10 years ago, my dad took me to a Warehouse music store in Orange, CA. He told me that I could pick out any cassette tape that I wanted and he would buy it for me. Being 10 years old at the time, I didn't have any real taste in music...I basically listened to anything that my older cousin, whom I idolized, listened to. I found myself attracted to a tape with a bunch of mini photographs on the front and the words "Pearl Jam - No Code" typed into the side. It's crazy how vividly I remember running to my dad and handing him the tape. "Pearl Jam" he read from the side of the cassette..."Alright, if this is what you want." I jumped in the car, popped in the tape, and I was sold. Ten, VS, or Vitalogy would have been too noisy at that point of my life (I can remember hating "Hail, Hail" and "Lukin" because they were too hard), but this album, the one that I later found out killed off half of the band's fanbase, was the reason I fell in love with Pearl Jam. You don't hear of many fans who loved "Smile", "In My Tree", and "Present Tense" before they even heard "Alive" or "Daughter"...but that was me...and that was only the very beginning of my love affair with the band Pearl Jam.
I start off this post with that story because, unlike many who were disappointed with Pearl Jam's introspective turn after Vitalogy and have been looking for a "return to form" all of these years, I've been quite content with the direction the band has gone in after Vitalogy. I honestly cannot choose a favorite Pearl Jam album because, to me, each one of them works perfectly as a representation of where the band was as each record was released. I personally think that those who are comparing this new album to "Vs" are insane. "Vs" was an angry backlash at the media for their overexposure and a call to the world's youth to fight back against their oppressors. This new album is not the old Pearl Jam revisited. This isn't "a return to form". It's a mature step forward. It's a band that's realized that impaling a Bush mask is much less powerful than providing a message of hope. I think that message of hope is what sets this album apart from the rest. It makes it important.
It seems the Pearl Jam on this new album has a renewed faith in humanity. The message is no longer, "The world is a mess," but rather, "We have it in us to make the world right again." I feel empowered as the chime-like sounds that close out the album fill my ears after the inspiring "Inside Job". Eddie's vocals on the album aren't as much a choice as they are pure emotion that reflect the words being sung. There are so many moving performances on "Pearl Jam" that the album resonates more than most of Pearl Jam's previous work. Take Mike's guitar part on "Come Back"...it finds a way to say everything that cannot be put into words.
I have heard it said that Pearl Jam needed this record in order to remain relevant in today's world of music. I disagree. Both "Riot Act" and "Binaural" are relevant albums that reflect what is going on around us. The difference this time around is the message and the music that goes along with that message. With the world in the state it's in at the moment, we don't need anymore songs about how much things suck. Pearl Jam recognized that and made an uplifting and powerful record. One of their best. One that both the diehard fan and the casual listener can listen to and enjoy. Pearl Jam isn't back...they never left. It's just that this time around, they are saying what we all need to hear.

nicely said

yea i couldnt AGREE more , its nice to see people out there HEAR the band. one quick lil note .. COMEBACK to me after a few spins kind of remind me of YLB where mike just speaks emotion with his Guitar that need no words . inside job alil also... GREAT POST!

i like this guy and i like this post.

much better than magazine reviews.

great post man, I agree.

kwel

though that post is great! it was still nice to old enough whwn 10 came out LOL

excellent

That's a neat story and I agree 100%.

the top songs on the charts when i was 10:

*1 BETTE DAVIS EYES, Kim Carnes (#1, May)
*2 ENDLESS LOVE, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (#1, Aug)
*3 LADY, Kenny Rogers (#1, Nov 1980)
*4 (Just Like) STARTING OVER, John Lennon (#1, Dec 1980)
*5 JESSIE'S GIRL, Rick Springfield (#1, Aug)
*6 CELEBRATION, Kool and the Gang (#1, Feb)
*7 KISS ON MY LIST, Daryl Hall and John Oates (#1, April)
*8 I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT, Eddie Rabbitt (#1, Feb)
*9 9 TO 5, Dolly Parton (#1, Feb)
*10 KEEP ON LOVING YOU, REO Speedwagon (#1, March)

Great post.

Wow, I couldn't agree more. Great post.

Great post. Well said. I am dying to hear this album now. My wait is nearly over - less than 48 hours until I can listen to it!!!!!!!!! Go Australia's release date

Great post!

You just did the impossible. You managed to write something that invariably comes across as pretentious or cheesy, but you managed to not do either. Wish I could be so eloquent.

Cheers

Excellent post.

It's very cool to see a lot of these younger RMers posting much more eloquent content these days.