No big secret Matt's song 'Need to Know' begat 'The Fixer.' But that is just the abbreviated part of the story. In between the lo-fi fuzzed out demo and the final unabashedly celebratory pop crunch ditty, there was a band version (minus Vedder) that took on the form of a seven-minute weird artsy song with a cool groove! In other words, as far removed from what ended up on Backspacer as you can get. Anyways, that is the version Eddie took it upon himself to transform into 'The Fixer' we all know and, at least I love- especially live!
-5+ years before Mad Season came out, Mike played a full 5 seconds of 'River of Deceit' at the one and only complete Temple of the Dog show on 11/13/1990. Listen from the 5 to 10 second mark http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkFvr3e_h_s
-On 06/18/2000 in Austria, 5+ years after Mad Season, Mike and Ed perform an improv using the guitar melody from the song simply titled 'Interlude' found on the "Above" reissue
-'Leash' is the sequel to the song 'Why Go'.
Based on a true story involving Ed's teenage friend, 'Why Go' refers to the mental hospital her mom sent her to after being caught smoking pot. Two years later, she finally gets out of the institution. 'Leash' pertains to her coming back home with a mother behaving as overzealous as ever.
What happened to the Vs. reissue?
I'm referring to the album, specifically, not all the additional do-dads. Evidence has suggested, from multiple sources, the re-release could have been so much more. The earliest signs go way back to '93 in one of the most well known articles about the band, Rolling Stone's cover story by Cameron Crowe. He reveals Pearl Jam recorded a slow, potent version of 'Leash' in addition to another song:
"Vedder had -- uncharacteristically -- even gotten into a barroom fight defending the band. (In a Waits-like voice, he offers a snippet of an unrecorded song that he has written about it: "Gave myself a black eye/To show off just how I was feeling."
I'd like to add that the PJ20 book has a photo of the vault showing a tape with the title "Black Eye" 5-7-93 as proof it was indeed recorded.
Moving on to exhibit B is an interview with Jeff from 2001:
"I definitely have amazing memories of some songs off "Vs." I know there's three totally finished amazing songs that don't have any vocals or lyrics and melodies."
One of those, of course, is 'Cready Stomp.' Another one that hasn't been heard, as far as I know, goes by the name of 'Eastern Beatles.' The third one still appears to be a mystery? As cool as instrumentals are, unless they are intentionally made that way, I can't get past the fact it sounds unfinished.
Which is why it was so exciting to hear this quote from Mike in 2010:
"Just old tunes from around that time that never made it onto Vs., that Ed had listened to and thought maybe we could throw some lyrics on a few things, and add that to it."
Returning to decades' old songs with newly added vocals is not unheard of. At the time of that interview actually, Exile on Main St. was reissued and includes some additional unreleased songs with new lead vocals by Mick Jagger.
And I do enjoy the Vs. reissue for what it is, it just wasn't as fully-charged as it could've been. Hopefully we don't have to wait for the reissue of the reissue in another twenty years to hear these songs.
By late June 1991, the 'Alive' promo began circulating in the hands of MLB and Soundgarden fan club members. Everything from the cover art to Jeff's introduction made this a perfect way to introduce Pearl Jam to the masses, prior to the release of Ten.
Around that same time, the song 'Alive' was included in Coca-Cola's "New Music Sampler Rock Vol. 1" cassette tape.
Doesn't really carry the same symbolic weight, does it?
Due to both cassettes being distributed directly to your home by mail, it is disputable which one constitutes the very first release ever by Pearl Jam. I'm gonna go with the Stickman since the Coke sampler required you to mail in a certificate taken off from one of their beverages in order to redeem it. Whether first or second, historically speaking the "Coca-Cola Pop Music New Music Sampler Rock Vol. 1" remains one of Pearl Jam's earliest and possibly embarrassing collectibles.
By late May 1991, the 'Alive' promo began circulating in the hands of MLB and Soundgarden fan club members. Everything from the cover art to Jeff's introduction made this a perfect way to introduce Pearl Jam to the masses, prior to the release of Ten.
Around that same time, the song 'Alive' was included in Coca-Cola's "New Music Sampler Rock Vol. 1" cassette tape.
Doesn't really carry the same symbolic weight, does it?
Due to both cassettes being distributed directly to your home by mail, it is disputable which one constitutes the very first release ever by Pearl Jam. I'm gonna go with the Stickman since the Coke sampler required you to mail in a certificate taken off from one of their beverages in order to redeem it. Whether first or second, historically speaking the "Coca-Cola Pop Music New Music Sampler Rock Vol. 1" remains one of Pearl Jam's earliest and possibly embarrassing collectibles.
The first time I heard PJ was when my best buddy somehow got one of the stickman tapes pictured here.
Did you know Eddie Vedder was not their only choice for singing in Pearl Jam?
