How did you get into pearl jam?

Omarama

And why do you love them?
(may seem a silly question)

reachdown12

I remember it like it was yesterday. I had discovered such beautiful music the night of June 5th 2003. I had been out for a run and I had a walkman on me. I was at a point in musical taste where I couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was that would capture me, but that night...the stress of home life and all..I heard a rock song, so to speak, and I listened to it, and as I continued listening..the music coming through the headphones was incredible.

Next thing I know there is a gorgeous, yet slower, darker intro..and these vocals with the tempo and guitar workings..I became entranced. I'll never forget listening to the bridge of the song..the lyrics, and the coming together of it all..just sent these chills down my spine..I couldn't even describe the feeling. When the song was over..it left me begging for more. I had never in my life heard such..passionate music..and that was when I found out; that had been my first dosage of Pearl Jam...Black.

This, along with a few other songs, led me to such a craving..I needed to hear more..discover what had been laid out before me..to this day I am so grateful that I found such amazing..words can't even begin to describe the emotions felt to this day by what I have come to love so dearly. It is a love that is unconditional..something I can never let go of..something I have fallen trap to, and feel so fortunate for having done so.

However, Pearl Jam specifically. What drew me in and is still drawing me in to this very day is so many things that are and are not accounted for. After hearing the songs over and over..I can never grow tired. You always discover something within a song you never noticed before almost every time, and you fall for it even more. Whether it be the lyrics, with them being deep and thoughtful, dark and moody, or straightforward and even happy in a sense, or just trying to get the point acrossed by any means necessary. But the sheer beauty of the lyrics? Knowing there are words before you, but you can interpret them into your own special way, and don't always have to be the same meaning to you as to Eddie Vedder or anyone else. You can find your very own soul within the lyrics, it's just mesmerizing. Pearl Jam has a song for just about everything, I swear it.

Eddie..the tone, being so deep, it just brings you in. All the imitators have tried time and time again, but are by no means comparable to his. His are unique, whether they be calm and soothing, or a yell filled with that anger, speaking of his anger towards Bush and the corporations to evolution theories, to love and heart break..the vocals are just dripping with such a passion and emotion, it just sends chills down the listeners spine, regardless of who it is.

Mike..he can make that guitar cry, sing, anything desired, and packed full of wahhh! Running around like a maniac on stage, playing behind his head, just adds to the quality of his phenomenal playing. He plays with such an emotion seen and unseen, just sending his soul right into those gorgeous chords coming out the guitar. Him playing a fast, punkier song or a drawn out perfect solo for Evenflow, Porch, or Rearviewmirror, he can be seen as one of the most, creative, influential players.

Stone..riffmeister extraordinaire. One of the main members making the music, a portion of the soul for the band. Seeing his influences reverberating through his guitar, getting in solos, and not to mention one of the coolest people ever, even while being considered a dork/nerd jokingly among others. Also is one to have a great tone, one exceedlingly good for the band, and adds such color to the music.

Jeff..what an incredible bass player. Those funky riffs, and adding a whole lot of attitude towards it. He has such a personality, and is truly a great bass player. Playing stand up or regular, it is positively shining, and holding that molding together throughout every song.

Matt..a drummer worthy of the gods. Just the intensity he can create during any song played is absolute amazement. The tempos and rhythms pounding through the speakers..a uniqueness is there..no one can copy. Truly one of the most influential drummers of our time.

And what this all creates..all into one..is such an incredible force, an energy unheard of by any other band. They combine all of these elements, the ryhthms, the moods, the influences, and make it their own. The energy is such an undescribable feeling to the listener..it creates a trance and sends you off into a world away from the reality of things..just letting you embrace the music seeing what this is all truly for. This band isn't for the money, the music videos, MTV. They do what truly makes them happy..create that passionate music..which drew all the loyal fans in..making us so proud of what they have given to us..making us not feel ashamed of what masterpieces they made ranging from Ten to Riot Act. All of this, and so much more than we can even begin to comprehend, is what has lead this to be an undying love and loyalty to this band. For what is there left to do after falling so hard for them? Just follow them..accepting what is given to you from them..always awaiting the next glorious piece of art to be produced from them. ALWAYS will they hold a special place in my heart.

BinFrog

I heard Alive on the radio in late 91. I thought the song was great so I bought Ten on CD. I put it in when I got home and went straight to Alive to hear it again. My dad walked in the room and gave it a thumbs down. I knew I was onto something.

FinsburyParkCarrots

I saw TOTD's Hunger Strike on MTV in late 1991. I thought the second singer in that song had a really good voice. Then I saw Alive, which hadn't been released in the UK at that point, and I thought, there's that singer again. I liked the guitar playing, too. Dang, that was some wait for the single release in February 1992. On the strength of hearing Alive, I went to see their first UK gig at the Southend Esplanade.

