No Code - Part 1

Um...maybe the band should have broken up.

Hi Son,

Yesterday marked the 29th anniversary of what I consider to be the pivotal moment in the career of Pearl Jam. Before the release of No Code, they were considered the biggest rock band in the world. They had one of the most successful 5-year runs of any music artist or band in the history of music. However, there was a lot going on outside of music with them. They had come off of suing Ticketmaster that had been closed in mid-1995 without success for the band. Tensions were high amongst the guys. They fired Dave Abbruzzese, their drummer, right before they toured in 1995 to promote Vitalogy. Because of their clash with Ticketmaster (I should also note they did this alone, no other artist or band joined them in the fight), they spent that same tour boycotting Ticketmaster by avoiding playing in venues that were associated with the company. The tour was so chaotic, that Eddie had to sit out a show in San Francisco due to food poisoning (this will be revisited later in this note). These guys were taxed and it almost pushed them to break up at the height of their popularity.

A couple of things happened during and after the infamous 1995 tour. They became close with Neil Young and Jack Irons was hired as the band’s drummer. A quick fact. The “Jam” in Pearl Jam actually comes from Neil Young. The inspiration was due to the “jam sessions” that Young would have during his shows. So if anyone tells you that one of the band member’s grandmother was named “Pearl” and she made her own famous “Jam,” call bull shit on it. The San Francisco show that the band had to do without Eddie had Neil come in and take lead vocals. It wasn’t received well by the crown there, and who could blame them, but it really symbolized how Neil was there when the band needed someone the most. They would also go on to record an album with Neil called “Mirror Ball” and two songs that were left off of “Mirror Ball” called “I Got Shit” and “Long Road.” Those two songs were released on an EP called “Merkin Ball.”

Jack was integral in getting the band together after Andrew Wood passed away. He was the one who connected Eddie with Jeff and Stone. Jack started with the band immediately after Dave A. was fired and traveled with the guys during the Vitalogy tour. I’m not sure exactly how any of this went down. I only know from some sources I’ve heard on various podcasts, that Jack was cruical in keeping the band from breaking up. Out of the five different drummers the band has had, Jack is my favorite. Their next album, “No Code” would become a big reason why.

The band started recording “No Code” in July 1995, with Jack and Neil in their corner. However, the tension ensued. Jeff didn’t know the recording for “No Code” had started until three days into the sessions. Mike was quoted saying the following.

"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."

The band was still touring and trying to record “No Code.” It was a strain trying to record and tour at the same time. Mike would also go on record saying most of the songs were recorded off of “jam sessions” and fragments of songs were brought in leaving Eddie having to spend several hours to put the vocals with the music. It eventually burned out Eddie by the end of the recording of the album. After finishing the record, it was a huge relief for everyone. Eddie would go on to say that “making No Code was about perspective.”

On August 27, 1996, the band released their much anticipated fourth studio album. As expected, copies flew off of the shelf. It would debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200. What would this disjointed and stress-inducing recording of “No Code” bring to the public? Not what most would have hoped. Their first single released was “Who You Are,” about a month before the album dropped. That song was really a preview of what was to come. It sounded nothing like what you would have expected from Pearl Jam. The song opens sounding almost tribal. Jack sounds like he is hitting a cowbell while Eddie plays an electric sitar. There’s a weird-ass sounding piano/keyboard in the background where it seems like the person is just randomly hitting keys. Then Eddie comes in with the vocals.

“Come to send, not condescend.

Transcendental consequence.

Is to transend where we are.

Who are we? Who we are.”

When I first heard this song, I was struck as this seemed like some weird acid trip by the band. It comes on the record in track 3, just after “Hail, Hail” which is very much what you would expect from Pearl Jam. So to get “Who You Are” for the first time in my ears, it was strange. What’s striking about the release of this as the first single is that Eddie would go on to say the release was a “conscious decision” to keep the size of the band’s fanbase down. I would say after hearing this for the first time, they probably accomplished just that.

When I listened to the rest of “No Code,” I got exactly what it sounded like from the stories of their recording sessions. The tone and feel of every track seemed to jump all over the place. It was really hard to settle in. There were also tracks which were really different in “Smile”, “Lukin” and “Mankind.” Shit, “Mankind” didn’t even have Eddie singing vocals. It was Stone! Then some spoken word track called “I’m Open” just made this whole tracklisting a really unsettling experience. I could see why many fans jumped ship on the band after hearing this. For me, I was listening to it for the first time 10 years after it’s release. It was one of the last albums of theirs I would buy to get caught up to “Riot Act.”

So now the question that might be going through your head. “Why in the hell am I bringing up this album on this platform?” I mean I’m supposed to be talking about music that influenced my life, mostly in a positive sense. Because the experience and impact of “No Code” was that big for me. I can’t describe it all within one note. I felt the need to break this up into at least two parts. Just as a preview to the next part. This record would eventually grow on me. So much that I have a tattoo on my left arm inspired by it. I’ll tell you more why later.

Love,

Dad