It is the autumn of reissues and documentaries. As the grunge alumni hit middle-age, Nevermind has been reissued in a deluxe format, and Cameron Crowe has assembled a documentary about Pearl Jam’s long and eventful career, entitled Pearl Jam Twenty. Though I’ve never been a huge Pearl Jam fan, they have undoubtedly had a fascinating innings, and as someone who will happily watch a music documentary on just about any artist, I look forward to checking out the film.
The movie’s accompanying album is a two-disc affair, the first featuring live tracks culled from various PJ performances over the past 20 years, the second a compilation of demos and rarities. Oddly, considering that Nirvana are one of my favourite bands, I never had much time for grunge in general. The scene’s dourness and stodgy music stood in stark contrast to Kurt Cobain’s mordant wit and inspired subversion of pop conventions, and though the Nirvana frontman is filmed slow-dancing with Eddie Vedder in a memorable scene in Pearl Jam Twenty, he clearly always had a sceptical view of PJ’s trad-rock leanings.
Having said all that, there is no denying that Pearl Jam have made music that has enthralled and inspired millions, and Pearl Jam Twenty does go some way to explaining their enormous success. The live versions of ‘Alive’, ‘Why Go’ and ‘Not For You’ contained here are thrillingly dynamic, all ferocious guitars, throbbing rhythm section and howled vocals. Best of all is the scorching ‘Do The Evolution’, which remains their finest moment, boasting a ferocious riff, noise-rock distortion and Vedder’s caustic lyric, a dystopian vision of society crumbling under the weight of corruption, warmongering and greed (the line “Buying stocks on the day of the crash” was remarkably prescient). Sadly, we don’t get the brilliant anime video, but I suppose you can’t have everything.
After such a tremendous high, it’s disappointing to be reminded of the various aspects of PJ that continue to bug me. To these ears, the likes of ‘Garden’ and ‘Black’ are tedious ballads devoid of melodic zip and lyrical flair, though I acknowledge that there are legions of Pearl Jam fans who beg to disagree. Elsewhere, there is little to excite the casual punter on the second disc of rarities, but again, Pearl Jam fans should enjoy the glimpse into the band’s archive.
So, something of a mixed bag from Eddie and the boys: I’m still looking forward to the movie.