Post by Cupcake Avenger on Jul 29, 2005 18:50:02 GMT -5
VITALOGY is something only one of Pearl Jam's other albums has been able to accomplish: it is a work of passionate artistry (NO CODE is the other album). Althought TEN was a modern rock classic and VERSUS showed Pearl Jam had some variety and different sides of their music, VITALOGY is where all of their musical ambition and experiemntal side come together to form a masterpiece.
Sure, it has a throw-away track or two, but those spots don't really matter much because the rest of the album is so good. It starts out on a great note, with the death-themed thrash-punk song "Last Exit". It ends with the very strange seven-minute eerie "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me".
Something I noticed about Pearl Jam's third album in comparison to their other attempts is that it has a distinctively raw, almost garage-esque sound to it, courtesy of Brenden O'Brien's excellent production, that makes it seem so much more real than PJ's other efforts.
This album's tone is notably darker than any other album by Pearl Jam. There are many songs about death ("Immortality", "Last Exit"), regret ("Nothingman"), anger and loss ("Corduroy", "Not for You"), and dislike of authority/people/organized religion ("Satan's Bed", "Tremor Christ", "Whipping"). There are a few lighter spots, such as the groovy, funky instrumental "Aye Davanita", and the tribute tp vynal that sometimes cleverly resembles a drug-themed song "Spin the Black Circle". But overall the album's colors are grey and black, as much of the album deals with negative things, which actually makes it seem much more honest and enjoyable.
The highlights of the album are Eddie Vedder's rant against fame "Corduroy", the Kurt Cobain suicide-inspired "Immortality", the regretful, angry "Not for You", and the beautiful ballad "Nothingman". What some people consider to be the lowpoint of the album, "Bugs", is actually just one of the few spots of humor to me, being a song about paranoia/the media played pretty much just with an accordian and being nearly spoken-word. I found it to be a light spot in the middle of a very dark tunnel.
Like Nirvana's IN UTERO, VITALOGY has one or two throw-aways but as a whole the album is so good that you forget about those one or two songs. Both albums were moments of triumph and originality for the two "rival" grunge bands, filled with masterful songs that they completely put their hearts into. This is the quinnessential Pearl Jam album, their masterpiece of their careers. Pearl Jam's best piece of art is like any artist's best: it has a few rough spots but is overall a work of inticate beauty.
Sure, it has a throw-away track or two, but those spots don't really matter much because the rest of the album is so good. It starts out on a great note, with the death-themed thrash-punk song "Last Exit". It ends with the very strange seven-minute eerie "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me".
Something I noticed about Pearl Jam's third album in comparison to their other attempts is that it has a distinctively raw, almost garage-esque sound to it, courtesy of Brenden O'Brien's excellent production, that makes it seem so much more real than PJ's other efforts.
This album's tone is notably darker than any other album by Pearl Jam. There are many songs about death ("Immortality", "Last Exit"), regret ("Nothingman"), anger and loss ("Corduroy", "Not for You"), and dislike of authority/people/organized religion ("Satan's Bed", "Tremor Christ", "Whipping"). There are a few lighter spots, such as the groovy, funky instrumental "Aye Davanita", and the tribute tp vynal that sometimes cleverly resembles a drug-themed song "Spin the Black Circle". But overall the album's colors are grey and black, as much of the album deals with negative things, which actually makes it seem much more honest and enjoyable.
The highlights of the album are Eddie Vedder's rant against fame "Corduroy", the Kurt Cobain suicide-inspired "Immortality", the regretful, angry "Not for You", and the beautiful ballad "Nothingman". What some people consider to be the lowpoint of the album, "Bugs", is actually just one of the few spots of humor to me, being a song about paranoia/the media played pretty much just with an accordian and being nearly spoken-word. I found it to be a light spot in the middle of a very dark tunnel.
Like Nirvana's IN UTERO, VITALOGY has one or two throw-aways but as a whole the album is so good that you forget about those one or two songs. Both albums were moments of triumph and originality for the two "rival" grunge bands, filled with masterful songs that they completely put their hearts into. This is the quinnessential Pearl Jam album, their masterpiece of their careers. Pearl Jam's best piece of art is like any artist's best: it has a few rough spots but is overall a work of inticate beauty.
