Vitalogy

by

Pearl Jam

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Back in 1968, The Beatles released their double set called The Beatles, more commonly known as The White Album. Within those original album sleaves were four sides of brilliant and strange music. But there was also filler. Strange music. We're talking Revolution 9, Rocky Racoon, Why Don't We Do It In the Road, and several others.

In 1994, Pearl Jam released Vitalogy. Although different in sound, it was no different in content. On this album we had moments of sheer brilliance. Immortality, Corduary, Nothing Man, Spin the Black Circle, and Better Man really shone out. But we also have some strange cuts on this one. Privacy, Bugs, Aye Davinita, and Stupid Mop (listed as Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me on the back of the booklet). Then there were mediocra songs also.

This album has some brilliant moments. But it is, as Rolling Stone said, a wildely uneven and chaotic record. I grew up on Pearl Jam, my brother spinning Ten (and later vs.) into oblivion on his CD player as we went to private Christian school. Some of these songs on here are just unfit. pry, to is absoluetely stupid (if you play it backwards get Pete Townsend Saved My Life). Stupid Mop, clocking in at over seven minutes long, is a good 6 minutes and 15 seconds to long.

Sorry, the White Album is better. All the filler on that one had a purpose. And even the filler was listenable, and was cool. Plus, it was a double set. Not only that, it was The Beatles. And I can actually dig Revolution #9. Try as I might, I can't do that with Stupid Mop. Interesting lyrics though. Should have been released as an oddity track on some obscure single. Both are good, but The White Album is five stars. One thing about this is it didn't inspire any cult leaders/serial killers like its prentecessor did. But when its brilliant, its brilliant.

Two albums under their belt, Pearl Jam returned to the studio with Brendan O'Brien to record their densest and most difficult album of their career-- the band appeared to have little idea how it wanted to pursue the future, and it shot off in a dozen directions.

The material works best when Vedder seems to be fully behind the material-- his slab of rage on "Not For You" (a thematic continuation of "Blood" and the second single from the album), the delicate beauty of loss in "Nothingman", the story of broken love and hidden emotions of "Better Man" (originally discussed for "Vs." but kept off that LP by Vedder and never released as a single although it received plenty of airplay), but even some topics that are a little less "deep"-- vinyl worship (the breakneck paced leadoff single "Spin the Black Circle"), a jacket ("Corduroy") all work really well.

The album does dribble out pretty inconsistently,however. Sometimes it works out ok ("Tremor Christ", the haunting third single from the album "Immortality", the bizarre but somehow successful "Aye Davanita"), sometimes its a big mess ("Whipping", accordian workout "Bugs", the thoroughly annoying-- though brief-- "Pry, To"). I don't think there's really anyone who likes the whole album.

This is also the first Pearl Jam album to feature interesting artwork-- utilizing a book of health from who knows when as its booklet and contained in a then-revolutionary digipack, "Vitalogy" certainly looks better than most CDs.

The bottom line with this one is that it is not an album that is easy to digest, its got its inconsistent value, but its one of the less essential pieces by the band.