Pearl Jam - Lost Dogs
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Free Music Notes for Lost Dogs
Free Music Review: Our best aural snapshot of Pearl Jam as a band
Hit: 5 Stars
For those who have been really been following Pearl Jam know that their numerous B-sides and rarities often rivaled and sometimes surpassed the songs on their albums. I could easily name off twenty Pearl Jam b-sides that I think are just as good as what made the records. I have long been dreaming of when Pearl Jam would make it easy for the rest of the world, other than the devotees who will find every b-side they can get their hands on, to have access to their stupendous catalogue music that never made the final cut, for whatever reason. Indeed, I wish that the four songs from RIOT ACT had replaced some of the tracks on the last half of that album, which would have made it much stronger. They could have cut "You Are," "Help, Help," and "½ Full" or even "Green Disease" and "Get Right" for the four songs on this record.So when I heard news of LOST DOGS, I was really excited. There were a full ELEVEN unreleased songs included on this. Looking at the tracking list, though, I found it hard to believe what had been left on and what had been included. Where was "I Got Id?" The two Singles soundtrack songs? "Leatherman?" "Crazy Mary?" "Angel?" "Sonic Reducer?" "Long Road?" There are a few songs that were included ("Gremmie," "Leaving Here," "U," "Black, Red, and Yellow,") that I would have left off to make room for some of the better songs. Listening to the record now, though, I understand why those `slight' moments are on here. Still, it would have been nice to round out LOST DOGS with more material, with each disc only holding a little over fifty minutes of music.
Pearl Jam's albums were always very tightly controlled. They also always gave the impression of being very sour-faced and always very serious, like the smart kid always studying and never really cutting up with the rest of the guys. Ever since TEN, each Pearl Jam release has played to a smaller and smaller audience, as Pearl Jam becoming more of a cult band than the major bridge between 1970s hard arena rock and grunge that they were back in the start of their career. Pearl Jam was the biggest band of the early 1990s in terms of record sales, not Nirvana. Although Nirvana may have started off the whole shebang, it was Pearl Jam that kept it going. As time went on, they become more and more of an anachronism, far afield of what was happening in the mainstream music scene. Especially now, with Cobain dead over ten years, and listening to the radio and looking at what records are really selling, you can tell that Pearl Jam is really alone in the world, the last survivors of an era long since gone. That is why this album is such a tremendous addition to their catalogue, because it follows its own internal logic, just like any other PJ album.
LOST DOGS captures Pearl Jam at its rawest, loosest, and funniest moments. What's more, it plays like a real Pearl Jam record, not a rarities release with substandard material that didn't make the cut. If you weren't familiar with the rarities to begin with, and approached it as a regular release, you wound think this was Pearl Jam at their most accessible since VS. LOST DOGS help show that the decision to shy away from the mainstream and release very sombre, serious, and in some places experimental albums was a deliberate move on their part, and that they could cut up and have fun playing music. It captures the essence of the band as sincere, eclectic, and uncompromising musicians. For those who want to know what Pearl Jam is really all about, then this is the record to get. As a portrait of the band and an encapsulation of their talent and what they stand for, this is, strangely enough, their best release.
P. S. For those interested, the majority of the already released B-Sides ARE NOT THE SAME VERSIONS found on their singles. These tracks below are alternate versions of the official B-Sides and Christmas Singles. Some of the differences are quite noticeable. I much prefer the original B-Side to "Alone." "Footsteps," for some bizaare reason, has a harmonica over dubbed onto the original version. The original mix without the harmonica sounds so much better. With the harmonica, you suddenly get a vision of Vedder doing a Dylan impression, strumming his guitar and blowing his mouth harp. There are some slight lyrical changes to "Hard to Imagine" and "Drifting." In the first song, LOST DOGS cuts the F word. In "Drifting," instead of singing "they get so d-ed excited," he excised "d-ed." "Drifting" is a lot more fun to sing along to a lot better with that word in there. "Wash" is one of the few exceptions to the rule, with the LOST DOGS version sounding better than the regular release from the "Alive" single. The worst, however, is "Dirty Frank." The original version is much funnier, with Vedder continually repeating the line from Shaft: "Dirty Frank is a bad mother - hey, shut your mouth!" Vedder talks a lot more in the regular release.
"Alone."
"Hard to Imagine."