You know, it's funny how people say that the production of Ten is dated. It was dated for its time, deliberately so. I thought it was purposely retro. And I liked the old feel to the album, with its heavy reverb.

out of my head

I owned the first 3 albums, but wasn't a huge fan. Then one day I subscribed to one of those music services and one of the CD's I ordered was "Live on two legs", which quickly became my favorite CD. I rushed out and bought all the other CDs, but this was right after the Binaraul tour, so I had to wait until 2003 to see them.

guildenstern

1992 or something, my last year at school. the theacher was in the corridor, I had my earphones under the table, i turn it on and hear my first line from alive. the moment i call "under the table and dreaming". I went out and bought this TEN thing.

lovelyrita

I was a Sophomore (92) in high school in my math class and the girl that sat behind me was singing Evenflow. I turned around and asked her what she was singing and she said “Evenflow by Pearl Jam, they have been playing it on the radio”

I turned 16 that year and asked for the cd Ten for by birthday. I have been hooked ever since.

Nothingbetter

It was '92, I think, when I saw the Evenflow video. I was drawn in immediately. Plain and simple.

kings5504

I was doing some homework back in '91 (or '92)... and my TV was just turned on to this metal/hard rock video special... after listening to countless videos that all sounded the same to me (from bands you'd normally see in Circus or whatever magazine), the last two videos to actually come on before the show ended were those for "Alive" and "Evenflow"... I thought, "Man, this doesn't belong here... This is miles better than all the crap that came before it!" The next day, I immediately went to the record store to buy Ten... and I've been a fan since...

JohnBriggs

I heard Alive in 91 on the local readio station here. KPNT I think. I was stoked so I went to wal-mart in Roll, Mo. and bought the CD and the rest was history. Been a fan ever since.

stonesgstring

One of my best friends, Given To Fly on this board, introduced me to them a couple of years ago. Have been hooked since, although it took me a while initially to listen to them. Bless her, she kept trying and for that I am eternally grateful to her.

brain of c

they asked me to join.

twin2

I have been a fan ever since I first heard "Alive" on the radio many years ago.

Big Gun

It was 1992.I saw CD reviews in Metal Hammer when journalist Andy Bradshaw announced:"Pearl Jam ARE NOT,as they have been described,the future of rock n roll." I was wonder,who are this band.Can t remember what are the first song ever heard,but its was MAGYC,it was magnificence.And still hardly love them because they change my music world for ever.

Glorified Irish Guy

It was alive that got me into pearl jam but it was october 2002 when i first heard this magical song on mtv. i listened through not knowing who it was and when it said pearl jam- i am mine i was hooked on them since.

lovelyrita

brain of c wrote:

they asked me to join.

lol....


that must have been hard to say no.

mariposa

I stumbled upon my older sister's copy of TEN (her only PJ cd, she didn't bother with the rest :()...7 years late (back in '98). It was funny, I've always heard the music of PJ, AIC etc. around the house when I was little but I never bothered with it 'till later...(I guess I was too young and was too occupied with other things).

Anyway it started from there because I was looking for new music to listen to, and I asked her if I could have the cd since she doesn't play it anymore.
So she gave it to me...and the rest is history.

Sadly my sis doesn't listen to PJ anymore, she's gone over to the "dark side".

I love PJ because they are PJ. Because of them...I wanna do good things in my life/work...help those in need when it comes to social causes/awareness/ empowerment etc. The band taught me so many great things. Their music have been there through tough times and it helped me a lot. And that's why I'm here...

Commy

i heard 'evenflow' when it first came out, actually on mtv. and jesus it just floored me. took maybe two times listening to it and i had to get the album, which, as it turns out, was the greatest and most profound purchase i have ever made in my life.

eleonora

Well, first of all, I live in Buenos Aires (Argentina)... and I remember that I was the only girl at school that listened to grunge music!!! THat was the best time of my life... I remebered a lot of bands of that time like alice in chains, soundgarden... and PEARL JAM! I always prefered the last one... I remember listening to the radio ALIVE and since that time I became fan of pearl jam, the I saw the video and the first I could see was evenflow. I was fascinated with Eddie´s voice..
Then I tried to find all their discography and searched for information about the band... then I discovered mother love bone and temple of the dog!!!!! that album is gold!!!
Well I have to tell you, that I always dreamed about seeing pearl jam live, I though that my favourite band was not going to come here .... but last week I heard that my dream will be true in november!!! yes!!! pearl jam is coming to my country... I will be the happiest girl when the time arrives.
I would like someone write to me and tell me something about pearl jam´s concerts.
see you,

eleonora.

