Pearl Jam's Family Tree by Peter Grunge
ORGANIC
With all eyes turned to Seattle, dozens of Californian rockers have been trekking north in hope of finding the record deal that eluded them in L.A. "Seattle is dead" is the theme that resounds from every interview with any of the city's first wave of grunge merchants. It's full of bands, and record company talent-scouts, but the organic 'scene' that evolved in the late 80s has been dissipated by the double barrage of hype and success.
In some people's eyes, Pearl Jam epitomise what went wrong with Seattle. Signed immediately to CBS/Epic/Sony, mightiest of the major labels, they were accused by local luminary Kurt Cobain (of Nirvana, in case you've been living in a cave for the last two years) of "selling Seattle out". Markedly less 'extreme' in their sound than their forerunners, Pearl Jam represent (in this view) what happens when a dynamic local sound is manipulated into a suitable shape for exposing to the outside world.
Others, and I'd take their side every time, view Pearl Jam's success -- as Nirvana's was before them -- as some kind of landmark. Like punk before it, grunge is becoming a straitjacket; it won't be long before American equivalents of the Angelic Upstarts are sporting 'Grunge's not dead' T-shirts. Already, the tight core of Seattle musicians are spreading a succession of distinct styles across the world -- Nirvana's sonic attack, Soundgarden's Sabbathesque hard rock, Alice In Chains' unashamed metal. And Pearl Jam? They've already made one of the finest rock albums of the decade.
"Ten" (named after the number on a basketball shirt, incidentally) has too many merits to mention -- some of the most intriguing, revelatory lyrics in rock; remarkable twin guitar playing; tight, melodic songs that have an anthemic quality without ever dipping into stadium-rock fodder; and the yearning power of Eddie Vedder's vocals. And for a bunch of upstarts who've supposedly stolen the soul of Seattle, they have quite a collective history.
----- This history page is not yet completed try back later!!! -----
Email: edvedder32@aol.com
