given the "grunge" phenomenon, and the album everyone expected PJ to put out, No Code subverted norms on many levels. I think there was a latent uncoupling of middle-america and Pearl Jam, primarily through the band's overhauled sound, which was identifiable in Jack's drumming, though by no means the only point of departure. Conversely, Listening to Randall's Island II, it's obvious that crowd is very in-tune and in love with the new songs.

No Code is a great album, stop ragging on it.

I'm not. It's social commentary. I love it, and the '96 tour

Kind of sounds like you hate it.

What exactly gives that impression?

I know i was there for both randall shows , and loved every damn second of it !

ike, what kinda drugs do you take before you start threads in pj chat?

does anybody have a pic of jpg of the promo No Code poster, with some of the songs on it... I think "All Night" is on there, as well as some song called "23rd St. Car Chorus" Was there an alternate tracklisting for No Code at some point, as well?

Isn't "alienated middle America" kind of strong wording?

Wouldn't sales for No Code have been stronger if they had released a video or two and toured more extensively?

or had a better first single!

Possibly. Given that Ed's acknowledged he tried to quote, "sabotage" the band's commercial success, I'd think not.

Better single, possibly would have helped. Most people weren't ready for Who You Are. Some fans here still aren't. The only song with a popular video embedded in it lyrically would be Off He Goes-- maybe, but who'd want to see that? Otherwise, it would have been live footage, and MTV at that time had gone the way of the Buffalo pretty much regarding THAT kind of music video.

But what I'm trying to say is, the sound of No Code created a lot of disconnect from the nouve rich, uncultured, MTV children of middle class America. First album that didn't garner MORE fans for the band

Vitalogy didn't really garner more fans either

but yeah, No Code had some pretty bad single choices. The only good one was Hail, Hail.

I think that alienating the children of middle America is more like it. I've met a number of former fans who broke with Pearl Jam over No Code. From the perspective of more than 10 years, I think that No Code and Vitalogy are two of the best albums of the 90's even if Vitalogy received heaps more praise at the time.

I think that SMILE would have made a great single and a great video. How many high school proms do you think would have closed on SMILE if they had gone that route?

Having been a big fan of Nirvana in the early 90's, Nirvana fans were waiting for a departure like No Code. In Utero was really Nevermind with rawer production. I think that if Nirvana had produced the equivalent of No Code their fans would have embraced an album of that quality unconditionally, unlike the majority of Pearl Jam fans.

uhhhh, Betterman got a whole new crop of kids to come along for the ride.

check the most donwloaded songs on iTunes lately? it's #1. obviously it's a single. but it was never officially released, so the album would have had to have been purchased to acquire it.

(love reign over me doesn't count, given the circumstances of that songs existence as well as the means to obtain it)


corduroy got a lot of radio play as well. but i won't say it secured new fans, though it probably did.

though there's no way to see this out, my impression is that those who dig Vitalogy artistically "get" No Code. those who like Vitalogy and the previous albums for its "hard-rock" songs jumped ship when No Code came out. the abandoning fans I'd also wager aren't too big on Neil Young's career, either.

i agree with your SMILE take. curious how the harmonica would have translated over. it's not too "pop"

I don't think it alienated them but it did make it harder for the casual fan to like Pearl Jam. They changed their sound and approach to making music. I'm glad Hail Hail was not the first single. It was the only track that sounds like a Ten/Vs song and is not representative of the album.
In retrospect In My Tree would have been a good first single. Musically it's different than what they had done to date but still a rocking track. And lyrically it's one of isolation and making your own way.

The only single released from No Code in North America was Who You Are. Off He Goes and Hail, Hail were only released as singles across the world.

me did not know this!!

(listening to VA Beach '00; really like this one)

betterman is currently the most downloaded song on itunes?

or made a better record