DriftingByTheStorm

i love when these threads pop up.
i wish i had my answer saved, as many times as i have given it.

i love Binfrogs answer though ... "my dad walked in the room and gave it a thumbs down. i knew i was on to something." roflmao. ahah.

anyhow ...
i don't even know *WHY* i got into PJ. i definately know the *how*, at least, as far as how i was *exposed*, but i was all of 11 at the time, and still can't figure it out. it just drew me in.

in '91 I was only 11, and had very little actual musical taste. i had a friend, same grade (7th?) who had been held back, was a year older, and actualy was a fan of rock music ... stuff like GnR, hair metal, and some of the classics. I, on the other hand, was a total dork.

i remember him forcing me to buy the GnR Live in Paris pay-per-view when it came on, and i really wasn't all that interested, but that was '92 and off topic to boot.

well, i remember we would sit around watching EmpTV, and about the only thing i can remember that really caught my eye was the Hunger Strike video. there was just something about it. the way the guys all moved. their hair. the use of that scenery down by the water. the way ed would pull away from the camera.

that was the seed. the itty bitty seed. i didn't even retain the name of the band. just that the song was catchy.

then, my more musicaly lit friend ... his dad, actually, was driving us around in his pathfinder one day, and he put in this tape that their cool ass, band frontman, nextdoor neighbor had given him, in to the car's deck ... it was TEN ... or atleast it was songs from ten ... i'm still not sure if ten was actually out yet, this kid did have some west coast connections, and he was incredibly hip to music. I just remember my friends sayin "nathan says this band is gonna be real big." ... i suppose this was immediately after ten's release, and when it was just sitting at nowhereville on the charts.

man that tape really got to me. or at least a few of the songs moved me. black, alive, and why go specificaly.

but i *still* hadn't gotten hooked on it.

then, by act of fate, one day a cd copy of ten just showed up in the mail. thank you BMG for your old school illegal ass attempts at forcing people in to buying CDs by simply sending them to you.

i opened it, barely even conscious of what i was doing. when you are 11 or 12, sometimes you just do things.

i remember fairly shortly after that we were going on this trip, me and a bunch of people who visited the rock climbing gym in charlotte, nc ... the owners were driving us down to schoolhouse road to do some spelunking ... i had a sony cd player, and had left ten in there, even though i hadn't played it much. well i played it the entire way there, skipping back and forth between alive, evenflow, another song or two, then back to alive. then on the way back i just let the fucker play.

**that was it**
it was at that point that something took a hold of me, and i knew it was over.
i mean, it had just begun. my normal, boring, no-care-about-rock attitude had just ended, and i was fucking hooked. a couple of times on the way home i literally got shivers up my spine. from there on out, i talked to every friend i could get to listen about it ... friends that were already digging on it themselves, or that were digging on shit like soundgarden or mudhoney or something, some of the older kids, or the bigger kids -- the poor bullies.

anyhow. thats about it. i was 15 before i finally got to see the band. i hadn't even entertained the notion of attending a concert until i was 14. but in any event, what followed that initial discovery was this magical development and a bond with the music that has run nearly 15 years strong. i'm getting goosebumps now thinking about the tour.

yey pj!

markymark550

It was the summer of 1995 when I first got into Pearl Jam. I was 12 years old and had been trying to find my own musical identity, if thats what you call it. I had gotten tired of the oldies my parents liked when I was 9 or 10. From there I bounced around from pop stuff to country, but nothing ever really grabbed my attention. Well, one day that summer, I turned to the local alternative rock station and they played Better Man. I really liked that song and kept listening for that song. I memorized the words in about 4 hearings and would constantly sing the song around the house. My sister got tired of that and decided to buy me Vitalogy in an effort to shut me up, which failed miserably, as I loved that album. I did some research into the band and found out that my sister had the Vs. album. I listened to the albums that we had and decided to get Vs. and then Ten when I saw they had other albums. From there, my obsession with Pearl Jam grew. Through them, I was introduced to the grunge scene, which remains my musical preference to this day.

markymark550

DriftingByTheStorm wrote:

i love when these threads pop up.
i wish i had my answer saved, as many times as i have given it

I love these threads too. I think it is interesting to see when and why people got into this great band.

Omarama

thanks guys some extremely interesting stories there.
now heres mine:
i didn't really take much notice of pj until i was 14 (i'm now 15) and heard a left over audio file on my computer of even flow (for about the third time,but it only registered then)i was hooked.it turned out dad had ten and he said i could have it coz "he wasn't too fussed on it" and thought only a couple of songs were outstnding! granted his taste in music isn't bad for an old guy but this was one time when he was so completely, utterly wrong.the first time i heard once it sent shivers down my spine i couldn't get enough and it just got better.why go and once are probably the songs that register the strongest with me, but not by alot.after that i was incredibly pissed off with myself that i hadn't discovered them sooner.they helped me find my musical identity and for that i love them,i've never come across a band that has had so much impact on me.
living way down in little old new zealand i've never actually seen a concert but i rekon that would be the experience of a lifetime.

