How it all started......

Summer, 1984 Seminal Seattle band Green River (with Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard) is born, but disbands at the end of '87. Gossard and Ament form a new band, Mother Love Bone.

March 16, 1990 Lead singer, Andrew Wood dies and the band dissolves after the release of 'Apple'. Ament and Gossard hook up with guitarist Mike McCready and start jamming. Their demo tape ends up in the hands of Eddie Vedder. In the fall, drummer Dave Krusen joins Ament (bass), McCready guitar), Gossard (guitar), and Vedder (vocals). The band is now called Mookie Blaylock and it plays its first gig at the Off-Ramp in Seattle.

November, 1990 The band changes its name to Pearl Jam.Their first US promo single is released in May 1991 and they start recording their debut album, 'Ten'. Dave Krusen leaves and Dave Abbruzzese joins.

August 1991 Pearl Jam's debut album 'Ten' is released and goes to #2 on the Billboard album chart. They begin their first full-scale tour in October and a European tour follows in 1992.

July 1992 The band join the Lollapalooza II tour, and in the autumn Stone Gossard forms the band Brad, releasing the album Shame in March 1993. A follow-up arrives in 1997.

January 1993 Pearl Jam wins two American Music Awards, two months later they scoop four MTV Music Awards.

October 1993 Pearl Jam's second album, 'VS' is released, entering the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart at No.1. Eddie Vedder appears on the cover of Time magazine and the band kick off a US tour. They are forced to cancel their summer tour the following year when they go head-to-head with Ticketmaster.

September 1994 Dave Abbruzzese leaves the band.

June 1994 Pearl Jam's release their third album, 'Vitalogy', entering the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart at #1. It holds the top spot for five consecutive weeks.

February 1995 Pearl Jam hosts 'Monkey Wrench Radio Special', including two live performances by the band plus music from the likes of Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Nirvana's Dave Grohl and Krist Novocelic.

January 1996 Pearl Jam continue to scoop gongs: two American Music Awards and their first Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. 'Pearl Jam Unplugged' first airs on MTV in May.

June 1996 Release of the self-titled album by 3 Fish, a side project for Jeff Ament.

August 1996 Pearl Jam's fourth album, 'No Code' is released, entering the Billboard Album chart at #1.

February 1997 'Yield' is released on Epic Records. Produced by Brendan O'Brien and Pearl Jam, it enters the SoundScan chart at No. 2.

June 1998 Pearl Jam begin a headlining North American tour in Missoula, Montana with dates running through September 18 in Washington, D.C.


Info from http://www.sonymusic.co.uk

Is your mind firmly in the gutter? Good.

Here we go.

The name Pearl Jam was around long before the band. What is pearl jam then? Watch a coupla' p0rn movies and you'll figure it out.

It's an iridescent, gooey substance that is best not talked about around young'uns for the easily embarassed. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, ask the male next to you. After he finishes blushing, he may explain.

And please, please, please, don't go down to the corner market and ask for "A big bottle of pearl jam". Trust me on this one.

Taping Policy Guidelines

The Stamp of Approval

September 13, 1995, Phoenix, Arizona: Ed on the mic: "This is the first night and from now on...let's make it official right here...the stamp of approval. Anytime you want to bring a tape recorder to one of our shows, you're more than welcome to. Maybe then you won't have to pay $30 or anything like that to bootleggers. You can have your own tape...your own personal memory."

And with those words, Record buttons were readied 'round the world...

Audio Taping Pearl Jam Shows... Pearl Jam's taping policy is that you may bring a hand-held Walkman-type AUDIO recorder for personal use. Pearl Jam brings their own security to coordinate with the local security before each show. Promoters and venue security will be aware that small, hand-held audio recorders are permitted, but occasionally this message does not get through to those at the gates. Pete, Pearl Jam's Head of Security, would like you to ask for him if you have a problem at the gate and are told that you can't bring in your hand-held audio recording equipment.

Please remember that the spirit of the taping policy is for each person to have a personal memory of the show. If the equipment is too sophisticated, it'll be considered bootlegging gear and will probably not be allowed. There isn't a list of recorders or gear that's allowed, so please use your good judgment and common sense. OK are Walkman-type, hand-held recorders: cassette, micro-cassette are fine. No DATs. No external mics. No standing mics. No booms. No pre-amps. There is no taper's section.

Q: Does Pearl Jam's taping policy apply to all PJ shows no matter what country? A: Yes, unless a venue policy overrides the band's policy. It's been very rare when a venue objects. Most venues are just fine with what the band allows.

Q: Can I plug into the soundboard? A: No soundboard hookups.

Q: Are video recorders ok? A: No video.

Q: I am a taper.. and have taped at Pearl jam shows before, but since going to see Dave Matthews, I have seen people recording on big 20 foot high mic stands...does Pearl Jam ok these mic stands at their shows? A: No, we are not Dave Matthews.

