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Pearl Jam - No Code - Album Review

No Code is the fourth record from alternative rock band Pearl Jam that was released in 1996. A band that first blew up in the early 90s during the Seattle grunge scene. The band in the mid 90s had been continuing to cut back from mainstream exposure and by the time of their fourth record here the band had been fighting back against Ticketmaster for their services fees that they tacked onto their ticket prices and filed a lawsuit against the company. This would now create a cut back on their touring schedules where the band’s tours would be half as long and would play venues half as big. The bands profile was purposefully at an all time low while they still refuse to make a music video and talk to press. Ultimately all of this would affect the bands mainstream presence and affect the bands sales and profited income in sacrifice for their fans and benefit the bands longevity. However it would also contribute to the firing of ex drummer Dave Abbruzzese who opposed to the bands lawsuit against the company and the bands various political choices and views on the mainstream media. This lead to the hiring of new drummer and good friend Jack Irons. Guitarist Stone Gossard, who had always been the bands mediator, had taken a step back once Eddie stepped up as the bands directional leader, had this to say about new drummer Jack Irons replacing Abbruzzese “Jack’s a breath of fresh air, a family man. Everybody had a strong sense of friendship with him immediately. He was just there to play drums and help out.“ while lead guitarist Mike McCready said that Irons urged the band members to discuss their problems, and called him “a big spiritual influence, if not the biggest”.

With singer Eddie Vedder now having a stronger influence on the bands musical direction and creative control, writing many of the songs and playing guitar, Pearl Jam was becoming more reclusive and estranged when it came to the mainstream. This shift in power that started on Vitalogy was in response to the media criticizing him for and exploiting any small accessible move or composition. Unintentionally Pearl Jam seemed to be hogging the airwaves and MTV programs. Even into the mid 90s the media tried getting at the band. Even other bands like Local H were responding to this like in their song bluntly titled “Eddie Vedder”. Vedders creative control caused great tension in the band while writing and recording their previous record and while there was much more understanding this time around, they band had recorded separately rather than all together with this record. Bassist Jeff Ament was still feeling the most frustrated with and disconnected from the process on No Code to the point of almost seriously quitting, Ament even walked out on the recording session at one point. “There was a point when, like Vitalogy and maybe a little bit of No Code, where it was kind of Ed’s band,” Ament argued. “I think that was him just trying to see what he could do, see how far he could take it. At the end of No Code, I think he was just so fried from trying to finish all these songs, that Eddie said, ‘I can’t do this anymore.” Guitarist Mike McCready said “I’m sure Jeff was pissed, but it was more about separating, because if we played all together nothing would get done. We’d all just get pissed off at each other”. Being Jack Irons’ first record his commented on the process of producing No Code to be a difficult one saying the process was “more on-the-fly during the making of No Code, and some good things happened out of that, but we were also really tired. It was difficult to tour and play these shows that were two or three hours long and then force ourselves to produce something in a studio.” Much like Vitalogy, this record was written and recorded very quickly and based on fragments and songs played on the spot during improvised jam sessions. Many of the songs even sound like live cuts recorded in one take.

Their Ticketmaster lawsuit and strike would lead to the band having a D.I.Y. mentality both on the recording production on this record’s Lo-Fi garage rock sound and on their touring practices. Eddie made the choice to drive to each venue on the tour in his own van. This caused an emotional and physical disconnect from his band mates who flew by plane together. Eddie was clearly still dealing with accepting his newfound fame and stature since Ten and Vs. blew up a few years prior. While an alternative rock band, Pearl Jam had the attitude and mentality of a punk band especially at this time in the mid 90s following in the footsteps of Ramones and Fugazi. No Code was a record that would really solidify them in the world of alternative rock and offer a wide range of sounds much different than anything they had written or produced prior. No Code contains the bands longest composed song as well as the shortest. It offers the bands loudest and fastest song and their softest and most quietest ones. No Code was truly Pearl Jam’s Zeppelin III being clearly some kind of influence on the composition style with the bands direction and Neil Young clearly a big influence on the band at the time with Eddie’s vocals now having less of a Morrison growl and more of a twangier folkier tone to it.

