Lost Dogs - Pearl Jam (CD 2003)

B-Sides and rarities collections are generally something I stay away from. They're usually fine for hardcore fans of the bands releasing them, but even then they're mostly crap that wasn't good enough for the other albums with a few hidden gems thrown in. Of course, leave it to Pearl Jam to release a b-sides set that's packed with fan favorites, songs that should have been included on studio albums, and even some classics. With tracks like "Yellow Ledbetter," the frequent concert closer that features Mike McCready's Hendrixian guitar and still gets radio play today, and "Last Kiss," the fan club Christmas single that eventually became a number one hit, it's clear that Lost Dogs is not the throwaway collection that we've gotten from so many other bands.

Pearl Jam has been putting out solid b-side and made-for-compilation tracks since the get-go, so it's no surprise that it takes two discs to fit all these songs. The first disc is the heavier one. It starts with a hard-rocking No Code-era track called "All Night" that features some pretty heavy drumming as well as multi-layered vocals from Eddie Vedder. Tracks like "Hitchhiker" and "Don't Gimme No Lip" have a fun, bluesy, garage-rock feel, but the best example of that style comes on "Leavin' Here" which cranks the volume and catchiness to warn men that if they don't stop mistreating their women, the ladies will soon ditch them. Some of this half's songs are slower in pace - like the Vs.-era "Hold On" or Binaural-era "Education" - but maintain a hard and even dark sound to make them fit in with the heavier tracks.

Disc two is the softer of the set, but it still features many favorites. Your Mamasan Trilogy is now complete, as "Footsteps," set on death row, completes the story started by "Alive" and "Once." The death row theme continues with "Dead Man," found on the Dead Man Walking soundtrack. "Other Side" is a more upbeat death-related song, though the lyrics remain heartbreaking: "It's not the same without you up here / Can't find my wheels / Your absence is what breeds this fear." The mellow side isn't all gloomy though. We get fan favorite "Hard to Imagine," the very cool, dreamy Ten outtake "Wash," and one of the most famous Christmas singles "Let Me Sleep." And the folky, harmonica-backed "Drifting" is one of the most enjoyable tracks on the album, feeling like a true anthem for someone happily casting off their possessions and trekking across the land. The disc ends with "Bee Girl," about the young lady from Blind Melon fame followed by a hidden track written in memory of the late Layne Staley of Alice In Chains.

Many of the songs included on Lost Dogs show a playful side of the band that isn't always apparent on studio albums. "Black, Red, Yellow" was written about Dennis Rodman at the height of his public wildness. Sticking with the basketball theme, "Sweet Lew" has Jeff Ament tell the bitter tale of being snubbed by idol Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabaar). "U" (or "You") is a peppy song about being in love and frustrated ("I thought it was easy to stay in love but you, you, you") that Vedder admits took only 10 minutes to write - though if it were any more complex, it might not be as good. Pearl Jam goes '60s surf-rock on "Gremmie Out of Control," a highlight of the Music For Our Mother Ocean Vol. 1 compilation; more oceanic rock follows with "Whale Song," both written and sung by former drummer Jack Irons. One of the most fun tracks here is "Dirty Frank," an early song that takes a bluesy approach to humorously singing about a cannibalistic bus driver.

Some tracks on Lost Dogs are so good, you wonder why they weren't included on studio albums. Case in point: "Down," a bouncy tune that calls us not to any specific political action, just something ("You can't be neutral on a moving train"). Ed says this was left off Riot Act because of "'one thing is not like the others' syndrome," but a fun rocker like this is what that album sorely needed. "Fatal" is mostly soft but still a darkly powerful tune that would have made a nice addition to Binaural. The groovy yet hard-rocking "Alone" was left off of Ten even though it would have fit nicely with the rest of that album's classics.

Along with the two discs, we get a booklet featuring information on every track - who performed on it, what album it was from, and any other tidbits the band members choose to divulge. Some tracks get lengthy explanations while others have only a sentence. Just don't expect to learn the meaning of the made-up-on-spot lyrics to "Yellow Ledbetter." This page has no commentary from Vedder, only from McCready who says, "I still don't know what it's about and I don't want to!" Whatever. Sometimes speculation is part of the fun.

With a compilation like this, there are bound to be people disappointed with omissions, but Lost Dogs is still a pretty complete collection. With thirty tracks spanning nearly 15 years, Pearl Jam show just how prolific and talented they are. They've been able to make several fantastic albums without the assistance of these excellent songs. In fact, I believe that you could trim Lost Dogs into a single disc and have another great Pearl Jam album. However, I wouldn't recommend that because there's too much good material that deserves to be heard, even if not on a proper album. Please, give these dogs a good home.


Lost Dogs tracks:

Disc one: 1.All Night 2.Sad 3.Down 4.Hitchhiker 5.Don't Gimme No Lip 6.Alone 7.In the Moonlight 8.Education 9.Black, Red, Yellow 10.You 11.Leavin' Here 12.Gremmie Out of Control 13.Whale Song 14.Undone 15.Hold On 16.Yellow Ledbetter

Disc two: 1.Fatal 2.Other Side 3.Hard to Imagine 4.Footsteps 5.Wash 6.Dead Man 7.Strangest Tribe 8.Drifting 9.Let Me Sleep 10.Last Kiss 11.Sweet Lew 12.Dirty Frank 13.Brother 14.Bee Girl (hidden track: 4-20-02)


Also from Pearl Jam:

Full Lengths: Ten / Vs. / Vitalogy / No Code / Yield / Binaural / Riot Act / 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. :::