Pearl Jam Album Art: Made by Grunge Art

Pearl Jam Live on Planet Earth: News Releases

Pearl Jam Video Productions News Releases (Billboard) - Pearl Jam has unearthed a host of unreleased tracks and special surprises from its vaults for a reissue of its 1991 debut album, "Ten."

Four different editions will be available March 24 from its former Epic Records label; pre-orders begin Wednesday at PearlJam.com.

Each version includes a digitally remastered version of the original album as well as a new remix of the set by longtime producer Brendan O'Brien, who did not work on "Ten" but produced Pearl Jam's subsequent four albums. Bassist Jeff Ament and designer Andy Fischer teamed to revamp the artwork.

The O'Brien disc also includes six previously unreleased songs from the era: early versions of "Breath" and "State of Love and Trust," "Brother" (with vocals, not the instrumental version from the 2003 rarities collection "Lost Dogs"), "Just a Girl," "Evil Little Goat" and "2,000 Mile Blues," a Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired jam with improvised vocals from frontman Eddie Vedder.

Band members have been asking O'Brien to take a crack at a complete remix for years, and he gave the idea a trial run when he remixed the "Ten" tracks "Once," "Black" and "Alive" for Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album "Rearviewmirror."

"The original 'Ten' sound is what millions of people bought, dug and loved, so I was initially hesitant to mess around with that," O'Brien said of the album, which has sold 9.6 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and vaulted Pearl Jam to global superstardom. According to the Recording Industry Assn. of America, more than 12 million copies have been shipped to U.S. retailers.

"After years of persistent nudging from the band, I was able to wrap my head around the idea of offering it as a companion piece to the original -- giving a fresh take on it, a more direct sound," he said.

The "Legacy" edition of "Ten" adds a DVD of Pearl Jam's previously unreleased 1992 performance on "MTV Unplugged," including a never-aired version of "Oceans." The audio has been remixed in 5.1 surround sound. Fans can also opt for a double-vinyl version featuring the original "Ten" on one LP and O'Brien's remix on the other.

But the package sure to send hardcore fans into a tizzy is the "Super Deluxe Edition," which features two CDs, a DVD and four vinyl records. It is housed in a linen-covered, slip-cased clamshell box with a replica of an item second to none in Pearl Jam lore.

In 1990, when Ament and guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready were getting the nascent Pearl Jam going in Seattle, they recorded three instrumentals to send to the then-unknown Vedder, who'd been recommended by Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons.

Vedder, then living in San Diego, overdubbed vocals onto the tape, in the process creating the songs "Alive," "Once" and "Footsteps" (he was invited to join the band within weeks). Poor quality bootlegs of the demo, dubbed "Momma-Son," have circulated for years, but the "Super Deluxe Edition" will include a crystal-clear dub of the tape on a replica cassette.

In addition, fans will receive Pearl Jam's previously unreleased September 20, 1992, concert at Seattle's Magnuson Park (dubbed Drop in the Park) on two vinyl LPs and a replica of Vedder's composition notebook packed with notes, photos and memorabilia from the "Ten" era.

The "Ten" reissue is the first piece of a two-year campaign culminating with the band's 20th anniversary in 2011. Additional details have yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, Pearl Jam is recording its ninth studio album (its first with O'Brien producing since 1998's "Yield"), which is expected for release next year.

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Pearl Jam Live on Planet Earth: Indifference

Indifference Lyrics
I will light the match this mornin', so I won't be alone
Watch as she lies silent, for soon light will be gone
Oh, I will stand arms outstretched, pretend I'm free to roam
Oh, I will make my way, through, one more day in Hell...
How much difference does it make
How much difference does it make, yeah...

I will hold the candle till it burns up my arm
Oh, I'll keep takin' punches until their will grows tired
Oh, I will stare the sun down until my eyes go blind
Hey, I won't change direction, and I won't change my mind
How much difference does it make
Mmm, how much difference does it make...how much difference...

I'll swallow poison, until I grow immune
I will scream my lungs out till it fills this room
How much difference (2x)
How much difference does it make (2x)

Pearl Jam Live on Planet Earth: Yellow Ledbetter

Yellow Ledbetter Lyrics

Unsealed
On a porch a letter sat
Then you said i wanna leave it again
Once I saw her on a beach of weathered sand
And on the sand I wanna leave it again... yeah
On a weekend I wanna wish it all away yeah...
And they called and I said that I want what I said
And then I call out again
And the reason oughta leave her calm I know
I said i dont know whether
Im the boxer or the bag
Ah yeah ehh....
Can you see them
Out on the porch
But they dont wave
I see them round the front way yeah
And I know I dont want to stay...

