Merkin Ball [Single] - Pearl Jam (CD 1995)

This Album Saved Me
In 1995 I was younger, 6 years younger then I am now, and much more impressionable. I was going through some rough times in my life and had little hope for the future. Back then I was all about music, specifically Pearl Jam or "grunge" music, and it is of course what I turned to when I found nothing else could make me feel better. While recording Neil Young's Mirrorball, Pearl Jam took some studio time to record two songs with Neil that Eddie Vedder (lead singer) had written. The two songs, are two of Pearl Jam's best. Merkin Ball was released as a kind of add of to the aforementioned Mirrorball, same packaging (plain brown cardboard not unlike Pearl Jam's recent European bootlegs) and all. All I can say is....masterpiece.

Two Tracks
Yes, there are only two songs on Merkin Ball, but they far exceed many full length albums that I can think of. Pearl Jam was very busy working with Neil Young on Mirrorball and maybe released this to calm the fans who were hungry after 1994's great Vitalogy. Here are my thoughts on the two songs.

I Got Id
"My lips are shaking, my nails are bit off, it's been a month since I've heard myself talk...."
Originally titled "I Got S**t" and changed for obvious corporate record company reasons, "I Got Id" was a title of much debate when it was released. Many a radio DJ wasn't sure if it was "I Got ID" (as in identification), or Id, like the comic "The Wizard of Id". Pearl Jam probably just made it a statement to let people know that they were not happy about the changing of the title, and wanted to confuse people. Anyways....this song rocks.

This may be my favorite Pearl Jam song ever. Not sure, it's definately close. To this day the chorus of "I walked the line, when you held my hand that night.." rings in my head. The song is just like a sweeping epic that should probably have been given a better title in the first place to convey just how beautiful it is. The guitar work is tremendous on this piece, lots of distortion cut to tranquil quiet moments as if you are floating on a sonic sea with that paper cup (from the song). I can't explain how much the lyrics mean to me in their infinite Vedder-esque wisdom. Eddie's voice has also never been more perfect.

Long Road
"will I walk the long road? cannot say, there's no need to say goodbye....."
A main reason I don't know if "I Got Id" is my favorite Pearl Jam song is because of this one. This is definatly the most meaningful Pearl Jam song to me, in that I associate it with so much that was going on in my life. I ever used its lyrics as code words when I talked to friends about problems I was having. This song starts out like a thunderstorm off in the distant working its way closer.... And the closer it gets, the better it gets, as the music builds, you (or at least I can) can literally feel it getting "stronger". Musically this is different that anything Pearl Jam had really done up to this point, maybe a little "Foxymophandlemomma" for the constant drum beat. This song was also used on the Dead Man Walking soundtrack in which Eddie Vedder performed it with the late Nasraut Fateh Ali Khan. But on Merkin Ball, "Long Road" is one of the finest songs I have ever heard. More of a feeling then a song, I took so much from it, and to this day it helps me.

Cannot Say
If you can't tell, I love this album. It just helped me through so much, and I get a feeling unlike anything else everytime I hear either song off of it. Sure, all of my problems got worked out, and many of them may have been trivial, but to me, this album was my savior.