Joe Strummer once claimed that the Clash had stardom in their hands, then they dropped it on the floor and broke it. Pearl Jam took the opposite tact: they purposely left stardom behind. Nirvana may have ushered in the age of grunge and alternative rock, but Pearl Jam was the biggest band in the land during the first half of the '90s, dominating radio airwaves, MTVand college dorms alike. Most bands would have embraced such wide spread acclaim, but the quintet bristled at this vein, and started to restlessly explore new musical territory, a move that eventually whittled their fan base down to just the hardcore by the beginning fo the next decade. That hardcore following was still large, and the band could still have the occasional surprising crossover hit, like the 1999 cover of J. Frank Wilson's teen tragedy classic "Last Kiss" that went to number 2 on the Billboard charts, but they were no longer the biggest band in the land.
Spanning two discs, Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991-2003) chronicles that journey and it does an expert job not only of capturing the moment when Pearl Jam were monsterously popular, but proving that they still turned out good music even when they were fading from the spotlight. Unlike most career-spanning, multi-disc retrospectives, Rearviewmirror does not emphasize latter-day albums in order to achieve a sense of balance that's inherently phony. Of the 33 tracks, only 12 date from the post-Vitalogy era, which means that the bulk of the collection concentrates on their early 1990s heyday and nearly every radio hit and concert staple is here, outside of the Victoria Williams cover "Crazy Mary" and "Tremor Christ." While their presence would have been nice, they're not terribly missed, partially because such non-LP cuts like "State of Love and Trust," "I Got ID," "Last Kiss" and "Man of the Hour" are collected here, but mainly because the compilation plays so well.
The songs are divided into the "Up Side" and "Down Side," meaning the first disc has all the rockers and the second disc has all the ballads. At first, this seems like a questionable strategy, since it's usually preferable to have all the hits follow in chronological order, but what makes this work is that the songs on each disc are presented in chronological order, and they sustain their mood quite well (this is partially helped by Brendan O'Brien's new mixes of "Once," "Alive" and "Black," which retain the feeling of the original songs but remove much of the dated glossy sheen in the production). Distilled to their hits and anthems, all of Pearl Jam's best qualities shine through and they sound bigger, better and frankly more coherent than they do on their full-length albums. And that's why Rearviewmirror is a cut above most '90s hits collections: it not only gives casual fans all the hits, but it captures why the band mattered, while providing a better listen than their proper LPs in the process.
QUOTE OF THE DAY ... The greater the number of laws and enactments, the greater the number of thieves and robbers. Lao Tzu [Tao Te Ching]
THE 2004 DENNIS KUCINICH PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN TURNS A CORNER
In our bold campaign to elect Dennis Kucinich President of the United States, we shared a vision and an expression of American values which holds up peace, liberty, justice, caring, fairness, unity, and honor, and we took decisive steps ahead toward a renewed Democratic party and a renewed America. The campaign office is proud to announce that, thanks to you, the campaign debt of Kucinich for President, Inc. is now completely paid. Our public campaign, which has continued in wind-down mode since the convention solely to retire this debt, now will close. Our national headquarters in Cleveland closed several weeks ago. Our only remaining operations will be internal work to liquidate a few remaining assets, balance the books, and deliver an accounting to the Federal Election Commission.
If additional funds are found to be required after the audit, appropriate action will be taken at that time. Sales of our retrospective campaign video will end today, Wednesday, November 17. If you have not yet ordered a copy for yourself and any copies you wish to give as gifts, this is your last chance. The video is available on VHS and DVD from:
http://www.kucinich.us
As we digest this month's events, think about values, and reckon with the choices some have made that differ from our own, among the things each of us has to be very proud of is how we performed in our work here over the last year and a half. Those who might argue that an electoral victory is all that matters would too soon dismiss the hearts and minds that have been moved by this campaign, and by the patriots across America who worked to register voters and worked for John Kerry after he won the nomination. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers and supporters in every state and county in America did hundreds of little things, one thing at a time, each of which will be seen as part of an enormous shift taking place in America.
A shift to honesty and integrity in politics, to walking the talk, to a new respect for the process - for the way politics is done. And to a higher level of expectations for politicians who would seek to lead us. Campaign finance reform is part of that shift. It is not easy to run a presidential campaign in such a way as to honor these laws which exist to level the political playing field. Some of our supporters with greater means wanted very much to donate more than the limits allowed, but it was not an option. At the times this campaign was broke and struggling to make payroll, to say nothing of buying advertising, when we had to refund overpaid amounts we had accidentally accepted from people who had reached the limit, we wanted to cry. But that is just part of walking the talk. And here we are. Dennis promised to appear on the ballot in every state of the union, and he did. He promised to give every American who agreed with his progressive vision a chance to vote for him, by not dropping out before the convention, and he did. He promised to take his campaign to the convention and do everything in his power to influence what the Democratic party stands for. And with respect for the process even where he disagreed with it, he did. Through fifty states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa, and on to the convention in Boston, Dennis Kucinich walked his talk. Dennis will remain a leader in Congress, and a leader in America. The Web site:
http://www.kucinich.us
will relaunch shortly, to serve as a platform for education and organizing around issues with Dennis Kucinich as our spokesperson, teacher and leader. Those of you who elect to remain on this mailing list will continue to hear from Dennis on the issues we share responsibility for as Americans. The presidential campaign is over, but Dennis is still just beginning. Our work has never been more urgent, the unity of *all* never more important to celebrate, and the way we express our shared American values so critical. Without cynicism, without meanness, without depression, without despair - with resolve, with confidence, with vigor and with joy - we turn this corner and set about our work with a renewed sense of purpose. With humble thanks for working alongside us and great admiration for all that you do - and how you do it.
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