Pearl Jam-Vs. (JHO Hall Of Fame)

Pearl Jam hit the stratosphere right off the bat with their debut "Ten". Everyone's uncle knew the band from the exposure the band received in the early nineties grunge movement. And with the haunting video for "Jeremy" from "Ten", it pretty much cemented the band as one of the biggest bands in the world. So what can a band do to avoid a sophomore slump? How can you still tickle the masses feet with good music but still try to stay true to the underground scene you've come from? How about releasing an album chalked full of bone wrenching rock songs that revolve around the "Us vs. Them" mentality which the band was obviously feeling from the pressures at the time. I've always been a sucker for album covers and the image on the cover works perfectly. Pearl Jam was that sheep trying to break out of the barbed wire fence.

In 1993, Pearl Jam DID have something to prove. And "Vs.", their follow up to "Ten", wreaks of a band trying to prove just how important their existence really was. It was one of the most anticipated releases that I can remember from my college days. I still remember Dan the Canadian (who lived in the same dorm as me and played some pretty mean street hockey) had his radio show before me at the college campus and devoted playing the entire album in its entirety, like a week before it was officially releases (I'm not sure how he got the copy, I didn't ask Dan those questions). But I showed up early to listen in with him. And what struck me immediately was just how it was so bone crushing accessible. The production sounded better than the debut and the songs just sweated with energy. I felt they succeeded tremendously in answering the "Do we belong?" question. From the 1-2-3-4-5 against 1 chant in "Animal", you could tell this was the rallying cry of the album.

And how about a strong five songs to start the album. "Go", which was released in the summer prior to "Vs." if I remember correctly, rambles along nicely on Jeff Ament's bass. "Animal" show Eddie Vedder howling along to a song that was a blueprint for success in the grunge movement: solid musicianship with a keen senese on how to get in a great chorus. On "Daughter", Vedder tackles the rebellious home life of a girl who is growing up her own way as Vedder ends the song with "The shades go down..." making you wonder what is going on in her house. With a great acoustic romp, and arena like accessibility, it became the most known song from the album. Then you've got the anti-gun bliss of "Glorified G" and the full glory of "Dissident". It pretty much makes a case for an all star starting five to show what these guys were capable of. It's got to be one of the best starts to an album, ever.

The second half isn't without its treats as songs like the full on frenzy of "Blood" and the call to "drop the leash" on "Leash" showed that they could rock louder than their contemporaries. "Rear View Mirror" wreaks of a prefect day driving song, as driving guitars take you down the interstate. Closer "Indifference" showed a meditative side to the band that would turn up on later releases.

The song that has so much image and character to me has always been "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town". Working on a simple acoustic arrangement, Vedder throws out some of his most memorable lines "I just want to scream hello!, my god it's been so long, never dreamed you'd return" and "Hearts and thoughts they fade...fade away." It's a lighter induced ballad that makes you want to capture the moment every time you sing along and leaves you feeling sad when it finally fades away at the end. You almost forget that it's about a lady who has been stuck in the same small town forever and knows she will never get out.

"Ten" is the debut that got the band the accolades of being the next big thing. And follow ups can be tricky. Some bands would let the ambition lead them the wrong way into something that would throw a band into oblivion and no one would care to remember them for anything but the debut. "Vs." is a triumph for the fact that they played off their ambitions, successfully showed they had something to prove, and put out my favorite collective moment of music for the band. If not for "Vs.", I really don't think that we would be talking as much about the band today and for that reason, it gets its rightful place in the JHO Hall Of Fame albums.

Source: http://www.jhostation.com/2010/10/pearl-jam-vs-jho-hall-of-fame.html

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