Post by cofi on Aug 15, 2007 13:50:32 GMT
One of the first, from the first wave of Grunge Band's, that i got into and like'd, 
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. The band's original line-up consisted of Eddie Vedder (lead vocals), Jeff Ament (bass), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Dave Krusen (drums). Drummers that have joined the band following Dave Krusen's departure include Matt Chamberlain, Dave Abbruzzese, and Jack Irons. The band's current drummer is Matt Cameron, formerly of Soundgarden, who has been with the band since 1998.
Formed in the aftermath of the demise of Ament and Gossard's previous band Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream with its debut album Ten in 1992, nearly a full year after its release. One of the key bands of the grunge movement in the early 1990s, Pearl Jam was nevertheless criticized early on as being a corporate cash-in on the alternative rock explosion. However, they became noted for their refusal to adhere to traditional music industry practices as their career progressed, including refusing to make music videos and engaging in a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster. Rolling Stone described the band as having "spent much of the past decade deliberately tearing apart their own fame."
Pearl Jam was the most popular American rock band of the 1990s.Since their inception, the band has sold 30 million records in the U.S. alone, and nearly 60 million albums worldwide. Pearl Jam has outlasted many of its contemporaries from the alternative rock breakthrough of the early 1990s, and is considered one of the most influential bands of the decade. Pearl Jam continues to generate hit albums, tour successfully, and garner critical acclaim into the 21st Century
Formation: 1984–1990
Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament were members of pioneering grunge band Green River during the mid-1980s. Green River toured and recorded to moderate success but disbanded in 1987 due to a stylistic division between the pair and bandmates Mark Arm and Steve Turner. In late 1987, Gossard and Ament began playing with Malfunkshun vocalist Andrew Wood, eventually organizing the band Mother Love Bone. In 1988 and 1989, the band recorded and toured to increasing interest and found the support of the PolyGram record label, which signed the band in early 1989. Their debut album, Apple was released in July 1990, four months after Wood died of a heroin overdose.
Ament and Gossard were devastated by the death of Wood and the accompanying disbanding of Mother Love Bone. Gossard spent his time afterwards writing material that was harder-edged than what he had been doing previously. After a few months, Gossard started practicing with fellow Seattle guitarist Mike McCready, whose band Shadow had just broken up; McCready in turn encouraged Gossard to reconnect with Ament. After practicing for a while, the trio sent out a five-song demo tape in order to find a singer and a drummer. They gave former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons the demo to see if he would be interested in joining the band and to distribute to anyone he felt might fit the singing bill.
Irons passed on the invitation but gave the demo to his basketball buddy, San Diego singer Eddie Vedder. Vedder was the lead vocalist for a San Diego band, Bad Radio, and worked part time at a gas station. He listened to the tape shortly before going surfing, where lyrics came to him. There he recorded the vocals to three of the songs ("Alive", "Once", and "Footsteps") in what Vedder would later describe as a "mini-opera". He sent the tape with his vocals back to the three Seattle musicians, who were so impressed that they had Vedder fly to Seattle. Within a week, Vedder had joined the band.
With the addition of Dave Krusen on drums, the band took the name Mookie Blaylock, in reference to the then-active All-Star basketball player. The band played their first official show at the Off Ramp club in Seattle on October 22, 1990, and soon signed to Epic Records. However, concerns about trademark issues necessitated a name change; the band's name became "Pearl Jam."
In an early promotional interview Vedder claimed that the name "Pearl Jam" was a reference to his great-grandmother Pearl, who was married to a Native American and had a special recipe for peyote-laced jam. Another theory put forward in Kim Neely's band history Five Against One holds that one of the band members really wanted "pearl" in the new name, and jamming is a common activity done by musicians. In a 2006 Rolling Stone cover story Ament and McCready admitted that Ament came up with "Pearl," and that "Jam" was added after the band saw Neil Young live.
Ten and the grunge explosion: 1991–1992
Pearl Jam entered Seattle's London Bridge Studios in March 1991 to record its debut album Ten. Krusen left the band in May 1991 after checking himself into rehabilitation; he was replaced by Matt Chamberlain, who had previously played with Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. After playing only a handful of shows, one of which was filmed for the "Alive" video, Chamberlain left to join the Saturday Night Live band. Chamberlain suggested Dave Abbruzzese as his replacement. Abbruzzese joined the group and played the rest of Pearl Jam's live shows supporting the Ten album.
