One of the pioneering bands of grunge music, Pearl Jam, just reissued their debut album Ten, which was a surprise sales success that accompanied the heyday of the Seattle music scene.
Journalist Tom Rothrock spoke with the members of the band who told how were the first steps of Pearl Jam and the recording of the album that enshrined them.
Vocalist Eddie Vedder, guitarist Stone Gossard, bassist Jeff Ament and Mike McCready rThey remember the time, they talk about the break that Andrew Wood's death meant (and how they recovered from the blow), the grunge scene, their favorite songs, the work that demands to compose and the vision they have today of the album that marked a before and after in their lives.
I leave you with the eFull interview:
How was Pearl Jam formed?
stone: -We were looking for a singer and a drummer and we expected to find someone in Seattle, logically. But no. We were very fond of the drums on the album Uplift Mofo Party Plan (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and we decided to call its manager, Jack Irons. We asked him if he also knew a good singer and he said: “Of course. Crazy Eddie.
Eddie Vedder: -I was familiar with Soundgarden and Mudhoney, but not with Mother Love Bone. I guess that was good, because that way I didn't feel the pressure. I listened to the album they sent me and the next day, when I went surfing, it was still in my head. I was in the middle of the waves and I thought of a series of songs, a suite in the spirit of The Who or Pink Floyd. I recorded them in a while and sent that demo they had asked me to on the way to work.
Stone: -Jeff loved it right away, but for me it was a process of assimilation. He was clearly a good singer.
-Legend has it that Eddie insisted on going straight from the airport to the rehearsal room. How did you guys take it?
Jeff: -The first time he came he had a Butthole Surfers T-shirt and long hair, but shaved on one side. He looked like a dwarf, but when he opened his voice, everything sounded great.
Eddie: - At first, I was looking for approval in the lyrics and in my voice. Jeremy had written and he wanted to know if they could tell the story of this boy who committed suicide. But they were very concerned about the drummer's tempo.
-The band was originally called Mookie Blaylock, after a basketball player. How did they turn out to be Pearl Jam?
Mike: -Jeff, Eddie and Stone were fans of Neil Young and the idea of "jam" (zapada) was around a while ago. There was a list of names, and the word Pearl was on one. Jeff put them together and here we are.
-How did the recording sessions for "Ten" work?
Mike: -We first did some demos in our studio, Galleria Potato Head. Then we had Eddie singing for a week and we took everything to London Bridge Studio in Seattle. I remember Even Flow we did it 50 or 70 times. It was a nightmare! I still think that Stone was not entirely satisfied ...
-What are your favorite songs on the album?
Eddie: -Probably Why Go ?. Also Master Slave, which is like an arty song that we work on with Jeff at night.
Stone: -Amo Oceans. It is a very simple, but triggering arrangement, in three movements.
Mike: -I really like Alive, a song that emotionally always had a lot of response from the audiences. I even do a fun solo in the middle!
Jeff: -At that time it was Oceans. When we recorded it, it seemed to me that it was a succession of good musical moments.
-In the first months, the album moved slowly and you started touring. At first Eddie was a rather shy boy and then he ended up becoming a great performer. How did this change come about?
MikeWhat I think made him change was when Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) took him out for a drink and inspired him to let go. I don't know what else they have done, but from then on it started to open up (laughs). At the touch we started to go to Europe and he was already the type that hung from any part of the stage.
Eddie: -When you face the public it is difficult not to want to make sure that those people in front of you do not take something unforgettable. Of course, first you have to make sure you are doing the chord changes well and interpreting the song well. But suddenly, a fearless and hidden part of my personality took me by surprise and pushed me to the limit to get the attention of the audience.
Stone: -Eddie wasn't the one everyone knew until after 40 or 50 shows. It was the time it took him to inhabit the songs and transform himself into the great performer that he is.
-The album sold 12 million copies and became a classic. How do you see it today?
Stone: - It seems to me that it continues to hold, although I no longer hear it (laughs).
Jeff: -Since we recorded our second album, Vs, I've been asking Brendan O'Brien (producer) to do a remix of Ten. The original version has a very '80s production.
Eddy: -It was our first album as a band, we hardly had any live filming. In fact, I hadn't done any recording before. I've been listening to those songs in weekly doses in my own live versions, for 17 years. So my memory of the songs is always more raw than the original.
Source: Yes