Pearl Jam Frequently Asked Questions : Part 2

SECTION 2.0 - ALBUMS AND SONGS

2.1 What albums have the band released?
Ten - Epic ZK 47857
Vs - Epic ZK 53136
Vitalogy - Epic EK 66900
No Code - Epic EK 67500
Yield - Epic EK 68164
Live on Two Legs - Epic EK 69752

2.2 When was [ALBUM NAME] released?
Ten - August 27, 1991
Vs - October 19, 1993 (on CD)
Vitalogy - December 06, 1994 (on CD)
No Code - August 27, 1996 (on CD)
Yield - February 03, 1998
Live on Two Legs - November 24, 1998

2.3 How many copies did [ALBUM NAME] sell?
As of January, 1999 :

Ten : 10 million copies in the US
Vs : 6 million copies in the US
Vitalogy : 5 million copies in the US
No Code : 1 million copies in the US
Yield : 2 million copies in the US

Also, Vs. has set the record for selling more copies (950,000) in its opening week than any other album since SoundScan started keeping track in 1991. Vitalogy also debuted at No. 55 in the Billboard top 200 when it was released as a vinyl, the first vinyl record release to chart since the inception of Compact Disk's.

2.4 What was the first song released by the band?
"Alive"

2.5 What songs are on the various albums?
Ten - Once, Even Flow, Alive, Why Go, Black, Jeremy, Oceans, Porch, Garden, Deep, Release, Wash (European Album), Dirty Frank (European Album), Alive (live) (European Album), I Got A Feeling (Japanese Album), Master/Slave (Part of "Once" and "Release." Not Labeled)
Vs - Go, Animal, Daughter, Glorified G, Dissident, W.M.A., Blood, Rearviewmirror, Rats, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Leash, Indifference
Vitalogy - Last Exit, Spin The Black Circle, Not For You, Tremor Christ, Nothingman, Whipping, Pry, To, Corduroy, Bugs, Satan's Bed, Better Man, Aye Davanita, Immortality, Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's me (Stupid Mop)
No Code - Sometimes, Hail, Hail, Who You Are, In My Tree, Smile, Off He Goes, Habit, Red Mosquito, Lukin, Present Tense, Mankind, I'm Open, Around the Bend
Yield - Brain Of J, Faithfull, No Way, Given To Fly, Wishlist, Pilate, Do The Evolution, "The Color Red," MFC, Low Light, In Hiding, Push Me Pull Me, All Those Yesterdays, Hummus (Part of "All Those Yesterdays" [Not Labeled - On CD only])
Live on Two Legs - Corduroy, Given To Fly, Hail Hail, Daughter, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, Untitled, MFC, Go, Red Mosquito, Even Flow, Off He Goes, Nothingman, Do The Evolution, Better Man, Black, Fucking Up (all songs live from the 1998 US tour)

2.6 I know I have heard other Pearl Jam songs, what gives?
Pearl Jam has always been fond of releasing extra songs as b-sides on their singles and also, foreign copies of Ten have extra songs.

2.07 How come "Even Flow" sounds different on the radio than on my CD?
"Even Flow" was re-recorded (with Dave A. on drums) for the release of the "Alive" EP. Many stations play this version. it is very similar but at the beginning you hear Eddie yell "Haah!" as the riff kicks in and in the end he says.."I died, I died...etc" This version is also the one they use for the video (see question 3.05) It is worth noting that someone submitted to me (without an exact page number) that the phrase that Eddie mumbles is a quote from the book "A Prayer For Owen Meany" by John Irving. Well, after doing some digging, I found the quote in question. In Even Flow, Eddie mumbles "I died, I died and you just stood there. I died and you watched me. I died and you walked by and said, 'No, I'm dead'.". Now, on page 21 of "A Prayer for Owen Meany" the character says "You let me drown! You didn't do anything! You just watched me drown! I'm already dead! Remember that: you let me die." Now, I might agree that perhaps the quotes might be related in some fashion, but obviously it is not an exact quote. So judge for yourself because I'm not convinced that the quote came from this source.

2.08 What does Eddie mumble at the end of the song "Once"?
"You think I've got my eyes closed, but I'm looking at you the whole fucking time."

