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Pearl Jam is an American Rock band that formed in Seattle , Washington in 1990. The band's original line-up consisted of Eddie Vedder (lead vocals), Jeff Ament (bass), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Dave Krusen (drums). The band's current drummer is Matt Cameron , formerly of Soundgarden , who has been with the band since 1998. Formed after the demise of Ament and Gossard's previous band Mother Love Bone , Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream with its debut album '' Ten ''. One of the key bands of the Grunge movement in the early 1990s, Pearl Jam was nevertheless criticized early on as being a corporate cash-in on the Alternative Rock explosion. However, they became noted for their refusal to adhere to traditional music industry practices as their career progressed, including refusing to make Music Videos and engaging in a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster . '' Rolling Stone '' described the band as having "spent much of the past decade deliberately tearing apart their own fame." Pearl Jam was the most popular American rock band of the 1990s.1 Since their inception, the band has sold 30 million records in the U.S. alone,2 and an estimated 60 million albums worldwide.34 Pearl Jam has outlasted many of its contemporaries from the alternative rock breakthrough of the early 1990s, and is considered one of the most influential bands of the decade. Pearl Jam continues to generate hit albums, tour successfully, and garner critical acclaim into the 21st Century. HISTORY Formation: 1984–1990 Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament were members of pioneering grunge band Green River during the mid-1980s. Green River toured and recorded to moderate success but disbanded in 1987 due to a stylistic division between the pair and bandmates Mark Arm and Steve Turner .Azerrad, Michael. '' Our Band Could Be Your Life ''. Little Brown and Company, 2001. ISBN 0-316-78753-1, pg. 422 In late 1987, Gossard and Ament began playing with Malfunkshun vocalist Andrew Wood , eventually organizing the band Mother Love Bone . In 1988 and 1989, the band recorded and toured to increasing interest and found the support of the PolyGram record label, which signed the band in early 1989. Their debut album, '' Apple '' was released in July 1990, four months after Wood died of a Heroin Overdose . Ament and Gossard were devastated by the death of Wood and the accompanying disbanding of Mother Love Bone. Gossard spent his time afterwards writing material that was harder-edged than what he had been doing previously.5 After a few months, Gossard started practicing with fellow Seattle guitarist Mike McCready, whose band Shadow had just broken up; McCready in turn encouraged Gossard to reconnect with Ament. After practicing for a while, the trio sent out a five-song demo tape in order to find a singer and a drummer. They gave former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons the demo to see if he would be interested in joining the band and to distribute to anyone he felt might fit the singing bill. Irons passed on the invitation but gave the demo to his basketball buddy, San Diego singer Eddie Vedder .Wall, Mick. "Alive". ''Nirvana and the Story of Grunge''. ''Q'' p. 95 Vedder was the lead vocalist for a San Diego band, Bad Radio , and worked part time at a gas station. He listened to the tape shortly before going surfing, where lyrics came to him. There he recorded the vocals to three of the songs (" Alive ", " Once ", and " Footsteps ") in what Vedder would later describe as a "mini-opera".6 He sent the tape with his vocals back to the three Seattle musicians, who were so impressed that they had Vedder fly to Seattle. Within a week, Vedder had joined the band. With the addition of Dave Krusen on drums, the band took the name Mookie Blaylock , in reference to the then-active All-Star basketball player. The band played their first official show at the Off Ramp club in Seattle on October 22 , 1990 ,7 and soon signed to Epic Records . However, concerns about trademark issues necessitated a name change; the band's name became "Pearl Jam". In an early promotional interview Vedder claimed that the name "Pearl Jam" was a reference to his great-grandmother Pearl, who was married to a Native American and had a special recipe for peyote-laced jam.Neely, Kim. "Right Here, Right Now". ''Rolling Stone''. October 1991. Another theory put forward in Kim Neely's band history ''Five Against One'' holds that one of the band members really wanted "pearl" in the new name, and Jamming is a common activity done by musicians.Neely, Kim. ''Five Against One''. Diane Publishing Company, 1999. ISBN 0-7567-7409-8 In a 2006 '' Rolling Stone '' cover story Ament and McCready admitted that Ament came up with "Pearl", and that "Jam" was added after the band saw Neil Young live. ''Ten'' and the grunge explosion: 1991–1992 Pearl Jam entered Seattle's London Bridge Studios in March 1991 to record its debut album '' Ten ''.Pearlman, Nina. "Black Days". ''Guitar World''. December 2002. Krusen left the band in May 1991 after checking himself into rehabilitation;Greene, Jo-Ann. "Pearl Jam and the Secret History of Seattle Part 2." ''Goldmine''. ''August 1993'' he was replaced by Matt Chamberlain , who had previously