All this weekend, we’re celebrating the music and legacy of Pearl Jam. Be listening for double shots, blocks, live cuts, and a deep dive into their catalog.
Learn more about Pearl Jam:
The Story:
After the death of Andrew Wood, members of Mother Love Bone looked to form a new band and auditioned San Diego singer Eddie Vedder. They loved his stuff and the album Ten was released in the summer of 1991, before Nevermind came out. Grunge music started to take off and all of sudden Pearl Jam found themselves as one of the biggest bands in the world. The band became so big that their next album, Vs, sold more copies in one week than any other. The band stopped making videos, cancelled TV appearances and tried not to be in the press. Their next album, Vitalogy, continued their run of success. They spent the rest of the 90s suing ticketmaster and releasing records to diminishing returns. In the 2000s, the band course corrected and started to achieve cult status with their incredibly long and different live shows. Yes they still released new music but now its all about their shows.
The Stats:
Studio Albums: 11
Albums Sold: 32 million
Grammys Won: 2
The Fun Facts:
- “Alive”, “Footsteps” and “Once” all form a song that tells a story of incest, murder, imprisonment, and eventually execution.
- Neil Young’s Mirror Ball album features Pearl Jam as his backing band. Because of a deal with their record company, they couldn’t be identified.
- In 2000-2001, in attempt to outdo the bootleggers, the band released 72 live albums. One for every show on their tour.
- Despite their often tumultuous relationship, Eddie and Kurt Cobain were friends near the end of his life. They are even seen slow dancing at the 1992 Video Music Awards.
- Pearl Jam’s most streamed song is “Black” from Ten. The band refused to release it as a single.