A lazy Sunday afternoon yesterday led to the rediscovery of this little gem - Eddie Vedder singing quite possibly the greatest Split Enz song of all time. One thing led to another and before you know it, my Vedder curiosity piqued, I found myself listening to Pearl Jam this morning.
There are two things I particularly like about this album. Firstly, it's an album that gets better as it goes on. There's no track 9 or 13 graveyard here (be honest, it's rare you find an album that really holds your attention with quality songs the whole way through....) the conclusion to the album is superb, feat. 'Nothingman', 'Even Flow', 'Off He Goes', and 'Black' among others. I spose you'd expect this characteristic of most live albums, and not something unique to this one - but this album isn't just a recording of one live show, it's a collection from across a tour (which I spose is reflected in the title, when you think about it), so the tracks have been arranged into some kind of mega set-list. And I like it.
Disclaimer: I'm not a big Pearl Jam fan, so I'm not particularly interested in hearing obscure tracks or weird demos. If I listen to Pearl Jam, it's because I want to hear the classic, anthemic songs of my youth. I only own two Pearl Jam albums (the other being a greatest hits) so I don't know all their material well. When it comes to Pearl Jam, I'm that kid in the crowd that the real fans hate because I only know the singles. So I like it that the album is made up of big singles, but obviously I appreciate others would find that a little boring and cliche. And I readily admit it's totally hypocritical given my previously documented position on live sets particularly of bands whose entire back catalogue I am familiar with.
The second thing that I love about this album is the prominence it gives to guitarist Mike McCready. It wasn't until I saw Pearl Jam live in London in August 2009 that I realised just how much of a genius this guy really is. In my (admittedly limited) experience, the recorded works tend to focus on that big ticket voice of Vedder's. Without taking away from that (I do think he has a lovely voice), McCready really gets a chance to shine in the live stuff. He is a total star, was amazing to watch and is a joy to listen to.
(Incidentally if anyone can recommend some Pearl Jam for me, and preferably stuff that makes the most of Mike McCready, let me know.)
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