How About a Pearl Jam Obscure Fact Repository

1246713

Comments

  • When Pearl Jam first started writing music together in 1999 for what would be Binaural, the front runner discussed amongst themselves for producing the album was none other than Adam Kasper. Had that happened, it certainly would have made a huge difference to the sound of that record, considering Kasper tends to lean towards a more "live" sound in his production style. Also, the album would definitely not have been called 'Binaural' since that is a term the band adopted from Tchad Blake.
    Speaking of Tchad, his name was actually tossed around to handle production for 'No Code' at some point.
  • The 11th Temple of the Dog song

    I don't know how obscure this is, but it's still cool.
    From the Gossard Instrumental Demos came all sorts of amazing music for TOTD and Pearl Jam. There was even one that Chris Cornell latched onto that never made it to the Temple record. He let Stone know he was finishing a song based off one of his instrumentals. Unfortunately, Stone told Chris he was going to save that one for his new band. Fortunately, his new band turned that instrumental, called "Doobie E," into "Breath."

    Since "Times of Trouble" was released first,we never got a proper studio version of 'Footsteps.' It wasn't even recorded as a Mookie Blaylock demo! The closest was the live one taken from a radio station performance that became the b-side. I think Chris should return the favor and perform a live version on his take of "Doobie E" with The Pearl Jams!
  • As documented in PJ20, the footage from 01/11/91 at Town Pump in Vancouver, BC during 'Breath' has been credited as the defining moment when "shy" Eddie became super "intense" Eddie.

    However, as dynamic as that scene was, Jeff credits the show previous on 01/10/91 at Harpo’s in Victoria, BC as, in his words, the "big turning point for Eddie." The event that transpired on that particular night included an ambivalent audience completely disinterested in the opening act, Mookie Blaylock. To make his case, Eddie unscrewed the steel base from the microphone stand and proceeded to launch it an entire 50-60 ft. to the other end of the club, supposedly inches above their heads, until it crashed against the back wall.

    From here on in, it became, according to Jeff a "circus event" as far as Eddie's stage persona was concerned.

    Cameron Crowe Rolling Stone magazine PJ cover story 28 Oct 1993
    http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ ... d-19931028

    Sitting next to Vedder, Ament listens like a fascinated brother. Perhaps he is remembering the first impressions Vedder made upon arriving in Seattle. Friends from his early days up north recall a different Vedder from today, a desperately shy surfer, a guy with a lot of heart and little irony. One friend even called him Holy Eddie. "He was genuinely quiet and loving Eddie when we first met him," says Ament. In the band's earliest shows, Vedder had been so self-effacing, he barely looked up. "And at a certain point, he changed."

    An early turning point came onstage at a club called Harpo's, in Victoria, British Columbia. It was Pearl Jam's maiden tour, their first appearance away from a nurturing audience of Seattle friends. But this Canadian crowd was far more interested in getting drunk. In midset, Vedder decided to challenge the jaded audience, to wake them up. Unscrewing the 12-pound steel base of the microphone stand, Vedder sent it flying over their heads, like a lethal Frisbee. The steel disk crashed into the wall of the back bar.

    They woke up.

    Vedder would never fully be the same.
    Vancouver 1998, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013 - Toronto 2000, 2003 - Gorge II 2006
    Seattle I 2009, 2013 - Calgary 2011 - Edmonton 2011
    EV solo VAN II 2008, Las Vegas I, II 2011
  • At the PJ20 museum, a lyric sheet entitled "I Won't" was on display with the following note- "a song to be released someday."
  • pleatherman

    Can you please tell us the story of Mister Pickles?
    |9.5.93Gorge|2.6.95Moore|5.7.98AROSpace|7.21.98Seattle|7.22.98Seattle|10.21.00PHX|11.5.00Seattle
    |11.6.00Seattle|6.6.03Vegas|6.7.03PHX|5.25.06Boston|7.22.06Gorge|7.23.06Gorge|9.21.09Seattle|9.22.09Seattle |10.6.09LA|11.19.13PHX|11.29.13Portland|12.6.13Seattle |10.22.14Denver| 8.8.18 Seattle | 8.10.18 Seattle

