Grungedown
It may be light here for a few days — even though baseball begins LIVE on Monday (And, true to absolute fucking form, I’m excited for the Cubs season even though I have no rational reason to be), it’s going to be a bit before I can wrap my head around each team’s chances, let alone the Cubs. I hate myself and want to die.
In fact, it may be sporadic here for a couple of days (I know, WATFO?!) as I finish my whirlwind tour of Kansas for my real job. In addition — remember, Saturday begins Wall-to-Wall-In-Law-April, and I can’t promise anything over the weekend. So, you know, Go Patriots. (Wow, talk about sentences I never thought I’d type…)
Anyway, we’re up to:
No. 21 - Pearl Jam, Why Go.
In 1991 when Pearl Jam’s Ten unceremoniously (almost by default) became the second CD I owned, I was a little unsure of the overall disc. I knew I liked Alive, Even Flow was OK, and Jeremy was on MTV every other minute. However, I put the disc in, and played, start to finish, giving it a chance.
First, the opening beats of Master/Slave … not too shabby, a little mysterious. John likes.
Then, Once. Wow. This band rips. Who are these guys? Still, anyone can have a killer opening track.
Next, Even Flow. I sure like this song better when Steve Isaacs and Kennedy aren’t fellating it. Rock!
And then, of course, Alive. (Sings in nonsensical words at top of lungs to emulate track.)
Is this CD really this good? Then, the drumbeats of track 4 started, followed by the guttural, pulsating bass, and the song explodes, into a furious Ed wailing the story of a runaway, capped by the frantic chorus — “Why go home?”
It’s an impassioned, ragged, simple, and coherent burst of energy and anger — pure grunge. To me, it signaled that I had a new favorite band. The song isn’t a staple of Pearl Jam’s catalog any more, but it still emerges, and each live play is a little different — but always with the same powerful urgency.