- PEARL JAM BOOTLEGS REVIEWS FULL VERSION
- PEARL JAM BOOTLEGS REVIEWS CODE
- PEARL JAM BOOTLEGS REVIEWS PROFESSIONAL
Matt Cameron, who joined Pearl Jam for this tour, brings enough to the table on Yield and No Code material on Two Legs but its plain-Joe stuff when it comes to playing material from their first three albums. Matt Cameron is not, in any way, a bad drummer, as anyone could see through his work with Soundgarden, especially the jaw-dropping "Jesus Christ Pose." Pearl Jam has had its share of drummers, each bringing their own style. Perhaps it's Eddie's lack of interaction with his audience besides "Here's the next song." May I also suggest, the slumming Matt Cameron puts on drums. It may be due to members getting into their thirties.
There is a lack of energy that they had in their early years, pushing professionalism and tightness over spontaniety and energy. Most of the album finds it energy in the newer gems, such as the country-style of "Red Mosquito," the fantastic "Off He Goes" and the raspy-and-almost-dance-y "Do the Evolution." It's utterly surprising how "Nothingman," "Better Man," and even "Even Flow" can feel, dare I say, dull.
"MFC," a hidden gem, brings forth the melody and a surprisingly head-banging chorus, a song Eddie would later talk about as when he fell in love with a car in Italy. McCready's occasional wailing guitar is the only thing that keeps the song lively enough.
PEARL JAM BOOTLEGS REVIEWS FULL VERSION
This attack is followed by some softer Vs material, "Daughter" and "Elderly Woman.," which for the latter, Eddie drones, "This is the longest title in the Pearl Jam catalogue." "Daughter" becomes a surprisingly dull jamming session, with Eddie throwing in lyrics from "W.M.A" and Neil Young's "Keep on Rockin' In The Free World." Okay, Pearl Jam, why must you tease us so? Either be more adventurous with your jamming, instead of bumbling along, or just give us the full version of those two songs. It's truly a 1-2-3 punch with the criminally overlooked "Given To Fly" and "Hail, Hail" following. They open in the best way possible, with a slow build-up to "Corduroy." Eddie's singing may start off nasal, as if he's trying to summon Neil Young, but it all comes around in the end and McCready lets his guitar go wild. What follows is a great setlist, incorporating live performances from a variety of shows on the Yield tour and showing off songs from all five albums.
Perhaps Eddie was impacted by The Who's Live at Leeds and McCready, Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same (minus the movie). Luckily, Pearl Jam heard the cries of the teenage angst and were happy to give their fans an album of live material, a concept almost nonexistent in the 90s. Around you, boy bands are emerging faster than white blood cells can react, generic post-grunge and lyrically-challenged nu-metal swamp the airwaves from the depths of a lesser sexy Mordor. Still, imagine you're a teen in 1998 and grand tales of Pearl Jam's live performances have reached you. However, over the 7 years or so, they produced 3 excellent records and 2 great ones, continuing to experiment and search for new musical directions. Pearl Jam remained but they were not willing to bear the torch of the "alternative" or "grunge" music scene and therefore, quickly moved out of the spotlight around the Vitalogy era. Kurt Cobain was long dead, Alice In Chains had fallen apart due to Layne's drug addictions and isolation, and Soundgarden was no more. The year was 1998 and grunge was more or less dead, buried and rotting.
PEARL JAM BOOTLEGS REVIEWS PROFESSIONAL
Review Summary: Pearl Jam produces its first live album with a fantastic setlist, but sometimes favoring a professional manner over the energy of their earlier years.