Pearl Jam - discography

Pearl Jam rose from the ashes of Mother Love Bone to become the most popular American rock & roll band of the '90s. After vocalist Andrew Wood overdosed on heroin in 1990, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament assembled a new band, bringing in Mike McCready on lead guitar and recording a demo with Soundgarden's Matt Cameron on drums. Thanks to future Pearl Jam drummer Jack Irons, the demo found its way to a 25-year-old San Diego surfer named Eddie Vedder, who overdubbed vocals and original lyrics and was subsequently invited to join the band (then christened Mookie Blaylock after the NBA player). Dave Krusen was hired as the full-time drummer shortly thereafter, completing the original lineup. Renaming themselves Pearl Jam, the band recorded their debut album, Ten...

Pulp Fiction (Collector's Edition) - Soundtrack

"Pulp Fiction" wasnt the first movie whose mood grew from the pop songs that became its soundtrack. E.g., "American Graffiti" found motivation in popular music much earlier, providing a huge boost to 50s music nostalgia. "Pulp Fiction" helped fuel a popular resurgence of surf music, but more importantly, it was the film whose director spent a great deal of time discussing his music-inspired methodology. At the time of the films release, Quentin Tarantino consumed numerous interview inches discoursing on his technique for drawing a film from his record collection.

For those who didnt hear or read Tarantinos explanation the first time around, MCAs "Collectors Edition" soundtrack (issued to accompany the films DVD reissue) adds a 16-minute "interview" (actually, a non-stop monolog), as well as four tracks left off the original CD. The extra songs are terrific, but expanding to two discs solely to accommodate the 1994 interview (disc one contains the music, disc two the interview) positions this more for Tarantino groupies than anyone else.

White Stripes - Aluminium

Detroit minimalist rock duo (specifically, southwest Detroit minimalist rock duo) the White Stripes -- Jack White, guitar and vocals, Meg White, drums -- formed in 1997 (Bastille Day, to be precise) with the idea of making simple rock & roll music. From the red-and-white peppermint candy motif of their debut singles, self-titled album, and stage show to their on-the-surface rudimentary style, they succeeded wildly and immediately with that mission. Their first recordings were a mix of garage rock, blues, and the occasional show tune. In frontman Jack (a former drummer for Detroit country outfit Goober & the Peas), the White Stripes have a formidable songwriter, guitar player, and vocalist capable of both morphing between styles and changing the musical styles themselves; ranging from the folk blues of Blind Willie McTell to soaring Kinks-esque pop and narrative pop tunes worthy of Cole Porter...

Beatles - Abbey Road

The 1960�s were a big decade for rock music, and sprawled its presence among the world like a madman. Every high pitched voiced adolescent girl started whoring themselves out to new extremes, just to meet the bands they worshiped with paper posters on the walls of their suburban home bedrooms. Not one band was as popular among the pop-culture crowd as the Beatles, an English quartet from Liverpool, writing catchy songs about simplistic ideas, and scoring big with the world. In fact, so big, that no one has ever sold more albums than the four of them. They have remained the number one selling music artist of all time, through the present day, only slightly challenged by Led Zeppelin. And they�re release entitled �Abbey Road� just helped them further to gain that title. By now, I�m sure you all have heard the ludicrous rumors of Beatles bass player/songwriter/singer, Paul McCartney dying in a car accident early on, and being replaced with a look-alike. I�m more than sure that these rumors are just a creative myth, but there is some speculating evidence of that on Abbey Road. In addition to the previous backward tracking incidents on The White Album and Magical Mystery Tour, Abbey Road�s cover shows Paul as walking in front of a car, as well as the only member without shoes. It may be just some dumb myth, but it is a bit spooky, and even if it�s false, that is one very well thought out story, and some odd coincidences.

Kaiser Chiefs - Employment


"Employment" is one of the greatest albums of 2005. The opening three songs are brilliant. The song, 'Modern Way" which is not as popular as the first two: "Every Day i Love you Less and less" and "I Predict a Riot", however it is my favourite on the album. The Kaiser Chiefs are not unique, but they stand out against similar acts such as Maximo Park, The Futureheads, and bloc party.

