Smells Like Alternative

On August 27, 1996 Pearl Jam released their fourth studio album entitled No Code.
The album debuted at number on the Billboard 200 charts and then fell into almost obscurity. It was also the bands first album with drummer Jack Irons. However, it was, and remains, a hard album for fans to digest. The band is everywhere musically on the album. Ranging from standard straight ahead rockers like “Hail, Hail” to more worldly efforts like “Who You Are” to even a spoken track “I’m Open”.
No Code is so different then the band’s three previous releases that it pretty much divided Pearl …read more

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Beck is currently streaming a new track entitled “Chemtrails” on his official site and his MySpace page.
“Chemtrials”premiered yesterday (May 19) on BBC Radio 1 and will be included on Beck’s upcoming album, which was produced by some dude named Danger Mouse. It’s a very cool track. It’s mellow and hypnotic during the chorus, which I didn’t expect. I’ve listened to it like six times already, and it gets better with each listen.
Anyways, the upcoming album remains untitled and should be coming out this summer with an unannounced release date, just like the Raconteurs just did with Consolers of the Lonely …read more

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I’m sure that last week STP fans held their breath, while critics laughed, when Scott Weiland was once again sent to jail. However, he was released within the day, and fans could let out a huge sigh of relief knowing that the tour would go on.
STP kicked off their extensive 65 plus date reunion tour at the ‘Rock on the Range’ festival on Saturday May 17 and then in Camden, NJ for Philly radio station WMMR’s 40th anniversary show last night May 18.
The band stuck mainly to the hits, but managed to sneak in a couple of gems like the unreleased track “All In The …read more

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Let’s do an FYI on Mike McCready’s side project, cause Mad Season was spectacular and it’s a nice, rainy day in May.

Mike McCready went into rehab during the production of Vitalogy, where he ran into The Walkabouts bassist John Baker Saunders.
The duo returned to Seattle from Minneapolis in 1994 and teamed up with Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin.
The trio wrote two songs together before they had a vocalist, “River of Deceit” and “Wake Up”.
McCready invited his friend Layne Staley to join and the band became complete.
The band’s first gigs were at Seattle’s Crocodile Cafe in October of 1994, even though they didn’t have …read more

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Back on January 8, 1995 Pearl Jam took over the airwaves of hundreds of radio stations across the globe.
Self Pollution Radio, as it was called, was a three hour plus broadcast from Eddie’s home in Seattle that featured live performances from Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Mad Season and the Fastbacks. The band also spun some new and old tunes, called up friends like Mike Watt, joked around and discussed some serious social issues with in studio guests like Krist Novoselic (who know, the bassist from Nirvana).
This was a great broadcast for any 90’s fan, but it must have been mind blowing for Pearl Jam fans. …read more

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Blabbermouth posted some cool news from a Pulse of Radio interview with Alice in Chains main man Jerry Cantrell.
Here’s what Jerry had to say: “We’ve been working about the last four months, and there’s a good bulk of music and a good body of work so far, and we’re having fun, and you know, we’re taking our time and trying to figure out where William fits in and where we need to step up, and I have all the confidence in the world in the guys,” he also added, ”The most important thing to me is that we’re all together and, you know, it’s been a tough …read more

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Bush may not have been one of the best bands from the 90’s, but they did have some decent songs, which includes “Swallowed”.
“Swallowed” was the first single from the band’s 1996 sophomore release Razorblade Suitcase. It then spent 7 consecutive weeks on top of Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks, which is pretty amazing to me cause there was a ton of great music released in 1996, like STP – Tiny Music, Pearl Jam – No Code, Soundgarden – Down on the Upside, R.E.M. – New Adventures in Hi-Fi, Weezer – Pinkerton, etc.
Anyways, I’ve always liked this song. It’s catchy in a straight …read more

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If you happen to be a Pearl Jam nut like I am then you probably want anything and everything that the guys have recorded.
Sure, the eight studio albums are great and I can’t get enough of them. But, the band has recorded so much more in their extensive career.
Lost Dogs gave us all a taste of what else the guys had stashed away in their arsenal, but for some time now I’ve greedily been looking for more and more of their rarities, b-sides and more to satisfy my hunger.
Thankfully the internet has helped to appease this hunger, not to mention …read more

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Last week eight tracks from Weezer’s upcoming self-titled release, which has been dubbed the Red Album, were leaked.
The tracks include: “Troublemaker”, “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived”, “Pork & Beans”, “Heart Songs”, “Everybody Get Dangerous”, “Dreamin’”, “Thought I Knew” and “Cold Dark World”.
If you’re impatient and really have to listen to them, then click here.
Ok, now for other updates on the Red Album.
I heard earlier today that the album has been pushed up from a June 24 release to June 3. Hmm, maybe the leaking of the eight tracks had something to do with it?
Also, if you pre-order the album from …read more

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Before Mother Love Bone and Pearl Jam, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard were in a band called Green River. Since Green River is reuniting for Sub Pop’s 20th Anniversary gig and I’m celebrating Pearl Jam this month, it’s a perfect time for an FYI on Green River.

Green River formed in 1984 when Mark Arm (guitar, vocal), Steve Turner (guitar) , Alex Vincent (drums) and Jeff Ament (bass) come together.
Later that year guitarist Stone Gossard joined the band.
Arm and Turner were previously in the bands The Limp Richards and Mr. Epp & The Calculations, who was dubbed the the worst band in …read more

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