Vitalogy: Difference between revisions
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| accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref> He added that "in between the straight rock numbers and the searching slow songs, Pearl Jam contribute their strangest music — the mantrafunk of 'Aye Davanita', the sub-Tom Waits accordion romp of 'Bugs', and the chilling sonic collage 'Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me'." "Bugs" features Vedder playing an accordion that he found at a thrift shop,<ref>Marks, Craig. "Let's Get Lost". ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin Magazine]]''. December 1994.</ref> while "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me" was created using looped recordings of real patients from a [[psychiatric hospital]].<ref name="lycos">Vedder, Eddie. [http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/PearlJam/echoes/echoes9.html "Pearl Jam's First Online Chat at Lycos"]. [[Lycos|Lycos.com]]. [[May 15]], [[2000]].</ref> |
| accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref> He added that "in between the straight rock numbers and the searching slow songs, Pearl Jam contribute their strangest music — the mantrafunk of 'Aye Davanita', the sub-Tom Waits accordion romp of 'Bugs', and the chilling sonic collage 'Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me'." "Bugs" features Vedder playing an accordion that he found at a thrift shop,<ref>Marks, Craig. "Let's Get Lost". ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin Magazine]]''. December 1994.</ref> while "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me" was created using looped recordings of real patients from a [[psychiatric hospital]].<ref name="lycos">Vedder, Eddie. [http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/PearlJam/echoes/echoes9.html "Pearl Jam's First Online Chat at Lycos"]. [[Lycos|Lycos.com]]. [[May 15]], [[2000]].</ref> |
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Many of the songs on the album seem to be based on the pressures of fame and dealing with the resulting loss of privacy.<ref name="weisel">Weisel, Al. "Pearl Jam: Vitalogy". ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. [[December 15]], [[1994]]. p. 91–92.</ref> These include "[[Not for You]]", "[[Pry, To]]", "[[Corduroy (song)|Corduroy]]", "[[Bugs (Pearl Jam song)|Bugs]]", "[[Satan's Bed]]", and "[[Immortality (Pearl Jam song)|Immortality]]". The lyrics of "Not for You" express anger at the bureaucracy of the music industry,<ref name="Hilburn, Robert"/> while Vedder said "Corduroy" is about "one person's relationship with a million people."<ref name="Hilburn, Robert"/> In "Pry, To" the phrase ''"P-r-i-v-a-c-y is priceless to me"'' is repeated. Many think that the lyrics of "[[Immortality (Pearl Jam song)|Immortality]]" may be about [[Kurt Cobain]]'s suicide, although Vedder has denied this.<ref name="Hilburn, Robert">Hilburn, Robert. [http://www.fivehorizons.com/archive/articles/la112094.shtml "All Revved Up (As Usual)"]. ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. [[November 20]], [[1994]].</ref> The lyrics that appeared in the first live version of "Immortality" were altered before |
Many of the songs on the album seem to be based on the pressures of fame and dealing with the resulting loss of privacy.<ref name="weisel">Weisel, Al. "Pearl Jam: Vitalogy". ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. [[December 15]], [[1994]]. p. 91–92.</ref> These include "[[Not for You]]", "[[Pry, To]]", "[[Corduroy (song)|Corduroy]]", "[[Bugs (Pearl Jam song)|Bugs]]", "[[Satan's Bed]]", and "[[Immortality (Pearl Jam song)|Immortality]]". The lyrics of "Not for You" express anger at the bureaucracy of the music industry,<ref name="Hilburn, Robert"/> while Vedder said "Corduroy" is about "one person's relationship with a million people."<ref name="Hilburn, Robert"/> In "Pry, To" the phrase ''"P-r-i-v-a-c-y is priceless to me"'' is repeated. Many think that the lyrics of "[[Immortality (Pearl Jam song)|Immortality]]" may be about [[Kurt Cobain]]'s suicide, although Vedder has denied this.<ref name="Hilburn, Robert">Hilburn, Robert. [http://www.fivehorizons.com/archive/articles/la112094.shtml "All Revved Up (As Usual)"]. ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. [[November 20]], [[1994]].</ref> The lyrics that appeared in the first live version of "Immortality" were altered before the song was released as part of the album. "[[Better Man]]" is a song that Vedder wrote when he was in high school and performed with his previous band, [[Bad Radio]]. Considered a "blatantly great pop song" by producer Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam was reluctant to record it and had initially rejected it from ''Vs.'' due to its accessibility.<ref name="tenpast"/> Vedder has said "Better Man" is a song about "abusive relationships."<ref>Cohen, Jonathan. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002612367 "Pearl Jam Tells Its 'Story' At VH1 Taping"]. [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard.com]]. [[June 2]], [[2006]].</ref> |
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==Reception== |
==Reception== |
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Revision as of 01:21, 10 March 2008
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Vitalogy is the third album by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, released on December 6, 1994 through Epic Records. Upon its release, Vitalogy became the second-fastest-selling album in history, behind only the band's previous release Vs. As of 2007, Vitalogy has been certified five times platinum in the United States.
