No Code | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 27, 1996 | |||
Recorded | July 12, 1995 – May 1996 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 49:30 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Producer | Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam | |||
Pearl Jam chronology | ||||
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Singles from No Code | ||||
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No Code is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1996, through Epic Records. Following a troubled tour for its previous album, Vitalogy (1994), in which Pearl Jam engaged in a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster, the band went into the studio to record its follow-up. The music on the record was more diverse than what the band had done on previous releases, incorporating elements of garage rock and worldbeat.
Although No Code debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it Pearl Jam's third consecutive number one album, it left a large section of the band's fanbase unsatisfied and quickly fell down the charts. Critical reviews were also mixed, with praise to the musical variety but criticism to the album's inconsistency. The album became the first Pearl Jam album to not reach multi-platinum status, receiving a single platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States.
For its fourth album, Pearl Jam again worked with producer Brendan O'Brien, with whom they had worked on predecessors Vs. (1993) and Vitalogy (1994). No Code was the band's first album with drummer Jack Irons, who had joined the band as Vitalogy was being completed. Following the summer U.S. leg of the band's Vitalogy Tour, the band began work on No Code at the Chicago Recording Company studios in Chicago for a week in July 1995 during the infamous Chicago heat wave. During a break in a string of make-up dates for the 1995 tour the band went into the studio for a week-long session in New Orleans, Louisiana, where the band recorded "Off He Goes". [4] [5] The rest of the recording took place in the first half of 1996 in Seattle at Studio Litho, which is owned by guitarist Stone Gossard. The album was then mixed by O'Brien at his mixing facility at Southern Tracks in Atlanta. [6]
The sessions for the album began with strife and tension. Bassist Jeff Ament was not made aware that the band was recording until three days into the sessions, and said that he "wasn't super involved with that record on any level". [7] Guitarist Mike McCready said, "I'm sure Jeff was pissed, but it was more about separating, because if we played all together nothing would get done. We'd all just get pissed off at each other." [7] At one point Ament even walked out of the recording sessions, [8] and considered quitting the band due to lead vocalist Eddie Vedder's control of the creation process. [9] Due to Pearl Jam balancing recording and touring, Irons commented that the band was "more on-the-fly during the making of No Code, and some good things happened out of that, but we were also really tired. It was difficult to tour and play these shows that were two or three hours long and then force ourselves to produce something in a studio." [10]
McCready said that a lot of the songs were developed out of jam sessions, and said "I think we kind of rushed it a little bit." [11] Ament said that the band members would bring in fragments of songs, and it would take hours before Vedder could have music to which he could add vocals. [8] He added that "Ed's typically the guy who finishes off the songs...But by the end of No Code, he was so burnt, it was so much work for him." [12] The band's mood had gotten better by the time the album was finished, and the bandmembers gave credit for this to Irons. Regarding Irons, O'Brien stated that "everybody was on their best musical behavior around him." [7] McCready said that Irons urged the band members to discuss their problems, and called him "a big spiritual influence, if not the biggest." [8] Vedder said, "Making No Code was all about gaining perspective." [13] Commenting upon the sessions as a whole, O'Brien said, "It was really a transitional record. We had a good time making it." [7]
Two outtakes from the recording sessions ended up as B-sides, "Black, Red, Yellow" on the "Hail, Hail" single, [4] and "Dead Man", which was originally intended for the film Dead Man Walking , on "Off He Goes". [14] Both songs were included on the 2003 Lost Dogs collection of rarities, along with four other tracks from the No Code sessions, two of which ended up on compilations – "Leaving Here", which appeared on Home Alive , and "Gremmie Out of Control", featured on Music for Our Mother Ocean Vol. 1 . The other rejected songs were "All Night" and "Don't Gimme No Lip". [4] "Olympic Platinum", written by the album's mixer Nick DiDia around the time of the 1996 Summer Olympics, was recorded by the band and released on its 1996 fan club Christmas single. [15]