2.09 What does Eddie whisper at the beginning of "Release?"
Well, put your headphones on, and turn up the volume WAY up, you can hear Eddie whisper "Oh father" before he starts moaning and the song starts. Some people also claim that they hear Eddie mistakenly begin to sing the first line from the song "Oceans."

2.10 Are there any live audio and video of Pearl Jam available commercially?
Officially, only audio songs released as b-sides, the "Dissident" singles, and the album Live on Two Legs.
Unofficially, there are tons of live and un-released Pearl Jam available on both CD's, on tape's and on videos from stores and traders throughout the world. Don't pay money for shows though. If you want a special CD that is one thing, but for tapes, just ask around the Internet and you will be able to find a network of traders who will share their "wealth" for mutual benefit. Also, try to refrain from purchasing boot (or import) CD's. I'm not preaching (I own a couple myself) but Pearl Jam has a very liberal policy about their live music that allows fans to record their shows more or less freely and uninhibited and also allows these tapes to be traded freely. The key word here is "FREELY". This is a privilege and if people BUY this material from people that sell it, then that privilege will become endangered and potentially taken away. Pearl Jam doesn't get any money when you buy a boot cd or tape and yet they own the rights to the performances as well as the right to sell or distribute them as THEY see fit, not how ANYONE else sees fit. If they want it sold then they will sell it. Until then, enjoy the taping policy and trade as much as you want.

2.11 I have an extra, unlisted, instrumental on my copy of Ten. Is this rare? What is "Master/Slave?"
No, The track is called "Master/Slave" and is used to introduce the album Ten before the song "Once" and is developed more completely after the song "Release" to close the album. While this title appears nowhere on the packaging, you can see that it is the official name if you look up the copyright information for Ten in the Library of Congress. The recorded version was played as an opener to the 1992 shows.

2.12 Why does "Footsteps" sound almost exactly like Temple of the Dog's "Times of Trouble?"
Gossard's song was given to Eddie as part of the Gossard demos. The song was also given to Chris Cornell (singer for Soundgarden) for a tribute album he was starting for the late Andrew Wood (the project became Temple of the Dog). "Footsteps" emerged as Vedder's song and "Times of Trouble" emerged as Chris's. So, even though it is the same music, the lyrics are different but technically speaking, Vedder's came first. As Vedder says, "Chris has his version and I have mine."

2.13 Why was the first album called Ten?
After changing their name from Mookie Blaylock to Pearl Jam the band named their album after Blaylock's basketball number, 10.

2.14 What is [SONG NAME] about and what is the inspiration for it?
Well, most people (including the band) say that if you listen hard to the songs, you will develop your own interpretations and special meanings that will be ten times more valuable to you than knowing the "cut and dry" story behind the song. For the record, since it is the most often asked question about song meanings, the basic structure of the mini-opera is as follows :

Part 1 : A young teen is told that the man he thought was his father is actually his step father and that his real father has died. He is further plagued by the fact that he is the spitting image of his true father. This leads to an incestuous act conducted by the boys mother and much anger and confusion by the boy afterwards. This is the song "Alive."
Part 2 : The song "Once" finds the youth, grown up and very violent taking out his anger on his fellow humans raping and killing them.
Part 3 : Part 3 finds the man on death row (the song "Footsteps") and making his final statements on his feelings towards his Mother, blaming her for what happened.
Also, the trilogy was performed in order, complete with explanations, in Zurich, on June 18, 1992.

Again, listen, absorb and develop your own interpretations, that is what music is all about. People say the Mini-Opera and especially "Alive" is about Vedder, but as with all good writers, it most likely developed from a grain of truth that was character sketched factitiously into a story.

2.15 Yeah, but what does "Yellow Ledbetter" REALLY mean?
Yellow Ledbetter was written by Mike (can you hear the Jimi Hendrix tribute?), Jeff, and Eddie. It can be found on the "Jeremy" single and a live version can be found on the "Daughter" single. This is another song that people ask what its meaning is and what the heck the lyrics are. NO ONE but the band really knows what the meaning of this song is or what the title refers to. Heck, we don't even know what Eddie is singing on it! Like a lot of Pearl Jam songs, it's pretty much open to your own interpretation. The song book has what we think is a good guess to the lyrics but again who knows. The Japanese CD single with "Yellow Ledbetter" also has some lyrics on it but they don't seem to fit with what Eddie is singing. All we know is that there is a porch where people don't wave, someone doesn't want to stay and there's a box or a bag somewhere. Eddie also tends to improvise the song's lyrics when Pearl Jam plays it live. So again, the best thing to do is sit back, absorb and enjoy the beautiful, haunting music. Don't drive yourself crazy by analyzing it for its true meaning. Find out what it means to you.

