Yield - Pearl Jam (CD 1998)

Pearl Jam has changed its style quite a bit since the release of Ten. Over the past decade, the Seattle rockers have experimented with many different sounds, but I think their true style came across best in 1998 with the release of their fifth album, Yield.

Ten and Vs. are regarded as classics that helped define the grunge era. Most of the songs were angry and intense, but they could turn it down into something soothing and beautiful (Black, Elderly Woman ) every now and then.

On Vitalogy, they experimented with strange, darker sounds while still producing some big hits. The highly underrated No Code contains a lot of excellent songs, but it seems that the band was still unsure of what direction they wanted to take their sound.

But with Yield, Pearl Jam defined a more stable image. This album contains many mellow masterpieces yet still harks back to the grunge sound of olden days. Here, the band demonstrates who they are and who they want to be a laid-back rock band that can crank it up whenever they feel like it.


The album kicks off with a fast, loud, gritty tune called Brain of J. The song is aggressive from the get-go as Eddie Vedder proclaims, The whole world will be neighboring soon. The song slows down for just a bit before cranking back into a powerful bridge and ending. Great one to get things going with since the last album confused us (but in a cool way) with a slow opener.

Faithfull slows things down and then cranks back up with its chorus. Vedder s vocals are excellent as he belts out We re faithful. We all believe, we all believe. When I say belt out, I don t mean scream; I mean sing. He has a great vocal range that enables him to scream or sing, whichever is appropriate for the song. After the last chorus, he winds down the song with a soft, meek verse.

No Way has a very cool guitar riff and slow vocals in the verses. Vedder then announces in the chorus I m not trying to make a difference/ I ve stopped trying to make a difference/ No way. Tired from their battle against Ticketmaster, the band decided to focus more on music rather than fighting large corporations. At first, I was saddened by the message of this song since it seemed to have a defeatist attitude. However, I later interpreted it differently. I took it not as throwing in the towel completely but as yielding to forces you can t stop. Instead of spending all their energy helping fans by battling Ticketmaster, they used their energy to help their fans by doing what they do best: making great music.

Given To Fly the song that was deemed a rip-off of Led Zepplin s Going to California. Similar? Yes. Rip-off? No. This song is original and one of Pearl Jam s finest. It starts off slow and soft but rises into a powerful chorus, which ends with Vedder screaming, he s flying! As powerful as the music and vocals are the lyrics: And he still gives his love, he just gives it away and the love he receives is the love that is saved.

Wishlist is a simple yet beautiful love song. Here Vedder sings about wishing he was different things just to make himself and his loved one happy: I wish I was a messenger and all the news was good/ I was I was the full moon shining off your Camaro s hood. Despite his lack of knowledge of the subjective mood, the lyrics are very nice. Some people might find the guitar playing too simple and repetitive. Vedder admits that even a monkey could play it. Personally, I don t mind; I even find that it fits with the song s simple message of love.

The next song, Pilate, is a weird one. It starts off normal enough with slow, mumbled verses. But the chorus loudly repeats, Like Pilate, I have a dog (obeys, listens, kisses, loves). It has a sound unlike most Pearl Jam songs, but it still works. I ve found the chorus stuck in my head on many occasions. Not great, but good and creative.

Pearl Jam cranks it all the way up with Do the Evolution. The music and vocals are angry and aggressive, but the lyrics are unbelievable. Basically, they decry humans who think they can do whatever they want simply because we are such an advanced species. Vedder sarcastically speaks on behalf of all the evil people in the world: This land is mine, this land is free/ I do what I want irresponsibly. I m a thief, I m a liar/ There s my church, I sing in the choir. I can kill cause in God I trust. Pearl Jam does a great job of venting frustration over the arrogance and hypocrisy of the human race.

If you haven t seen the Do the Evolution video, you have to find it any way you can. It is animated by Todd McFarlane (Spawn). It s basically a history of humanity s evil. It starts with Neanderthals and works it s way past slavery and the KKK all the way up to present day where we allow our technology to destroy the earth. The animation and the concept are absolutely amazing.

The Color Red is short and strange. You have to hear it to understand.

MFC (Many Fast Cars) is one of the strongest on the album. It reminds me a lot of Rearviewmirror. The opening guitar riff is great, and after hearing it once, it becomes unmistakable. The song is very upbeat and is just one of those songs that puts you in a good mood.

Low Light is a soft and relaxing one. I m not sure what else to say about this one except that it is an excellent, soothing track that they need to play live more often.

I m very surprised that In Hiding didn t get much radio play since this is truly one of Pearl Jam s best works. The verses are slow, but the chorus picks up gradually leading up to Vedder s belting out I m in hiiiidiiiin! Excellent vocals there, but the guitar is even better, especially in the beginning. I also dig the lyrics: I swallow my words to keep from lying/ I swallow my face to keep from biting.


Push Me, Pull Me is quite unique as Vedder delivers rhythmic spoken word while distorted music plays loudly in the background. The chorus is a simple singing of the title. The lyrics are strange but cool: Like a cloud dropping rain, I m discarding all thought/ I ll dry up leaving puddles on the ground/ I m like an opening band for the sun.

The album closes with All Those Yesterdays, a fairly slow one about taking a break from the stress of life and enjoying your time on earth: You ve got time to escape/ It s no crime to escape. This song provides a great way to wind down an amazing album. About a minute later, the hidden track kicks in. This one is pretty cool Spanish music complete with clapping hands and Hey! s thrown in every now and then.


Yield experiments with some different sounds but manages to remain a cohesive unit unlike No Code. The songs are amazing and really define the post-grunge Pearl Jam. The album was released on February 3rd, the anniversary of the day the music died, but with Yield, Pearl Jam proved that their music was showing no signs of dying.



Also from Pearl Jam:

Full Lengths: Ten / Vs. / Vitalogy / No Code / Binaural / Riot Act / Lost Dogs / Pearl Jam

Singles: Even Flow / Jeremy / Oceans / Daughter / Go / Spin the Black Circle / Not For You / Merkin Ball / Who You Are / Wishlist / Last Kiss / Nothing As It Seems / Save You

Live: Live At Benaroya Hall / Hartford, CT 9-13-98 / Saratoga, NY 8-27-00

DVD: Touring Band 2000 / Live At the Garden / Immagine in Cornice

Books: Five Against One by Kim Neely / Star Profile


::: Looking to trade some live Pearl Jam shows? Leave me a comment or email mreno81@yahoo.com. :::