Sure, it is pretty well known the guys listened to other "Andy-clone" singers, but there was also one person who was actually offered the gig, probably before Stone, Jeff, and Mike even knew of Eddie's existence. His name is Ty Willman and he turned Stone down in favor of his own band at the time, Ride Me Babies (who would later become Green Apple Quick Step); which just so happened to be the band Mookie Blaylock opened up for on 10/22/90!
This wouldn't be the last time his presence has floated around in the PJ circle - most notably singing lead on 3 songs off Bayleaf. Ty also was in a band with Mike McCready called $10,000 Gold Chain, that had a total of one song (this can be found on 'The Cable Guy' soundtrack!) As for Green Apple Quick Step, Stone co-produced their album 'Reloaded' at his own studio, although he asked to receive no royalties. It even had a couple minor radio hits, including the song 'Dizzy.'
Did you know Eddie Vedder was not their only choice for singing in Pearl Jam?
Sure, it is pretty well known the guys listened to other "Andy-clone" singers, but there was also one person who was actually offered the gig, probably before Stone, Jeff, and Mike even knew of Eddie's existence. His name is Ty Willman and he turned Stone down in favor of his own band at the time, Ride Me Babies (who would later become Green Apple Quick Step); which just so happened to be the band Mookie Blaylock opened up for on 10/22/90!
This wouldn't be the last time his presence has floated around in the PJ circle - most notably singing lead on 3 songs off Bayleaf. Ty also was in a band with Mike McCready called $10,000 Gold Chain, that had a total of one song (this can be found on 'The Cable Guy' soundtrack!) As for Green Apple Quick Step, Stone co-produced their album 'Reloaded' at his own studio, although he asked to receive no royalties. It even had a couple minor radio hits, including the song 'Dizzy.'
That's not all. During an interview for Bayleaf, Stone confessed he wasn't completely won over by Eddie's contributions when the band first started out and secretly wished for Chris Cornell. Perhaps he wanted Temple of the Dog to live on?
Stone has a total crush on Chris!! He's admitted it.. And makes hints about it in several earlier interviews.
Pearl Jam recorded Sonic Reducer back in '92 for the fan club single. Then, after 17 years, they finally decided to film a music video for it! Under the direction of Cameron Crowe, this was done at the same place/date as The Fixer video.
Pearl Jam recorded Sonic Reducer back in '92 for the fan club single. Then, after 17 years, they finally decided to film a music video for it! Under the direction of Cameron Crowe, this was done at the same place/date as The Fixer video.
Sonic Reducer is a cover from The Dead Boys...
What? Where??? I fu$%ing LOVE the PJ studio version of Sonic Reducer. Seriously one of my fav early PJ tracks. They own that damn song. Why they don't do it more i"ll never understand. WHERE IS THE VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!?????????
How does a new band get their start-up money?
When Mookie Blaylock took shape, Jeff and Stone were still indebt $500,000 to a label (Polygram) they no longer wanted to be a part of. With little touring under their belts and prior to an advance from Sony, this new group lacked the financial means, at the time, to kickstart their career. Then the movie "Singles" began to come together, and in an act of infinite generosity, Cameron Crowe gave Kelly Curtis the job title of associate producer, and paid PJ's manager a flat fee somewhere in the range of $30,000 to $50,000 for the position. Mookie Blaylock proceeded to use that money to pay for those professional demos with Rick Parashar and hold them over until they were safely added to Epic's roster.
Obscure or not, one of my favorite stories involves Jeff Ament and his work on Singles; and I'm not talking about his acting skills! In step with his other true passion, Jeff also worked in art direction on the set. As a testament to his high attention to detail, he went so far as to create fictitious song titles to go along with the cover art for Citizen Dick's album. Chris Cornell got ahold of it and as a gift to Cameron, wrote songs based on those titles alone! And, of course, these weren't throwaway songs either; among them include "Spoonman" (the liner notes credit Jeff for the title), "Flutter Girl" from his first solo album Euphoria Morning, "Nowhere but You" a B-side to that album, and my personal fave "Seasons." Talk about lighting that creative spark!
Touring Band 2000 was based on a complete fluke. For the Yield tour, Sony provided a camera and computer for the crew to post pictures on the website. The same applied for the next tour. But the donated camera also happened to take video, so Liz Burns took it upon herself to utilize that option too. This was the catalyst leading to a collaboration with PJ's film archivist Kevin Shuss in addition to another cameraman. So the very existence of Pearl Jam's first concert DVD depended on nothing more than a camera that happened to have an extra feature.
Eddie was struggling with his vocals at the beginning of recording Ten. Any band's formation reaches its pinnacle with the first album, and Stone and Jeff's new singer wasn't nailing it. Needless to say, it made people nervous. Eventually, the "mad scientist" aspect of Eddie emerged, and began staying the night at the studio with blank reels of tape after everybody left. Within that span of time, he managed to transition his vocals to their highest caliber. By Pearl Jam's next recording session, in early '92, Ed long surpassed his novice level and was just going for it, like a force of nature!