Released on August 27, 1991, Ten (named after Mookie Blaylock's jersey number) contained eleven tracks dealing with dark subjects like depression, suicide, loneliness, and murder. Ten's musical style, influenced by classic rock, combined an "expansive harmonic vocabulary" with an anthemic sound. The album was slow to sell, but by the second half of 1992 it became a breakthrough success, being certified gold and reaching #2 on the Billboard charts. Ten produced the hit singles "Even Flow", "Alive", and "Jeremy". Originally interpreted as an anthem by many, Vedder later revealed that "Alive" tells the semi-biographical tale of a son discovering that his father is actually his step-father, while his mother’s grief turns her to sexually embrace her son, who strongly resembles the biological father. The song "Jeremy" (sample (help·info)) and its accompanying video were inspired by a true story in which a high school student shot himself in front of his classmates. Ten stayed on the Billboard charts for more than two years, and has gone on to become one of the biggest-selling rock records ever, going twelve times platinum.
With the success of Ten, Pearl Jam became a key member of the Seattle grunge explosion, along with Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden. The band was criticized in the music press; British music magazine NME said that Pearl Jam was "trying to steal money from young alternative kids' pockets." Nirvana's Kurt Cobain angrily attacked Pearl Jam, claiming the band was commercial sellouts, and argued Ten was not a true alternative album because it had so many prominent guitar leads. Cobain later reconciled with Vedder, and they reportedly became friends before Cobain's death in 1994. Pearl Jam toured relentlessly in support of Ten.
In 1992, Pearl Jam made television appearances on Saturday Night Live and MTV Unplugged and took a slot on that summer's Lollapalooza tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, and Ministry, among others. The band contributed two songs to the soundtrack of the 1992 Cameron Crowe film Singles: "State of Love and Trust" and "Breath". Ament, Gossard and Vedder appeared in Singles under the name "Citizen Dick"; their parts were filmed when Pearl Jam was known as Mookie Blaylock
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. The band's original line-up consisted of Eddie Vedder (lead vocals), Jeff Ament (bass), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Dave Krusen (drums). Drummers that have joined the band following Dave Krusen's departure include Matt Chamberlain, Dave Abbruzzese, and Jack Irons. The band's current drummer is Matt Cameron, formerly of Soundgarden, who has been with the band since 1998.
Formed in the aftermath of the demise of Ament and Gossard's previous band Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream with its debut album Ten in 1992, nearly a full year after its release. One of the key bands of the grunge movement in the early 1990s, Pearl Jam was nevertheless criticized early on as being a corporate cash-in on the alternative rock explosion. However, they became noted for their refusal to adhere to traditional music industry practices as their career progressed, including refusing to make music videos and engaging in a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster. Rolling Stone described the band as having "spent much of the past decade deliberately tearing apart their own fame."
Pearl Jam was the most popular American rock band of the 1990s.Since their inception, the band has sold 30 million records in the U.S. alone, and nearly 60 million albums worldwide. Pearl Jam has outlasted many of its contemporaries from the alternative rock breakthrough of the early 1990s, and is considered one of the most influential bands of the decade. Pearl Jam continues to generate hit albums, tour successfully, and garner critical acclaim into the 21st Century
Formation: 1984–1990
Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament were members of pioneering grunge band Green River during the mid-1980s. Green River toured and recorded to moderate success but disbanded in 1987 due to a stylistic division between the pair and bandmates Mark Arm and Steve Turner. In late 1987, Gossard and Ament began playing with Malfunkshun vocalist Andrew Wood, eventually organizing the band Mother Love Bone. In 1988 and 1989, the band recorded and toured to increasing interest and found the support of the PolyGram record label, which signed the band in early 1989. Their debut album, Apple was released in July 1990, four months after Wood died of a heroin overdose.
