Vitalogy - Pearl Jam (CD 1994)

I hate the generic "grunge" label. Why? Because it has caused fine albums like Pearl Jam's Vitalogy to be slapped in the same category as a lot of discs from bands full of folks who aren't even worthy of shining Eddie Vedder's shoes. In fact, sticking Pearl Jam in the "grunge" category is rather like saying the Beatles were just another band which came out of the 1960s and were no better or worse than the likes of the Monkees or the Turtles.

So, forget about everything connected with the short-lived "grunge" movement when considering Vitalogy. This 1994 release is a rock n' roll album of the first order, and that's all there is to it.

The thing that's amazing about Pearl Jam is that the band members never let go of their classic rock roots, yet managed to create some truly unexciting albums with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. Vitalogy isn't the easiest album in the world to embrace, but one learns to appreciate the subtle hooks and craftsmanship after a couple of listens. Vitalogy is a dark and dreary disc, but the tracks here are outstanding. The disc truly showcases the band's ability to rock harder than hell, yet still manage to turn out some intelligent, provocative tracks.

Before I mention the good things about this album, I'd like to point out two horrible tracks. There are 14 songs on the disc, and two of them stink like an old shoe. "Bugs" is a paranoid, pointless track featuring Vedder mumbling on about insects and sounding like a fool. "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me" is a torture-fest which rivals the Beatles' "Revolution No. 9" in terms of indulgence and downright idiocy. Both "Bugs" and that mop thing sound like the kinds of trash a band comes up with while stinking drunk or on drugs and are allowed to go in the studio and just mess around for a bit. Those tracks shouldn't have seen the light of day, and it's too bad they interrupt a fine disc.

Having said that, the rest of this disc is very strong and many of the tracks reveal a band which is comfortable with its mission and able to execute it well. The guitars are distorted, yet still warm, and Vedder's "mouth full of marbles" vocals compliment the scaled-back production perfectly -- the disc sounds like a minimum of studio trickery was involved and that's a good thing. The tracks sound off-the-cuff and inviting, and that quality makes the disc work well.

Indeed, "Corduroy" has enough hooks and shambling charm to keep the listener interested, and that track would have been killed with slick production. Similarly, "Better Man" is another laid-back track which is just downright appealing in a rougher form. And, let's not forget the amped-up rockers on the disc -- "Satan's Bed," "Last Exit" and "Spin the Black Circle" (an oder to records, of course) sound a bit restrained, but have enough kick and drive to really move the album along nicely.

Indeed, most of the tracks just plain thrive on the disc, partially due to stripped-down production. The disc sounds, at times, like it could have been recorded in the mid-1970s, and music such as this stands on its own without a lot of studio trickery. The band sounds like it just plugged in and played for the most part, and that atmosphere contributes greatly to the disc's appeal.

While I haven't heard a bad Pearl Jam disc yet, this one is truly one of the great albums from the band. If you have any interest in Pearl Jam -- or classic hard rock -- you owe it to yourself to grab a copy of this.