Soon after Pearl Jam finished their Sony contract, Monkeywrench Records propped up. Since then, it has been the hub for almost all Pearl Jam music and many of their extracurricular projects as well. The name obviously is an extension of the Monkeywrench broadcast in '98, which in turn was dubbed after the pirate-radio station that took over the local airwaves from a van traveling across the U.S. during the '95 tour. However, none of this explains how "monkeywrench" turned into this umbrella to house all Pearl Jam related activity. Well, look no further than Ed Ved for the answer or, more specifically, look to the tattoo on his right calf of a monkey wrench crossed over a tomahawk; which is the chosen logo for Earth First!- an environmental advocacy group.
Eddie must strongly identify with the group's philosophies to permanently emblazon their logo on his leg.
Monkeywrench is a term to describe any disruption used to preserve the purity of wilderness and its ecosystems. That definition originates from the 1975 novel, "The Monkey Wrench Gang." A book Eddie name checked in the early '90s.
Appropriating it with a record label symbolizes Pearl Jam's 23+ year mission: To protect the purity of music, by any means necessary! Even the new Monkeywrench image designed by Don Pendleton (right above Eddie's face in the picture below) resembles the arrangement of the Earth First! logo.
Pearl Jam's third drummer didn't even care for their music!
It never surprised me that Dave Abbruzzese was fired from the band. Even one of the first major interviews the band did, Jeff had this to say about choosing him as their drummer, which sounds rather ominous, "It was weird, we wanted to argue about it a little, but nobody really could."
Besides, if Eddie writes a song like 'Glorified G' based on Dave's actions and feelings about gun ownership, lets face it, the writings on the wall. I know the PJ20 book covered a lot of ground concerning his exit, but I think some supplemental material by Dave might help illustrate a different picture.
Based on Abbruzzese's quotes below, instead of choosing to stick around as long as he could, I'm surprised he didn't quit Pearl Jam first.
"I can tell you with all honesty that they weren't the right guys for me, either, and I don't feel bad about that."
"If I hadn't been in Pearl Jam, I would have never listened to Pearl Jam...It's not my favorite style of music."
"I dug through the CDs and found Mother Love Bone and Pearl Jam's sampler CD... and put on Pearl Jam and I think I made it through 25 seconds of the first couple songs. They just didn't hit me right.
I said, 'What do you think Chris?'
He said, 'It's a free trip to Seattle.'"
Soon after Pearl Jam finished their Sony contract, Monkeywrench Records propped up. Since then, it has been the hub for almost all Pearl Jam music and many of their extracurricular projects as well. The name obviously is an extension of the Monkeywrench broadcast in '98, which in turn was dubbed after the pirate-radio station that took over the local airwaves from a van traveling across the U.S. during the '95 tour. However, none of this explains how "monkeywrench" turned into this umbrella to house all Pearl Jam related activity. Well, look no further than Ed Ved for the answer or, more specifically, look to the tattoo on his right calf of a monkey wrench crossed over a tomahawk; which is the chosen logo for Earth First!- an environmental advocacy group.
Eddie must strongly identify with the group's philosophies to permanently emblazon their logo on his leg.
Monkeywrench is a term to describe any disruption used to preserve the purity of wilderness and its ecosystems. That definition originates from the 1975 novel, "The Monkey Wrench Gang."
Appropriating it with a record label symbolizes Pearl Jam's 23+ year mission: To protect the purity of music, by any means necessary! Even the new Monkeywrench image designed by Don Pendleton (right above Eddie's face in the picture below) resembles the arrangement of the Earth First! logo.
Also used by the militant Vegan Straight Edge band Earth Crisis through their almost 25 year career
Mudhoney must be Pearl Jam's favorite opener by a long shot, but could Mudhoney say the same thing about Ed's band, that opened for them in the late '80s- most likely referring to Bad Radio (that was never specified but BR seemed like the only one to have a smidgen of notoriety in San Diego).
Oh yeah, and the Lemonheads were there too. Can't forget about the Lemonheads
I was in an Art History class with Dave George (Bad Radio's guitarist) at Cal Berkeley back in the mid-90s. I was in possession of an awesome BR import CD at the time that also had some great instrumentals from Stone and Gossard that later became PJ songs, and so I was stoked to know this guy (sadly, that CD was stolen from me along with original vinyl pressings of No Code, Vitalogy, and Daughter). He was a very warm, intelligent classmate, and if I recall correctly spoke very kindly of Eddie Vedder. I remember finding out that Bad Radio would actually play Betterman at their gigs.
Another Betterman tidbit: it was played in soundcheck at the 10/31/93 Greek Theatre show I went to in Berkeley. If I'm not mistaken, this was well before the official unveiling of that tune (perhaps the next year at the legendary Atlanta shows?)