Recording
Pearl Jam again worked with producer Brendan O'Brien. The majority of the album's tracks were recorded during breaks on the band's Vs. Tour.[1] Tensions within the band had dramatically increased by this time. According to guitarist Stone Gossard, Vitalogy was the first album in which Eddie Vedder made the final decisions.[2] Sources state that most of the album was completed by early 1994, but that either a forced delay by Epic or that the battle with Ticketmaster were to blame for the delay.[3]
Drums on "Satan's Bed" were performed by Dave Abbruzzese's drum tech Jimmy Shoaf. On the day it was recorded, Abbruzzese was in the hospital having his tonsils removed. Vedder and Gossard were working on the song, and asked for Shoaf's help to get a drum machine working. After setting up the drum machine, the pair asked Shoaf to perform the same beat on the drums. Shoaf noted later that he didn't expect his performance to actually make the record. He is credited on the lyric sheet as "Jimmy".[4]
Months after finishing the initial recording sessions for Vitalogy, drummer Dave Abbruzzese was fired in August 1994.[2] Jack Irons, the original drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Abbruzzese's successor, plays drums on "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me". The song was a late addition to the album, recorded after Abbruzzese was fired from the band. Stone Gossard and Mike McCready were absent from the recording session and thus do not play on the song. "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me" was given an alternate title ("Stupid Mop") on other copies of the album.
Music and lyrics
Compared with their previous two albums, Vitalogy was more varied and idiosyncratic. Sparse productions and often bizarre lyrics (such as on "Bugs") made the album inaccessible without repeated listens. Eddie Vedder's hooks are a primary draw, built around furious guitar riffs and arrhythmic drum beats. With Vitalogy, the band started to incorporate more punk influences into their music.[5] During this era Vedder began to be featured more on rhythm guitar. Guitarist Stone Gossard said, "Vitalogy is the first one where Ed plays guitar and he wrote three to four songs. I remember thinking, 'This is so different. Is anyone going to like this?'...It had a more punk feel to it. Simple songs recorded really quickly."[6] The album has a notable lack of guitar solos compared with the band's first two albums. Guitarist Mike McCready said, "Vitalogy is not really a 'solo' album. I don't think the songs demanded solos; it was more of a rhythmic album."[1]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide said that "thanks to its stripped-down, lean production, Vitalogy stands as Pearl Jam's most original and uncompromising album."[7] He added that "in between the straight rock numbers and the searching slow songs, Pearl Jam contribute their strangest music — the mantrafunk of 'Aye Davanita', the sub-Tom Waits accordion romp of 'Bugs', and the chilling sonic collage 'Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me'." "Bugs" features Vedder playing an accordion that he found at a thrift shop,[8] while "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me" was created using looped recordings of real patients from a psychiatric hospital.[9]
Many of the songs on the album seem to be based on the pressures of fame and dealing with the resulting loss of privacy.[10] These include "Not for You", "Pry, To", "Corduroy", "Bugs", "Satan's Bed", and "Immortality". The lyrics of "Not for You" express anger at the bureaucracy of the music industry,[11] while Vedder said "Corduroy" is about "one person's relationship with a million people."[11] In "Pry, To" the phrase "P-r-i-v-a-c-y is priceless to me" is repeated. Many think that the lyrics of "Immortality" may be about Kurt Cobain's suicide, although Vedder has denied this.[11] The lyrics that appeared in the first live version of "Immortality" were altered before the song was released as part of the album. "Better Man" is a song that Vedder wrote when he was in high school and performed with his previous band, Bad Radio. Considered a "blatantly great pop song" by producer Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam was reluctant to record it and had initially rejected it from Vs. due to its accessibility.[2] Vedder has said "Better Man" is a song about "abusive relationships."[12]
Reception
Vitalogy was first released on vinyl on November 22, 1994, two weeks before the CD release, and debuted at number 55 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.[13] The album sold 35,000 copies in its first week of release. It was the first vinyl album to appear on the chart due to vinyl sales since the proliferation of compact discs.[14] When Vitalogy was released on CD and cassette on December 6, 1994 it reached number one on Billboard's Top 200 album chart. The album sold more than 877,000 copies in its first week of release on CD and became the second-fastest-selling CD in history, behind only the band's previous release Vs.[15]
The album's biggest hits were found in "Better Man", "Tremor Christ", and "Spin the Black Circle". Vitalogy also included the hits "Not for You", "Corduroy", and "Immortality". The lead single "Spin the Black Circle", a homage to vinyl records, won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards.[16] "Better Man" was never released as a single, but became one of the band's biggest hits, peaking at number 13 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart, reaching number two on the Billboard Modern Rock chart, and spending a total of eight weeks at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Along with "Corduroy", another song not released as a single, "Better Man" has become a live staple and continues to be played at almost every show. "Tremor Christ", the B-Side of the single "Spin the Black Circle", also managed to reach number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it has since largely disappeared from the band's set lists and rock radio.
