pearl jam

...the voice and the sound everyone wanted to imitate


biography from http://rollingstone.com

Named for Eddie Vedder's great grandmother Pearl's famous homemade jam (which was said to be hallucinogenic), Pearl Jam set a foundation in music that would become known simply as Grunge. That band took shape after Mother Love Bone lead singer Andrew Wood overdosed on heroin and guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament recruited Mike McCready (lead guitar), Dave Krusen (drums) and Eddie Vedder (vocals) to form Pearl Jam. Based in Seattle, Pearl Jam led the pack along with Nirvana and Soundgarden in the race to bring alternative music to the forefront of America's youth culture.

Releasing Ten in 1991, Pearl Jam combined '70s-stadium style rock with angry lyrics and heavy riffs. In no time, Ten shot up the charts and sold hundred of thousands of albums worldwide. Pearl Jam, however, was not one to sell out and consider themselves mainstream. With their hits "Alive," "Evenflow" and "Black," Vedder and the gang painted dark pictures of depression, suicide and a bleak world in general. They became the voice of a new, angry generation of teenagers known as Generation X.

Furthering their anti-mainstream, anti-sellout stance, the group refused to produce any videos for songs from their second release, Vs., which came out in 1993. This new album featured a new drummer, Dave Abbruzzese, who was added after Krusen decided to leave the band. In an era when record sales seem to be guided by radio and video airplay, Vs. easily managed to reach multiplatinum status like its predecessor, Ten.

A spring 1994 tour followed the release of Vs., but Pearl Jam canceled their summer tour when they entered into a heated battle with the giant ticket agency, Ticketmaster. During this time, the band re-entered the studio, replaced Abbruzzese with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons, and released their third album, Vitalogy. Vitalogy, which was intially released only on vinyl, quickly climbed to the top of the charts and was registered multiplatinum.

In early 1995, the Justice Department sided with Ticketmaster, ending the two-year battle between Pearl Jam and the company. The band then teamed up with Neil Young on a hugely successful tour of Europe. Working so well together, Pearl Jam and Young entered the studio and recorded Young's 1995 release, Mirror Ball. Laying somewhat low and staying out of the proverbial spotlight, Pearl Jam again went back into the studio to record their summer 1996 release, No Code. Pearl Jam's fifth studio album, Yield, was released in February 1998. The band launched a world tour in support of the album that kicked off in Australia in January. In the fall of 1998, Pearl Jam released the live album, Live on Two Legs. Their latest album, Binaural, was released in May 2000.