A three-CD Pearl Jam set has fallen into our laps and regrettably it’s got to go. Don’t be sad because it’s going to one of you lucky Pearl Jam fans. On March 29th the band will release newly restored and expanded editions of their classic albums VS. and Vitalogy both packed with legendary American rock music, must haves for your collection.
What we have for you is the three-CD VS. set. It includes the original album plus bonus tracks and a five-inch gatefold jacket with 16 pages saddle stitched and one pocket on the right. Talk about performance and presentation all in one.
Is your adrenaline rushing yet? Hope so because now you have to channel that energy into winning the Pearl Jam challenge. VS. sold 950,000 copies in its first week of release and now we want to see which one of you can tell us why this album was such a success. No, this isn’t a trick question; feel free to give us anything from statistics to your personal take on the album.
Post your submission in the comments section of this article and e-mail your submission to shockyapr@gmail.com. Think long and hard because you’ve got until March 29th to submit your entries, in honor of the album’s release date.
By Lonnie Nemiroff
Here is my submission:
Throughout American Rock & Roll history, there have been bands that define a decade. 1950s America saw Elvis and Chuck Berry, the 1960s had James Brown, The Doors and Bob Dylan, the 1970s marveled at Aerosmith and Bruce Springsteen, the 1980s experienced Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Guns & Roses, and the 1990s were introduced to Pearl Jam. There is an intrinsic magic, passion and musicality that marks Pearl Jam's work and lends a voice and soundtrack to the very fans who bought millions of copies of their albums. With many bands emerging after the Hair Metal period, marketing played such a heavy role in a band's success, that it often times overshadowed the talent of the group. This is not what Pearl Jam or their fans wanted, as Jeff Ament stated in a 1993 Rolling Stone interview, “Ten years from now, I don't want people to remember our songs as videos.” It was clear that Pearl Jam wanted to be taken seriously for their song craft, not crazy stage antics or contrived visuals. Pearl Jam's Vs. was such a success not because of the extreme marketing or promotional music videos, but because the band stuck to their guns and gave their fans everything they wanted. Vs. was comprised of songs that were well thought through, instrumentally diverse, non gimmicky and authentic. Vs. was Pearl Jam's no- bullshit approach to creating great American Rock music with varied types of strong, positive messages, and proved to be palatable to a wide variety of listeners. With much of the musical landscape at the time having shallow messages or musicianship, many fans and America in general wanted to grasp something real, feel something that is not just consumer bred–this was found in Pearl Jam's Vs.
Pearl Jam's Vs. album dropped in the middle of a perfect storm – so-called Generation X was disillusioned with the bubble-gum pop of the eighties and the “hope” that the Clinton era would bring meaningful change was slowly eroding. While Pearl Jam's debut Ten served as a catalyst to usher in a new era of music, Vs. helped cement the band's position as the Voice of a Generation. The album was an emotional roller-coaster, much like the human experience. Killer grooves from Gossard and Ament served as a strong backbone for tunes such as Daugher and Animal. McCready's blistery guitar solo in Go served as a wake-up call for the listener, while Abruzzeze's driving drum beat provided what may be the band's most climactic moment in Rearview Mirror. Through it all, Vedder's lyrics provided haunting images of parental neglect, human brutality and loss. In the few interviews that the band gave during this era, it was clear that they were uncomfortable with the title of Voice of a Generation. And indeed, they band never represented that they had all of the answers for listeners burdened with feelings of isolation and despair. Nevertheless, Vedder probably captured the band's role in the lives of many fans when he sings in Leash – “I'm lost, I'm no guide. But I'm by your side.”