Pearl Jam are the last men standing from the great alternative rock explosion of the 1990s. They introduced themselves with one of the biggest-selling and most iconic albums of the decade, and their follow-ups broke sales records worldwide. To date, they have sold over 30 million records worldwide, as many as iconic artists such as The Doors, Tom Petty, and Rush. Just as those artists did, Pearl Jam built an intense cult following who feel personally connected to the band; they tour constantly and are renowned for the quality of their live shows. While maintaining a huge network of fans, they have also collaborated with other rock legends and helped boost the profiles of new artists. They fight for social justice causes even when that costs them in other areas. And through it all, they keep releasing amazing music.
Yet for many, they remain an artefact of that decade, the epitome of the angsty generation x stereotype. By going through their entire discography track-by-track, covering their origins in the Seattle scene, and their musical development, this book will argue that Pearl Jam are not only one of the greatest bands of their generation but one of the greatest bands of all time.
Ben L. Connor is a freelance writer who works as a teacher of psychology and sociology. He has spent over thirty years studying music and culture. He has written teaching curricula for the study of the media and popular culture and presented seminars on the impact of the internet on fandoms. In his spare time, Ben enjoys writing fiction and movie reviews, as well as collecting music books and magazines, particularly those concerning the nineties alternative rock scene. This is his first book. He lives in Canberra, Australia.