When Pearl Jam Defied Stardom: No Code: Article from Rolling Stone Magazine.

Pearl Jam's No Code: The Raw and Uncompromising Masterpiece

In this episode of the It's 1 Louder podcast, host PJ Pat dives into an article from Rolling Stone's special edition on Pearl Jam. 

Rolling Stone article read by PJ Pat was released on August 27th, 1996. 
Written by Andy Greene

He discusses the band's fourth album, No Code, highlighting its experimental nature and stark departure from their earlier sound. PJ explores Eddie Vedder's deepening angst, the band's intent to thwart commercial fame, and the raw, diverse tracks that make No Code a controversial yet fascinating listen. Fans can expect a blend of radio-friendly tunes and edgy, experimental pieces that defined Pearl Jam's mid-90s journey. Whether you're a hardcore fan or just discovering Pearl Jam, PJ's passionate breakdown of this underappreciated album will surely captivate you.

00:00 Welcome to the It's 1 Louder Podcast
00:03 Introducing the Pearl Jam Special Edition
00:36 Diving into the No Code Album
01:36 Exploring the Tracks and Themes
03:03 The Making of No Code
04:26 Pearl Jam's Creative Struggles
06:18 Reflecting on No Code's Legacy
06:40 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Transcript

[00:00:00] Hey rock fan, I really appreciate you joining the It's 1 Louder podcast. I'm your humble host, PJ Pat, and today I'm excited to bring you an article from this Rolling Stone magazine that I picked up about a month ago. Uh, it's regarding my favorite band Pearl Jam, the ultimate guide to their music and legend, special collector's edition, It Damn Well White 20 bucks for this magazine.

[00:00:25] Gone are the days of, uh, paying five dollars for, uh, a rock or a rolling stone magazine. Regardless, I just had to pick it up. Anything that says Pearl Jam on it, I'm all in. And I found this article, fairly short article, so that's why I'm bringing it to you, about one of my favorite Pearl Jam albums called No Code.

[00:00:46] And, uh, I believe it was their fourth album, and, uh, definitely one of my top four, uh, my favorite top four. Surprise, surprise, or maybe no surprise, is their first four albums, obviously. Like many of you hardcore Pearl Jams, that's probably the way to go. And, uh, yeah, so bringing this Our article to you, it's called No Code as Eddie Vedder's angst deepened, the band said goodbye to fame with a cathartic, difficult LP.

[00:01:13] And I remember this album coming out, and in fact, yes, you know, uh, Vitalogy, their third one, seemed like there were elements of You know, Hey, this is not for you. Hence the name of the song, not for you, not for the commercial folk. We want just hardcore fans. They made a statement with vitalogy and no code pretty much continue that statement.

[00:01:35] All right. I just pulled out the vinyl. As you can see, if you're on my YouTube channel. Rock with PJ Pat or if you're listening to the podcast, as you can hear, I got the list of songs right in front of me. You know, there are clearly some songs here that are radio friendly. So that's the thing about this album is there's like both extremes, uh, where, you know, off he goes and around the band are very well crafted acoustic songs that are right for the radio and could probably be.

[00:02:03] Kind of right off of a Mumford and Sons or a Coldplay album or U2 album. And you got other songs like Hail Hail, Lukin, Habit that are a little off the Kelter. They definitely went more experimental with this album, more kind of world rhythms and beats and sounds, which is great. And I think this alienated a lot of rock fans who are wanting to hear, you know, 10 or just me straight up heavy grunge.

[00:02:33] Garage rock type sound this definitely stemmed away from that and lost a lot of fans on this but that again That was their purpose. They didn't want to be you too and Maintain a core loyal fan base and looking back now that strategy definitely works So good on you Pearl Jam and let's get into this article right now Alright, I'm gonna put my granddad glasses on here Ah, much better.

[00:03:03] Okay, so as I said, the name of the article is entitled No Code. As Vedder's angst deepened, the band said goodbye to fame with a cathartic, difficult LP by Andy Green, released back in August 27th, 1996. Pearl Jam were midway through recording their 1996 LP No Code when they found themselves on stage at the Grammys accepting a Best Hard Rock award for Spin the Black Circle off the Vitalogy album.

[00:03:31] I'm gonna say something typically me. On behalf of all of us, said Vedder, his voice dripping with boredom and contempt, I don't know what this means. I don't think it means anything. That's just how I feel. I remember that. I remember seeing that live, too. Very cool. Vedder was pilloried, or piloried, not sure what that means, for his seeming ingratitude, but a half decade of fame had left him battered.

[00:03:55] It also made him determined to create an album that was idiosyncratic, raw, and uncompromising. An album for the true faithful, not the casual fans. Taking that success level down a few notches was probably pretty helpful on a creative level, said Vedder. Because, you know, the more you think, the more you stink.

[00:04:15] The thought that a lot of people were going to be hearing and analyzing what you wrote was a tricky one. It made you question and double think as much as you didn't want to. I was never confident enough not to give a fuck. The no code sessions began in Chicago and New Orleans in mid 1995. But they hit a snag after being moved to Gossard Studio Litho in Seattle.

[00:04:38] Due to a miscommunication, Emmet was still at his home in Montana under the impression they were actually beginning a week later. Rather than wait for him to show up, the band simply started fleshing out the tunes without the bassist. By the time I got there, they'd already recorded four or five songs with no bass, he said.

[00:04:55] I had just spent the previous several months writing songs, so I thought, there was some weird power trip going on. The slight was accidental, but Ahmed's hurt feelings were no doubt a result of Vedder's near complete takeover of Pearl Jam's creative process. I used to be afraid of him and not want to confront him on things, McCready later admitted.

[00:05:15] I felt I was always walking on eggshells around him. Despite the chaos and hurt feelings, the group came up with stellar songs like Hail Hail, a rocker that soon became a live staple, and Mankind, a sneering takedown of fake grunge. The album's most intense moment is Lucan, Vedder's account of being stalked by a fan, which he sang so quickly that many listeners missed its horrifying subject matter.

[00:05:38] In quotes, we got the lyrics, I find my wife, I call the cops, this day's work's never done, he growls, the last I heard that freak was purchasing a fucking gun. Countering the unvarnished fury of Lucan are softer moments like Sometimes and Present Tense. The group released the widely uncommercial Who You Are as NoCo's first single and did almost no promotion.

[00:06:01] As a result, the album sold just 367, 000 copies in its first week, a third of what Vitalogy had done. Pearl Jam always said they didn't want to be stars, one industry veteran told the Los Angeles Times. Well, It looks like they may soon have their wish. A super underrated album. If you're even a casual Pearl Jam fan and you haven't really checked this album out, no code.

[00:06:26] I highly recommend it. It might surprise a lot of you. I think this is one of the albums that actually has the most variety in terms of song styles. So, you'll enjoy it looking back, what is it, over 25 years later. Okay, well I hope this article really, uh, tickled your fancy. It definitely, for me, it did a huge Pearl Jam fans.

[00:06:48] Even if you're not a Pearl Jam fan, if you're a rock fan, there's some great, great, great rockin freakin headbanging songs on here. And very delicate, emotional, softer acoustic songs that will tug at your heartstrings and make you feel something.