Make me cry

Ooooh I see
I dont know theres something else
I wanna drum it all away
Oh I said I dont, I dont know whether Im a boxer or the bag
Ah yeah ehh....
Can you see them
Out on the porch
But they dont wave
I see them round the front way yeah
And I know I dont want to stay
I dont wanna stay
Dont
Dont wanna
Oh... yeah... oooh...

Pearl Jam Live on Planet Earth: Better Man

Better Man Lyrics

Waitin, watchin the clock, its four oclock, its got to stop
Tell him, take no more, she practices her speech
As he opens the door, she rolls over...
Pretends to sleep as he looks her over
She lies and says shes in love with him, cant find a better man...
She dreams in color, she dreams in red, cant find a better man...
Cant find a better man
Ohh...

Talkin to herself, theres no one else who needs to know...
She tells herself, oh...
Memories back when she was bold and strong
And waiting for the world to come along...
Swears she knew it, now she swears hes gone
She lies and says shes in love with him, cant find a better man...
She dreams in color, she dreams in red, cant find a better man...
She lies and says she still loves him, cant find a better man...
She dreams in color, she dreams in red, cant find a better man...
Cant find a better man
Yeah...

She loved him, yeah...she dont want to leave this way
She feeds him, yeah...thats why shell be back again
Cant find a better man
Cant find a better...man...
Ohh...ohh...
Uh huh...
Ohh...

Pearl Jam Live on Planet Earth. Elderly Woman

Elderly Woman Lyrics

I seem to recognize your face
Haunting, familiar, yet I cant seem to place it
Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name
Lifetimes are catching up with me
All these changes taking place,
I wish Id seen the place
But no ones ever taken me
Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away...

I swear I recognize your breath
Memories like fingerprints are slowly raising
Me you wouldnt recall, for
Im not my former
Its hard when youre stuck upon the shelf
I changed by not changing at all, small town predicts my fate
Perhaps thats what no one wants to see
I just want to scream...hello...
My God its been so long, never dreamed youd return
But now here you are, and here I am
Hearts and thoughts they fade...away...

Hearts and thoughts they fade...away...
Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away...
Hearts and thoughts they fade...

Watch Pearl Jam Videos: Jeremy

Jeremy Lyrics

At home, drawing pictures of mountain tops
With him on top lemin yellow sun, arms raised in a v
And the dead lay in pools of maroon below
Daddy didnt give attention
Oh, to the fact that mommy didnt care
King jeremy the wicked...oh, ruled his world...
Jeremy spoke in class today...

Clearly I remember pickin on the boy
Seemed a harmless little fuck
Ooh, but we unleashed a lion...
Gnashed his teeth and bit the recess ladys breast...
How can I forget?
And he hit me with a surprise left
My jaw left hurtin...ooh, dropped wide open
Just like the day...oh, like the day I heard

Daddy didnt give affection, no...
And the boy was something that mommy wouldnt wear
King jeremy the wicked...oh, ruled his world
Jeremy spoke in class today...
Woo...
Try to forget this...try to forget this...
Try to erase this...try to erase this...
]from the blackboard...

Jeremy spoke in class today...
Jeremy spoke in, spoke in...
Jeremy spoke in class today...
Woo...
Woooooohhh...spoke in, spoke in...
Woooooohhh...uh huh, uh huh...

Watch Pearl Jam Videos: Even Flow

Even Flow Lyrics

Freezin', rests his head on a pillow made of concrete, again
Oh, Feelin' maybe he'll see a little better set a days, ooh yeah
Oh, hand out, faces that he sees time again ain't that familiar, ooh yeah
Oh, dark grin, he can't help, when he's happy looks insane, oh yeah

Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away, yeah...ooh...
Oh, someday yet, he'll begin his life again...life again...life again...

Kneelin', looking through the paper though he doesn't know to read, ooh yeah
Oh, prayin', now to something that has never showed him anything
Oh, feelin', understands the weather of the winters on its way
Oh, ceilings, few and far between all the legal halls of shame, yeah...

Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away, yeah...
Someday yet, he'll begin his life again
Oh, whispering hands, gently lead, lead him away...him away, him away...
Yeah! Woo...ah yeah...fuck it up...

Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away...
Ooh, someday yet, he'll begin his life again, yeah
Oh, whispering hands, gently lead, lead him away...him away...him away...

Watch Pearl Jam Videos: Black

Black Lyrics

Hey...oooh...
Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay
Were laid spread out before me as her body once did.
All five horizons revolved around her soul
As the earth to the sun
Now the air I tasted and breathed has taken a turn
Ooh, and all I taught her was everything
Ooh, I know she gave me all that she wore
And now my bitter hands chafe beneath the clouds
Of what was everything?
Oh, the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything...

I take a walk outside
I'm surrounded by some kids at play
I can feel their laughter, so why do I sear
Oh, and twisted thoughts that spin round my head
I'm spinning, oh, I'm spinning
How quick the sun can, drop away
And now my bitter hands cradle broken glass
Of what was everything?
All the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything...
All the love gone bad turned my world to black
Tattooed all I see, all that I am, all I'll ever be...yeah...

Uh huh...uh huh...ooh...
I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a sun
In somebody else's sky, but why
Why, why can't it be, why can't it be mine

Watch pearl Jame Video: Why is the Music Group Pearl Jam Named Pearl Jam

Getting the real story behind a band's name can be an exercise in frustration, and the Pearl Jam saga is no exception. There are a number of rumors concerning the meaning of the name Pearl Jam, and some of them are barely discussable in a family-friendly forum. Had the band's original ideas remained intact, however, we would now be discussing the meaning behind the band name Mookie Blaylock. Several members of the band who would become Pearl Jam were fans of a professional basketball player named Mookie Blaylock, and they went out on a few early tours under that name.

This is where the stories behind the name Pearl Jam diverge. Some sources suggest that Mookie Blaylock objected to his name being attached to a grunge rock band from Seattle. When the grunge movement became popular, the record label insisted that the band create a new name. After much discussion, the band agreed on the name Pearl. One prevalent rumor is that the band attended a Neil Young concert and noticed that almost all of Young's songs were extended jam sessions. This idea of musicians jamming onstage provided the Jam in Pearl Jam.

Another rumor about the name Pearl Jam started after lead singer Eddie Vedder provided his own satirical spin to several interviewers. Vedder claimed that his great-grandmother, a woman named Pearl, married a Native American man, and together they concocted a number of hallucinogenic products. One particular favorite was a jam containing the hallucinogenic cactus called peyote. The combination of his great-grandmother's name and her favorite drug-laced jam inspired the band to call itself Pearl Jam. Although Eddie Vedder does have a great-grandmother named Pearl, the story is considered a fabrication used to mollify intrusive reporters.

Other rumors surrounding the Pearl Jam name range from the plausible to the vulgar. Some say that when the name Mookie Blaylock was rejected for legal reasons, the band decided to use his nickname of Pearl Jam instead. The first Pearl Jam album was allegedly named Ten in honor of Blaylock's number in the 1989 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft, although other sources say Blaylock's draft number was 12.

Perhaps the worst rumor concerning the name Pearl Jam is sexual in nature. Band names such as the Lovin' Spoonful and 10CC had already been connected to an unmentionable sort of 'inspiration', so it is not unthinkable that a male rock band such as Pearl Jam would use a sexual reference for their band name. The members of Pearl Jam deny any frat boy connotations behind their name, although their own explanation behind the pearl imagery is also a bit coarse.

Members of Pearl Jam have given several interviews in which they explain their concept behind the 'pearl' in Pearl Jam. An oyster doesn't form a pearl for aesthetics – it's a natural reaction to an irritation. The oyster excretes a form of bodily waste to contain this irritant. The result, at least for humans, is a perfectly formed pearl. The members of Pearl Jam felt that the story of the pearl's evolution from waste product to prized possession was an allegory of their approach to music. Sometimes, a great piece of music would emerge from the darkest or lowest moments of their personal lives.