"Footsteps"
"Wash."
"Dead Man."
"Strangest Tribe."
"Drifting."
"Dirty Frank."
"Brother."
(While never officially released, "Brother" is a well known to Pearl Jam collectors as a demo cut for TEN, along with the still unreleased song "Just a Girl." The most common version floating around is a full song with vocals. On LOST DOGS it just an instrumental version. The song is missing something without the lyrics.)
Free Music Review: A Flawed Masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
Another excellent masterpiece from Pearl Jam, although flawed.I have three complaints about it, let me get those out of the way first:
1. My favorite B-side, "Alone", for some reason was re-recorded for this album. The original - which can be found on the "Go" single. sounds much better, Eddie's singing is stronger and even a few words were different.
2. Why isn't "Angel" or "Daddy Could Swear, I Declare" on here?
3. And my favorite rarity, "Brother", for some reason has no vocals. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT ALL ABOUT??? The guitar is still amazing and rocking as hell and this is still PJ's hardest song, but without the vocals, it feels very lacking.
Other than that, _Lost Dogs_ is an excellent work of art.
Disc One:
1. All Night - One of the MANY _No Code_ rejects on here. Fun song. **** (out of 5)
2. Sad - Originally titled "Letter To The Dead". I have no idea why it was renamed. Has always been my favorite _Binaural_ outtake. Incredible opening riff. *****
3. Down - An upbeat litle number from the _Riot Act_ sessions. A huge fan favorite. ***
4. Hitchhiker - Catchy little song from the _Binaural_ sessions. ***
5. Don't Gimme No Lip - Very fun and catchy rock song from Stone. Sounds sort of like "Mankind"s sister song. Fun! ****
6. Alone - As I said before, my favorite PJ B-side. Amazing. *****
7. In The Moonlight - Cool blues number. ****
8. Education - The 2nd of the coveted _Binaural_ outtakes. Love it. *****
9. Black, Red, Yellow - Oh yeah, we always knew Pearl Jam would release a song about Dennis Rodman. And here it is. The most fun song PJ has ever released next to "Mankind". Gotsta love it. ****
10.U - Cute little _Yield_ B-side. Simple and catchy. ***
11.Leavin' Here - Infectious, baby! Love this song, although it's sounds much better live. *****
12.Gremmie Out Of Control - If The Beach Boys had a singer with a low voice. Crazy tune! Very '60s. ***
13.Whale Song - I've always loved this song. The Jack Irons vocals kick major ass. Powerful, memorable, and fun. *****
14.Undone - Great _Riot Act_ B-side. If it made it on the album, it would have been one of the best on it. *****
15.Hold On - A B-side from, in my opinion, PJ's best album (_Vs._), this song, surprisingly, isn't quite all I expected. Still good though. ***
16.Yellow Ledbetter - This song hardly needs introduction. Absolutely beautiful. PJ often uses it to close concerts, in fact the PJ concert I went to was closed with this song. Absolutely beautiful. One of the greatest songs of all time. *****
Disc 2:
1. Fatal - The 3rd _Binaural_ outtake and considered the best among most fans. Excellent. *****
2. Other Side - Jeff's _Riot Act_ B-side from the "Save You" single. Good song. ***
3. Hard To Imagine - Another _Vs._ B-side. A very popular fan favorite. Heavily requested at concerts. ****
4. Footsteps - Another very big fan favorite. ***
5. Wash - An absolutely incredible, sweeping _Ten_ B-side. Probably one of PJ's top 30 songs in my opinion. *****
6. Dead Man - Originally recorded for the "Dead Man Walking" soundtrack. Those ungreatful bastards didn't even put it on the soundtrack! Oh well, it's still a great and very powerful song. ****
7. Strangest Tribe - Pretty good calm song from the 1999 Christmas single. ****
8. Drifting - Very nice and peaceful. ***
9. Let Me Sleep - Cool, interesting Christmas song. Neat little jungle bongo sound. ***
10.Last Kiss - Supposedly PJ's biggest radio "hit". Not bad, although overrated. **
11.Sweet Lew - Well...um...wow. Jeff does the vocals on this song. Weird as hell. It's sort of a rap song. Interesting. **
12.Dirty Frank - The hilarious _Ten_ B-side about how PJ thought their bus driver was a serial killer. I love it! Eddie makes a funny comment in the booklet - "Rob Zombie should make a movie based on these lyrics." That'd be somethin' alright. ****
13.Brother - With vocals, this song is absolutely amazing, without them, it's still awesome, but nowhere near as good. ****
14.Bee Girl - Very nice little acoustic number by Eddie and Jeff. Good song to fall asleep to. ****
Well, if that's not enough to make you want to buy the album (god forbid!) the CD booklet is also awesome. Definetly pick this one up.