The band explores everything from folk rock songs that feature acoustic guitars, piano and melodic harmonies on “Off He Goes” and the folky hawiian lullaby “Around the Bend” both songs sound like they could have come of Neil Youngs Harvest Moon record to punk rock tracks like the 62 second “Lukin” which is clearly inspired by grunge band Mudhoney in more ways than one and Vedders edgy “Habit”. No Code is such an eclectic record it sounds as though the band is finding their sound all over again with the record also offering garage rock songs like “Hail, Hail” and “ManKind”, indie rock songs like “Sometimes” and “Present Tense” which sound inspired by Pavement, Thermardore and Crowded House with their tremolo soaked effects on the guitar notes that gets a bit bluesy and theres the other blues rock track “Red Mosquito” a song that reminds me of “Edgar” by the Butthole Surfers and features fuzzy slide guitar leads on a semi-hollow body where McCready uses Vedders grandfathers Zippo lighter as a slide. Theres also Eastern tribal inspired polyrhythms similar to Tribe After Tribe or Three Fish on the drum and rhythm driven tracks “Who You Are” and “In My Tree” which builds into a crescendo of powerful drums and features a sitar, piano, chanting background vocals and hand claps. Also some art rock experimentation is explored like on “Im Open” a spoken word and meditative mantra that sounds as if it could have been a reject from The Door’s An American Prayer sounding very similar to “Hour for Magic” (a song from that album) simply sends the message of being spiritually and emotionally open. By now and especially with what is offered on No Code Pearl Jam is proving there is nothing they wont do or try and that money and the mainstream fame wont keep them from experimenting and exploring their artistic avenues.

Lyrically, No Code many times is written from a third person perspective looking inward and covers many moods, subjects and themes of spirituality, isolation from the material world, emotional instability, escapism, self-reflection and mortality. Vedder said, “I think there’s a little self-examination in those songs, something that a lot of my friends are going through too, as they approach 30.” Its interesting, I first bought this record from The Warehouse when I was 13 or 14 and now approaching 30 I can relate to this songs much more than I ever did when I bought the record. Its almost like I bought the record for my future self. The album’s opener “Sometimes” is about a little soul searching as well as “Who You Are”, the song that seems to speak to those having suicidal thoughts encouraging them to rethink their contemplation. The song introduced the new Pearl Jam material to the world in 1996 came to many as a complete shocker and turn off, being completely underrated due to its intense shift in energy and style. “Hail, Hail” a song that would have gained them more attention as a first single is about a couple struggling to keep things together where Vedder is reflecting on vows once shared and praising those in a successful relationship. “Present Tense” is sort of a conceptual theme of No Code, its a the reminder that the past is best left in the past and forgiving yourself for past mistakes. Its about freeing yourself from regret. I feel this song may metaphorically be the band cutting ties with their old image and old sound. Its time for a new chapter.

“Off He Goes” is a Neil Young’s “Unknown Legend” meets Springsteen introspective tale about himself told in third person. The song expresses how he is a mess and always on the go and never in one place for too long. I think this song may reflect his disconnect with his band mates at the time. The telling of the story almost sounds like Vedder is describing a drug user that has chosen drugs over his relationships and is constantly ditching away to use which just so happens to be what “Habit” is about. “In My Tree” is a hippie track about escaping reality just enjoying nature. Its about leaving the material world behind. Autobiographical inspirations came whileprese on the road like Vedder dealing with obsessed fans and stalker problems that got seriously out of hand. This is what “Lukin” is about, the track “Smile” inspired by one of their opening bands The Frogs and seems to reflect missing Beth Liebling, Vedders longtime girlfriend whom he had just married at the time. The track sounds a bit like Neil Young’s “Loose Change” with Vedder on harmonica. Another autobiographical tune “Red Mosquito” is about Vedder being hospitalized while on tour after getting stricken with an illness that lead to a fever. “Mankind” is a song written and sung by Stone Gossard, the first time someone other than Eddie wrote lyrics to a Pearl Jam song. To me this song was a sort of a peace offering saying his creative control isnt based on ego. The song is about the obsession with the media and the material world.