10/31/93 Berkeley (Baba!) • 10/1/94 Bridge School • 9/16/96 Seattle (In My Tree!) • 10/19/96 & 10/20/96 B. School (Alt Corduroy & Alt Porch!) • 10/25/03 B. School • 6/1/03 Mtnview (Crazy Mary! You Are!) • 11/29/13 Portland (All Those Yesterdays! Even Flow!) • 10/25/14 Bridge School (Rain! Fuckin Up! TOTD!) • 5/13/22 Oakland (had to leave early, but W.M.A.! Immortality!) • 5/13/24 Sacramento (Light Years! Picture in a Frame!) • 5/25/24 Bottle Rock (Last Kiss! Maybe It’s Time w/Bradley Cooper!)
For anyone that has never been completely won over by the song 'Bushleaguer', know this- that is not the original version! Before the spoken-word verses were recorded, there existed a different "singing" version with a strong vocal melody. Unfortunately, Eddie found it too catchy and it was unceremoniously dismissed in favor of what became the album track.
OH GOD THIS PISSES ME OFF! I would probably love that other version!
10/31/93 Berkeley (Baba!) • 10/1/94 Bridge School • 9/16/96 Seattle (In My Tree!) • 10/19/96 & 10/20/96 B. School (Alt Corduroy & Alt Porch!) • 10/25/03 B. School • 6/1/03 Mtnview (Crazy Mary! You Are!) • 11/29/13 Portland (All Those Yesterdays! Even Flow!) • 10/25/14 Bridge School (Rain! Fuckin Up! TOTD!) • 5/13/22 Oakland (had to leave early, but W.M.A.! Immortality!) • 5/13/24 Sacramento (Light Years! Picture in a Frame!) • 5/25/24 Bottle Rock (Last Kiss! Maybe It’s Time w/Bradley Cooper!)
Jeff used to write small autobiographies about Pearl Jam during their early years. Decipher away...
1992-1993
vs.
transition. leaches. bullshit. media. (versus).
more transition. truth. life(s). friends.
music. (verse). our room of truth. potatoe. sameness. change.
brendan o'brien. new guy. (versus). merges.
the band. (you know who we are).
give us the day. transient park. urine. the alley. bike. police.
hot tea. our daily bread. coffee. newspapers. junkie bites.
concentrate. new guitar. changing light bulbs.
cabin. beans. new wallpaper. taking a piss.
bless the gifts we are about to receive.
stories about guns. laughter. silence. brickwalls.
smoke. port. the devil. (versus). the bounty thru jesus abv.
drive to s.f.
trees. water. softball. dog. nick. kevin. grooves. (verses). poison ivy.
neil. family. big sur. satellites. song. dance.
horse for cash. big fish. words. silence. amen. drive fast. brick wall.
break through. tension. laughter. crucifix. masks.
sunshine. robes. lobster boy. swim. brothers.
wine is blood. reserve or dogs. breed and body. difficulty.
(versus). compromise. communion. difficulty. smile. mud. victoria.
let it be.
twelve new songs. (verses) (versus). twelve old songs.
next page.
1993-1994
Stream of Conscious Tour
Phase One. (Doris gets her oats.)
Colorado rocky mountain high school.
snowboard. elevational hang with friends.
Denver Hype. 2 make up shows. Bye Boulder.
Phase two. Chicago stadium. Regal. Life is Good.
Celebration is in order.
Thank God for my friends. My family.
the union makes too much money. Da bullshit.
Goodbye style. subtlety.
Phase Three. St. Louis Fox Theatre. more history.
bee-yoou-tiful. too short. feeling in sync.
that comforting midwestern flavor. driving somewhere, sliding...
Phase Four. Purdue. Big Dog Country. Scalp city.
Hoops & B-fast with Kevin...
eternal wandering a place to get lost... for life...
Phase Five. Detroit Rock City.
Fab Four. Five. Brink of extinct.
the eternal search for BIG ASS (sic) MICHIGAN shorts.
Ace Frehley doll!... Who was that beauty...
I dreamt. the who played masonic temple. relax.
Phase Six. Louisville, Nashville, Memphis...
Long-awaited visit to the ELVIS-belt...
Whatever happened to Keith Lee?
Cropper & "dock of the bay"... huge pleasure.
Phase Seven. Florida. Imposing & insanity... Kings X...
Phase 8. Atlanta. Easter... Hesus O'Brien & St. Nick...
Phase Nine. D.C. Rochester. Springfield...into a groove. Hockey.
Reality hits. Hard. Mudhoney. Phase Ten Boss-town.
the Garden & crew setlist at the Orpheum... Nice see ya...
Phase 11. NYC. Insanity. S.N.L. Running around. Mr. Pink. Ace.
Thanks to Milan Kundera (Immortality) Ben Harper, Latin Playboys,
Jeff Buckley, Paul Weller, The Sonics (R.I.P.),
D.R. & B.W., Tori Amos, Anna Kavan...
Words & Music... kept me floating along.
Sigh-a-nar-a
Jeff.
Jeff used to write small autobiographies about Pearl Jam during their early years. Decipher away...
Thanks to Milan Kundera (Immortality) Ben Harper, Latin Playboys,
Jeff Buckley, Paul Weller, The Sonics (R.I.P.),
D.R. & B.W., Tori Amos, Anna Kavan...
