Album #71 : Pearl Jam - Vs.

Pearl Jam

Vs. (1993)

After smashing their way into the musical mainstream with their monster debut Ten, Pearl Jam reconvened after a mammoth tour to record their second album. Beginning with rehearsals in Seattle, the group (including new drummer Dave Abbruzzese) relocated to the 'tranquil' surrounds of California....which singer and songsmith Eddie Vedder hated.

After a prolonged lull, and a period where the band went out of their way to make Vedder uncomfortable, the group finally unleashed Vs., their second album, which featured a much harder sound in general (as well as some traces of funk, country and folk). As the followup to something as massive as Ten, it perhaps is somewhat overlooked in the group's catalogue other than by PJ fans.

So, today, I'm going to review it, because I think it's one of their most important albums, and also one of their best.

The Album

The first three tracks on Vs. must be considered as among the best three-punch opening combos to an album I've reviewed so far. We begin with the raw, aggressive Go, its dark riffs matched with some really sharp drum work from Abbruzzese (who also wrote the riff) and Vedder's powerful growl. It's followed by Animal, with its mild funk flavour present in the wah-pedal infused riff (not for the last time on this album either). There's some crunchy riffage, some neat lead guitar from Mike McCready and more decent drumming and singing. The third track is the largely acoustic ballad Daughter. Featuring an evocative vocal about a girl who is beaten by her parents, who don't understand her learning disability, it's Vedder's first real shining moment on the album, even if his usual growly anger is rarely glimpsed. Abbruzzese sharpens the rhythm with some deft, jazzy hi-hat work, and there's a tasteful solo from the impressive McCready.

The challenge after that is to keep the quality coming. Generally speaking, Vs. does that very, very well. The commercial sound of Dissident is somewhat jarring on an album where aggressive guitar and grunge/funk is the order of the day, however its bluesy riff is still a hooky earworm. W.M.A. points out, in typical Pearl Jam fashion, the inherent unfairness of racial profiling before it was even a thing; Vedder's lyric, "He won the lottery when he was born", calmly observes the sheer luck experienced by the very privileged. Glorified G is not quite as appealing as other tracks, but its piss-taking lyrics (taking aim at your stock standard MURRICAN gun owner) and demented country-flavoured riff are enough to distinguish it from the rest of the album.

Blood and Rats continue the grunge/funk theme; the former is a track full of incoherent fury from Vedder and some sweet bass work from Jeff Ament, while the latter makes the interesting point that rats are not as scummy as humans. Splitting those two tracks is album (nay, career) highlight, Rearviewmirror. Built around a repeated six-note riff, it is driven by a thick, steady rhythm (created by Vedder and Stone Gossard on dual rhythm guitar, supported by Ament and Abbruzzese). There's a quiet breakdown, which calms the listener, before building again, this time even louder and more energetic than the opening verses; Vedder's vocal returns to that passionate, high-register growling scream. It's that use of multiple shifts in tone and intensity that mark it as one of Pearl Jam's finest.

Of the final three songs, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town is the best by far, and another great tune. Taking folk and country influences, and combining them with the group's more alternative ballad sounds, Vedder delivers a heartfelt, touching lyric with a deep, resigned vocal, only rarely cranking it up when describing the title character's desperation and emotional relief. Leash is a final visit to Anger Land, with one more stop off in Grungy Funky Wah Pedal Riff City. Vedder again sings with real bite and venom....it's not a bad song at all. Closer Indifference goes down the path of Ten's closing track, Release; it's a slower, more moderate track with simple percussion and calming guitar. The only key difference is that while Release turns up the intensity further into the track, Indifference hardly leaves the station. Vedder's mildly reverberating vocal is the real star; it's pleasant but nothing more. 

The Verdict

There's plenty to like about Vs. Apart from the fact that it provides some of the band's signature songs, its willingness to stray from the established "mainstream grunge" sound of their debut marks Pearl Jam's previously unseen desire to broaden their musical horizons. It manages to build on their earlier work without going back to the well to rip off what worked before. For that, it deserves respect.

Well worth your time, and as I said at the start, it's probably still my favourite Pearl Jam album, because it has diversity while still remaining an aggressive, rocking release. 

My rating: ****

Standout Tracks

Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town

Rearviewmirror

Go

Daughter

Tomorrow, we ask the question: have you ever been to Electric Ladyland?