Mary J Blige - Reflections

Mary J Blige has done it again. ‘Reflections - A
Retrospective’ is the ultimate collection of her
greatest hits and previously unreleased tracks.
Showing the journey from her rein as the Queen of
Hip Hop and Soul and taking us into her evolution as
a legend.


01. Reflections (I Remember) 04:08
02. We Ride (I See The Future) 03:57
03. You Know 03:34
04. King And Queen (Duet With John Legend) 03:46
05. No More Drama 04:27
06. Family Affair 04:26
07. Real Love 04:31
08. No One Will Do 04:46
09. Be Without You 04:09
10. I’m Going Down 03:42
11. 911 (Duet With Wyclef) 04:20
12. Not Gon’ Cry 04:53
13. My Life ‘06 05:08
14. Be Happy 05:39
15. I’ll Be There For You , You’re All I Need To Get By Feat Method Man (Razor Sharp Mix) 03:42
16. As (George Michael And Mary J Blige) 04:42
17. One (Mary J Blige And U2) 04:21
18. Mjb Da Mvp Featuring 50 Cent 04:11

Rufus Wainwright - Poses


As before, absolute consistency eludes Wainwright. Some mid-album selections suffer in comparison to standouts like the title track and the future sing-along "One Man Guy." But, also as before, his unique gifts make it difficult to mind.

Donald Fagen - Morph the Cat


That’s not to say that Fagen’s new album, Morph the Cat, is filled with anything resembling joyous optimism. Fagen addresses topics like homeland security (“Security Joan”), the current administration (“Morph the Cat”) and cults (“Mary Shut the Garden Door”), as well as personal issues like impending mortality (“Brite Nightgown”). The ghost of Ray Charles even shows up on the reharmonized minor blues of “What I Do.” Nor has Fagen lost his sardonic way with words. Who else could come up with a phrase like “Rabelaisian puff of smoke”?

But Fagen grooves just a little deeper on his own than he does with Becker, giving the darker subject matter a veneer that has you bopping your head along, even as he talks of alien invasion and death—a quality that has always made both his and Steely Dan’s albums so intriguingly paradoxical. Ignore the lyrics and the polished grooves are so infectious and the playing so tasty that Fagen’s sharp wit and rich jazz harmonies become obscured by the music’s sheer visceral nature.

Johnny Cash, American III: Solitary Man


Even the best good ideas can get pushed too far, and for Johnny Cash, American III: Solitary Man is one Rick Rubin-built cover album over the line. The point with the Cash-Rubin series, which started in 1994 with American Recordings and continued with 1996's Unchained, isn't really transformation, as Willie Nelson has done with his recent cover treatments of reggae and blues. The point is that Cash's baritone (still able, despite the onset of a neurological disorder) is elemental, the marrow of sadness; simply to bestow that dark voice on moody songs by a range of songwriters is statement enough.

Killers - Hot Fuss


The Killers have produced three of the best singles in recent times in Mr Brightside, All These Things that Ive Done and Somebody Told Me and there are two or three more tracks here that live up to that standard...but the album is perhaps weighed down by a lack of direction. Promising debut though

Henry Rollins - Big Ugly Mouth

Personnel: Henry Rollins; Gary I, Joe Cole. Recording information: Madison, Wisconsin (1985 - 1988); Chicago, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Denver, Colorado. Released by Henry Rollins's own 2.13.61 label, this double-disc set collects the proudly opinionated punk icon's first two spoken-word albums. A mix of hard-hitting poetry and humorous anecdotes, these live recordings showcase Rollins's blunt, tell-it-like-it-is attitude and surprisingly genial persona, with subjects ranging from sexist knuckleheads ("Dehumanized") to women with guns ("Hiya Handsome") to the perils of visiting Manhattan ("New York Story"). While the sound quality on SHORT WALK ON A LONG PIER (available here on CD for the first time) is described by Rollins himself as being "just awful," it's an entertaining look at a performer becoming comfortable on stage with only his voice and a microphone, and it makes the subsequent BIG UGLY MOUTH seem that much better.

