Pearl Jam (album)
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| Pearl Jam | ||
 |
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| Studio album by Pearl Jam | ||
| Released | May 2, 2006 | |
| Recorded | October 2005 - February 2006 at Studio X, Seattle, Washington | |
| Genre | Alternative rock | |
| Length | 49:42 | |
| Label | J Records | |
| Producer(s) | Adam Kasper, Pearl Jam | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pearl Jam chronology | ||
| Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 (2004) |
Pearl Jam (2006) |
Live at Easy Street (2006) |
Pearl Jam is the self-titled eighth studio album by Pearl Jam and their debut release for J Records. Released on May 2, 2006, it is the band's first full-length studio release in almost four years, the longest gap for any Pearl Jam album. Because the album is self-titled, many fans refer to it as "Avocado" or "The Avocado Album".[1] The album was called the "Best Pearl Jam album in 10 years" by Rolling Stone and was named in Rolling Stone's top 50 albums of the year at number 13.[2] Billboard declared it the 90th best selling album of 2006.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Many claim the new album is a return to the band's roots, with even Mike McCready having compared the new material to Vs. in a 2005 interview.[4] The album was produced and mixed by Adam Kasper and Pearl Jam at Studio X in Seattle. This is the second studio album by the band that does not contain any swear words in the lyrics, the first being Binaural despite the themes addressed in the lyrics such as poverty, current-life-situation in the United States, loneliness, substance abuse, leaving everything behind to start again, etc. For the first time guitarist Mike McCready has contributed lyrics (to the closing track "Inside Job"). This album also marks the first time in Pearl Jam history that one of their drummers (Matt Cameron) has stayed with them for at least three albums.
Pearl Jam entered the UK charts at #5, their highest position there since 1998's Yield, while it reached #2 in the U.S., selling 279,564 copies in its first week. To date, the album has sold 1,610,350 units worldwide.[5] The album included the singles "World Wide Suicide" and "Life Wasted". "Gone" was released as a radio single, however a commercial single was never released. The album's first single, "World Wide Suicide", and the companion B-side, "Unemployable", were made available on online music stores on March 14, 2006. Both songs are included on the released album. "World Wide Suicide" reached #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
On September 19, 2006 at the Torino, Italy show, Pearl Jam played the entire album in order mid-way through their set.[6] This mirrors the feat of the show from Munich, Germany on June 13, 1992 when Ten was played in its entirety.[7]
[edit] Album design
The album cover art depicts an avocado cut in half with the seed still in place, which is perhaps a reference to the Green Party's Avocado Declaration. The inside cover depicts this same seed by itself. The back cover features the same avocado, without the seed. The cover was named in Pitchfork's top 25 worst album covers of 2006.[8] Fernando Apodaca handled the liner notes art as well as the music video for "Life Wasted".
[edit] Alternate versions
Those who pre-ordered the album on Pearl Jam's official website received a version of the album with different CD art and packaging than the retail version. Instead of the retail digipack packaging, this fan club pre-order version resembles a book and has the liner notes bound inside it. In addition, a live CD of the band's show on December 31, 1992 at The Academy in New York City was also included with the pre-order.
[edit] Track listing
- "Life Wasted" (Gossard, Vedder) – 3:54
- "World Wide Suicide" (Vedder) – 3:29
- "Comatose" (McCready, Gossard, Vedder) – 2:19
- "Severed Hand" (Vedder) – 4:30
- "Marker in the Sand" (McCready, Vedder) – 4:23
- "Parachutes" (Gossard, Vedder) – 3:36
- "Unemployable" (Cameron, McCready, Vedder) – 3:04
- "Big Wave" (Ament, Vedder) – 2:58
- "Gone" (Vedder) – 4:09
- "Wasted Reprise" (Gossard, Vedder) – 0:53
- "Army Reserve" (Ament, Vedder, Echols) – 3:45
- "Come Back" (McCready, Vedder) – 5:29
- "Inside Job" (McCready, Vedder) – 7:08
- Contains a brief hidden track at 6:35
[edit] Sample clip
- "World Wide Suicide" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- "World Wide Suicide" from Pearl Jam
- Problems playing the files? See media help.
[edit] Singles
- "World Wide Suicide" / "Unemployable" (2006)
- "Life Wasted" / "Come Back" (Live) (2006)
[edit] Album charts
| Album | Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
2006 | Australian Albums Chart | No. 2 |
| 2006 | The Billboard 200 | No. 2 | |
| 2006 | Top Canadian Albums | No. 2 | |
| 2006 | Top Internet Albums | No. 2 | |
| 2006 | United World Chart | No. 2 | |
| 2006 | German Albums Chart | No. 4 | |
| 2006 | Irish Albums Chart | No. 4 | |
| 2006 | UK Albums Chart | No. 5 |
[edit] Singles charts
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "World Wide Suicide" | US The Billboard Hot 100 | No. 41 |
| 2006 | "World Wide Suicide" | US Modern Rock Tracks | No. 1 |
| 2006 | "World Wide Suicide" | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | No. 2 |
| 2006 | "World Wide Suicide" | US Hot Digital Songs | No. 29 |
| 2006 | "World Wide Suicide" | US Pop 100 | No. 47 |
| 2006 | "Life Wasted" | US Modern Rock Tracks | No. 10 |
| 2006 | "Life Wasted" | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | No. 13 |
| 2006 | "Life Wasted" | UK Singles Chart | No. 110 |
| 2006 | "Gone" | US Modern Rock Tracks | No. 40 |
[edit] Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA | Gold | August 2, 2006 |
[edit] Credits
Pearl Jam:
- Jeff Ament - Bass
- Stone Gossard - Guitar
- Mike McCready - Guitar
- Eddie Vedder - Guitar, Vocals
- Matt Cameron - Drums, Percussion
Additional Musicians:
- Boom Gaspar - Hammond B3, Piano, Pump Organ
- Gary Westlake - Optigan
In Studio Crew:
Additional Personnel:
- Produced by Adam Kasper and Pearl Jam
- Recorded and mixed by Adam Kasper
- Engineered by Sam Hofstedt and John Burton
- Album Concept - Jerome Turner
- Art and Sculpture - Fernando Apodaca
- Artistic Facilitater - Jason Mueller
- Cover Photographs - Brad Klausen
- Disc Design - Fernando A., Jason M.
- Layout & Design - Brad Klausen, Eddie Vedder
[edit] References
- ^ Presswire.com. "Pearl Jam Show Wows London Crowd". greatreporter.com. April 21, 2006.
- ^ "The Top 50 Albums of the Year". Rolling Stone. December 11, 2006.
- ^ "Billboard 2006 Year In Music: The Billboard 200". Billboard.com.
- ^ Mike McCready on Andy Savage in the Morning on 96.5 K-ROCK. April 6, 2005.
- ^ http://www.worldwidealbums.tk/
- ^ "Pearl Jam Shows: 2006 September 19, Palaisozaki Torino, Italy – Set List". pearljam.com.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Shows: 1992 March 13, Nachtwerk Munich, Germany – Set List". pearljam.com.
- ^ Schreiber, Ryan. "Top 25 Worst Album Covers of 2006". PitchforkMedia.com. December 14, 2006.