    EV Solo |7.15.11 Benaroya|7.16.11 Benaroya|4.13.12PHX|10.30.14Redmond|
    TOTD 11.11.16 San Fran
  • pleatherman

    Can you please tell us the story of Mister Pickles?
    Isn't that an Easter Egg on the PJ20 DVD or am I thinking of something else?
  • No wait, that was Mr. Potato Head!
  • Mr. Pickles is a ventriloquist dummy or some sort of strange doll that I believe belongs to Mike and was on stage with the band during a period in the mid to late 90's. Check him out about 4 minutes in here:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRuQmcuR ... 3&index=26

    I was at this show....

    I was hoping someone knew the history of Mister Pickles
    |9.5.93Gorge|2.6.95Moore|5.7.98AROSpace|7.21.98Seattle|7.22.98Seattle|10.21.00PHX|11.5.00Seattle
    |11.6.00Seattle|6.6.03Vegas|6.7.03PHX|5.25.06Boston|7.22.06Gorge|7.23.06Gorge|9.21.09Seattle|9.22.09Seattle |10.6.09LA|11.19.13PHX|11.29.13Portland|12.6.13Seattle |10.22.14Denver| 8.8.18 Seattle | 8.10.18 Seattle

    EV Solo |7.15.11 Benaroya|7.16.11 Benaroya|4.13.12PHX|10.30.14Redmond|
    TOTD 11.11.16 San Fran
  • Mr. Pickles is a ventriloquist dummy or some sort of strange doll that I believe belongs to Mike and was on stage with the band during a period in the mid to late 90's. Check him out about 4 minutes in here:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRuQmcuR ... 3&index=26

    I was at this show....

    I was hoping someone knew the history of Mister Pickles
    Well, Mr. Pickles was brought to life by one-time PJ opener and comedian, David Cross, in the mid-90's for Mr.Show on HBO. McCready, being a big Cross fan, got his very own Mr. Pickles and he sat on top of his amp for awhile. Unfortunately, I do not think he made it past the Yield tour after he was hung and got the stuffing beat out of him. But I am happy to report he is enjoying retirement (and protection) at an undisclosed location.
    Hope that helps.
    Thanks to TwoFeetThick for asking Mike only the best questions!
  • We are all waiting for that golden ticket to whisk us away somewhere in Seattle to the all-in-one rehearsal space/clubhouse/fan club center. It has been called "PJ Headquarters" or simply "The Warehouse," but the official name inscribed on the outside of the building is actually "The Audio Visual Factory."
  • Although never actually played live, Aye Davanita replaced The Color Red as the entrance music for the latter part of the Yield tour, perhaps foreshadowing Jack Irons more than "temporary" leave in the band.
  • VejasVejas Posts: 21
    Shortly after 'Parting Ways' was soundchecked by Pearl Jam in Barcelona during the No Code tour, EV recorded that song along with MFC among other songs in Rome. He formed a trio in the studio (and played a couple shows) with 2 Italians by the names of Fausto and Francesco. This also sets a pattern for Eddie's later 3-piece bands with C-Average, and Flea + Jack Irons.



    http://www.pearljamonline.it/PJ20/Faust ... staeng.htm Is this what you were talking about? It's a pretty interesting read
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me
  • Vejas wrote:
    Shortly after 'Parting Ways' was soundchecked by Pearl Jam in Barcelona during the No Code tour, EV recorded that song along with MFC among other songs in Rome. He formed a trio in the studio (and played a couple shows) with 2 Italians by the names of Fausto and Francesco. This also sets a pattern for Eddie's later 3-piece bands with C-Average, and Flea + Jack Irons.



    http://www.pearljamonline.it/PJ20/Faust ... staeng.htm Is this what you were talking about? It's a pretty interesting read
    Yeah, that's it. I really dig the "punk rock" arrangement on Corduroy.
  • majleap3majleap3 Posts: 208
    Great thread!