Free Music Review: by far the best band ever
Hit: 5 Stars
Pearl Jam has been one of my favourites and by far one of the best bands ever. With a lineup of members that have talent beyond description, lyrical ability to make you think, feel, love, hate, etc and music to fit your any mood, Pearl Jam definitely deserves all the stars in the world.LOST DOGS, a collection of rarities and bsides from their expanding career is one of the best collection I've seen in years. The vocals surpass (by a longshot) what we've been hearing on the radio stations and music channels recently, the music is complete and bold and every song has it's own style and feel.
Here's a review of all the songs:
1. All Night - a great song to open the brilliant cd with, a great music song 4/5
2. Sad - one of the best on the CDs, lyrically intelligent and vocally beautiful - 5/5
3. Down - the lyrics are fun, 5/5
4. Hitchhiker - one of my personal favs, it's such a great song especially with the brilliant opening line 'YOU FOOL' - 5/5
5. Don't Gimme No Lip - one of the songs that Ed doesn't sing, I'm not a fan of the songs without the master of vocals, but this one is OK - 3/5
6. Alone - I've known this song for a long time now, it's a little different than the version I'm used to but I think that's a good thing since it's more focused on the vocals - 4.5/5
7. In the Moonlight - an all around good song - 4/5
8. Education - a song that WILL get stuck in your head, great lyrics and music - 5/5
9. Black, Red, Yellow - again, a song I've known, brilliant - 5/5
10. U - as Ed says, it is a simple song - 4/5
11. Leavin' Here - a cover song, I really like it though - 5/5
12. Gremmie Out of Control - feels like a surfing song, always fun to listen to - 4.5/5
13. Whale Song - I'm not a fan of this one (maybe because Ed doesn't sing it?) the vocals are OK and the music is drained - 3/5
14. Undone - one of the best songs, again. Beautifully written - 5/5
15. Hold On - another outrageous track, one of the best - 5/5
16. Yellow Ledbetter - they saved the best 3 tracks for last I guess...everyone knows this one. The live version is better but this one still has it - 5/5
***
1. Fatal - my favourite song, brilliant, amazing, beatiful - 5/5
2. Other Side - another one of my favs! The music is different, I love it - 5/5
3. Hard to Imagine - A nice song to listen to - 5/5
4. Footsteps - 'I've got scratches all over my arms, one for each day since I fell apart' that says it all - 5/5
5. Wash - Odd lyrics, mellow music - 4/5
6. Dead Man - Beauty at its best - 5/5
7. Strangest Tribe - If you need another reason to buy the album, this song is it - 5/5
8. Drifting - A nice song, seems short - 4/5
9. Let Me Sleep - Beautiful lyrics and a nice message - 5/5
10. Last Kiss - At first I didn't see the fascination about this song but I know it know - it's pure brilliant - 5/5
11. Sweet Lew - First vocals we've heard from Jeff, he should stick to playing bass - 3/5
12. Dirty Frank - not my favourite song but funny - 3.5/5
13. Brother - no vocals here, a great guitar song but it probably would have been better if Ed had some vocals - 4/5
14. Bee Girl - Has a folk feel to it, a calming song - 4/5
15. 4/20/02 - to Layne Staley, a nice song from Ed - 4/5
In all, BUY THIS ALBUM, you will not regret it!
Free Music Review: It's hard to imagine...
Hit: 5 Stars
Pearl Jam are all in all, the most consistent and lasting grunge band of all time. Every other band to be born out of the music scene in the early 90s has faded away, some tragically. Alice In Chains, Nirvana, and Smashing Pumpkins all were all destroyed by heroin (Jimmy Chamberlian being cut from the Smashing Pumpkins counts, and lets face the truth, Adore and MACHINA are no Gish, Siamese Dream, and Mellon Collie.) Eddie Vedder and his cronies however still stand today.With a lasting career in music and a large range of songs and albums, Pearl Jam have come a long way in their career. Today, Eddie and co. are the same band they were in 91, but indredibly matured musically. With grunge albums Ten and Vs., cryptic and daring albums like Vitalogy and No Code, the upbeat Yield, the spaced out Binaural, and the gritty Riot Act, their is a wealth of b-sides that have been below the surface of their releases for years, which show who Pearl Jam really are at the core.
