When something's not broken, it's never advisable to mess too much with it. Such must have been the hard-won wisdom that producer Brendan O'Brien took to heart when he was asked to revisit Vs. for Pearl Jam's ongoing reissue series because, for the most part, (other than a couple of tracks included at the record's end) not a whole lot is dramatically different from a production standpoint; the difference between the original, 1993 release of Vs. and this reissue certainly isn't as significant the difference between the original issue of Ten and the reissue of that album released in 2009, anyway. Now, an argument could be made for the “only slight” adjustments made to Vs. being a sure mark of arrogance on O'Brien's part, and betrays some favoritism toward his own work (O'Brien was responsible for the phenomenal and significant reworking of Ten for the reissue, but original producer Rick Parashar), but a more valid one could be that no one has ever registered any complaints with Vs. over the last eighteen years. So why reissue Vs. now? Well, there is that ongoing reissue endeavor and keeping up chronology is always a boon and both the band and producer and band were able to put together a few extra treasures to append to the album's run-time, so why not? If one keeps that rationale in mind, it's easy to enjoy Vs. for precisely what it is: a chance to revisit a great and exciting period in Pearl Jam's history.
In retrospect, it's pretty amazing how well the songs from Vs. have aged. Even listening back to the album now – eighteen years later – fans will still feel their pulses begin to race when they hear the frenetic bass line that opens “Go,” just as it did near to two decades ago. As that roiling bass line builds and Eddie Vedder begins ecstatically chatter-boxing over top, there's a certain inevitability that starts creeping in too; there's a menace found here that refreshes the resentment left unresolved at the end of Ten, but those who recognize that inevitability will still be knocked clean off their feet the first time that Vedder barks, “Go!” The potency of that moment remains undiminished by time, and just locks listeners in.
The urgency and anger of “Go” carries over into “Animal” and, again, the focal point of that angst is Vedder. Here, the singer seems to come undone as he sheds his inhibitions and sense of self-preservation completely as he howls indictments like “torture from you to me,” and “why would you want to hurt me” before just snarling, “I'd rather be with an animal.” Here, the catharsis of Ten falls away and listeners are offered a presentation that is equal parts outward anger and inward angst; like a wounded animal, these early songs lash out unexpectedly and hit listeners hard.
After those early assaults, Pearl Jam begins to refine its' approach again and re-approach listeners. Stripping off all of the extraneous and by then anachronistic production clichés that dogged Ten, producer Brendan O'Brien renovates the band's presentation to make it five times tighter and leaner; while some squirrelly and manic guitar solos still weigh in on tracks like “W.M.A.,” “Blood” and “Rearviewmirror,” they're more tightly reigned in, seek to serve the songs and add to the dominating themes of anger, aggression, disillusionment and frustration that manifest here rather than simply flying off the handle at them. In that way, the album as a whole comes off as more focused and carries a far stronger punch that Eddie Vedder certainly responds to. Even in the short lapse between Ten and Vs., the singer had time and a decent platform from which to build a better sense of confidence and situation in the mixes—simply put, while Vedder regularly bounced off of and hid behind his band mates when the going got too hot on Ten, for most of Vs. the singer stands tall, at front and at center through these songs, ready to take some lumps if he has to, but is also presented as being ready to dish a few as well.
While the lion's share of the songs on Vs. do walk with a much-emboldened swagger that suits Pearl Jam's growth and the rise they experienced after the reception of Ten, that isn't to say it's a flawless offering. Both “Leash” and “Rats” particularly are a little too meandering and tepid for their own good but, blessedly, they function only as brief interludes and so not much focus lands on them.
There's no doubt that, after Ten launched Pearl Jam into the brightest possible limelight (and did it very quickly), the pressure was on for the band to follow that success with a release on par with their debut (at least) but they went one step further with Vs. — by paring down the production and enhancing the turmoil that so many listeners related to in Ten, Pearl Jam managed to up the frenetic urgency on Vs. and better develop their focus. It's a very tenuous line that Pearl Jam walks here, but they're already doing it with the ease and grace of seasoned veterans. In that way, of course there was no conjecture regarding the possibility of a sophomore slump; solid, unafraid and wild, Vs. shows that Pearl Jam could answer its' own success without flinching or backing down from it and, eighteen years later, it's still possible to recognize and respect that. Such is why not much alteration has gone into the expended version of Vs. (although it is possible to cleaner sound separation along the way, particularly on “Blood,” “Leash” and “Indifference”) but, because tradition is tradition, a few gems have been installed for this new edition of the album. While even passing fans are familiar with “Crazy Mary” (the song, written by Victoria Williams, was originally released on the Sweet Relief benefit album but ended up becoming a fluke hit which still garners occasional play on the radio) and will be thrilled to see it included here, the previously unreleased find of the set is “Hold On” – an acoustic demo that stands as a fantastic enactment of hope against adversity. Backed by just acoustic guitars, Eddie Vedder ruminates on the vicissitudes or a life that may be only of his imagining, but might be real and the tribulations of a soul experiences trying to stay sane while it's surrounded by nothing but insane circumstances. In effect – after all the anger and aggression that blazes through Vs. – this extra, previously overlooked track turns out to be a fantastic post-script for this reissue; with its' inclusion here, listeners are allowed the opportunity to see that, while the anger was mounting in Pearl Jam and would eventually build to a blind fury of confusion on Vitalogy, Pearl Jam was capable of other things too during the time of Vs.; thanks to “Hold On,” it's possible to see that now.
Artist:
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Album:
The Expanded Edition of Vs. is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