    The first time Habit was played live Dave Grohl was on drums. It was during the tour with Mike Watt, Pat Smear, and Dave G. Apr-May 95.
  • majleap3 wrote:
    Great thread!

    The first time Habit was played live Dave Grohl was on drums. It was during the tour with Mike Watt, Pat Smear, and Dave G. Apr-May 95.
    My first concert was a show from that tour! Habit certainly reflects the punk ethos of that van tour. And just like Eddie confessed to writing in a style with Matt's interest in mind when he joined the band, I wonder if he was thinking of a song that would sound great with Grohl on drums.
    Because it does http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h-5ux77gm8U
  • Here is a nice summary from Eddie about the meaning behind Yellow Ledbetter:
    "The song was originally written about the first Gulf War, and I’d created this image of a young guy with long hair and funny clothes, who had just got a yellow telegram telling him his brother has been killed in action. He’s walking by these conservative-looking, older folks on a porch, flying an American flag, and he waves to them in a show of solidarity, and they brush him off and give him the finger. So, you know, what did his brother die for?"

    *Interestingly enough, Eddie would return to the theme of 2 brothers caught up in a (different) Gulf War for his initial outline of the concept record that eventually morphed into an avocado.
  • hrd2imgnhrd2imgn Posts: 4,898
    edited April 2016
    some easy ones:

    Rodman left a voice mail for ed that appeared on Black Red and Yellow (based on Denis's hair colors)

    The Vs. Iron mask cD case is unofficial, but fucking cool (yes I have it!)

    right before Soldier Field set started the Otis Rush band was playing pretty much The Color Red/red dot, so technically it was played live.

    Stupid Mop edit- sorry meant Pry to---played backwards says something about Pete T saving Ed's life (yeah it really is a stretch)

    There was a Pearl Jam condom

    nothing Earth shattering I know
    Post edited by hrd2imgn on
  • hrd2imgn wrote:
    some easy ones:

    Rodman left a voice mail for ed that appeared on Black Red and Yellow (based on Denis's hair colors)

    The Vs. Iron mask cD case is unofficial, but fucking cool (yes I have it!)

    right before Soldier Field set started the Otis Rush band was playing pretty much The Color Red/red dot, so technically it was played live.

    Stupid Mop played backwards says something about Pete T saving Ed's life (yeah it really is a stretch)

    There was a Pearl Jam condom

    nothing Earth shattering I know

    I didn't know a couple of those. Hey, didn't the package on the condom read "Off He Goes," if I'm not mistaken? And I think, whether it's true or not, that Pete T thing is supposedly from Pry To. People already have a hard enough time listening to Stupid Mop as it is, let alone played backwards. Speaking of that song, weren't the looped voices taken from some video tape of a news special with mental patients that Eddie had?
    Oh, one more. I believe during a NBA final series with the Bulls, Rodman had the Stickman logo colored into his hair.
  • Yeah.. the condom package read "Off He Goes".. Although I don't have a very extensive collection of all things PJ, I somehow have the condom stashed away in the PJ treasure chest..
  • pleathermanpleatherman Posts: 472
    edited December 2013
    Mudhoney must be Pearl Jam's favorite opener by a long shot, but could Mudhoney say the same thing when Bad Radio opened up for them in 1989. Oh yeah, and the Lemonheads were there too. Can't forget about the Lemonheads :D
    Post edited by pleatherman on
  • pleathermanpleatherman Posts: 472
    edited December 2013
    Ed occasionally climbs, he still manages to get into the crowd at times, and even surfed for a second at Wrigley. But the last time he combined all of them was on 06/01/00 in Dublin, Ireland. Famously captured in the 'Band' portion of the European Montage section on Touring Band 2000, it certainly wasn't a short drop. The whole experience had a different energy too because the dive happened during Black, of all songs.
    Post edited by pleatherman on
  • Jeff's frequent collaborator, Richard Stuverud, has been in many of his side/solo projects, and also plays with Eddie and Jeff on the Nothingman demo. But that's not all. Even though all we hear are the final versions, many of Jeff's demos that are eventually recorded by Pearl Jam feature Richard on drums. In a strange way, that kinda makes him a ghost member of the band.
  • 'Alive' was never recorded during the Ten sessions.

