Pearl Jam and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, commemorate the 30th anniversary of the band’s seminal sophomore full-length offering, Vs., with a series of special releases.
Vs. will be available in new vinyl and cassette configurations via various partners on November 17th. Pearl Jam’s own Ten Club features an exclusive 2LP Dreamsicle (translucent orange with white swirls) color variant vinyl and clear cassette. Target offers its own 1LP exclusive clear vinyl, an international clear vinyl will also be available outside of the United States, and a new black 2LP vinyl will be available in participating retailers. Album, and cassette, preorders are available here.
Additionally, Pearl Jam and Legacy Recordings will unveil a brand new Atmos Spatial Audio Mix of the album releasing October 20th on Apple Music alongside new visualizer videos for each track on the album. Stream Vs. and watch the track visualizers here.
Pearl Jam arrived like a tidal wave with Ten in 1991, unassumingly emerging as one of the most popular bands in rock music and culture at large. With all eyes on them for a follow-up, the musicians opted to hold nothing back, cut deeper, and deliver a dark and dynamic 12-track opus in the form of Vs. Powered by classics such as the heartbreakingly introspective Daughter, acoustic nostalgia of Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, primal punked-up fury of Blood, and downright raw catharsis of Leash, the album found the group at its rawest. From the explosion of Go through the poignant exhale of Indifference, it traced a journey through insecurity and uncertainty in the face of unwanted fame, stared down heavy themes such as abuse and neurodivergent learning disorders, raised a middle finger to America’s gun obsession and police brutality, tackled the topic of suicide fearlessly, and even managed to let light peek through the cracks with some of the group’s most treasured anthems ever.
In a 1993 Rolling Stone interview with Cameron Crowe, Eddie Vedder shared, “Music is an incredibly powerful medium to deliver a story by. But the best thing is, you have to have volume. You’re supposed to play it loud. I would do anything to be around music. You don’t even have to pay me.”
Vs. is the sound of a band who won’t compromise its message or meaning. It’s the moment the tide really turned…
It also notably marked the first of many albums to be helmed by longtime collaborator Brendan O’Brien, kicking off a now three-decade partnership with the producer. Upon arrival, Vs. smashed records by moving over 950,000 copies during its first five days in stores, eclipsing the sales of the rest of the entire Billboard Top 10 combined. It clinched #1 on the respective chart for five weeks, logging the longest run at the top for any Pearl Jam release to date. It held the record for “most albums sold first-week” for the next five years and set the record for “most first-week vinyl sales,” which would stand for the next 20 years.
Moving 10 million units worldwide, Vs. has since gone 7x Platinum in the States. Meanwhile, Daughter just reached RIAA Platinum status, while Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town has gone Gold.
Not to mention, Pearl Jam’s tenth full-length LP and fan favorite Lightning Bolt also celebrates its 10th anniversary this week. It originally dropped on October 15th, 2013 and became the group’s fifth #1 debut on the Billboard 200. The Brendan O’Brien produced Lightning Bolt is now available in Spatial Audio.
Check out the full Vs. tracklisting below and stay tuned for more news and announcements soon.
Pearl Jam – Vs. track listing:
1. Go
2. Animal
3. Daughter
4. Glorified G
5. Dissident
6. W.M.A.
7. Blood
8. Rearviewmirror
9. Rats
10. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
11. Leash
12. Indifference
Bonus Tracks (*digital release only):
13. Indifference
14. Cready Stomp
15. Crazy Mary
Pearl Jam – Vs.
1LP Side Splits:
Side A:
1. Go
2. Animal
3. Daughter
4. Glorified G
5. Dissident
6. W.M.A.
Side B:
1. Blood
2. Rearviewmirror
3. Rats
4. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
5. Leash
6. Indifference
2LP Side Splits:
A Side:
1. Go
2. Animal
3. Daughter
B Side:
1. Glorified G
2. Dissident
3. W.M.A.
C Side:
1. Blood
2. Rearviewmirror
3. Rats
D Side:
1. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
2. Leash
3. Indifference
7 Responses
I went to high school with Eddie Vedder (Eddie Mueller, as he was known in high school). My girlfriend (wife now) thought he was cute. How I hated him! ;o)_
Yes, we have discussed this before, I have to agree with your wife, Vedder is/was super hot. Those eyelashes and apple cheeks… 🙂
Lol, great story Rattlehead. So yer a PNW resident, eh?! Did you see the Soupdragons back in the early 90’s.
Hello from Stumptown!
Brent T
Tasker, i am a resident of San Diego County in California…born and raised. I, along with my wife and Eddie Vedder, went to San Dieguito High school in Encinitas, a small city about 15 miles north of San Diego.
San Diego music scene sucked for heavy metal. Best band was Bible Black, with Snakebyte, Prowler, and Assassin distant seconds. My friends and I often made the trek to the Los Angeles clubs to see the better local bands…Steeler, Odin, Witch, Stryper, as well as many “name” bands who often bypassed San Diego while on tour.
FYI, I’ve never been to the PNW….closest I’ve been to the area is when we traveled to Vancouver, Canada, to board a ship for an Alaskan Cruise.
Well, I guess I showed my ignorance thinking Eddie was a Washingtonian and after nearly 20 years of following this website staying informed via Eddie & Dana’s News Blog, I’d have recalled you’re a San Diego native. ;-[p]==
Cheers
Absolutely incredible record!
It really is, It’s almost better than 10. Some great grooves on there along with poignant lyrics. \m/ \m/