played with Edie Brickell & New Bohemians . After playing only a handful of shows, one of which was filmed for the "Alive" video, Chamberlain left to join the '' Saturday Night Live '' band.8 Chamberlain suggested Dave Abbruzzese as his replacement. Abbruzzese joined the group and played the rest of Pearl Jam's live shows supporting the ''Ten'' album. Released on August 27 , 1991 , ''Ten'' (named after Mookie Blaylock's jersey number) contained eleven tracks dealing with dark subjects like depression, suicide, loneliness, and murder. ''Ten'' With the success of ''Ten'', Pearl Jam became a key member of the Seattle grunge explosion, along with angrily attacked Pearl Jam, claiming the band was commercial Sellouts ,Al & Cake. "An interview with...Kurt Cobain". '' Flipside ''. May/June 1992. and argued ''Ten'' was not a true alternative album because it had so many prominent guitar leads. Cobain later reconciled with Vedder, and they reportedly became friends before Cobain's death in 1994. Pearl Jam Toured relentlessly in support of ''Ten''. In 1992, Pearl Jam made television appearances on ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''" and " Breath ". Ament, Gossard and Vedder appeared in ''Singles'' under the name "Citizen Dick"; their parts were filmed when Pearl Jam was known as Mookie Blaylock. Dealing with success: 1993–1995 appeared on the cover of the October 25 , 1993 issue of '' Time '', as part of the feature article discussing the rising popularity of the Grunge movement. Vedder had declined to participate, and was upset with the magazine about the cover.Marks, Craig. "Let's Get Lost". '' Spin ''. December 1994.]] The band members grew uncomfortable with their success, with much of the burden of Pearl Jam's popularity falling on frontman Vedder. While Pearl Jam received four awards at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards for its video for "Jeremy", including Video Of The Year and Best Group Video , the band refused to make a video for "Black" in spite of pressure by the label. This action began a trend of the band refusing to make videos for its songs. "Ten years from now," Ament said, "I don't want people to remember our songs as videos." Released on , the band set a cap on ticket prices in an attempt to thwart scalpers.DeRogatis, pg. 59 By 1994, Pearl Jam was "fighting on all fronts", as its manager described the band at the time.DeRogatis, pg. 60 Pearl Jam was outraged when, after it played a pair of shows in Chicago , it discovered that ticket vendor Ticketmaster had added a service charge to the tickets. The United States Department Of Justice was investigating the company's practices at the time and asked the band to create a memorandum of its experiences with the company. Gossard and Ament soon testified at a subcommittee investigation in Washington, D.C. Wall, Mick. "Alive". ''Nirvana and the Story of Grunge''. ''Q'' p. 99 The band eventually canceled its 1994 summer tour in protest.12 After the Justice Department dropped the case, Pearl Jam continued to boycott Ticketmaster, refusing to play venues that had contracts with the company.DeRogatis, pg. 64–65 Music critic Jim DeRogatis noted that along with the Ticketmaster debacle, "the band has refused to release singles or make videos; it has demanded that its albums be released on vinyl; and it wants to be more like its '60s heroes, The Who , releasing two or three albums a year." He also stated that sources said that most of the band's third album '' Vitalogy '' 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.DeRogatis, pg. 60 After Pearl Jam finished the recording of ''Vitalogy'', drummer Dave Abbruzzese was fired. The band cited political differences between Abbruzzese and the other members; for example, Abbruzzese disagreed with the Ticketmaster boycott. He was finally replaced by Jack Irons, a close friend of Vedder and the former and original drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers . Irons made his debut with the band at Neil Young's 1994 Bridge School Benefit , but he was not officially announced as the band's new drummer until its 1995 ''Self-Pollution'' satellite radio broadcast. ''Vitalogy'' was released first on ''. December 15 , 1994 . p. 91–92. The song " Spin The Black Circle ", a homage to vinyl records, won a Grammy Award in 1996 for Best Hard Rock Performance . ''Vitalogy'' also included the songs " Not For You ", " Corduroy ", " Immortality ", and " Better Man ". "Better Man" (), a song originally penned and performed by Vedder while in Bad Radio, reached #1 on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock chart, spending a total of eight weeks there. 