The album received Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rock Album in 1996.[16] The album eventually achieved quintuple (5x) platinum status.[17] Template:RS500[18]
Imagery and design
Album artwork
The album is packaged in a booklet based on a book from the 1920s Vedder found at a garage sale. Ament explained that from Vs. onwards the band tried to take different approaches to packaging its records. Ament said, "We tried really hard, to make it like a book, kind of tipped it so it opened horizontally, which pissed off record stores: they had to put it in sideways." The packaging cost an extra 50 cents per copy. Problems arose when the band discovered that a later versions of the book was still under copyright. The band had to confer with its lawyers in order to work out a final version utilizing the material it wanted to include with the album.[2]
The booklet contains outdated discussions of health and well-being. Other notes in the booklet, dealing with life and death reflections, seem to be more personal, like a message typed on one of the last pages, supposedly referring to the loss of a loved one ("I waited all day. you waited all day.. but you left before sunset.. and I just wanted to tell you the moment was beautiful. Just wanted to dance to bad music drive bad cars.. watch bad TV.. should have stayed for the sunset... if not for me."). The booklet also displays some poems or original sayings not belonging to the songs' lyrics, but to be interpreted as a commentary to the songs and, again, as a reflection on how life should or shouldn't be lived. An example is the poem typed on the "Aye Davanita" page. The song's subtitle is "The song without words", as it is an instrumental track. But the page displays a sort of poem about the wasted life of a young girl. Another episode of "intruder words" is on the "Not for You" lyrics page. After the second refrain, instead of the actual lyrics, the typed words give a hint about the Sisyphus myth ("Yeah, you call me Sisyphus love. Yeah, I move the rock. I just don't want to talk about moving the rock. Anything that distracts me from moving the rock"). The lyrics to "Whipping", an outtake from the Vs. sessions, are written on a copy of a petition to Bill Clinton against Pro-Life killings of abortionists. An X-ray of Eddie Vedder's teeth was pictured instead of lyrics on the page for "Corduroy".[11]
Album title
The original title for the album was Life. The first single, "Spin the Black Circle", was released before the album was released, and on the back of the single it states "From the Epic album Life." The album title Vitalogy comes from the early 20th Century medical book from which the cover art and liner notes are based. Vitalogy literally means "the study of life."[10]
Track listing
Template:Sound sample box align right
All information taken from All Music Guide.[7]
All tracks by Dave Abbruzzese, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, except where noted:
- "Last Exit" – 2:54
- "Spin the Black Circle" – 2:48
- "Not for You" – 5:52
- "Tremor Christ" – 4:12
- "Nothingman" (Vedder, Ament) – 4:35
- "Whipping" – 2:35
- "Pry, To" – 1:03
- "Corduroy" – 4:37
- "Bugs" – 2:45
- "Satan's Bed" (Vedder, Gossard) – 3:31
- "Better Man" (Vedder) – 4:28
- "Aye Davanita" – 2:58
- "Immortality" – 5:28
- "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me" (Ament, Gossard, Jack Irons, McCready, Vedder) – 7:44
- Also known as "Stupid Mop"
Outtakes
"Hard to Imagine", a song previously rejected from Vs., was also recorded during the Vitalogy sessions. This version found its way on to the Chicago Cab soundtrack. "Hard to Imagine" is also included on the rarities compilation Lost Dogs, however this version is the one from the Vs. sessions.
