#90snuts

The year was 1993. Grunge was really gathering steam and, aside from Nirvana, the biggest name in the genre was Pearl Jam. In Chicago, the local alternative station Q101 played a block of Pearl Jam songs every night. I remember the buzz around the upcoming Vs. record and listening for new songs as they premiered “live” on the radio. And I also remember the awkward reluctant celebrity that was Eddie Vedder.

I think it was his cool, reticent, oddness that lent the frontman a certain relatability to my group of awkward, odd friends that were all just beginning to make our way into our teen years. To see a rock star we all looked up to looking nervous on camera made it not just alright, but actually cool to be strange. A buddy of mine from my swim team named Jon was really into Eddie and he'd often tell me what Mr. Vedder would think of other kids on the swim team or the teachers at his school.

“He'd call them poseurs, man. Poseurs.”

And so, in the fall of 1993 and in the hopes of staying planted firmly in the “non-poseur” camp, I made my way to the local Best Buy to pick up the latest disc from Eddie and the gang. I remember thinking how cool the orange disc was and being somewhat disappointed that the insert didn't have full  lyrics for every song on the album. Looking at the case and CD now, I still think that the orange disc is pretty cool. That much is undeniable.

I also remember the lack of music videos for the album. While disappointing, it went along with the rebellious attitude of Pearl Jam that really appealed to a lot of young people at the time. The band wasn't just pissed at MTV, they were pissed at Ticketmaster and all kinds of other crap. It was a righteous anger they easily conveyed and for my group of angry friends, it was good to feel righteous every once in a while.

So, with that random and rambling bit of personal backstory out of the way, let's get to the track-by-track review of Pearl Jam's sophomore offering from 1993: Vs.

“Go”

What a killer way to kick off a record. The groovy riff and drums that just build up higher and higher are simply awesome and then Eddie comes in and nails it. It's a really tight opener that also manages to seems like it's always on the verge of rocking so hard it falls off the rails.  

The lyrics are simple and screamed and, not to take away from their actual content, they're delivered in a way that conveys an emotion and a feeling in much the same way the other instruments on the track do. While I can't say I literally understand what they're saying, I can say I understand what they mean. Or at least what they mean to me.  

Ultimately, the track is a quick, rollicking one that throws the record into high gear as it comes out of the gate with guitars blaring, drums beating, and Eddie screaming over the top of it all.

SCORE: Eight out of ten Doc Martens.

“Animal”

Another rocking intro with a groovy riff that manages to snake in and out of breakdowns that gradually build up to really interesting choruses. It's not that the parts of the song aren't recognizable, it's more that the way the parts are laid out and flow into one another is non-traditional. Don't get me wrong, Pearl Jam didn’t break the mold with these tunes, but their structure and form vary enough from what was the norm and as such the songs still seem fresh.

SCORE: Seven out of ten slap bracelets.

“Daughter”

I'm pretty sure “MTV Unplugged” was huge at the time of this record and I remember alternative radio really rediscovering the acoustic guitar around the time. This song has become a modern classic and I think its pretty clear why.  

The guitar intro is simple, timeless, and instantly recognizable. The lyrics and melody are solid and the numerous breakdowns into solos kick ass as the song ebbs and flows in and out. Again, this song didn't follow the typical “power ballad” formula of acoustic verse, distorted chorus, acoustic verse and that really helps the song stand out.

I also want to make note of Eddie's choice of lyrics here. I think it was interesting that they managed to make a hit out of a song where the chorus is a man singing “Don't call me daughter!”

See, I've always heard that young boys don't even want to read books by written by female authors so publishers make them use initals like “S.E.” and “J.K.” to hide their real names and genders. And while it was obvious that Eddie is a guy singing and not secretly some woman named Edith, PJ nevertheless ran the risk of alienating those same kind of young male fans. But, looking at the song's popularity and legacy, it doesn’t seem to have been an issue at all.

The song was a good one and I remember my friends and I all took away from it our own messages. Even at our supposed immature ages, nobody made an issue out of someone calling Eddie “daughter” in the first place.The fact that the rest of the lyrics were so cryptic also added to the song's mystique. Throw in the “shades go down” outro made for some sweet live jamming and you've got another winner.

SCORE: Nine out of ten Kurt Loders.

“Glorified G”

I think something that really stands out at this point in the album listening is that Pearl Jam has gotten a little funkier since Ten. I don't know if that's due to new drummer Dave Abbruzzese's influence or what, but the riffs and beats have definitely gotten a bit groovier and that's what carries this song.

I'm pretty sure there's a gun control message here and I don't really remember that being an issue at the time. I do recall one time Sheryl Crow said something about guns at Wal-Mart in a song and Wal-Mart went apeshit and pulled all her albums and stuff. But I don't think anybody really minded about this song's message and maybe the fact that it is almost presented as parody (“Got a gun, fact I got two, but that's okay, man, because I love God”) managed to help it fly over some people's heads. 

Anyways, I've always loved the riff and while it doesn't have the same epic, almost arena rock feel that the intros of “Alive” and “Evenflow” have, it is still a fun and memorable one.  That, plus the slightly unintelligible “Blah blah, I can feel, the looooove in my hand” outro gives the tune a really fun, sing and dance-along feel that you don't often get from songs with political messages.

SCORE: Nine out of ten flannel shirts.

“Dissident”

This is a pretty good mid-tempo song that I've always enjoyed. I really don't know what level of success this tune had since PJ had eschewed videos completely by the time Vs. dropped, but I feel like it got a pretty good amount of radio airplay.  

I'd say that's for good reason as it's an all around good song that has some pretty poppy elements to it and a fairly catchy chorus.  The guitars are woven in and out well and the bridge that comes in around midway through the song is a pretty good way to breakup what becomes a long outro chorus.  This isn't to say it's bad, just that it’s a little bit more simple of a composition than some of the earlier cuts on the album.

In all, a good workhorse of a song that earns itself:

SCORE: Seven out of ten “Doug” episodes.