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.Weisbard, Eric, et al. "Ten Past Ten". ''Spin'' Online . August 2001. The band continued its boycott against Ticketmaster during its " and " Long Road ". These two tracks were released separately by Pearl Jam in the form of the EP '' Merkin Ball ''. ''No Code'' and ''Yield'': 1996–1999 Released on August 27 , 1996 , '' No Code '' was seen as a deliberate break from the band's sound since ''Ten'',13 favoring experimental ballads and noisy garage rockers. Although the album debuted at #1, it quickly fell down the charts. ''No Code'' included the singles " Hail, Hail ", " Who You Are " (), and " Off He Goes ". It stood out with its emphasis on subtle harmony ("Off He Goes"), Eastern influences ("Who You Are"), and spoken word ("I'm Open"). As with ''Vitalogy'', very little touring was done to promote ''No Code'' because of the band's refusal to play in Ticketmaster's venue areas. A European Tour followed in the fall of 1996. On February 3 , 1998 , Pearl Jam released its fifth album, '' Yield ''. The album was cited as a return to the band's early, straightforward rock sound,14 but it became the band's first album not to peak at #1 on the ''Billboard'' charts since ''Ten'' in 1991. ''Yield'' debuted at #2, but like ''No Code'' soon began dropping down the charts.15 It included the singles " Given To Fly " and " Wishlist ". The band hired comic book artist Todd McFarlane to create an animated video for the song " Do The Evolution " from the album, its first music video since 1992. A documentary detailing the making of ''Yield'', '' Single Video Theory '', was released on DVD later that year. In June 1998, Pearl Jam once again changed drummers. Jack Irons left the band due to dissatisfaction with touring and was replaced with former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron on an initially temporary basis,16 but he soon became a permanent replacement for Irons. Pearl Jam's 1998 Yield Tour of North America marked the band’s return to full-scale touring. The band's Anti-trust lawsuit against Ticketmaster had proven to be unsuccessful and hindered live tours. Many fans had complained about the difficulty in obtaining tickets and the use of non-Ticketmaster venues, which were judged to be out-of-the-way and impersonal. For this tour and future tours, Pearl Jam once again began using Ticketmaster in order to "better accommodate concertgoers."17 The 1998 summer tour was a tremendous success,Hinckley, David. "Vedder's Not Finished". '' New York Daily News ''. August 10 , 1999 . and after it was completed the band released '' Live On Two Legs '', a live album which featured select performances from the tour. In 1998, Pearl Jam recorded "''. "Last Kiss" peaked at #2 on the ''Billboard'' charts and became the band's most successful single to date. ''Binaural'' and the Roskilde tragedy: 2000–2001 On May 16 , 2000 Pearl Jam released its sixth studio album, '' Binaural ''. It was drummer Matt Cameron's recording debut with the band. The title is a reference to the Binaural Recording techniques that were utilized on several tracks by producer Tchad Blake , known for his use of the technique.18 ''Binaural'' was the first album since the band's debut not produced by Brendan O'Brien , although O'Brien was called in later to remix several tracks. ''Binaural'' included the singles " Nothing As It Seems " (), one of the songs featuring binaural recording, and " Light Years ". The album sold just over 700,000 copies and became the first Pearl Jam studio album to fail to reach platinum status. Pearl Jam decided to record every show on its 2000 Binaural Tour professionally, after noting the desire of fans to own a copy of the shows they attended and the popularity of illegal Bootleg Recording s. The band had been open in the past about allowing fans to make amateur recordings,19 and these "official Bootlegs" were an attempt to provide a more affordable and better quality product for fans.20 The band originally intended to release them to only fan club members, but their record contract prevented them from doing so. Pearl Jam released all of the albums in record stores as well as through its fan club. It released 72 live albums in 2000 and 2001, and set a record for most albums to debut in the ''Billboard'' Top 200 at the same time.21 Pearl Jam's 2000 European tour ended in tragedy on June 30 , with an accident at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark . Nine fans were crushed underfoot and suffocated to death as the crowd rushed to the front. The band stopped playing and tried to calm the crowd when the musicians realized what was happening, but it was already too late. The two remaining dates of the tour were cancelled, and the band seriously considered retiring after this event.22 Pearl Jam was initially blamed for the accident, but the band was later cleared of responsibility.23 A few months after the European tour, the band embarked on its two-leg 2000 North American tour. On October 22 , the band played the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, celebrating the tenth anniversary of its first live performance as a band. Eddie Vedder took the opportunity to thank the many people who had helped the band come together and make it to ten years. He noted that "I would never do this accepting a Grammy or something."24 The song "Alive" was purposely omitted from all shows on this tour until the Final Night in Seattle. The band performed that night for over three hours, playing most of its hits along with covers such as " The Kids Are Alright " and " Baba O'Riley " by The Who . After concluding the Binaural Tour, the band released '' Touring Band 2000 '' the following year. The DVD featured select performances from the North American legs of the tour. Following the '' benefit concert. The concert, which aired on September 21 , 2001 , raised money for the victims and their families. ''Riot Act'': 2002–2005 Pearl Jam released its seventh album, '' Riot Act '' on November 12 , 2002 , and