2.16 Does Pearl Jam play [SONG NAME] live?
Simply put, yes. They have at one time or another played every song they have recorded for release and many they haven't. One exception to this last statement may be some of the more experimental songs on Vitalogy like "Bugs," "Pry, To," and "Stupid Mop." They may have slipped in portions of them live here and there.

2.17 Where can I find the Pearl Jam Song Book?
The keeper, and maintainer, of the song book is Joe Danziger (danziger@eden.rutgers.edu). He has an "Unofficial Pearl Jam Song book Page" at http://www.exit109.com/~pjsongbook/. Unfortunatly, it hasn't been updated sence Yield came out. The song lyrics can be found on many web sites including my own at https://www.angelfire.com/co/pearljam/pj.html and on many other sites as well. Please bear in mind that non of the sites that have lyrics are "officially" sponsored by the band or their organization and as such no one's interpretation of the lyrics are "official".

2.18 What is Eddie mumbling at the end of "Corduroy?"
"It's your move now. I thought you were a friend, but I guess I, I guess I hate you."

2.19 In the song "Rats," who is Ben?
Ben is in reference to the Michael Jackson song "Ben". "Ben" was the song from the 70's movie also named "Ben" which was a sequel to the movie "Willard". Willard was a movie about a young loner who befriends a rat named Ben. Ben turns into a killer rat that leads other rats into harming others, etc. The killer rat returns in the movie sequel called "Ben". Eddie Vedder has always said that he was a big Motown fan and a big Jackson 5 fan when he was a young boy. He has said that one of the first records he ever listened to was "ABC" by the Jackson 5 and he gets "chills" when he sees the Motown logo. And yes, in the Atlanta April 03, 1994 show, when Eddie says "Michael Jackson is innocent", it IS in reference to Michael Jackson and the molestation charges against him at the time.

2.20 Who is "Dirty Frank?"
The inspiration for "Dirty Frank" was Pearl Jam's tour bus driver in the early days. In an early interview, members of PJ described him as being just a bit odd. They would be driving all night to some gig and would find several empty cans of beer under the driver seat. The band members had an inside joke that he was probably some serial killer and psycho that ate people. Thus the song "Dirty Frank" was born. This written around the same time they were on tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Hence the funky feel to the song as a sort of tribute to them..(This was explained during an interview with Guitar Player Mag in 1992). The song basically askes, "What would happen if Jeffrey Dauhmer was the band's tour bus driver."
Also, one of the lines in "Dirty Frank," "Dirty Frank was a bad mutha..shut yer mouth..etc.." was "copied" from the "Theme from Shaft", a song from another 70's movie called "Shaft", about a detective named John Shaft.

2.21 Is "Immortality" about Kurt Cobain?
In an interview with the LA times in Nov. 1994, Eddie has said that "Immortality" was not about Kurt Cobain. The song did have different lyrics when Pearl Jam started playing it during the spring '94 tour than the final version on Vitalogy. And yes during the Atlanta April 03, 1994 show Eddie did mention that he hoped Kurt was ok. Eddie also dedicated "Go" to Kurt (this was the period after Kurt Cobain's overdose in Rome when he was missing). Sadly enough, Kurt Cobain died a few days after this broadcast.

2.22 I'm confused about the No Code trading card thing!
With the release of No Code, came the existence of Pearl Jam No Code lyric cards. There are 4 sets of 9 trading cards, series C,O,D,AND E (yes you guessed it, that spells "Code"). The pictures on the cards are from the panel art work on the No Code album. If that wasn't specific enough for you, here is the list of the cards that are out there:

Set C
23615106091-1C - Hail Hail
23615106091-2C - Smile
23615106091-3C - Off He Goes
23615106091-4C - Mankind
23615106091-5C - Around The Bend
23615106091-6C - Sometimes
23615106091-7C - Red Mosquito
23615106091-8C - Present Tense [copyright card]
23615106091-9C - Habit

