Yield

by

Pearl Jam

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Often regarded, perhaps unfairly, as the "normal" album that followed "No Code", "Yield" is a beast all of its own. What it does display is a band that's really come into itself-- whereas it felt that "Ten" and "Vs." was Pearl Jam escaping their legacy and finding their own feet, "Vitalogy" was a search for a direction, and "No Code" was the push out, "Yield" is in many ways the beginning of the band's second phase-- they know who they are and what kind of music they want to play.

"Yield" has many of the elements of thre preivously albums finally coexisting-- the AOR/arena rock sound (leadoff single "Given to Fly"), the punk numbers in the vein of "Go", "Last Exit", and "Hail Hail" (powerful opener "Brain of J"), the ballads vocalist Ed Vedder can really get himself wrapped into ("Low Light"), but its got a lot more too.

Any belief that this is a straightahead rock record only, take a look at "No Way" or "Push Me, Pull Me", with its odd fills (from various instruments) and falsetto harmonies, or the churning, bubbling "Wishlist"-- a final realization of the sort of sounds "Who You Are" and "In My Tree" leaned towards, although with a self-assurance that allows it to speak on its own. And certainly little on this or any other record can compare to the ecstatic power of "Do the Evolution"-- lyrically and musically one of the most (if not THE most) satisfying songs in Pearl Jam's catalog. Straightahead rock? When all the instruments drop out but the drums and Vedder leads the choir singing "Alleluia"?

Still, if its straightahead rock you're after, look no further than "MFC"-- a great song about hitting the open road and a fantastic piece. The thing about this album is that its got something for anyone who's enjoyed any of Pearl Jam's earlier albums. Confidence, synthesis of sounds, and a settled direction all help to make this one an essential part of the band's catalog. Recommended.

I was somewhat disappointed in Yield by the very fact that the guitars sound asleep; the sound quality of this album is rather poor. The faster songs on the album, like Brain of J and Do the Evolution are something like rubberbands. They stretch trying to be something like old Pearl Jam, but fall short. The version of Brain of J is much better on the Wishlist single, because its much louder and faster and the band feels freer. Listen to McCready's guitar in the middle of the song of both versions. Do the Evolution is a rockin' song, but feels feeble in its attempt at constructing something great. Pilate, sounds kind of stupid at first but then it grows on you and gets stranger. There's a great line in the middle of the song when it slows down. Highlights of the album include Lowlight, All Those Yesterdays,Given to Fly, and the clever-written Wishlist. In short, Yield, though not great, works because it has slow great songs that gently build up. The band is not better in the faster songs, and that has something to do with that monotonous clobber, Jack Irons. Ironic that his last name is Irons.