Words & Music... kept me floating along.
Sigh-a-nar-a
Jeff.
Thanks for posting that. I've been following this thread anyways, but this particular one hit me. Obviously fits in with other Jeff scribbles (Add water, watch PJ grow; the Temple insert notes). Nice to see him mention Jeff Buckley, while he was alive. I always felt that he would have been the perfect opener for PJ, especially whenever his 2nd album would have dropped, probably right in that No Code time frame. Unless he had just blown up/world domination...But anyways..
I read once, in some obscure Jeff Buckley book that basically was just pics and single quotations, that EV met Jeff, didn't really know him, and Jeff sings him an acapella version of Indifference; blew EV's mind. I only read it once, and hadn't heard/read/seen his name ever mentioned after the fact in PJ-world. Obviously Ed/PJ had many other things on their mind in '94/'95...but again, nice to see Jeff mention Jeff.
cheers, keep up with the thread. If this is actually being written by Stone, please PM me. I'm coming over.
cheers again
Thanks for posting that. I've been following this thread anyways, but this particular one hit me. Obviously fits in with other Jeff scribbles (Add water, watch PJ grow; the Temple insert notes). Nice to see him mention Jeff Buckley, while he was alive. I always felt that he would have been the perfect opener for PJ, especially whenever his 2nd album would have dropped, probably right in that No Code time frame. Unless he had just blown up/world domination...But anyways..
I read once, in some obscure Jeff Buckley book that basically was just pics and single quotations, that EV met Jeff, didn't really know him, and Jeff sings him an acapella version of Indifference; blew EV's mind. I only read it once, and hadn't heard/read/seen his name ever mentioned after the fact in PJ-world. Obviously Ed/PJ had many other things on their mind in '94/'95...but again, nice to see Jeff mention Jeff.
cheers, keep up with the thread. If this is actually being written by Stone, please PM me. I'm coming over.
cheers again
I remember the first time I heard of Jeff Buckley was in an interview with Chris Cornell discussing their friendship. What a unique and powerful voice. To this day, Jeff's version of 'Hallelujah' is the only one that matters.
Seattle station KEXP, which is kind of legendary, has a yearly countdown of like the 500 greatest songs of all time. In 2012, number one was Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah". That note about him singing Indifference- man, I would do just about anything to hear that!
10/31/93 Berkeley (Baba!) • 10/1/94 Bridge School • 9/16/96 Seattle (In My Tree!) • 10/19/96 & 10/20/96 B. School (Alt Corduroy & Alt Porch!) • 10/25/03 B. School • 6/1/03 Mtnview (Crazy Mary! You Are!) • 11/29/13 Portland (All Those Yesterdays! Even Flow!) • 10/25/14 Bridge School (Rain! Fuckin Up! TOTD!) • 5/13/22 Oakland (had to leave early, but W.M.A.! Immortality!) • 5/13/24 Sacramento (Light Years! Picture in a Frame!) • 5/25/24 Bottle Rock (Last Kiss! Maybe It’s Time w/Bradley Cooper!)
The artwork that adorns the inside packaging of Vs. includes a depiction of a man on a crucifix. The face of that painting belongs to none other than Brendan O'Brien!!!
Okay, not the best picture, but certainly obscure.
Honestly one of the best threads EVER. I'm only sorry I have nothing to give back myself, but I am enjoying the SHIT out of it. Thanks to all the contributors!
Honestly one of the best threads EVER. I'm only sorry I have nothing to give back myself, but I am enjoying the SHIT out of it. Thanks to all the contributors!
Personally, once I realized all this information has no use in everyday conversation-
Me: "Did you know... blah, blah, blah"
Response: (glazed-over eyes)
-I knew I needed another outlet for this stuff. And thanks to all the other contributors, now I have even more information I won't bother saying out loud to anybody.
Honestly one of the best threads EVER. I'm only sorry I have nothing to give back myself, but I am enjoying the SHIT out of it. Thanks to all the contributors!
Warning: There are some facts in this post, mixed in with a healthy dose of conspiracy.
In the film, Immagine in Cornice, Eddie is introduced to Francesca- an Italian translator. We watch as he learns to prepare a speech in the country's native tongue from Francesca. But what if they hadn't met that day? What if Eddie and Francesca had been friends for years? Then that scene would have been entirely staged!
So what would even compel me to have such thoughts? Okay, here goes...
Eddie already has an Italian friend by the name of Francesca Bonanome, who also happens to be a translator. In fact, she was personally handed the task to translate the lyrics printed in the Italian version of Yield, with this intro by Ed:
"Last year [1996], between October and December, when I
was in Italy, I was excited in discovering a book with a com-
plete translation of all of the songs I wrote for Pearl Jam. That
same evening, I showed the book to my friends, and I had
them translate the Italian into English... I was horrified. It was
a book full of lies. If anything I had written had a positive
sense, it had been interpreted in a negative way, and so on.
