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Elly Roberts reviews
BMG/Epic (Sony)
- Cat.no: 5191132
- Released: November 2004
- Rating: 6/10
Pearl Jam is a band that could, and should, have achieved greatness.
For some reason they havent reached the essential level. There may be mitigatingreasons for that; line-up and artistic direction changes. When you lookinto their Rearviewmirror; you can look back on a career road spanning 14years, from macho Grunge rockers to mature rock exponents.
Angst-ridden music, e.g. Punk had a short shelf life, and maybe they were victims of thatas well. Starting in the early ’90s Seattle Grunge scene, and heavilyinfluenced by Led Zeppelin, they evolved into a highly respected band butat some cost.
This two-disc set gives an insight into the long and twistingroad that sees them take risks, from mind blowing chords, like tracks 7, Go,and 10, Spin The Black Wheel, with speedy picks and gravel neck vocals, tosophisticated sojourns on Dissident, with some sublime Bluesy guitar work.Early signs of change can also be found on Corduroy, with a more accessibleangle.
Albums such as Ten and Vs sold well, but when they delivered 1994sVitalogy, theyd stripped down the sound for a more Punky effect. With astring of cancelled tours and no MTV videos, fans began to lose interest.Their albums peaked and bombed just as quickly, but ironically remained ahuge touring attraction.
Disc 2 is considered introspective. Its arguably their best work. It showsthe band coming of age, but losing ground in terms of popularity.
Unlike their ‘room mates’ Nirvana, they never had the big hit like SmellsLike Teen Spirit, preferring to gamble with experimentation, andprogression. The quality actually improves in the process, as you listen tothis disc. Track 11, Wishlist, is a prime example. By the end, theyrebarely recognisable as the band that started out and thats no bad thing.
Overall, their singles sales have never matched their albums success. Of the33 track here, only 15 have entered the charts with their highest entrySpin The Black Circle exactly ten years ago. Greatest Hits? Should have beena best of.
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.