February of 1998 gave way to Yield, a slight return to the roots of anthem with a mature twist. In 1996, they released No Code, a meditative reflection engulfed by tribal beats (courtesy of drummer number three Jack Irons). With their counterparts falling one by one, they had released a string of albums that followed the beat of their own drummer (even if that was to be its most Spinal Tap-like position with four skins-men over seven albums). Somehow, Pearl Jam discovered the hidden mantra for longevity: focus on the music. Here was a song not even meant for the airwaves, yet, in a purely organic way, unearthed the ears of millions. The achievement of “Last Kiss” was all the more remarkable when one considers the corrupt solidity of radio playlists. In true Pearl Jam fashion, they achieved success without clamoring for it. ![]() The generation that had N’Sync on repeat began to sing along with a guy named Vedder (“Oh where, oh where can my BABY BE!”). “Last Kiss”, a pretty cover tune distributed as a Christmas gift for fan club members, suddenly rang out from radios across America. But, something funny happened on the way to oblivion: they arrived at #2 on the Billboard pop charts. Famously, Rolling Stone went so far as to publish an unauthorized cover story on “The Real Eddie Vedder”, which claimed, among other earth-shattering truths, that little Eddie Vedder actually smiled in high school! The world was angry at Pearl Jam. Album sales plunged, MTV scoffed, and magazine covers were forced to go without the famous furrowed visage of Eddie Vedder. The masses grew tired of the self-dictated detachment and the band was lampooned for its tight fist and rutted brow. Subsequent tours were cancelled, ironically taking the focus off of Pearl Jam’s exalted purpose - the music. After a fight that sent virtually all other bands scurrying, Pearl Jam was left for dead beneath the mega-corporate boot of greed. ![]() In perhaps the most famous of their virtuous deeds, they took on the monopolistic behemoth known as Ticketmaster. They (like their musical heroes The Who) were in search of music that meant something Mudhoney they were not. Here in the “Age of Irony” was a group hell-bent on the righteous path. Labeled as classic-rock retreads, Pearl Jam consistently proved to be a band out of time. Derided by Saint Cobain, a leader of the purists, the backlash began somewhere around the 4,000,000th spin of “Jeremy”. ![]() For years now, Pearl Jam has sought to escape the arena-rock pigeonhole they found themselves in circa 1992.
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