Those were not my songs, but my name was on the cover, and
my face was there too. What's a boy to do? Now I know there
are 8,354,986 problems in this world that are bigger than this
one. Anyway, for those concerned with this issue, I tried to
consider the meaning of the songs and I tried to include ade-
quate translations for this album. So here they are. If you find
some discordance, get angry with me, not with Francesca: I'm
well known for changing a line or two at the last minute."
Is it all just a coincidence? Who cares. All I know is Francesca says "Merry Cucumber" in Italian at the beginning of 'Happy When I'm Crying.' And that is a fact!
Comments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkFvr3e_h_s
-On 06/18/2000 in Austria, 5+ years after Mad Season, Mike and Ed perform an improv using the guitar melody from the song simply titled 'Interlude' found on the "Above" reissue
-'Leash' is the sequel to the song 'Why Go'.
Based on a true story involving Ed's teenage friend, 'Why Go' refers to the mental hospital her mom sent her to after being caught smoking pot. Two years later, she finally gets out of the institution. 'Leash' pertains to her coming back home with a mother behaving as overzealous as ever.
I'm referring to the album, specifically, not all the additional do-dads. Evidence has suggested, from multiple sources, the re-release could have been so much more. The earliest signs go way back to '93 in one of the most well known articles about the band, Rolling Stone's cover story by Cameron Crowe. He reveals Pearl Jam recorded a slow, potent version of 'Leash' in addition to another song:
"Vedder had -- uncharacteristically -- even gotten into a barroom fight defending the band. (In a Waits-like voice, he offers a snippet of an unrecorded song that he has written about it: "Gave myself a black eye/To show off just how I was feeling."
I'd like to add that the PJ20 book has a photo of the vault showing a tape with the title "Black Eye" 5-7-93 as proof it was indeed recorded.
Moving on to exhibit B is an interview with Jeff from 2001:
"I definitely have amazing memories of some songs off "Vs." I know there's three totally finished amazing songs that don't have any vocals or lyrics and melodies."
One of those, of course, is 'Cready Stomp.' Another one that hasn't been heard, as far as I know, goes by the name of 'Eastern Beatles.' The third one still appears to be a mystery? As cool as instrumentals are, unless they are intentionally made that way, I can't get past the fact it sounds unfinished.
Which is why it was so exciting to hear this quote from Mike in 2010:
"Just old tunes from around that time that never made it onto Vs., that Ed had listened to and thought maybe we could throw some lyrics on a few things, and add that to it."
Returning to decades' old songs with newly added vocals is not unheard of. At the time of that interview actually, Exile on Main St. was reissued and includes some additional unreleased songs with new lead vocals by Mick Jagger.
And I do enjoy the Vs. reissue for what it is, it just wasn't as fully-charged as it could've been. Hopefully we don't have to wait for the reissue of the reissue in another twenty years to hear these songs.
Around that same time, the song 'Alive' was included in Coca-Cola's "New Music Sampler Rock Vol. 1" cassette tape.
Doesn't really carry the same symbolic weight, does it?
Due to both cassettes being distributed directly to your home by mail, it is disputable which one constitutes the very first release ever by Pearl Jam. I'm gonna go with the Stickman since the Coke sampler required you to mail in a certificate taken off from one of their beverages in order to redeem it. Whether first or second, historically speaking the "Coca-Cola Pop Music New Music Sampler Rock Vol. 1" remains one of Pearl Jam's earliest and possibly embarrassing collectibles.
The first time I heard PJ was when my best buddy somehow got one of the stickman tapes pictured here.
|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
What? Where??? I fu$%ing LOVE the PJ studio version of Sonic Reducer. Seriously one of my fav early PJ tracks. They own that damn song. Why they don't do it more i"ll never understand. WHERE IS THE VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!?????????
When Mookie Blaylock took shape, Jeff and Stone were still indebt $500,000 to a label (Polygram) they no longer wanted to be a part of. With little touring under their belts and prior to an advance from Sony, this new group lacked the financial means, at the time, to kickstart their career. Then the movie "Singles" began to come together, and in an act of infinite generosity, Cameron Crowe gave Kelly Curtis the job title of associate producer, and paid PJ's manager a flat fee somewhere in the range of $30,000 to $50,000 for the position. Mookie Blaylock proceeded to use that money to pay for those professional demos with Rick Parashar and hold them over until they were safely added to Epic's roster.
Obscure or not, one of my favorite stories involves Jeff Ament and his work on Singles; and I'm not talking about his acting skills! In step with his other true passion, Jeff also worked in art direction on the set. As a testament to his high attention to detail, he went so far as to create fictitious song titles to go along with the cover art for Citizen Dick's album. Chris Cornell got ahold of it and as a gift to Cameron, wrote songs based on those titles alone! And, of course, these weren't throwaway songs either; among them include "Spoonman" (the liner notes credit Jeff for the title), "Flutter Girl" from his first solo album Euphoria Morning, "Nowhere but You" a B-side to that album, and my personal fave "Seasons." Talk about lighting that creative spark!
