SOUNDTRACK: PEARL JAM-No Code (1996).
I’d always sort of liked this disc because of its principles–I believed that the title came about because there is no barcode on the disc. Pearl Jam is always tilting at some windmill or another, and I can support that.
I’ve also learned that this is PJ’s least popular and lowest selling album.
And I can see why. Although there are a number of great songs on the disc, the overall tempo is somewhat flat. The disc is also quite varied, without any of the really typical Pearl Jam songs on it. None of this is necessarily a bad thing, but it adds up to a Pearl Jam disc that doesn’t rock as hard as the others, and sounds rather unfamiliar.
“Sometimes” starts off the disc very slowly. Something of an anomaly in itself for PJ. The song is strong but it doesn’t really build. This is a stronger track live, where the atmospherics kick in better.
“Hail Hail” is a typical Pearl Jam number, perhaps the only one on the disc. It’s pretty fast and furious and features some great bass work. “Who You Are” was the first single, a slow Middle-Eastern tinged song. The drums are also quite different on this track, as they are more tribal than rocking. It’s a really enjoyable song but it’s not the kind to attract the masses.
“In My Tree” and “Smile” form the middle/mellow sound of this album. Neither one has very loud guitars, although the chorus of “Smile” allows Eddie to give a good yell “I miss you already.” (It also features a Neil Youngesque harmonica). “In My Tree” features what sounds like a zither(!), and comes with more tribal drumming.
“Off He Goes” is one of the mellowest songs PJ have done. The live song tends towards more emotion. Its a great song, but it loses a bit in this studio recording.
On what would be the second side, Pearl Jam flexes its punk muscle: “Habit” and “Lukin” are some of the heaviest/hardest songs they’ve done. And live, they are even faster. The songs themselves are great, yet they really stick out on this mellow disc.
“Red Mosquito” is another midtempo rocker, although the guitar solo is pretty scorching. “Present Tense” begins very slowly and sparsely. It takes a long time to build although the conclusion is satisfying.
Another anomaly for this disc is the new vocalist: Stone Gossard sings “Mankind,” a pretty straight ahead rocker, that only stands out because of Gossard’s unusual voice. It’s always funny to hear them play it live as it’s something of a unique treat, even if the song itself isn’t amazing.
I guess really the problem comes at the end…the disc just sort of fades away. Neither of the last two songs is bad, but neither is really memorable.
I hate to dismiss the album as I do because the good songs are very good, it just feels kind of hodgepodgey. There is talk of a lot of dissent within the band at the time of this recording and maybe that has something to do with it.
[READ: April 24, 2009] “The Intruder”
This story started out a little slow, progressed into an adrenaline rush, twisted into something potentially comic and then inverted itself in the last sentence. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 