Search - Pearl Jam :: No Code

Pearl Jam realises it's time to lose the rage on NO CODE.

Mike London | Oxford, UK | 10/02/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those looking for another TEN, this is the wrong place to go. NO CODE is the key album to understanding Pearl Jam and is the turning point of their career, some say for better, others for worst. However, their progression is a journey, and this release is the one where Pearl Jam came to a fork in the road and chose a direction to follow. Now, for those looking for another TEN, it?s time to move on. You cannot expect an artist (a good one, that is) to go on milking the same formula. Where would we be had The Beatles kept singing songs like ?I Want to Hold Your Hand,? instead of traveling to the majesties of ?Hey Jude,? and ?Revolution,? (the White Album version)? Following Pearl Jam, in some ways, is like following Bob Dylan?s and The Beatles? career. These three aforementioned are true artists, and so their evolution makes a very exciting one to follow. You can?t really get the full impact of BLONDE ON BLONDE without knowing the six records preceding it, or RUBBER SOUL without hearing the five albums and myriad singles before that. With this album, you can?t really get the full impact without having at least a passing knowledge of the three records before this one.Commercially, this is Pearl Jam?s worst release, and there are no ?biggies? in the song selection such as ?Alive,? ?Even Flow,? ?Daughter,? or ?Better Man.? However, just because a particular album does not get a lot of radio play does not necessarily negate it to the recycle bin. Almost all the tracks are very strong compositions. Sometimes the band falls down, such as ?Present Tense,? which seems just a little to preach to me, and ?Habit,? which says the same lines over and over and over for three and a half minutes. Some may really like them, but for me they?re just so-so. ?Mankind? I still don?t really know what to do with, because, although I like it, the song is a rather odd selection for the tone of this album. Only one song will take you back to their earlier grunge days, and that is ?Lukin?, which is just over a minute and sounds like Eddie?s vocal cords are ripped to shreds when he finishes. I have a live version of the song and I can?t understand anything he says in it. Pearl Jam, with their release of TEN in 1991, became one of the major players in the early 1990s along with Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. Of these bands, Pearl Jam has had the longest career, and amazingly did not self-destruct as Nirvana did. There is a reason for this, and this album becomes on of the keys in understanding Pearl Jam.The first three albums are begin a descent into the hellish regions of rage and it?s effects on the human psyche. VITALOGY, Pearl Jam?s darkest album, almost plays as a concept album about paranoia, pain, and death. Eddie Vedder?s emotions and struggle for understanding are laid out for all to see, and the all consuming rage will have to either be allievated or only more ill could come. The single most important moment on that particular album is ?Immortality,? where Vedder deals with Kurt Cobain?s suicide. Had the rage been allowed to continue, Pearl Jam could not have continued for much longer. It?s no conincidence that the first two albums sound like earlier extensions of VITALOGY. They begin a downward spiral and absolutely plummet in VITALOGY, and the reason for all the experiments that made VITALOGY so uneven was because Pearl Jam was already, in their rage and fighting their own personal demons, were trying to come up with a way to deal with it.With NO CODE, their most varied and least accessible album on a commercial level, find Pearl Jam on the morning after. The first three albums represent the night before, drunken rage and struggle for understanding of this inherently insane world (or so it would seem) being night?s only companion. From a musical standpoint this release takes the rather roughshod experiments of VITALOGY and builds an album out of them, resulting in the most sonically different album in this band?s catalogue. Here, with all sorts of world vibes going down with mantra percussion and some of the softest songs of this band?s career, instead of rage Vedder contemplates in a rational manner the problems facing him, and this record shows Pearl Jam finding solace in this course of action.
The experiments on VITALOGY borderline, at times, on the unlistenable with the likes of poorly executed sound collages (Foxeymophandlmama) or the inane (?Bugs?). Don?t think it?s because of a musical aversion to experimental music, because I really like ?Revolution 9?. Here, however, with the rage gone, the band focuses on this branching out more, and instead of half-realised thoughts on VITALOGY, we have full musical expressions. The chaotic and unrealised song fragments or experimental vibes help indicate Pearl Jam?s searching, and while making an ascethic contribution, I always find myself skipping over them. The musical expansion on NO CODE, the maturing of a band, ties in with the band?s personal growth as human beings. With the rage stripped away, instead we have a more subdued Pearl Jam dealing with problems in their lives with contemplation, which is one reason that it is the single most mellow album in their catalogue. It is sad the fan base couldn?t see that.In the end, this is Pearl Jam?s turning point. From here on out, their releases (1998?s YIELD and 2000?s BINURAL) would reflect this and further expand this band?s journey. It is a rather sad fact that, despite it being a very strong album, the fan base simply wouldn?t rally behind this one. This album had to come out, or Pearl Jam would just continually be plagued with their demons and artistically they would begin to lose their momentum and eventually self-destruct. Without Pearl Jam making this choice to let go of their anger, I do not think they?d still be around today, and I think Cobain?s death was a very sobering moment for them. With this decision to move on, we have Pearl Jam?s most touching, heart-felt, and most fully realised album to date."

