Vitalogy
| Vitalogy | ||||
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| Studio album by Pearl Jam | ||||
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Publication |
November 22nd, 1994 (vinyl) |
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| Label (s) | Epic | |||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
14th |
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running time |
55 min 30 s |
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| occupation |
Furthermore:
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Brendan O'Brien , Pearl Jam |
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Vitalogy is the third studio album by the American rock and grunge band Pearl Jam . The album, which was released in the late autumn of 1994, was not intended as a concept album , but can be considered as such due to the peculiar, free-running sound due to the restrained, lean production. Eddie Vedder's often bizarre texts in particular make the work difficult to access and require repeated listening.
publication
Although the record production was largely stopped in the early 1990s and the records of many musicians were only released on compact discs , the band decided to release the album on record because they were enthusiastic about the imperfect sound of records and many fans still had record players.
The vinyl version was released on November 22nd, 1994 and immediately made it to number 55 on the US Billboard's 200 album charts. This made Vitalogy the first vinyl album to make it into the Top 100 since the CD was introduced. The CD hit stores two weeks later. Vitalogy then went over the counter over 850,000 times within the first week and consequently stormed number 1 in the charts. There are now more than 5 million albums sold.
album
Presentation
The album is modeled on a medical book that Vedder found and bought at a flea market . This book, which also lends its title “Vitalogy” to the album, dates from the early 20th century and discussed, based on the state of the art at the time and often shaped by religious views, health and well-being. Between the sometimes extremely hair-raising views, the lyrics are scribbled in Vedder's handwriting. The CD itself is in a glued-on paper bag. Barry Ament was responsible for the artwork .
Track list
- Last Exit (Pearl Jam) - 2:54
- Spin the Black Circle (Pearl Jam) - 2:48
- Not for You (Pearl Jam) - 5:52
- Tremor Christ (Pearl Jam) - 4:12
- Nothingman (Vedder, Ament) - 4:35
- Whipping (Pearl Jam) - 2:35
- Pry, To (Pearl Jam) - 1:03
- Corduroy (Pearl Jam) - 4:37
- Bugs (Pearl Jam) - 2:45
- Satan's Bed (Vedder, Gossard) - 3:31
- Better Man (Vedder) - 4:28
- Aye Davanita (Pearl Jam) - 2:58
- Immortality (Pearl Jam) - 5:28
- Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me (Pearl Jam) - 7:44
Songs
Many of the songs on the album are about the pressure to succeed, fame and the intrusion of the public into private life. These things came to the fore after the great commercial success of the first two albums and the associated loss of privacy. Vedder in particular struggled with it and tried to withdraw from the limelight. Therefore - as with the previous album Vs. - on the publication of music videos for the singles.
Spin the Black Circle
Spin the Black Circle was the first single from the album and was released with the B-side Tremor Christ . According to Eddie Vedder, it is about the love of records, but many see signs in the text that it is more about substance abuse or addiction.
With Spin the Black Circle, Pearl Jam won the 1996 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance , the only Grammy the group has won to date. He can also be found on Pearl Jam's best-of album, Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 .
Not for you
Not for You was released on March 21, 1995 with Out of My Mind as the B-side and reached number 38 on the US Modern Rock Tracks and number 34 on the UK Singles Charts. The title had already been interpreted on Saturday Night Live in April 1994, eight months before the album was released . The track can also be found on Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 , the best of the band.
Whipping
Whipping's text was used in a petition addressed to then-US President Bill Clinton to protest the murder of gynecologists who performed abortions by pro-life activists .
Pry, To
Pry, To allegedly contains a hidden message when played backwards. With "Oh, Pete Townshend, how you saved my life!" is alluded to the influence of The Who on the band. When played forwards, it contains only two repetitive lines: "Privacy is priceless to me" and "Privacy!" Contrary to the rumors about the song, it seems to be about the burgeoning fame of Pearl Jam / Eddie Vedder. In the final analysis, this is also linked to the non-existent private sphere of celebrities in public. Pry, To is comparable to Blood in terms of lyrics and content .
Corduroy
Corduroy , the eighth song on the album, is one of the most performed songs at concerts. That's why it appeared on Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 , the band's best-of album.
Bugs
Bugs is an experimental song. Above all, the use of the accordion, which reminds some of Tom Waits , puts its stamp on the song. Because of this peculiar sound, it is also controversial among many fans.
Satan's Bed
At Satan's Bed , it's not Abbruzesse on the drums, but his technical assistant Jimmy Shoaf. Abbruzesse had the tonsils removed and was hospitalized for a short time while the song was being recorded. However, it was long unknown who Jimmy Shoaf listed in the credits actually was and it took over ten years before his identity was clarified in early 2005.
Better man
Better Man is a song that Vedder played with his former band Bad Radio before joining Pearl Jam , but was never released. The perspective from which the song is reported has led to different interpretations. The theory that Vedder is dealing with his relationship with his mother and especially his stepfather is widespread. At various concerts he announced the song as “It's dedicated to the bastard who married my mom”.
Although never released as a single, the song became one of the band's most played radio tracks. Accordingly, it was listed at the front in various editions of the Billboard charts, at number 2 in the Modern Rock Tracks and even at number 1 in the Mainstream Rock Charts .
With the two Pearl Jam songs Nothingman and Leatherman , Better Man forms the " Man trio", which is often played one after the other at concerts.
Immortality
The song Immortality is often related to the fate of Kurt Cobain , which Vedder regularly denies. In fact, the song was played in live performances by the band before Cobain's death, but the lyrics were partially changed after Cobain's suicide.
Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me
Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me , also often referred to as Stupid Mop , is probably the song with the strangest name of all Pearl Jam songs. The song also creates a peculiar atmosphere with its loops, feedback and mishmash and puts the album at an eerie end. Especially the end is gruesome when a person is asked "Do you ever think that you would actually kill yourself?" And replied with "Well, if I thought about it, uhh, real deep, yes, I believe I would." becomes.
On this piece Jack Irons made his debut as the successor to Abbruzesse on drums.
Awards
On February 2, 1995, Pearl Jam was awarded four times platinum by the RIAA for Vitalogy. On October 13, 1995, the band received the five-fold platinum award. The album has now sold more than 5 million times.
| Country / Region | Award | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales) |
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 Australia (ARIA)
|
 3 × platinum
|
210,000 |
 Canada (MC)
|
5 × platinum
|
500,000 |
 New Zealand (RMNZ)
|
platinum
|
15,000 |
 Netherlands (NVPI)
|
 gold
|
50,000 |
 Poland (ZPAV)
|
gold
|
50,000 |
 Portugal (AFP)
|
platinum
|
20,000 |
 Spain (Promusicae)
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gold
|
50,000 |
 United States (RIAA)
|
5 × platinum
|
5,000,000 |
 United Kingdom (BPI)
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gold
|
100,000 |
| All in all |
4 × gold 15 × platinum |
5,995,000 |
Main article: Pearl Jam / Music Sales Awards
Vitalogy received 1996 Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rock Album , and the single Spin the Black Circle received a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance .
occupation
Staff:
- Recorded: Brendan O'Brien
- Sound engineering : Nick DiDia, Brett Eliason, Brendan O'Brien
- Assisted by Caram Costanzo, Adam Kasper , Trina Shoemaker , John Burton, Kevin Scott
- Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me recorded / mixed by Brett Eliason
- Artwork , layout by Barry Ament
- Photography by Jeff Ament , Lance Mercer