Lost Dogs is an amazing compilation because it shows who Pearl Jam are and what they are all about, greater than any A-side track in their career. We see sides of Pearl Jam that have never been seen by the public eye before, and this is the sound of who Pearl Jam really are below the serious shell we've seen all along.
Disc One has all the rockers. Songs like All Night, Undone, Down, Black, Red, and Yellow, Hitchiker, and Don't Gimme No Lip, are songs where Pearl Jam show their hidden rocking, and upbeat side. Down is the greatest example, a song where you could picture Vedder having a fun time in the studio with the band. Gremmie Out Of Control and Leavin' Here are other great examples, where the band is even humurous. These songs were made you could tell, written when the band couldn't help but fool around and have fun in the studio like a teenage garage band, excited about stardom.
Disc Two has all the slow, acoustic, melodic songs, these are beatiful songs that just couldn't fit the sound of any of their albums, songs one could play around a bond-fire. Fatal is one of the best songs, and well worth the price of the album. Along with the two best songs of Pearl Jam's career, Footsteps and the incredible Hard To Imagine. Hard To Imagine defines Pearl Jam better than any other song of their career, it is a slow-building epic song, featuring aspects of everything the band has covered throughout seven studio albums. Vedder's voice start out soft and melodic like his later music, and then builds to an anthemic chant that reminds one of Ten and Vs.
All in all, this is one of hell of a cd. This is the album that started me off with Pearl Jam, and it is a great place to start. This album shows that Pearl Jam are not just serious about music, that is only the surface of them.
Free Music Review: The answer is Pearl Jam.
Hit: 5 Stars
Pearl Jam certainly dont seem to take their fans for granted, releasing this and a live DVD on the same day a few weeks ago. As the alpha exports of the Seattle scene which exploded a decade ago, they have always been prolific, but for the first time this compilation of b-sides, rarities and all sorts finally puts into perspective just _how_ prolific these seemingly invincible veterans are. Not only that, 'Lost Dogs' is a searing testament to the breadth and extraordinary wealth of talent the band posseses. This being Pearl Jam, their compilation is not just any old collection of ragtags. What we have here is cuts that never made it on to the bands studio albums, perhaps because they did not adhere to a specific mood or tone the album was intended to evoke, or perhaps because they simply would have pushed the albums running time out too far. This should make it plain that a lot of the unreleased material here is easily as good as anything on their studio efforts. Of course, die-hards would already be aware of this, having been engrossed in singing the classic 'Yellow Ledbetter' at concerts for years now. This song finally sees the light of day here, along with forgotten gems like 'Black, Red Yellow' and 'Dead Man'.What makes 'Lost Dogs' special for me though is not the effortless consistency present in the material, or the joy of hearing old standards re-packaged and produced, and heard as they were meant to be heard. The songs on 'Lost Dogs', presented in this format, transcend any of the tired cliches surrounding 'grunge' and all its trappings, displaying the raw wealth of Pearl Jam's talent and stripping their entire ethos back to its roots. Theres a distinct pleasure, not to mention satisfaction, in hearing gorgeous 'Binaural' era cuts like 'Sad' and 'Fatal' alongside classics like Alone' or 'Wash'. Even 'Riot Act' outtakes like 'Down' shinelike diamonds in amongst these gems. Indeed, one feels like this is the archetype form for a Pearl Jam release: songs like the relentlessly sombre and delicate 'strangest tribe' rub shoulders so well with exuberant covers of 'Leaving Here', or the silly 'Gremmie out of control' that a sense that the band are really enjoying themselves and letting, well, it all hang out so to speak permeates the record.
I shouldnt really have to preach to fans here: this record is utterly mandatory for you. The highest accolade I can bestow here is that, for future beginners, fans like me may well see fit to direct them to 'Lost Dogs' to locate the apex of the bands career. An enduring and essential testament to a formidable talent, 'Lost Dogs' recieves my highest possible recommendation.