This is another tune that was on the birthday disc Lindsay burned for me in October.
As I listened, I kept thinking “man this sounds like Eddie Vedder.”
In fact on Christmas Day this year, we were sitting in the living room at Lindsay’s parents’ home (with Lindsay’s shuffle plugged in, of course) and Hunger Strike played and we both agreed it really did sound like Vedder.
Well, that is because it is Vedder.
Temple of the Dog were indeed a grunge band who released one disc in 1991, with Vedder, Mike McCReady, and Matt Cameron, Stone Gossard, and Jeff Ament–who would collectively release big disc, 10, as Pearl Jam a year later–along with Soundgarden core Chris Cornell.
The album was a tribute to the late Andrew Wood, singer for Mother Love Bone out of whom Temple of the Dog was born, and then the evolution completed with Pearl Jam or Soundgarden, depending upon who you were and where you went.
As with the best of Pearl Jam, I would call this song haunting. And, I know there are those who really dislike PJ, and well, likes are subjective. I happen to really like them. If nothing else they are excellent musicians and songwriters, even if not your cup of tea.
Yeah, count me in as a Pearl Jam hater. Eddie Vedder can cram all his serious, eye-closing, face-straining angst up his hiney-hole. I do believe he’s the type of singer Henry Rollins ragged in that stand-up video from weeks ago. Here’s a kind-of-cool related article. Note that the second guy from the right in the Fuel picture is Kevin Miller, whose very first band I was in and still keep in touch with occasionally. I like Kevin, but I’m certainly more proud of working with Ian MacKaye.
http://www.nerve.com/music/five-albums/five-unbearable-singers-we-can-blame-on-eddie-vedder
I hated Pearl Jam. Ponderous self important crap (not that there is anything wrong with that) that didn’t rock. Just bad.
Until I saw them one night on Saturday Night Live, and they were pretty good. Eddie was rocking, the band was propulsive, all the sludgy waste of the elpee was transformed into a rock ‘n’ roll train.
My opinion changed, sort of, but I’m still not a fan. I think Eddie’s songs for the Into the Wild soundtrack are really well suited to the movie and the story. So I like him, and maybe them, more, but I stil have problems.