Q: Taping is still not allowed at events not put on by Pearl Jam, like festivals, correct? A: Yes, it's still not allowed.

Q: Does the band approve of full live concerts or songs being traded online in MP3 files? A: It's ok.

Q: Does the band mind us TRADING their live shows on cdrs to other fans? A: Trading is ok but selling is not ok. It would be a betrayal of the band's trust. -- The Ten Club on Bootlegging: Note: If you are a fan club member and are caught selling boots you will be banished from the club forever.

Q: How about small cameras, no flash? Are those ok this year? A: Yes, no flash. Also, no detachable lenses and no computer enhanced cameras (35mm) type.

Thank you for your cooperation and respecting the band's wishes.

Last updated: July 12, 2000

Source: http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/PearlJam/tour/taping.html

Note regarding the bands name:
Sorry omegas and xunker - those are good and commonly held theories as to their name. But the truth is that no one knows the truth. I speak as a long time and rather die-hard fan. (And this is not my idea of the "truth" but the truth as released by the band.) Eddie also told the hallogenogenic jelly story to Rolling Stone Magazine on two occasions. He has later said that he just made up this story on a whim, and then liked it enough to tell it again. He says regarding the media that if you "don't give them an answer, they never leave you alone."
The pornographic theory is just as fallacious. I can't find the exact quote at the moment, but the first time Eddie and Stone heard of this idea they were doing a radio show, and they both just laughed. They said they had never even thought of it that way before, and they found it amusing that other people had such dirty minds.

According to Eddie: "I remember throwing words and meanings around for band names,..... I was writing songs daily and they seemed more important than the name of the band,.... I didn't grasp at the time how representative it may become,....not to mention we were just making a little record that few people would ever hear,...... so the words came, 2,... one of which was Pearl. The name of my great grandmother,..... married to a contortionist...... He used to fit himself into a suitcase.... One in a long line of peculiar individuals."

See, here he says she was married to a contortionist. Before it was an Indian chief. Does Eddie even have a Grandma Pearl? Possibly. I kind of doubt it, but who knows? At any rate, the bands name doesn't need to be analyzed; it is really of no importance. They are great for the music they make, not for what they named themselves.

Additional information on this subject and anything else about the band can be found at:
www.pearljam.com
www.tenclub.net
www.lukin.com
www.synergy.com
www.fivehorizons.com
allthoseyesterdays.net
www.pearljamnetwork.com
"One morning I woke up and my mind seemed pretty lost. I related the fact to the mount of hashish I had smoked the night before. I was walking through my little appartment, not knowing what the hell I wanted to do. After a short stay in my bathroom I was headed to my kitchen. I was hungry. Again a fact I related to the mount of hashish from last night.

I opened my refrigerator and took a bottle of anything. I did not recognize what it exactly was. I took some bread, opened the bottle and had a great pleasure. When I finished my breakfast my mind had cleared up a little bit. I was able to read again. I saw that I had just eaten bread with pearl jam. Then I knew what my new band's name should be: Pearl Jam..."

That's the story I believe in. Eddie Vedder was that stoned that he really thought he had eaten bread with pearl jam. Actually, even a genius has bad mornings...

I recently received an email forward from a friend with a link to an 'incredible' music video. 'I'll bite,' I thought, and followed the link to a music video that holds many memories for this long die-hard Pearl Jam fan. It got me rooting around the E2 database as well, and I'll be damned if I found this node couldn't use a bit more fleshing out.


Pearl Jam vs MTV

Back in the day (which was a Wednesday, by the way) Pearl Jam expounded rock to the grunge music scene with their debut release, Ten. Because of their record contract, they did a couple of videos for MTV but the only original one was Jeremy. A couple others were done at the time but were just film splices from live concerts. Jeremy, however, was played around the clock and Pearl Jam soon became disgusted with the way it cheapened the video and the song. MTV basically told them to go fuck themselves.

After that Pearl Jam stopped making music videos. They release three multi-platinum albums without any support from MTV and were arguably more happy for it. Fast forward to Yield, and the song Do the Evolution. The boys 'yielded' to do a video this time as an animated piece put together by "Spawn" comic-book mastermind Todd McFarlane. The video tells the raw and visceral history of mankind, starting with the very beginning of life, in a manner not unlike Fantasia on acid.

I'm at peace with my lust
I can kill 'cause in God I trust, yeah
It's evolution, baby

Pearl Jam vs Ticketmaster

The music video issue was not the band's first scuffle with the man. They also instituted a costly and, in the end, hopeless lawsuit against TicketMaster, which won them few friends and no real allies. Citing the fact that Ticketmaster was unfairly escalating prices beyone what Pearl Jam thought was fair (>$20), the band took the conglomerate to court. In 1995, after a draining battle, the court ruled in favor of Ticketmaster. Subsequently, the band was forced to sell tickets through their rival on following tours because fans complained of poor venues and the unavailability of tickets.

