Jopie Joe,
I enjoyed your post on Vs thoroughly, and would like to follow up with a few thoughts of my own before moving on to Vitalogy.
- I still consider Rearviewmirror @ Jones Beach in 2000 the pinnacle of my concert experiences. The combination of venue (best I have been too), kick ass song, and the great group of people we went with hasn’t been equaled for me before or since.
- Overall, I don’t believe any PJ album is superior to Vs. Perhaps Ten or Yield (or Backspacer) match it’s greatness, but nothing surpasses it.
- Thank goodness I didn’t listen to Def Leppard as much as you did.
- Finally, there is no reason that Guns N Roses shouldn’t still be in some kind of rotation for you.
I have come to believe that Vitalogy is the most distinctive album in Pearl Jam’s repertoire, even more so than Ten. Their first album is certainly one of a kind, but in large part because it was a first of its kind, and likely the best true grunge album ever recorded. There have been other grunge or grunge-like albums of course, but there has never been another Vitalogy - in many ways it is PJ’s one and only concept album.
The album also serves as a sort of marking stone among Pearl Jam fans. More often than not, fans of the band rank Vitalogy as either their best effort ever or somewhere in the middle of the pack. It is never 2nd or 3rd best, nor does it rank among the lowest, which makes for an interesting light version of “love it or hate it”.
In hindsight, there are valid reasons for its uniqueness or even weirdness. Not well known until years later, Pearl Jam was fighting through their low point as a band while the album was being recorded. For the first and only time in their history, a member was fired; Eddie became the band’s true leader in terms of how and what they recorded; Mike McCready was struggling with drug addiction; and, perhaps most importantly, the band was simply not dealing with success very well. The spotlight wasn’t working for them. They wanted to give away what ended up being one of their most popular radio songs.
I even did some research on this, and Stone Gossard once said, “Eighty percent of the songs were written 20 minutes before they were recorded,” and while I find this difficult to believe, the importance of the statement is clear – the band wasn’t clicking together. Despite the churn and uncertainty, the album was incredible.
As with every PJ album save two (and we’ll get to them eventually), I was fully immersed in every aspect of the album upon its release. In our typical insanity, we’re talking thinking of the tracks whenever we didn’t have a chance to listen, running upstairs to the room to click play as soon as we could, etc. I still have not forgiven myself for losing the album booklet and lyrics after leaving it behind in an AT&T bathroom stall. It was a lot like a reading through a highly anticipated book that is actually living up to your expectations – every free moment was spent on the album. The public thought so too and, shortly after its December 1994 release, Vitalogy became the second fastest selling album of all time (A vinyl version was released two weeks prior as well).
The album opens with Last Exit, one of my favorite opening tracks on any album, ever. It sets the pace for the entire album - punky, fast, and, with a track time of 2:50, over before its starts. As with most songs on the album, the lyrics are on the dark side, “Grasp and hold on…we’re dyin’ fast…soon be over…I will relent” ending with the perfect “Let my spirit pass…this is, this is…my…last exit”.
With a total track length of 14 there is bound to be filler songs on the album, and while “Spin the Black” circle isn’t exactly one of them, it isn’t one of the band’s best efforts. The lyrical idea rather than the music is what attracts people I think – “vinyl is good” – but I find myself skipping the track more often than not nowadays. It doesn’t feel like a complete song anymore.
While we’re on the topic, the songs that are in fact fillers end up an injustice to the album, as in my opinion they break up the pace and feel of it too much. Tracks seven (“Pry, To”), eight (“Bugs”), twelve (“Aye Davanita”), and fourteen ("Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me") aren’t songs but a few moments of musical hysteria joined together. I think this is the largest reason I seem to listen to Vitalogy tracks on compilation albums instead of putting the CD in the player (or clicking the album on my iPod).
It’s still a superb album of course and along with “Last Exit”, the balance of the album is what makes it among their finest. Tacks 3 and 4 - “Not For You” and “Tremor Christ” go perfectly together. The former building up to a crescendo before pulling the rug out from under you with a sudden slowdown midway though the song, only to end with another battering of heavy guitars and Eddie’s famous wailing. “Tremor Christ” slows things down and, while not an elite song by any means, it still fits well in the album providing a break in tone (not meaning) from the heart pounding tracks before it.
This leads into “Nothingman”, one of the band’s best efforts of all time. A beautiful ballad with perhaps Eddie’s best vocal performance as well. The lyrics are classic lost love:
She once believed...in every story he had to tell...
One day she stiffened...took the other side...
Empty stares...from each corner of a shared prison cell...
One just escapes...one's left inside the well...
And he who forgets...will be destined to remember...
After two filler songs comes one of the greatest rock songs of all time – “Corduroy”. The song kicks butt from beginning to end – it’s fast paced, unique, and the listener immediately feels a part of it. I am perhaps quoting too many lyrics, but this grabs you form verse one, “The waiting drove me mad... you're finally here and I'm a mess”. “Corduroy” is one of the songs often cited as PJ’s greatest and I tend to agree. I have listened to it so many times it may no longer be #1 on my current playlist, but if I ever wanted to convince someone to listen to PJ I would play them this song first.
Two additional filler songs later and the emotional “Betterman” faces the listener. The oft misunderstood pop radio hit, “Betterman” is upbeat and catchy musically, yet the lyrics are indeed dark and fit in with the album. Originally meant for “Vs” the song was cut from the final track list because of its sound and I can’t argue with the choice. Absorbing to the song in concert is also one of the best experiences a fan can have – the lyrics are clear, easy to understand, and because of it Eddie often has the crowd lead the song in most (all?) of their live shows now.
Finally, sandwiched between two other fillers, is “Immortality” another all time great. A ballad, dark and mysterious, it features some of the best guitar work on any of their tracks. I don’t have an ear for the technical side of this, and I just mean the guitar work is poignant and stands out as the best part of an all around exquisite song. My only complaint is that the album didn’t end with it, and we instead have to deal with this “Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me”.
Overall, you cannot find a better collection of songs on a PJ album than Vitalogy. Where the album ranks overall is ultimately a decision on how little attention you pay to the crazy and pointless filler songs spread throughout.
PS. Unlike you I don’t necessarily put much stock in album artwork (or how fast or slow the color of an athlete’s cleats makes them appear for that matter) but a hat tip to the band for this one. It replicates material from a 1920’s medical book, so well in fact, that for a while there were copyright issues over it. Regardless, it’s top notch.
Me




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