Release92

It was the summer of 92 when I was hearing Alive on the radio and was liking the song but didn't actually buy the 10 CD until I starting hearing Jeremy and thought "This is an amazing Frickin' song.....these guys are good....." and here I am still a huge Fan after 13 years!!

pearlmutt

it's funny because i'd seen pearl jam several times and was like hmmm; they're okay because i really couldn't understand what eddie was singing, and i love lyrics, so they were just okay.

then my husband left for a deployment and I was stuck way down south without him, and i started buying him the bootlegs and listening to the songs to connect with him, and then i was like, wow, holy shit -- this band is amazing.

i would write little notes to him and draw all over those wonderful cardboardy bootlegs and send them off, and he would write back about being on the boat with his head phones on watching the most beautiful sunsets the ocean's ever seen and listening to them, and they became a form of communication for us. just amazing this band is to us, amazing.

when we're pissed at each other, oh, watch out, we'll be turning up this is not for you or some such and being like take that.

then when we're happy it's all about the hail, hail. it's good to have a band.

Ten-son

'Alive' was enough for me to be a fan back in 92'. Strength to love, that's what I've been getting through thier music since I've been a fan!

Gorthaur

I think I have the silliest story. I used to be into Creed in 1999 and I heard they were thought to be a rip off of Pearl Jam. i was inclined to investigate, since i had heard of PJ when i was younger. I bought Ten, and since, it has been my favorite band of all time. Sometimes i go thru periods when I dont want to listen to anything else except Pearl jam...right now am not on that phase, but it'll come back. It always does.

When I listened to Even Flow, I was positive I heard it when i was a kid. Also, prior to buying Ten, I had listened to Jeremy on the radio, and was completely blown away. It was one of my greatest moments when I first listened to Ten I heard that mysterious song I didnt know who played it.

Out of their music i pick up a lot of socialism, views on friendship and reminding me to not judge so hard...the creepy guy in the corner might contribute something amazing when am not looking. (i do see myself as that guy around certain people). Pearl Jam helped me in an existentialist funk i had 4 or 6 years ago. Their name is perfect, a jam of pearls. Rock riffs full of beauty, passion, rythm and just plain soothing. Of course, i found out why they named themselves Pearl Jam, but i think my interpretation might be valid.

brain of c

lovelyrita wrote:

lol....


that must have been hard to say no.

who says i said no?

xaviermcdaniel

We've had many threads on this so here we go:

Pearl Jam came out in 1991-1992. At the time, I was a seventh-grader, no big deal there but throw in the fact that I had severe acne and was painfully shy. While it's not the worst thing in the world for a seventh grader in a new school it's up there. Anyway, how this relates to Pearl Jam, I don't know. I know I saw the videos for Evenflow and Alive sometime during that school year and liked them.

Too young to actually spend a lot of money on albums, i went through junior and high school just knowing whatever made its way to radio and the video music awards, meaning i knew the following songs "Alive, Evenflow, Black, Jeremy, Daughter, Animal and Betterman.

Fast forward to freshman year of college, another first year for a quiet kid that struggled to fit in, I began to get into Pearl Jam and dig deeper. I borrowed Yield and No Code from the CD Rack of the local library and put them on to audio tape played them over and over again.

Also college was the first time I had regular access to the internet so I was finally able to figure out the lyrics to Evenflow and Alive among others.

I bought the "Live on Two Legs CD and as I got older and gained more income, I finally made my way to a show at Jones Beach in 2000. I saw them again 2003 at MSG - their first trip to NYC since 9/11 and then I saw them again last year in Reading at the VFC concerts.

The bottom line I always identified with Pearl Jam and most of the other bands that started in the early 1990s out of Seattle because they made it possible for a quiet, ordinary kid to identify with them, instead of the glam rock from the 1980s that was all about sex and debauchery (sp)

So now that I'm old enough, there are very few Pearl Jam songs I don't know or albums I don't have.

I never wish to be older. But if I could, I'd have liked to been old enough to see the early Pearl Jam concerts.

Eraserhead

A mate of mine leant me a copy of Ten (about 8 years ago now). I really didn't like it at all.

A few years later, I got a copy of it again, and for some reason, it clicked. I really enjoyed the album and I continued from there.

jake5481

The first time I remember hearing them was when a friend was playing Vs. a lot back around the time it came out (and I was about 12). Gradually accumulated a few albums over the years but I didn't get hooked until 2000, my freshman year of college. I was living around a couple guys who were really into them, so that helped. Music just started to speak to me. I like a song that has a whole lot of meaning behind it and can be interpreted on a pretty deep (and varying) level. I think Black was the first song I got really obsessed with and it's still my favorite.