Ament and Gossard were devastated by the death of Wood and the accompanying disbanding of Mother Love Bone. Gossard spent his time afterwards writing material that was harder-edged than what he had been doing previously. After a few months, Gossard started practicing with fellow Seattle guitarist Mike McCready, whose band Shadow had just broken up; McCready in turn encouraged Gossard to reconnect with Ament. After practicing for a while, the trio sent out a five-song demo tape in order to find a singer and a drummer. They gave former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons the demo to see if he would be interested in joining the band and to distribute to anyone he felt might fit the singing bill.
Irons passed on the invitation but gave the demo to his basketball buddy, San Diego singer Eddie Vedder. Vedder was the lead vocalist for a San Diego band, Bad Radio, and worked part time at a gas station. He listened to the tape shortly before going surfing, where lyrics came to him. There he recorded the vocals to three of the songs ("Alive", "Once", and "Footsteps") in what Vedder would later describe as a "mini-opera". He sent the tape with his vocals back to the three Seattle musicians, who were so impressed that they had Vedder fly to Seattle. Within a week, Vedder had joined the band.
With the addition of Dave Krusen on drums, the band took the name Mookie Blaylock, in reference to the then-active All-Star basketball player. The band played their first official show at the Off Ramp club in Seattle on October 22, 1990, and soon signed to Epic Records. However, concerns about trademark issues necessitated a name change; the band's name became "Pearl Jam."
In an early promotional interview Vedder claimed that the name "Pearl Jam" was a reference to his great-grandmother Pearl, who was married to a Native American and had a special recipe for peyote-laced jam. Another theory put forward in Kim Neely's band history Five Against One holds that one of the band members really wanted "pearl" in the new name, and jamming is a common activity done by musicians. In a 2006 Rolling Stone cover story Ament and McCready admitted that Ament came up with "Pearl," and that "Jam" was added after the band saw Neil Young live.
Ten and the grunge explosion: 1991–1992
Pearl Jam entered Seattle's London Bridge Studios in March 1991 to record its debut album Ten. Krusen left the band in May 1991 after checking himself into rehabilitation; he was replaced by Matt Chamberlain, who had previously played with Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. After playing only a handful of shows, one of which was filmed for the "Alive" video, Chamberlain left to join the Saturday Night Live band. Chamberlain suggested Dave Abbruzzese as his replacement. Abbruzzese joined the group and played the rest of Pearl Jam's live shows supporting the Ten album.
Released on August 27, 1991, Ten (named after Mookie Blaylock's jersey number) contained eleven tracks dealing with dark subjects like depression, suicide, loneliness, and murder. Ten's musical style, influenced by classic rock, combined an "expansive harmonic vocabulary" with an anthemic sound. The album was slow to sell, but by the second half of 1992 it became a breakthrough success, being certified gold and reaching #2 on the Billboard charts. Ten produced the hit singles "Even Flow", "Alive", and "Jeremy". Originally interpreted as an anthem by many, Vedder later revealed that "Alive" tells the semi-biographical tale of a son discovering that his father is actually his step-father, while his mother’s grief turns her to sexually embrace her son, who strongly resembles the biological father. The song "Jeremy" (sample (help·info)) and its accompanying video were inspired by a true story in which a high school student shot himself in front of his classmates. Ten stayed on the Billboard charts for more than two years, and has gone on to become one of the biggest-selling rock records ever, going twelve times platinum.
With the success of Ten, Pearl Jam became a key member of the Seattle grunge explosion, along with Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden. The band was criticized in the music press; British music magazine NME said that Pearl Jam was "trying to steal money from young alternative kids' pockets." Nirvana's Kurt Cobain angrily attacked Pearl Jam, claiming the band was commercial sellouts, and argued Ten was not a true alternative album because it had so many prominent guitar leads. Cobain later reconciled with Vedder, and they reportedly became friends before Cobain's death in 1994. Pearl Jam toured relentlessly in support of Ten.
In 1992, Pearl Jam made television appearances on Saturday Night Live and MTV Unplugged and took a slot on that summer's Lollapalooza tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, and Ministry, among others. The band contributed two songs to the soundtrack of the 1992 Cameron Crowe film Singles: "State of Love and Trust" and "Breath". Ament, Gossard and Vedder appeared in Singles under the name "Citizen Dick"; their parts were filmed when Pearl Jam was known as Mookie Blaylock