Lenny Kravitz - Circus


In the title track of Lenny Kravitz's new album, the singer struggles with the dictates of reality that come to bear on fantasy. "Welcome to the real world," he sings to himself. But in the real world according to Kravitz, rock stars still flash diamond rings and coke spoons, and bumper-sticker platitudes like god is love still soften the blows of the real real world. In all its kaleidoscopic glory, Kravitz's world looks more like a B movie about an early-'70s rocker trying to find his identity among the gods: Hendrix, Zeppelin, Sly, Funkadelic.

Nickelback - All The Right Reasons


Nickelback's fifth disc consists of eleven giant-chorused songs about prisons of the mind, wanting to be a rock star and how it's hard to up and leave when she's going down on you. The band's wordy hooks and big riffs are as meticulously arranged as a thousand-dollar Nativity scene, but -- with the exception of the sleekly rocking "Animals" and some hope-and-faith platitudes -- All the Right Reasons is so depressing, you're almost glad Kurt's not around to hear it.

Joe Cocker - Ultimate Collection

I love the Joe Cocker Ultimate Collection, because it has plenty of good songs to listen to, and a bunch that I love singing karaoke style. I am a frequent karaoke singer, and after doing one of my renditions of my favorite song You are so beautiful, someone told me that there was a compilation of Joe Cockers greatest hits over his 30 year career. After picking it up, I had to comment, because it is easy and fun listening. I dont know if its his deep voice, or heartfelt lyrics, but for some reason it just touches my heart, and makes me feel good. Especially after a long day of taking my kids to soccer games, or a rough day of work, this cd helps make me feel better, and put a smile on my face. I recommend checking out Feeling alright, Up where we belong, and With a little help from my friends which is the a good starting song for this cd =)~

Eels - Souljacker

Then the Eels signed to Dreamworks and scored a left field alternative rock hit with "Novocaine For the Soul," they defined their career in one swift move. They didn’t know it at the time, but an Eels single would never again attain the massive popularity of the debut. When alternative rock faded as the music industry’s cash-cow, so did the Eels.


The band was thus forced to take a step back, and most "indie" fans didn’t really care that they had once been an MTV pop group. Despite this, the Eels struggled to gain any leverage in the community. They became part of a cluster of bands that was only quietly respected among music critics and Pitchfork-type fans such as yourself. Even as they released Electro-Shock Blues and Daisies of the Galaxies, two phenomenal records that showed them moving light years ahead of the straight ahead alt-rock that had turned listeners off of Beautiful Freak, the Eels were consistently shrugged off as insignificant, boring, and standard. People liked them, sure, but, you know, they were part of that whole "grunge" thing, weren’t they?

Elvis Costello - Trust


It's not going too far to say that Elvis Costello's career depends upon our misunderstanding him. Impatient and agonized, his image flickers: good guy, then bad guy, then good guy. It's impossible to get a fix on him, easy to be confused by what he says and does. The distance he maintains from his fans, his deadpan demeanor, the clever opacity of his lyrics, the jittery but artful leaps of musical style–all of these combine to form the persona of a man you can't trust.

John lennon - Ddouble fantasy

It is, of course, impossible to separate the album from what happened immediately after it was released. In late November 1980, John Lennon made his musical return after five years of self-imposed retirement with "Double Fantasy," a full-fledged collaboration with his wife, Yoko Ono; on December 8th of that year, he was murdered on his way home from a recording studio. Rather than being his comeback, "Double Fantasy" became Lennon's sweet, gentle farewell.
But it would have been a rock & roll event regardless. After a self-indulgent, eighteen-month "lost weekend," a separation from Ono and a few disappointing albums, Lennon had retreated into a life of domesticity in late 1975, devoting himself to being a househusband and a father to his son Sean.
In the spring of 1980, Lennon and Sean sailed to Bermuda for a brief vacation; there Lennon became intrigued by New Wave musicians like the Pretenders, Lene Lovich and Madness. And when he heard the B-52's song "Rock Lobster," he was spurred to action. "It sounds just like Ono's music," he told ROLLING STONE, "so I said to meself, 'It's time to get out the old axe and wake the wife up!'"