Soon after Pearl Jam finished their Sony contract, Monkeywrench Records propped up. Since then, it has been the hub for almost all Pearl Jam music and many of their extracurricular projects as well. The name obviously is an extension of the Monkeywrench broadcast in '98, which in turn was dubbed after the pirate-radio station that took over the local airwaves from a van traveling across the U.S. during the '95 tour. However, none of this explains how "monkeywrench" turned into this umbrella to house all Pearl Jam related activity. Well, look no further than Ed Ved for the answer or, more specifically, look to the tattoo on his right calf of a monkey wrench crossed over a tomahawk; which is the chosen logo for Earth First!- an environmental advocacy group.
Eddie must strongly identify with the group's philosophies to permanently emblazon their logo on his leg.
Monkeywrench is a term to describe any disruption used to preserve the purity of wilderness and its ecosystems. That definition originates from the 1975 novel, "The Monkey Wrench Gang." A book Eddie name checked in the early '90s.
Appropriating it with a record label symbolizes Pearl Jam's 23+ year mission: To protect the purity of music, by any means necessary! Even the new Monkeywrench image designed by Don Pendleton (right above Eddie's face in the picture below) resembles the arrangement of the Earth First! logo.
It never surprised me that Dave Abbruzzese was fired from the band. Even one of the first major interviews the band did, Jeff had this to say about choosing him as their drummer, which sounds rather ominous, "It was weird, we wanted to argue about it a little, but nobody really could."
Besides, if Eddie writes a song like 'Glorified G' based on Dave's actions and feelings about gun ownership, lets face it, the writings on the wall. I know the PJ20 book covered a lot of ground concerning his exit, but I think some supplemental material by Dave might help illustrate a different picture.
Based on Abbruzzese's quotes below, instead of choosing to stick around as long as he could, I'm surprised he didn't quit Pearl Jam first.
"I can tell you with all honesty that they weren't the right guys for me, either, and I don't feel bad about that."
"If I hadn't been in Pearl Jam, I would have never listened to Pearl Jam...It's not my favorite style of music."
"I dug through the CDs and found Mother Love Bone and Pearl Jam's sampler CD... and put on Pearl Jam and I think I made it through 25 seconds of the first couple songs. They just didn't hit me right.
I said, 'What do you think Chris?'
He said, 'It's a free trip to Seattle.'"
Also used by the militant Vegan Straight Edge band Earth Crisis through their almost 25 year career
2006 Jools Holland, London / Reading festival
2007 Wmbly London
2009 SBE London / O2 London
2012 MEN 1/ MEN 2 / Berlin 1 / Berlin 2 / EV LDN 1 / EV LDN 2
2013 NY 1/ NY 2 / Philly 1 / Philly 2
2014 AMS 1 / AMS 2 / Leeds / MK
2017 EV LDN 1 / EV LDN 2
2018 LDN 1 / BCN / LDN 2
2022 LDN 1 / LDN 2
I was in an Art History class with Dave George (Bad Radio's guitarist) at Cal Berkeley back in the mid-90s. I was in possession of an awesome BR import CD at the time that also had some great instrumentals from Stone and Gossard that later became PJ songs, and so I was stoked to know this guy (sadly, that CD was stolen from me along with original vinyl pressings of No Code, Vitalogy, and Daughter). He was a very warm, intelligent classmate, and if I recall correctly spoke very kindly of Eddie Vedder. I remember finding out that Bad Radio would actually play Betterman at their gigs.
Another Betterman tidbit: it was played in soundcheck at the 10/31/93 Greek Theatre show I went to in Berkeley. If I'm not mistaken, this was well before the official unveiling of that tune (perhaps the next year at the legendary Atlanta shows?)
OH GOD THIS PISSES ME OFF! I would probably love that other version!
1992-1993
vs.
transition. leaches. bullshit. media. (versus).
more transition. truth. life(s). friends.
music. (verse). our room of truth. potatoe. sameness. change.
brendan o'brien. new guy. (versus). merges.
the band. (you know who we are).
give us the day. transient park. urine. the alley. bike. police.
hot tea. our daily bread. coffee. newspapers. junkie bites.
concentrate. new guitar. changing light bulbs.
cabin. beans. new wallpaper. taking a piss.
bless the gifts we are about to receive.
stories about guns. laughter. silence. brickwalls.
smoke. port. the devil. (versus). the bounty thru jesus abv.
drive to s.f.
trees. water. softball. dog. nick. kevin. grooves. (verses). poison ivy.
neil. family. big sur. satellites. song. dance.
horse for cash. big fish. words. silence. amen. drive fast. brick wall.
break through. tension. laughter. crucifix. masks.
sunshine. robes. lobster boy. swim. brothers.
wine is blood. reserve or dogs. breed and body. difficulty.
(versus). compromise. communion. difficulty. smile. mud. victoria.
let it be.
twelve new songs. (verses) (versus). twelve old songs.
next page.