Chart positions
All information taken from various sources.[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]
Albums
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Australian Albums Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 1 | |
| US Billboard 200 | 1 | |
| UK Albums Chart | 4 | |
| German Albums Chart | 8 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Spin the Black Circle" | New Zealand Singles Chart | 2 |
| "Spin the Black Circle" | Australian Singles Chart | 3 | |
| "Spin the Black Circle" | Irish Singles Chart | 6 | |
| "Spin the Black Circle" | UK Singles Chart | 10 | |
| "Spin the Black Circle" | US Modern Rock Tracks | 11 | |
| "Spin the Black Circle" | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 16 | |
| "Spin the Black Circle" | German Singles Chart | 92 | |
| "Tremor Christ" | US Billboard Hot 100 | 18 | |
| "Tremor Christ" | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 16 | |
| "Tremor Christ" | US Modern Rock Tracks | 16 | |
| 1995 | "Better Man" | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
| "Better Man" | US Modern Rock Tracks | 2 | |
| "Better Man" | US Top 40 Mainstream | 13 | |
| "Corduroy" | US Modern Rock Tracks | 13 | |
| "Corduroy" | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 22 | |
| "Not for You" | New Zealand Singles Chart | 10 | |
| "Not for You" | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 12 | |
| "Not for You" | Irish Singles Chart | 26 | |
| "Not for You" | Australian Singles Chart | 29 | |
| "Not for You" | UK Singles Chart | 34 | |
| "Not for You" | US Modern Rock Tracks | 38 | |
| "Immortality" | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 10 | |
| "Immortality" | New Zealand Singles Chart | 29 | |
| "Immortality" | US Modern Rock Tracks | 31 |
Personnel
All information taken from All Music Guide.[33]
- Eddie Vedder – vocals, guitar, accordion
- Jeff Ament – bass, standup, vocals
- Stone Gossard – guitar, vocals, mellotron
- Mike McCready – guitar, vocals, slide guitar
- Dave Abbruzzese – drums
- Jack Irons – drums (on "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me")
- Jimmy Shoaf – drums (on "Satan's Bed")
- Brendan O'Brien - pipe organ, Hammond organ
- Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam – production
- Brendan O'Brien – recording
- Nick DiDia – engineering
- Caram Costanzo, Adam Kasper, Trina Shoemaker, John Burton, Kevin Scott – assistance
- Brett Eliason – recording/mixing on "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me"
- Jeff Ament – black and white photography
- Lance Mercer – 8-Baby photo
- Barry Ament – layout
- Joel Zimmerman – art direction
- e.v. – book concept, theory of Vitalogy, typist
References
- ^ a b Gilbert, Jeff. "Alive-Pearl Jam's Mike McCready Says Goodbye to Drugs and Alcohol and is a Better Man For it". Guitar World. April 1995.
- ^ a b c d Weisbard, Eric, et al. "Ten Past Ten". Spin. August 2001.
- ^ DeRogatis, Jim. Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90's. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2003. ISBN 0-306-81271-1, pg. 60
- ^ Reynolds, John, et al. "Who is the drummer on "Satan's Bed"?". TwoFeetThick.com. May 12, 2005.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (1994-12-04). "RECORDINGS VIEW; Pearl Jam Gives Voice To Sisyphus". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Interview with Stone Gossard and Mike McCready". Total Guitar. November 2002.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Vitalogy". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
- ^ Marks, Craig. "Let's Get Lost". Spin Magazine. December 1994.
- ^ Vedder, Eddie. "Pearl Jam's First Online Chat at Lycos". Lycos.com. May 15, 2000.
- ^ a b Weisel, Al. "Pearl Jam: Vitalogy". Rolling Stone. December 15, 1994. p. 91–92.
- ^ a b c d Hilburn, Robert. "All Revved Up (As Usual)". Los Angeles Times. November 20, 1994.
- ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "Pearl Jam Tells Its 'Story' At VH1 Taping". Billboard.com. June 2, 2006.
- ^ Basham, David. "Got Charts? Creed Vs. Pearl Jam, Shakira's Machisma, Kid Rock's Curse". MTV.com. November 29, 2001.
- ^ Strauss, Neil. "Music Lovers Are Voting for Vinyl". The New York Times. December 8, 1994. Retrieved on March 9, 2008.
- ^ "Pearl Jam: Timeline". pearljam.com.
- ^ a b "38th Grammy Awards". Rockonthenet. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
- ^ "Gold and Platinum Database Search". Retrieved 2007-02-12.
- ^ "492) Vitalogy". Rolling Stone. November 2003. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
- ^ "Pearl Jam – Billboard Albums". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
- ^ "Pearl Jam - Vitalogy". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ "EveryHit.com". Retrieved 2007-02-16.
- ^ "Chartverfolgung / Pearl Jam / Longplay". musicline.de. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
- ^ "PEARL JAM - VITALOGY (ALBUM)". New Zealand-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ "Pearl Jam – Billboard Singles". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
- ^ "PEARL JAM - SPIN THE BLACK CIRCLE (SINGLE) (12661)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
- ^ "PEARL JAM - NOT FOR YOU (SINGLE) (74329)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
- ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
- ^ "Chartverfolgung / Pearl Jam / Single". musicline.de. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
- ^ "PEARL JAM - SPIN THE BLACK CIRCLE (SONG)". New Zealand-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
- ^ "PEARL JAM - NOT FOR YOU (SONG)". New Zealand-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
- ^ "PEARL JAM - IMMORTALITY (SONG)". New Zealand-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
- ^ "Vitalogy: Credits at All Music Guide". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