Set O
23615106091-1O - Hail Hail
23615106091-2O - Smile
23615106091-3O - Off He Goes
23615106091-4O - Mankind
23615106091-5O - Around The Bend
23615106091-6O - Sometimes
23615106091-7O - Red Mosquito
23615106091-8O - Present Tense [copyright card]
23615106091-9O - Habit

Set D
23615106091-1D - Hail Hail
23615106091-2D - Smile
23615106091-3D - Off He Goes
23615106091-4D - Mankind
23615106091-5D - Around The Bend
23615106091-6D - Who You Are
23615106091-7D - I'm Open
23615106091-8D - In My Tree [copyright card]
23615106091-9D - Habit

Set E
23615106091-1E - Hail Hail
23615106091-2E - Smile
23615106091-3E - Off He Goes
23615106091-4E - Mankind
23615106091-5E - Around The Bend
23615106091-6E - Who You Are
23615106091-7E - I'm Open
23615106091-8E - In My Tree [copyright card]
23615106091-9E - Lukin

2.23 A couple of the lyric cards I got with No Code are blacked out. Why?
The cards for the songs "In My Tree" & "Present Tense" are not supplied with lyrics. Presumably, that would be because of the band's long standing position that listeners should "feel" the songs and interpret (not translate) their own meanings. These songs appear to be introspective to Eddie and perhaps he feels to personally attached to share the lyrics with the world in printed form. This was the case with "Release" and you can't find those lyrics in any official song or tab book.

2.24 Who is playing the harmonica on "Smile?"
Eddie Vedder

2.25 Who is on the cover of the "Who You Are" single?
Stone (left) and Mike (right)

2.26 I heard that "Hail Hail" was a single but I cannot find it. Why?
If you are asking this, you probably live in North America. "Hail Hail" is indeed the single but has been released in Germany, Holland, and Australia. The U.S. and the United Kingdom will inevitably carry this imported version. The single's B-side is the song "Black Red Yellow."

2.27 What is "Lukin?"
This refers to Matt Lukin, a band member in the band Mudhoney. The song, as Eddie has described it, is just about Matt's place. In concert, Eddie has joked about how maybe Lukin should have been called "Can't find A Better Kitchen", a poke at the song "Better Man."

2.28 I like the song "Mankind" but Eddie sounds weird on it. Why?
Mainly because it's not Eddie that sings lead on this song! Eddie does do some backing vocals but the lead vocals on this song are done by Stone Gossard.

2.29 So Stone sings "Mankind" but what does "Bachannal" mean?
The dictionary lists this word as "referring to a drunken celebration initially in the honor of Bacchus or a person that goes to such an event, a reveler." In addition, a recent article wrote that the "Bacchanal" is the name of a club in San Diego that Eddie frequently played in with his former band, Bad Radio.

2.30 I have the European pressing of Ten and in the liner notes it credits some one named "Abrellesse " on the songs "Wash," "Dirty Frank," and "Alive (live)." Who is that?
There is no "official" answer, but it would appear that this is simply a misspelling of the name "Abruzzesse", as in Dave. I have also seen that this isn't on every copy of the European Ten so it must have been corrected at some point.

2.31 I have heard other names such as Monkeywrench, Checkpoint Charlie etc... Are these albums? Where can I find them?
These are Pearl Jam sponsored radio broadcasts. Sometimes they get catchy names associated with them that would make them sound like albums. Monkeywrench radio is actually the name of the pirate radio organization that broadcasted Pearl Jam's July 11, 1995 Chicago show. Checkpoint Charlie was the pet name of the November 03,1996 Berlin, Germany show. Other radio shows include April 03, 1994 show in Atlanta and November 1995 shows from San Diego and San Jose. As with other live shows, you can get them from tape traders. Also, listen to your local radio stations, as sometimes they are rebroadcast occasionally. Finally, some stations such as WBCN 104.1 in Boston press CD's of the shows to give away as promo items. The only one that ever was released commercially by the band was the three "Dissident," "Live in Atlanta" singles. This version of the Atlanta show is missing a few songs though ("Better Man," "Sonic Reducer," "Whipping," and "Satan's Bed").

2.32 What does "MFC" stand for?
It stands for "Mini Fast Car." Ed wrote the song in Italy and was amazed by the small, but fast, cars people drove there.