Pearl Jam vs the Drum Kit

Dave Krusen         1990
Dave Abbruzzese     1991
Jack Irons          1994
Matt Cameron        1998

The band has long had trouble with holding on to their drummers whether they leave or are fired, but without one drummer in particular, the band would never have existed. Back when Vedder was just a surfer-punk in the suburbs of San Diego, Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons got a hold of a demo from some boys up in the Seattle music scene. After vocalist Andrew Wood overdosed on heroin in 1990, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament assembled a new band, bringing in Mike McCready on lead guitar. Eddie Vedder seemed like the perfect complement to round out the band's sound, and the name Pearl Jam was chosen to replace the tributary Mookie Blaylock. It would be years until the band found their OG drummer when Jack Irons finally joined the band on percussion, and so it would seem that the story came full circle. That is... until '98 when ex-Soundgarden drummer, Matt Cameron, started to fill in for the then sick Irons during the Live on Two Legs tour. He was soon a permanent member of the PJ family.



Discography

Damn, they've released a lot of music. For the most part, I've only included the studio released albums, except for Live on Two Legs, which is a compilation of live performances. They also released 72 other recordings of live shows, but I thought it a bit excessive to detail those. The singles I've included contain unique songs on them, otherwise there are dozen of other singles and imports.

Ten (1991)

  1. Once
  2. Even Flow
  3. Alive
  4. Why Go
  5. Black
  6. Jeremy
  7. Oceans
  8. Porch
  9. Garden
  10. Deep
  11. Release

Vs. (1993)

  1. Go
  2. Animal
  3. Daughter
  4. Glorified G
  5. Dissident
  6. W.M.A.
  7. Blood
  8. Rearviewmirror
  9. Rats
  10. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
  11. Leash
  12. Indifference

Vitalogy (1994)

  1. Last Exit
  2. Spin The Black Circle
  3. Not For You
  4. Tremor Christ
  5. Nothingman
  6. Whipping
  7. Pry, To
  8. Corduroy
  9. Bugs
  10. Satan's Bed
  11. Better Man
  12. Aye Davanita
  13. Immortality
  14. Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me

Jeremy (1995)

  1. Jeremy
  2. Footsteps
  3. Yellow Ledbetter

Merkin Ball (1995)

  1. I Got Id
  2. Long Road

No Code (1996)

  1. Sometimes
  2. Hail Hail
  3. Who You Are
  4. In My Tree
  5. Smile
  6. Off He Goes
  7. Habit
  8. Red Mosquito
  9. Lukin
  10. Present Tense
  11. Mankind
  12. I'm Open
  13. Around the Bend

Yield (1998)

  1. Brain of J.
  2. Faithful
  3. No Way
  4. Given to Fly
  5. Wishlist
  6. Pilate
  7. Do the Evolution
  8. Untitled - Red Dot
  9. MFC
  10. Low Light
  11. In Hiding
  12. Push Me Pull Me
  13. All Those Yesterdays

Live on Two Legs (1998)

  1. Corduroy
  2. Given To Fly
  3. Hail, Hail
  4. Daughter
  5. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
  6. Untitled
  7. MFC
  8. Go
  9. Red Mosquito
  10. Even Flow
  11. Off He Goes
  12. Nothingman
  13. Do The Evolution
  14. Better Man
  15. Black
  16. F*ckin' Up

Binaural (2000)

  1. Breakerfall
  2. Gods' Dice
  3. Evacuation
  4. Light Years
  5. Nothing As It Seems
  6. Thin Air
  7. Insignificance
  8. Of The Girl
  9. Grievance
  10. Rival
  11. Sleight Of Hand
  12. Soon Forget
  13. Parting Ways
  14. Typing

Riot Act (2002)

  1. Can't Keep
  2. Save You
  3. Love Boat Captain
  4. Cropduster
  5. Ghost
  6. I Am Mine
  7. Thumbing My Way
  8. You Are
  9. Get Right
  10. Green Disease
  11. Help Help
  12. Bushleaguer
  13. 1/2 Full
  14. Arc
  15. All Or None

Lost Dogs (2003)

disc one
  1. All Night
  2. Sad
  3. Down
  4. Hitchhiker
  5. Don't Gimme no Lip
  6. Alone
  7. In the Moonlight
  8. Education
  9. Black, Red, Yellow
  10. You
  11. Leavin Here
  12. Gremmie Out of Control
  13. Whale Song
  14. Undone
  15. Hold One
  16. Yellow Ledbetter
disc two
  1. Fatal
  2. Otherside
  3. Hard to Imagine
  4. Footsteps
  5. Wash
  6. Dead Man
  7. Strangest Tribe
  8. Drifting
  9. Let Me Sleep
  10. Last Kiss
  11. Sweet Lew
  12. Dirty Frank
  13. Brother
  14. Bee Girl
  15. Angel
  16. 4/20/02

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