Number 43

Doesn't this CD cover look like those tv's that Caretaker guy was watching on the second Matrix movie?

A quick post to add to the 100 favorite CD countdown, number 43...

Number 43 - Pearl Jam No Code (1996)

No Code came at an odd point in Pearl Jam's career, after a few years of being one of the most popular bands in the country their fan base suddenly dissipated. Not gone away altogether, but definitely weakened. Part of it may have been due to the band's stances on certain issues-namely forgoing music videos and limiting their live performances out of ticketmaster's reach. These noble efforts were commendable but dropped their musical presence considerably, fans knew more about their political causes than any new songs they might have. No Code marks the demarcation point where Pearl Jam stopped being the most popular band in the world and started becoming the grunge equivalent of the Grateful Dead-touring and playing to a smaller but fiercely loyal core audience.

Also in the "not helping" department was the band itself, frayed by internal disputes No Code is the least cohesive Pearl Jam album there is. The band's performance is loose and at times demoish, fueled by the fluid rhythms of new drummer Jack Irons. The shift in the rhythm section changed the band's tone from Alternative Arena Rockers to a Garage Band. It sounds like a recipe for a horrible album, but No Code is actually one of my favorite Pearl Jam discs.

No Code is where Pearl Jam breaks free of their multiplatinum prison by inviting a range of ideas in. Sure, there's some classic Pearl Jam rawk on the rampaging "Hail Hail" which stands as one of my favorite Pearl Jam tunes. But beyond that are a series of experiments. A major Neil Young influence comes through (the prior year Pearl Jam recorded with Young) on the chunky guitar of "Smile" and the wistful acoustic beauty of "Off He Goes". Spoken word lyrics take center stage on the slow building "Present Tense". Polyrhythmic percussion and a sea shanty melody is featured on the hit "Who You Are". A brief flash of punky attitude shows up on "Lukin" and even guitarist Stone Gossard gets a lead singing assignment on the second arena rock song "Mankind". No Code closes with "Around The Bend", a patient look ahead at future possibilities.

And that's the beauty of No Code, it is an album without rules where Pearl Jam felt the need to push themselves in new directions. It is at once messy and disjointed yet holds together as a unified whole. Through it all, a piercing humanism comes through making it Pearl Jam's most emotional effort. As the album cover suggests, this is their stab at an Exile on Main Street gestalt. It's not quite that good, but No Code is one of Pearl Jam's most memorable albums.