Diversity and experimentation rule

sp3685 | New Jersey | 08/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As if Vitalogy wasn't weird enough, Pearl Jam fade even more out of the limelight with the release of No Code - an extremely diverse collection of experimental songs. Every song is so different from each other that I won't be able to do it justice unless I do a track by track review (and even THAT won't do it justice; it needs to be heard to be understood). So here goes:



1. Sometimes - the quirkiest song they ever wrote (until Can't Keep from Riot Act came out). It's a very subtle, and honest song. A nice opener that definitely sets the tone for the rest of the album.



2. Hail, Hail - a typical Pearl Jam rocker. Great guitar riff and punishing vocals. They show their punk influences in this song.



3. Who You Are - the first single from the album. People didn't know what happened to the REAL Pearl Jam when this song came out. It's so different from anything they've ever done. Great tribal drumming and very melodic vocals provide for one of their most interesting songs ever. Great song.



4. In My Tree - similar drumming as the previous song, another tribal sound. One of my favorite songs from the album, and great live as well (afterall, they are the best live band around).



5. Smile - a very upbeat, happy sounding song. It contains excellent use of harmonica. The chorus is beautiful and melodic. Another great song.



6. Off He Goes - most beautiful song on the cd (and also the longest, clocking in at just over 6 minutes). This is basically a slow acoustic song with brilliant lyrics and beautiful vocals. Probably my favorite song from this album.



7. Habit - another punky song, don't really like this one. The vocals are annoying.



8. Red Mosquito - Pearl Jam's first of several bluesy rockers scattered throughout their next few albums (well, Smile is pretty bluesy too). Great guitar work introduces the song and McCready is all over the rest of the song. One of their best.



9. Lukin - a minute long. Hilarious punk song with hilarious vocals. Can't really describe it, you just need to hear it. Not really a song, but I love listening to it.



10. Present Tense - definitely top 3 songs on this album. Starts off slow and constantly builds. Great lyrics, and like usual, great vocals. Very nice guitar too.



11. Mankind - The mic is given to guitarist Stone Gossard for this song. It shows why he isn't the lead singer, although I do enjoy it. A blatant pop song with very catchy vocals. An entertaining listen to say the least.



12. I'm Open - very different sounding "song". It's mostly spoken word with a nice, melodic "chorus". A very relaxing track with interesting lyrics.



13. Around The Bend - I don't love this song, but it did get much better after hearing the Live At Benaroya Hall version. Another nice, relaxing song that has a tropical feel to it. A little boring maybe, but pretty good.



Sorry if this review became overlong and tedious, but to fully understand how diverse this album really is, I figured it would help by reviewing each track. But like I already said, you won't really be able to tell until you hear it for yourself. So do yourselves a favor and pick up this brilliant album."

Pearl Jam's Fourth Their Best

I Got Id | Seattle (I wish...) | 11/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After completely worshipping this record, I only hope that something greater IS possible, since Pearl Jam has achieved seemingly unreachable standards with this release. Incidentally, I joined BMG Music to buy a new copy of No Code becuase I wore out my first one by loving it completely."Sometimes" starts out the album; it is not a stand-out musically, but it earns five stars from me because it is the strangest song I've ever heard...which makes it beautiful! "Hail, Hail" is a favorite concert rave-up, but it's funky riffs and cryptic lyrics make it an especially sublime listening experience. "Who You Are", the beautiful and contemplative third track was the so-called coffin nail of Pearl Jam's radio "career"; so-called "fans" who heard it on that fateful autumn day in 1996 stormed the stations with angry phone calls, complaining that it did not sound like "Jeremy". Indeed. It is far more complex, more melodic, and makes me feel euphoric and downtrodden all at once. It is therapy. Other great tracks (they all are; it's difficult to limit myself), include "Smile", reminiscent of Neil Young's "Hey Hey, My My", but with a pleasing pop hook and a charming chorus. "Off He Goes" is without a doubt, Pearl Jam's greatest song; it is a fairy tale ballad set off with beautiful liquid guitar ripples, and is even more amazing live. 'Mankind" is a cheery number featuring 'Cready ripping it up on his Fender and Stoney taking the lead on vocals. It's great with beer. "Red Mosquito" is another McCready feature; his guitar sounds like a Led Zeppelin mosquito. "Habit" is an outstanding extended punk jam session showing Eddie's Sex Pistol inclinations. "In My Tree" takes one back to childhood optimism and hopscotch games...and ye fans o' Creed can note that the "arms wide open" motif is not a Scotty Crapp invention...it appears numerous times in "In My Tree". "Around the Bend" is a beautiful closing lullaby; Eddie takes the listener in his arms with his sweet voice and reassures that everything will be alright. As one who has been known to say, "I should be sending Eddie Vedder Father's Day cards," this number has special meaning to me.No Code is not for everyone. If you wish that Pearl Jam still sounded as they did in their "Jeremy" days, have never heard "Rival" or "In Hiding", or complain that "Nothing As It Seems" lacks a "hook", you might want to try Live On Two Legs and get comfortable with "Hail, Hail", "Red Mosquito", and "Off He Goes" before jumping in. However, if their 4-12-00 performance of "Greivance" on Letterman had you back-slapping your buddies and enjoying a joint, if you've attended at least one concert and did not cry when they failed to play "Alive", or if you jump every time you hear someone say "Dead Man", this is a must-have."