Milo here.
Sure, Reuben would’ve loved to do this one, as he would every PJ track — but the bastard nicked State Of Love And Trust so screw ‘im ayooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Today, we’re looking at the 90s alt rock ANTHEM that is Pearl Jam’s Alive, from their 1991 debut explosion Ten. Check the video below:
The first song with vocals recorded by Eddie Vedder, it was kinda unfair that Alive had to go and set one of the highest peaks for Pearl Jam to try and top — though they managed it a couple of times.
Though this is the debut of the singer, this is easily one of Vedder’s finest moments, with his knack for deeply personal storytelling and soulful growls being very apparent. His impassioned half-autobiographical (minus the incest of course) lyrics are matched with a performance fitting of the instrumental catharsis that surrounds it.
In particular, the drumming, where every beat sounds like his last, and the wig-out-to-end-all-wig-outs solo, where chaboi Stone is a millimeter away from snapping his upper string. In contrast to this, however, the rhythm guitar and bass give the entire thing an undeniable groove that permeates through the track and evens out the virtuoso desperation on the other end of the track — resulting in something pretty damn perfect.
“While you were sitting, home alone at age thirteen, your real daddy was dying… Sorry you didn’t see him.”
PEARL JAM? MATE, WE GOT A BIT:
RRR: Even Flow & Jeremy
RRR: State Of Love And Trust
Lots of hugs, kisses and lacerations
Milo.
Stuff and That. 
What an Anthem. I saw them play a pub in Southend when this was the only record they had out in the U.K. at the time. We were all looking forward to the album coming and all had this on a strangely packaged cassingle (that’s a cassette single) that came in an odd type of cigarette box. One of the absolute greats
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What a story! To think that now they’re playing the O2 twice this year!
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Aw man. Less than a year later they put on their own festival in Finsbury Park with a bunch of the Lollapalooza bands. It was like they were automatically huge the minute Ten dropped.
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I love that song. Is there anyone who does not?
It’s quite a coincidence it came up this week, because on Wednesday I am going to a Pearl Jam concert! They are dropping by the city and I would not miss it for the world.
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Awesome! That’ll be an excellent gig. Don’t tell Reuben though!
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Boss Song!
Btw I just did an interview if you’d be interested
https://theindianindiehead.wordpress.com/2018/03/23/nilein/
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I remember when this hit. And it’s still one of their biggest song today. MASSIVE.
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It’s both huge and sounds huge too — what an anthem!
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And with just the right amount of reverb on my guitar amp, I can make it sound huge here in my house too! The cat always leaves the room when I Jam this one.
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