Watch pearl Jame Video: Why is the Music Group Pearl Jam Named Pearl Jam

Watch Pearl Jam Videos: Ten

Seattle's Pearl Jam has given the world its first album, and it's a Ten. Yes, that's the title of the Epic release; yes, that's the highest you can turn a volume control you're Spinal Tap; and yes, say critics, that's also where it reaches on the quality scale. A powerful, eclectic quintet-from left, guitarist Mike McCready, 26; drummer Dave Abbruzzese, 23; bassist Jeff Ament, 28; singer Eddie Vedder, 26; and guitarist Stone Gossard, 25- Pearl Jam combines the brute aggression of modern heavy metal with a surprising postpunk intelligence. A tour with Red Hot Chili Peppers has given the band enviable exposure. So will its role as the fictional rock group Citizen Dick in Cameron Crowe's film Singles, a look at Seattle rock life that opens in April. And so may its special mix. Pearl Jam's lyrics explore the existential angst of youth, but musically the group delivers a continual sense of hope, which may be why its version of the Beatles' ''I've Got a Feeling' connects with audiences. Seattle's other successes are fine by them too. ''The fact that Nirvana had a No. 1 record and a No. 6 single is, like, sick,'' laughs Ament. ''And it's beautiful at the same time.'' Pearl Jam might not mind its own stuff described that way.

they have made eight albums which are ten,vs,vitolagy,no code,yield,binuaral,riot act and pearl jam. they are the best band in the world and good charlote suck

Watch Pearl Jam Videos: biography

Though they were responsible for popularizing the Seattle sound and style known as "grunge," Pearl Jam proved to be more than a flash-in-the-pan by expanding on their initial solid, guitar-heavy Led Zeppelin-influenced songs and by making good use of charismatic Eddie Vedder's impassioned vocals. Leaping from obscurity to superstardom, the band sold more than 15 million copies of its first two albums. After a couple of years during which they got mired in high-profile controversies, Pearl Jam recovered and firmly established themselves as a durable band working in a classic-rock mode.

Pearl Jam's roots in the Seattle scene go deep: In the mid-'80s, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard were members of the seminal Seattle band Green River, which split in 1987. Half the band formed Mudhoney, while Gossard and Ament joined singer Andrew Wood in Mother Love Bone. One of the earliest Seattle bands to sign with a major label, Mother Love Bone seemed on the verge of breaking big when Wood died of a heroin overdose in 1990. Mercury Records wanted Gossard and Ament (with Bruce Fairweather on guitar and drummer Greg Gilmore) to record with a new singer, but the band declined. (Gossard, Ament, McCready and Vedder, along with Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron, recorded Temple of the Dog [Number Five, 1992], a memorial to Wood, in 1990.)

Gossard and Ament, along with Seattle veteran Mike McCready, started work on a demo tape in late 1990. They asked former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons to join, giving him a copy of the tape. Irons was involved with his own band but passed the demo on to a singer he knew in San Diego, Eddie Vedder. Vedder immediately wrote lyrics to the songs and mailed back a tape that included his vocals; he was invited up to Seattle.

With the addition of drummer Dave Krusen, the new band was complete. They called themselves Mookie Blaylock, for the basketball player, but changed the name to Pearl Jam, after a psychedelic confection made by Vedder's half–Native American great-grandmother, Pearl. (The band did not forget Blaylock: Their debut album, Ten [Number Two, 1992], was named for his uniform number.) On the strength of its Mother Love Bone connections and a growing national interest in the Seattle scene, Pearl Jam was signed by Epic Records in early 1991. Krusen left the band after the sessions for Ten; he was replaced by Matt Chamberlain on tour, with Dave Abbruzzese filling the drum chair in the fall of 1991.

The band toured extensively, headlining small halls and opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young and U2. They headlined the 1992 Lollapalooza Tour and opened for Keith Richards on New Year's Eve 1992. Vedder, Gossard and Ament took time out to play Matt Dillon's backing band, Citizen Dick, in the 1992 Seattle-based movie Singles.

Although Pearl Jam was originally marketed as an "alternative" band, their connection to classic rock of the '60s and '70s soon became apparent. Vedder filled in for Jim Morrison at the Doors reunion for the 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies; he also took part in concerts honoring Bob Dylan and Pete Townshend. The band backed Neil Young on "Rockin' in the Free World" at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards.

It was apparent, though, that Vedder was having trouble coping with the demands of stardom: He would show up for photo sessions wearing a mask, and he was surly and uncommunicative in interviews. There were reports that he performed drunk, and in 1993 he was arrested in New Orleans for public drunkenness and disturbing the peace after a barroom brawl. None of this detracted from the band's popularity — Vs. (Number One, 1993), its second album, sold a record-setting 1.3 million copies in its first 13 days of release.