1993-1994
Stream of Conscious Tour
Phase One. (Doris gets her oats.)
Colorado rocky mountain high school.
snowboard. elevational hang with friends.
Denver Hype. 2 make up shows. Bye Boulder.
Phase two. Chicago stadium. Regal. Life is Good.
Celebration is in order.
Thank God for my friends. My family.
the union makes too much money. Da bullshit.
Goodbye style. subtlety.
Phase Three. St. Louis Fox Theatre. more history.
bee-yoou-tiful. too short. feeling in sync.
that comforting midwestern flavor. driving somewhere, sliding...
Phase Four. Purdue. Big Dog Country. Scalp city.
Hoops & B-fast with Kevin...
eternal wandering a place to get lost... for life...
Phase Five. Detroit Rock City.
Fab Four. Five. Brink of extinct.
the eternal search for BIG ASS (sic) MICHIGAN shorts.
Ace Frehley doll!... Who was that beauty...
I dreamt. the who played masonic temple. relax.
Phase Six. Louisville, Nashville, Memphis...
Long-awaited visit to the ELVIS-belt...
Whatever happened to Keith Lee?
Cropper & "dock of the bay"... huge pleasure.
Phase Seven. Florida. Imposing & insanity... Kings X...
Phase 8. Atlanta. Easter... Hesus O'Brien & St. Nick...
Phase Nine. D.C. Rochester. Springfield...into a groove. Hockey.
Reality hits. Hard. Mudhoney. Phase Ten Boss-town.
the Garden & crew setlist at the Orpheum... Nice see ya...
Phase 11. NYC. Insanity. S.N.L. Running around. Mr. Pink. Ace.
Thanks to Milan Kundera (Immortality) Ben Harper, Latin Playboys,
Jeff Buckley, Paul Weller, The Sonics (R.I.P.),
D.R. & B.W., Tori Amos, Anna Kavan...
Words & Music... kept me floating along.
Sigh-a-nar-a
Jeff.
Thanks for posting that. I've been following this thread anyways, but this particular one hit me. Obviously fits in with other Jeff scribbles (Add water, watch PJ grow; the Temple insert notes). Nice to see him mention Jeff Buckley, while he was alive. I always felt that he would have been the perfect opener for PJ, especially whenever his 2nd album would have dropped, probably right in that No Code time frame. Unless he had just blown up/world domination...But anyways..
I read once, in some obscure Jeff Buckley book that basically was just pics and single quotations, that EV met Jeff, didn't really know him, and Jeff sings him an acapella version of Indifference; blew EV's mind. I only read it once, and hadn't heard/read/seen his name ever mentioned after the fact in PJ-world. Obviously Ed/PJ had many other things on their mind in '94/'95...but again, nice to see Jeff mention Jeff.
cheers, keep up with the thread. If this is actually being written by Stone, please PM me. I'm coming over.
cheers again
I remember the first time I heard of Jeff Buckley was in an interview with Chris Cornell discussing their friendship. What a unique and powerful voice. To this day, Jeff's version of 'Hallelujah' is the only one that matters.
Okay, not the best picture, but certainly obscure.
Honestly one of the best threads EVER. I'm only sorry I have nothing to give back myself, but I am enjoying the SHIT out of it. Thanks to all the contributors!
Personally, once I realized all this information has no use in everyday conversation-
Me: "Did you know... blah, blah, blah"
Response: (glazed-over eyes)
-I knew I needed another outlet for this stuff. And thanks to all the other contributors, now I have even more information I won't bother saying out loud to anybody.
Exactly how I feel.
In the film, Immagine in Cornice, Eddie is introduced to Francesca- an Italian translator. We watch as he learns to prepare a speech in the country's native tongue from Francesca. But what if they hadn't met that day? What if Eddie and Francesca had been friends for years? Then that scene would have been entirely staged!
So what would even compel me to have such thoughts? Okay, here goes...
Eddie already has an Italian friend by the name of Francesca Bonanome, who also happens to be a translator. In fact, she was personally handed the task to translate the lyrics printed in the Italian version of Yield, with this intro by Ed:
"Last year [1996], between October and December, when I
was in Italy, I was excited in discovering a book with a com-
plete translation of all of the songs I wrote for Pearl Jam. That
same evening, I showed the book to my friends, and I had
them translate the Italian into English... I was horrified. It was
a book full of lies. If anything I had written had a positive
sense, it had been interpreted in a negative way, and so on.
Those were not my songs, but my name was on the cover, and
my face was there too. What's a boy to do? Now I know there
are 8,354,986 problems in this world that are bigger than this
one. Anyway, for those concerned with this issue, I tried to
consider the meaning of the songs and I tried to include ade-
quate translations for this album. So here they are. If you find
some discordance, get angry with me, not with Francesca: I'm
well known for changing a line or two at the last minute."
Is it all just a coincidence? Who cares. All I know is Francesca says "Merry Cucumber" in Italian at the beginning of 'Happy When I'm Crying.' And that is a fact!