It is no surprise that Pearl Jam was under intense pressure to follow up their debut album "Ten" with another success.  What may be surprising is that the band's second studio album, Vs. (pronounced "versus") did indeed live up to the success for their debut.  Vs. started at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart, sold almost a million copies in its first five days, and in its first week outperformed all other albums in the top 10 combined.

Pearl Jam did a number of things differently with this album.  First, they recorded the songs one at a time, setting up the band in a similar way to their live concerts, and mixing each song as they went.  Second, the songs created were more raw and powerful than those on their first album.  Front man Eddie Vedder even began sleeping in his truck and in the sauna at the recording studio to keep up the intensity.  Finally, the band deliberately did NOT make videos for any of the songs on this album, preferring to let the listeners visualize the songs rather than have that creativity removed by the presence of a video.

This album also marks a change in the approach the band took to its tours, avoiding the press and focusing directly on the fans.  In addition to refusing to make videos, they dramatically scaled down television appearances, and capped the prices of their tickets to make their concerts more accessible to fans.

Guest contributor Joe Davis brings us this outstanding album.  

Go
Many interpret this first single and lead-off track from the album to be about child abuse, though Eddie Vedder hinted that it was about his truck breaking down on him! 

Animal
The opening lyrics "one, two, three, four, five against one" reflect the originally planned title of the album (Five Against One), and the idea that the five members of the band are up against the machine of the music industry.  The album would eventually be called "Vs." instead.

Glorified G  
Joe picked this song for the first two lines:  "Got a gun, fact I got two.  That's OK, man, 'cause I love God."  The lyrics come from an argument that Eddie Vedder had with drummer Dave Abbruzzese when Dave brought a gun he bought to rehearsal one day.  Dave was from Texas, where guns were more common, while Vedder hated guns.

Rearviewmirror  
Eddie Vedder wrote this song about his stepfather, whom he hated.  It was about leaving him behind without a second thought. This is a fast-paced song, and Joe recommends it for your running playlist.

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

Theme from the BBC television special "Mr. Blobby"
The television Christmas special was on the charts in the UK in November 1993.  It was panned by critics and almost everyone else as it can be found as the WORST theme song ever...yet it topped the UK charts.  

STAFF PICKS:

Everybody Hurts by R.E.M.
Brian begins the staff picks with a slower and positive song from the album “Automatic for the People.”  This track is an anti-suicide song, encouraging people to hold on when things go wrong, because everybody hurts sometimes.

Into Your Arms by The Lemonheads
Rob brings us a hit off the album “Come On, Feel The Lemonheads.”  The band was originally from Boston, with Evan Dando on lead vocals and guitar, Ben Deily on vocals and guitar, and Jesse Peretz on bass.  This album was a follow-up to their hugely successful album ”It's a Shame About Ray.”

Carry On by Angra
Bruce rocks out with a song off the Brazilian heavy metal band's debut album “Angels Cry.”  It encourages you to...well...carry on.  “So carry on, there' a meaning to life which someday we may find.  And carry on, it's time to forget the remains from the past, to carry on.”

The Man Who Sold the World by Nirvana 
Joe finishes off the staff picks with Nirvana's MTV Unplugged  cover of the David Bowie song.  The song lyrics are about a man who is surprised to meet a personality of himself that he thought he had left behind years ago.

COMEDY TRACK:

Bohemian Polka by Weird Al Yankovic
Weird Al stays surprisingly faithful to the original lyrics, but with a polka twist on the music.

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