Pearl Jam then canceled a summer tour when, in a public dispute over service charges against Ticketmaster, they couldn't keep admission prices as low as they wanted; band members also testified against Ticketmaster before Congress. That fight ultimately ended in retreat for Pearl Jam. The band did not make any videos to promote Vs. Instead, it went back into the studio and recorded its third album, Vitalogy. The vinyl version was released two weeks before the CD and cassette, debuting on the charts at Number 55 — the first album to appear on Billboard's album chart solely on the basis of vinyl sales since the proliferation of the CD in the mid-'90s. Once the CD arrived in stores, Vitalogy zoomed to Number One.

The following year, Pearl Jam backed Neil Young on his Mirror Ball album. The band also appeared at Young's Bridge School Benefit concert (one of several it has done over the years) as part of its increasing involvement in political activism and various charities. Indeed, over the years, Pearl Jam have supported such causes as Kosovar refugees, women's self-defense, opposition to the death penalty and Ralph Nader's 2000 presidential campaign.

Though Pearl Jam was at the peak of their popularity in the mid-'90s, they also went through some rocky times. The holder of the drumming seat changed again as Abbruzzese was replaced by Jack Irons. The band's attempt to experiment with its sound, 1996's No Code (Number One, 1996), met with tepid response. Despite its initial success, the album dropped out of the Top 20 within two months.

The band retreated to safer ground. Yield (Number Two, 1998) was straightforward hard rock and was accompanied by the band's first music video since Ten's "Jeremy." Pearl Jam also returned to playing mainstream arenas (many of them selling their tickets through Ticketmaster) in the summer; drummer Matt Cameron became a permanent addition that summer as well. The band members, especially Vedder, even started to look as if they were finally becoming comfortable with their status as rock stars. The group had also become strong enough to overcome a tragic accident — nine fans were crushed and suffocated during Pearl Jam's set at the Roskilde, Denmark, festival on June 30th, 2000. Initially held "morally responsible" by the Danish police, the group was later cleared of all blame.

In many ways, Pearl Jam continues to defy expectations. For instance, they still play exclusive shows for fan-club members, who also receive limited-edition Christmas singles — one of them turning into the surprise hit "Last Kiss" (Number Two, 1999) when it got a wider release. With former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron in tow, Pearl Jam released the scruffy rock album Binaural (Number Two, 2000) in an era that found the MTV audience listening to either rap-metal or teen pop. In September, Pearl Jam made history by self-releasing 25 live double albums in one week, and by having five of them enter the Billboard 200 simultaneously: 16/6/00: Spodek, Katowice, Poland (Number 103); 22/6/00: Fila Forum Arena, Milan, Italy (Number 125); 20/6/00: Arena di Verona, Verona, Italy (Number 134); 30/5/00: Wembley Arena, London, England (Number 137); and 26/6/00: Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany (Number 175). Pearl Jam continued to release documents of their 2000 tour, reaching a total of 72 sets by mid-2001. The one triple-CD, 11/6/00: Seattle, Washington, was the most popular, entering the chart at Number 98.

After Vedder and McCready performed with Neil Young at the post-9/11 benefit concert America: A Tribute to Heroes, Pearl Jam returned to the studio for the more experimental Riot Act (Number 5, 2002), which included the Anti-George W. Bush track "Bu$hleaguer." During the band's Riot Act tour in 2003, Vedder would perform the song wearing a rubber mask of the president. Pearl Jam announced that year that they would not be renewing their contract with Epic Records after fulfilling it with the retrospective Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 (Number 16, 2004). Pearl Jam then recorded a one-off independent single, "Man of the Hour," which ran over the end credits of Tim Burton's 2003 film Big Fish. The band spent much of 2005 on the road, headlining shows and opening a couple of dates for the Rolling Stones. In 2006, the band released Live at Easy Street, recorded the previous year at Seattle's Easy Street Records, and released it exclusively to independent record stores.

Though Vedder earlier had announced that Pearl Jam was not interested in signing with another label, the band did just that in early 2006 when it struck a deal with Clive Davis' new J Records, part of the same Sony BMG music group that controls the band's earlier label Epic Records. The band's first release for the label was a self-titled album that year which found the band returning to its earlier hard-rock sound. The anti-Iraq War single "World Wide Suicide" became the group's first Number One Modern Rock single in a decade. In 2007, the band released a seven-disc box set Live at the Gorge 05/06, recorded at the Gorge Amphitheatre, an outdoor venue in George, Washington. In 2008, the band indicated it has begun work on a ninth studio album.

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