No Code’s artwork was this crafted mostly by Vedder rather than Ament like Vitalogy and combines 144 random Polaroid photos from eye balls, lips and teeth to various objects found in a house and photos of nature as well. The Eye of Providence is seen when the record is completely unfolded a symbol that is also hidden throughout many of the photos. The term No Code is a medical code to refuse resuscitation or CPR on a patient who has flat-lined. This is interesting concept especially following Vitalogy a record that thematically covered the topic of suicide. The band has been intently attempting to kill its fame and mainstream presence and now that they are gone they dont want to return. This record would definitely make that message clear. This record turned off not only the casual fans but also music critics. There was nothing accessible about No Code. Nothing MTV or radio could sink their teeth into. With Nirvana now out of the scene after Kurt Cobain’s death, Alice In Chains on a hiatus, Soundgarden, and Screaming Trees seemingly about to break up and Pearl Jam nearly breaking up as well had chose to leave the mainstream eye to save the band, that void needed to be filled. Just as much as the music industry wanted to create the next Pearl Jam and the next Nirvana there were plenty of bands ready to mimic these band and their prime records. Bands like Creed, Nickleback, Silverchair, Marcy Playground, Bush, Everclear, The Verve Pipe, Hootie and the Blowfish, Goo Goo Dolls, Fuel, Sinch, Days of the New, Seven Mary Three, Godsmack, 3 Doors Down, Staind and Matchbox20 were there to take a bite of the cookie and fill that void. This created the birth of post-grunge which powered through the turn of the century. Vedder said this about the wave of new mainsteam alternative, “..there is a group of people making music that seems to be very derivative of our first record [smiles]. And they are doing incredibly well – with much less raw talent to work with. They know who they are. I’ve heard a few of them – it’s part caricature, part karaoke. I guess we should be flattered, because they must have heard this stuff and been influenced by it. I just wish it was better. It’s purity that I’m missing in those bands.”No Code sold significantly less than Vitalogy and Pearl Jam doesnt seem to mind that the mainstream replaced them. Something they’ve wanted for some time.

No Code for me when i first heard it 15 years ago was initially not my favorite Pear Jam record. As a casual fan I didnt understand it. It wasnt appealingly strange like Vitalogy it just didnt flow as smoothly or sound as cohesive. It was a rocky river and felt like a road with lots of potholes and speed bumps. It took me awhile to appreciate and understand this record. Maybe I needed a bit of maturing myself as well. It is a simple record at the surface but much more complex once you dig deeper. It took me awhile to break the code, but I now revisit this record often. Its message and style sits in its lack of such alone. It was a record written recorded on a whim and it reflects that but some natural beauty was captured because of it. I look back and see this as both a super influential alt rock and indie rock record. I love that the band explores many genres and mixes in an array of different instruments with acoustic guitars, slide guitar leads, harmonica, spoken word, piano and tribal drum beats. This record really laid the foundation for what their music would be down the road. What would come next? The world didnt know and parts of the world frankly at this point didnt care. Pearl Jam certainly didnt know it could end right with their contemporaries but Pearl Jam did care and reclaiming themselves and reevaluating communication brought a whole new and refreshing energy on their next effort. A lot of songs were left off this record like the 60s sounding “Black, Red, Yellow”, the Springsteen inspired “Dead Man”, “Long Road” a song reflecting the passing of someone close that sounds like the acoustic version of Soundgardens “Like Suicide” and Sleater Kinney’s “Jenny”, “I Got ID”, which sounds inspired by Neil Youngs’ “Cinnamon Girl”. The Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan influenced “The Face of Love”, “Olympic Platinum”, “Dont Gimme No Lip” another song written and sung by Stone Gossard, the Motown inspired “All Night”, and the Motown cover “Leaving Here”. My favorite tracks are “Hail, Hail”, “In My Tree”, “Smile”, “Off He Goes”, “Red Mosquito” and “Habit”. If you like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green River, Deranged Diction, Eleven, Crowded House, Finn Brothers, Temple of the Dog, Three Fish, Mad Season, Brad, Thermadore, Fastbacks, Screaming Trees, Dinosaur Jr., Mike Watt, Mudhoney, R.E.M., Seven Mary Three, CSNY, Candlebox, Goodness, Neil Young, The Buck Pets, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Foo Fighters, Stone Temple Pilots, The Verve Pipe, Pavement, Butthole Surfers, or Blind Melon you will love this record.

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Pearl Jam - No Code - Album Review

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