The first album Eddie Vedder fell in love with
As the frontman and guitarist of Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder solidified his place in music history by the mid-1990s. Yet, spanning three decades in the industry, he has proven himself to be a multi-faceted artist beyond his formative job spec.
Emerging as a prominent force during the grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam rose alongside titans like Nirvana. Amidst the band’s accomplished members, Vedder’s vocal and instrumental prowess shone bright, a significant pillar of the band’s collective strength.
Having initially exercised his songwriting muscles in heavy rock, Vedder gradually branched out into side projects and solo ventures. This divergence allowed him to fully explore the broad spectrum of his musical influences. Embracing the acoustic guitar, Vedder ventured into folk and country-infused compositions, demonstrating versatility and artistic depth.
Vedder’s solo work is best known for his various contributions to film soundtracks. His first flirtation with the big screen came in 1995 when he created the score for Dead Man Walking, a film starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon.
However, undoubtedly Vedder’s most acclaimed soundtrack contribution was that for the 2007 film Into the Wild. The film was based on the 1996 non-fictional book by Jon Krakauer that followed the remarkable story of explorer Christopher McCandless. Vedder contributed an entire album’s worth of songs to soundtrack the film.
Vedder’s sprawling three decades in music reflect his diverse taste, which stretches far beyond the walls of heavy rock music. In 2013, Vedder was challenged by discogs.com to pick his 13 favourite albums of all time.
Intriguingly, the grunge star chose Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation and Pixies’ Surfer Rosa. When creating his own list of top albums, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain chose both albums. On Vedder’s list, these proto-grunge picks were joined by similarly predictable selections from Soundgarden, Fugazi and Mudhoney.
Although Vedder’s taste in heavy rock of the late 1980s directly inspired his work with Pearl Jam, it all started with The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson’s formative family act. Selecting The Jackson 5’s Third Album for his first album on the list, Vedder commented: “This is the first real memory I have of any music that stayed with me”.
He added: “I was living on the wrong side of the tracks in Evanston, Illinois, in a home for boys. We had these Jackson 5 records. I really related to their voices–they were about my age, but they were doing it. It was like, ‘Get up girl, sit down. I’ll show you what I can do!’ And you would do it. Whatever you say, Michael.”
Listen to ‘I’ll Be There’, the lead single from The Jackson 5’s Third Album, below.
