going on in the life of the band, they managed to create a rather high quality piece of the work.

This record is a pivot point in the band's history. It is a must-have for any Pearl Jam fan, and a great record for anyone who likes grunge era music. Pearl Jam is one of a mere few bands who still remain and are active beyond the days of grunge. Their brilliant evolution is the only reason they have survived into the twenty-first century. This album is the beginning of said evolution.