Haahnster Loves Pearl Jam

I was recently spending a little time with some old favorite Pearl Jam CDs of mine, and I came across a 2-CD set I'd compiled to try to convert a couple non-PJ believers. In retrospect, if I hadn't been so out of it, I might've just ordered a couple copies of Rearvewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 from Amazon and had them delivered to them. But, at the time I compiled these, I wasn't even aware of that release. Plus I like my song selection and running order a little better. Anyway, here's the liner notes I included:

Pearl Jam (formed in 1990 in Seattle, Washington) is a rock band considered one of the most popular and influential artists of the decade of the 1990s. Their name is intimately tied to the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Soundgarden, with these names being usually considered the big four of the grunge music scene. Moreover, they are also one of the few mainstream grunge bands that has remained active since the atrophy of their contemporaries. Currently, the group boasts a large fan base that contributes to making the band one of the most popular live acts in the world.

They have been named #21 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.

Members: Eddie Vedder – Vocals, Guitar; Stone Gossard – Guitar; Jeff Ament – Bass; Mike McCready – Guitar; Matt Cameron – Drums [Former drummers: Jack Irons, who replaced Dave Abbruzzese, who replaced Matt Chamberlain, who replaced Dave Krusen]

This disc is absolutely NOT for sale.

Disc 1:
“Alive” (5:40) – Words: Vedder, Music: Gossard – The song that got me into PJ in the 1st place. Mike McCready as guitar god!
“Breath” (5:25) – Words: Vedder, Music: Gossard – This song is the “ahh yeah”capital of the universe. Mike McCready as guitar god again!
“Dissident” (3:35) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – This song has a great guitar hook. And, remember: “escape is never the safest place”.
“Corduroy” (4:37) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – “Can’t buy what I want/Because it’s free”
“I Got Id” (4:53) – Words: Vedder, Music: Vedder – Neil Young – Guitar, Pump Organ; Jack Irons – Drums; Brendan O’Brien – Bass; Vedder – Vocals, Guitar
“Immortality” (5:18) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – I love the guitar pickin’ on this one. “As privileged as a whore/Victims in demand for public show”.
“Red Mosquito” (4:03) – Credits: ??? Buzzing/stinging guitar line fits perfectly. I think this begins to redeem the maligned No Code.
“Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town” (3:16) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – Long title, cool song
“Porch” (3:30) – Words & Music: Vedder – Lesser-known song from Ten, but one of my fav’s. Explicit lyric warning: “F” bomb right up front.
“Do The Evolution” (3:54) – Words: Vedder, Music: Gossard – I think they actually made a video for this one (1st since the Ten album)!
“Rearviewmirror” (4:44) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ. Driving drum beat “Saw things clearer/Once you were in my rearview mirror”
“Better Man” (4:28) – Words & Music: Vedder – Rationalizations of a woman who’s fallen “out” of love (most likely a battered woman).
“Daughter” (3:56) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – Is she being abused and/or molested? Is she the victim of neglect? Did her parent(s) die? Hmmm
“State of Love and Trust” (3:46) – Words: Vedder, Music: McCready/Ament – Time for another cool, rockin’ song from the Singles soundtrack.
“Not For You” (5:52) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – A Vedder scream-fest (“If you hate something /Don’t you do it too”). “F” bomb near the end.
“Yellow Ledbetter” (5:04) – Words: Vedder, Music: McCready/Ament – PJ does their collective Jimi Hendrix impression on this song.
“Black” (5:43) – Words: Vedder, Music: Gossard – Probably the most performed PJ song on amateur karaoke night. To the bitch that dumped me…

Disc 2:
“Even Flow” (4:53) – Words: Vedder, Music: Gossard – MTV & radio played it about a billion times “back in the day”. Here it is again.
“Animal” (2:49) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – “I’d rather be/With an animal” … NOT to be confused with the Def Leppard song from 1987.
“Spin the Black Circle” (2:48) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – Back to the punk roots a bit with this one … fast & aggressive
“Long Road” (6:02) – Words & Music: Vedder – Neil Young – Guitar, Pump Organ, Vocals; J. Irons – Drums; J. Ament – Bass; Vedder – Vocals, Guitar
“Given to Fly” (4:01) – Words: Vedder, Music: McCready – 1st single from Yield, released about 1 month ahead of the album.
“I Am Mine” (3:35) – Words & Music: Vedder – “The ocean is full/’Cause everyone’s crying” “I only own my mind”
“Footsteps” (3:53) – Words: Vedder, Music: Gossard – Stripped-down acoustic song recorded live on ROCKLINE, May 11, 1992. “It was you”.
“Last Kiss” (3:15) – Wayne Cochran [cover] – Their most successful single ever, and all their proceeds went to Kosovo refugees. Cool.
“Jeremy” (5:18) – Words: Vedder, Music: Ament – Hit MTV video. Cited in school violence talks, but I always thought “Jeremy” just shot himself.
“Light Years” (5:07) – Words: Vedder, Music: Vedder, McCready, Gossard – “We were but stones/Your light made us stars”
“Wishlist” (3:27) – Words & Music: Vedder – “I wish I was a neutron bomb/For once I could go off”.
“Go” (3:13) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – Exploding drums! “Turned to my nemesis/A full on fucking god” …pretty good guitar, too.
“Faithfull” (4:18) – Words: Vedder, Music: McCready – No, I don’t know why the title is misspelled. I like the song, though.
“Nothingman” (4:35) – Words: Vedder, Music: Ament – “Isn’t it something?/Nothingman”
“Bu$hleaguer” (3:57) – Words: Vedder/Gossard, Music: Gossard – “He’s not a leader/He’s a Texas leaguer” … “Born on 3rd/Thinks he got a triple”
“F*ckin’ Up” (6:17) – Neil Young [cover] – PJ does a damned fine Crazy Horse. [I picked the 2 songs surrounding the “W” song on purpose :-)]
“Dirty Frank” (5:43) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – From the Ten sessions. It was also an extra on a CD-single I don’t have (not sure which one).
“Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” [Acoustic Version] (3:18) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – I really like this song.