The Witching Hours Session – 20/01/2018
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam were formed in Seattle in 1990. Since its inception, the band’s line-up has consisted of Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, and Jeff Ament.
Formed after the demise of Gossard and Ament’s previous band, Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream with its debut album, ‘Ten’, in 1991. One of the key bands in the grunge movement of the early 1990s, over the course of the band’s career, its members became noted for their refusal to adhere to traditional music industry practices, including refusing to make proper music videos or give interviews, and engaging in a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster.
To date, the band has sold nearly 32 million records in the United States and an estimated 60 million worldwide. Pearl Jam has outlasted and outsold many of its contemporaries from the alternative rock breakthrough of the early 1990s, and is considered one of the most influential bands of that decade. Pearl Jam were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, their first year of eligibility.
Tonight’s listening:
1 – Ten (1992)
Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ may have been the album that broke grunge and alternative rock into the mainstream, but there’s no underestimating the role that Pearl Jam’s ‘Ten’ played in keeping them there, the result is a flawlessly crafted hard rock masterpiece.
2 – Vs (1993)
Vital and powerful album shot through with a melodic core and great attitude. Entered Billboard charts at #1. Great guitars, great vocals and lyric diversity.
3 – Vitalogy (1994)
The band’s love affair with punk continues with this roller-coaster release. Thanks to its stripped-down, lean production, ‘Vitalogy’ stands as Pearl Jam’s most original and uncompromising album.