included the singles " I Am Mine " and " Save You ". The album only sold 500,000 copies in total, fewer than ''Vitalogy'' and ''Vs.'' sold in their first weeks. The album featured a much more Folk -based and experimental sound, evident in the presence of B3 organist Boom Gaspar on songs such as " Love Boat Captain ". The track entitled " Arc " was recorded as a vocal tribute to the nine people who died at the Roskilde Festival in June 2000. Vedder only performed this song nine times on the 2003 tour, and the band left the track off all released bootlegs.25 In 2003, the band embarked on its , Tokyo , State College , two shows from Madison Square Garden , and Mansfield , Massachusetts . At many shows during the 2003 North American tour, Vedder performed ''Riot Act'''s " Bu ", a commentary on President George W. Bush , with a rubber mask of Bush, wearing it at the beginning of the song and then typically hanging it on a mike stand to allow him to sing. The band made news when it was reported that several fans left after Vedder had "impaled" the Bush mask on his mike stand at the band's Denver show.26 In June 2003, Pearl Jam announced it was officially leaving Epic Records following the end of its contract with the label. The band stated it had "no interest" in signing with another label.27 The band's first release without a label was the single for " Man Of The Hour ", in partnership with Amazon.com .28 Director Tim Burton approached Pearl Jam to request an original song for the soundtrack of his new film, '' Big Fish ''. After screening an early print of the film, Pearl Jam recorded the song " Man Of The Hour " for Burton. "Man of the Hour", which was later nominated for a Golden Globe award, can be heard in the closing credits of ''Big Fish''. The band released '''', a Pearl Jam greatest hits collection spanning 1991 to 2003. This release marked the end of Pearl Jam's contractual agreement with Epic Records. Pearl Jam played a show at Easy Street Records in Seattle in April 2005; recordings from the show were compiled for the '' Live At Easy Street '' album and released exclusively to independent record stores in June 2006. The band embarked on a Canadian Cross-country Tour in September 2005, kicking off the tour with a fundraising concert in Missoula, Montana for Democratic politician Jon Tester , then playing the Gorge Amphitheater before crossing into Canada. After touring Canada, Pearl Jam proceeded to open a Rolling Stones concert in Pittsburgh, then played two shows at the Borgata casino in Atlantic City , New Jersey , before closing the tour with a concert in Philadelphia . The official bootlegs for the band's 2005 shows were distributed via Pearl Jam's website in MP3 form. Pearl Jam also played a Benefit Concert to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief on October 5 , 2005 , at the House Of Blues in Chicago , Illinois . On November 22 2005 Pearl Jam began its first Latin American tour.31 Move to J Records: 2006–present in Pistoia , Italy on September 20 2006 .]] Clive Davis announced in February 2006 that Pearl Jam had signed with his label, J Records , which like Epic, is part of the Sony BMG group.32 The band's eighth studio album, '' Pearl Jam '', was released on May 2 , 2006 . A number of critics cited ''Pearl Jam'' as a return to the band's early sound,3334 with Mike McCready having compared the new material to '' Vs. '' in a 2005 interview.35 " World Wide Suicide ", a song criticizing the Iraq War and U.S. foreign policy, was released as a single and topped the ''Billboard'' Modern Rock chart; it was Pearl Jam's first #1 on that chart since " Who You Are " in 1996. To support ''Pearl Jam,'' the band embarked on its 2006 World Tour . It toured North America, Australia and notably Europe; Pearl Jam had not toured the continent for six years. The band served as the headliners for the Leeds and Reading festivals, despite having vowed to never play at a festival again after Roskilde . Vedder started both concerts with an emotional plea to the crowd to look after each other. He commented during the Leeds set that the band's decision to play a festival for the first time after Roskilde had nothing to do with "guts" but with trust in the audience.36 In 2007, Pearl Jam recorded a cover of The Who 's " Love, Reign O'er Me " for the Mike Binder film, '' Reign Over Me ''; it was later made available as a Music Download on the ITunes Music Store .37 The band embarked on a 13-date European Tour , and headlined Lollapalooza in Grant Park , on August 5 2007 .38 The band released a CD box set in June 2007, entitled '' Live At The Gorge 05/06 '', that documents its shows at The Gorge Amphitheatre ,39 and in September 2007 a concert DVD, entitled '' Immagine In Cornice '', which documents the band's Italian shows from their 2006 tour will be released.40 Pearl Jam has "no set date" for returning to the studio. Since December 2006, band members have been demoing material on their own while remaining in contact via email. In an interview with ''Billboard.com'' in April 2007, McCready stated he had presented some ideas to Stone Gossard and Matt Cameron in separate sessions; he said "When we get it all together, we'll decide to do a record," adding, "That may be a year from now or half-a-year from now."41 MUSICAL STYLE
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