    Instead they chose a version they had done from the last of the few Mookie Blaylock demos recorded with Rick Parashar in Jan. '91. The sessions for 'Ten' began a couple months later in late March. During the mixing of it, Mike spliced a new solo with the original. Otherwise, this is the same performance of the song as in the 'Alive' promo sampler. Below is the 'rough mix' of all the completed tracks for Ten. Notice the absence of 'Alive' from the list since it was not recorded during the month-long session for the album.
    roughmixes.jpg
  • Pearl Jam recorded Sonic Reducer back in '92 for the fan club single. Then, after 17 years, they finally decided to film a music video for it! Under the direction of Cameron Crowe, this was done at the same place/date as The Fixer video.
  • Pearl Jam recorded Sonic Reducer back in '92 for the fan club single. Then, after 17 years, they finally decided to film a music video for it! Under the direction of Cameron Crowe, this was done at the same place/date as The Fixer video.

    Really? I've never seen or heard of this.
    2000: Camden 1, 2003: Philly, State College, Camden 1, MSG 2, Hershey, 2004: Reading, 2005: Philly, 2006: Camden 1, 2, East Rutherford 1, 2007: Lollapalooza, 2008: Camden 1, Washington D.C., MSG 1, 2, 2009: Philly 1, 2, 3, 4, 2010: Bristol, MSG 2, 2011: PJ20 1, 2, 2012: Made In America, 2013: Brooklyn 2, Philly 2, 2014: Denver, 2015: Global Citizen Festival, 2016: Philly 2, Fenway 1, 2018: Fenway 1, 2, 2021: Sea. Hear. Now. 2022: Camden, 2024Philly 2

    Pearl Jam bootlegs:
    http://wegotshit.blogspot.com
  • Pearl Jam recorded Sonic Reducer back in '92 for the fan club single. Then, after 17 years, they finally decided to film a music video for it! Under the direction of Cameron Crowe, this was done at the same place/date as The Fixer video.

    Really? I've never seen or heard of this.
    Today I've come prepared for class :D
    That factoid came from this article- Pearl Jam to release new album via partnership with Target 
Jun 1, 2009 by Whitney Pastorek
    And here's the excerpt:
    "The Thursday night show was indeed a shoot with Crowe: Possible first single "The Fixer" was filmed for the Target ad, and three other tracks (including a cover of band fave Sonic Reducer) may appear on additional materials for online or European release."
  • Even before Dave Abbruzzese was fired from the band, they began recording songs on Vitalogy with a drum machine first, because his "extremely busy" playing didn't meet Eddie's criteria for a more raw sound.
  • aennilaennil Posts: 415
    roughmixes.jpg

    Is the title "Breathe" actually "Breath" misspelled?

    (love the thread by the way :P )
  • aennil wrote:
    roughmixes.jpg

    Is the title "Breathe" actually "Breath" misspelled?

    (love the thread by the way :P )
    Yeah it is one and the same.
    Glad you enjoy it and thanks to everyone else who contributed. Learning lots, I am!
  • Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain supposedly agreed to pose for the cover of Melody Maker's Christmas issue together, before that dumb Time magazine debacle caused it to fall apart.

    As for what went wrong with the whole Time thing, it was just a matter of miscommunication. Not between Eddie and Kurt, mind you. They both were in complete agreement not to participate. Unfortunately, no one told Time magazine that. And their labels led the magazine to believe an interview was going to happen. When it came down to the wire and neither Kurt or Eddie called, Time made the judgement call to put Ed on the cover. Courtney thought Eddie was just being manipulative the whole time- and it turns out narcotics do increase your level of paranoia.
Sign In or Register to comment.