While Vitalogy had shifted away from the earlier albums' accessible compositions and polished production, No Code represented a deliberate break from Ten's stadium sound, favoring experimental ballads and noisy garage rock songs. It stood out with its emphasis on subtle harmony ("Off He Goes"), Eastern influences ("Who You Are"), and spoken word ("I'm Open"). Irons lends a tribal drum sound on the songs "Who You Are" and "In My Tree". Irons stated, "To turn my drum music into a song is pretty challenging, but the guys have been really supportive of me doing it, and we've worked some things into a few songs." [10] Vedder said, "We realized that we had an opportunity to experiment." [13] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly stated that "No Code displays a wider range of moods and instrumentation than on any previous Pearl Jam album." [16]
The lyrical themes on the album deal with issues of spirituality, morality, and self-examination. [17] [18] Vedder said, "I think there's a little self-examination in those songs, something that a lot of my friends are going through too, as they approach 30." [18] Ament said, "In some ways, it's like the band's story. It's about growing up." [18] The lyrics of "Hail, Hail" refer to two people in a troubled relationship struggling to hold it together. [19] Vedder has said that he wrote the song "Off He Goes" about himself and how he is a "shit friend", adding, "I'll show up and everything's great and then all of the sudden I'm outta there..." [7] "Lukin" is about the "pretty intense stalker problem" Vedder faced during the mid-1990s. [7] [20] "Around the Bend" was written by Vedder as a lullaby that Irons could sing to his son. [7]
The lyrics to "Smile" are taken from a note that Dennis Flemion of The Frogs hid inside Vedder's notebook while he was onstage performing. [21] The words used in the note are taken from the Frogs songs "This Is How I Feel" and "Now I Wanna Be Dead". Flemion is given credit in the vinyl, but the credit is absent from the CD version. The lyrics to "Red Mosquito" were inspired by the events surrounding Pearl Jam's June 24, 1995, concert at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, which happened on the same day Vedder was hospitalized due to food poisoning. [22] [23] Vedder only made it through seven songs and the band was forced to cancel the remaining dates of the short tour that it was on. [18] For the first time on a Pearl Jam album, a band member other than Vedder contributed lyrics, with Gossard writing the lyrics to "Mankind". [13] Gossard also sang lead vocals on the track. [24]
The album package consists of 156 Polaroid photos that unfold into a 2×2 square. The Polaroid photos are seemingly random. One of the photos featured on the front cover is the eyeball of Dennis Rodman, former Chicago Bulls player and friend of the band, [4] [25] while another photo is of Vedder's foot after he had been stung by a stingray. [26] The pictures, when viewed from afar, blend to form the No Code triangle/eyeball logo that is the theme throughout the album. Later pressings of the CD featured a 1x4 format packaging, losing the hidden message effect. The CD and vinyl came with lyrics printed on the back of replica Polaroids. Only nine Polaroids came in a set, (with a catalog number Suffix of 'C' 'O' 'D' or 'E')leaving one to have to obtain another set to accumulate all thirteen songs. [27]
When discussing the album's title, Vedder said "it's called No Code because it's full of code. It's misinformation." [28] In medical terminology, a "no code" order is a medical order to withhold CPR on a patient. It is also known as a "do not resuscitate" order. In another interview, Vedder said that "if the record is a complete failure you've kind of owned up to it in a subliminal way. No Code was the same thing. For me, No Code meant 'Do Not Resuscitate'." [29]
Pearl Jam promoted the album with tours in North America and Europe in the fall of 1996. [30] The short tour of North America focused on the East Coast of the United States. As with Vitalogy, very little touring was done in the United States to promote No Code because of the band's refusal to play in Ticketmaster's venues. [31] The band chose to use alternate ticketing companies for the shows. A European tour followed in the fall of 1996, of which the band's November 3, 1996, show in Berlin, Germany at Deutschlandhalle was broadcast on many radio stations worldwide. [32]
During the North American tour fans complained about the difficulty in obtaining tickets and the use of non-Ticketmaster venues, which were judged to be remote and impersonal. [33] Gossard stated that there was "a lot of stress associated with trying to tour at that time" and that "it was growing more and more difficult to be excited about being part of the band." He added, "Ticketmaster, as monopolistic as it may be, is very efficient so we weren't playing the venues we wanted to play." [7]
On October 17, 2014, at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois, during the Lightning Bolt Tour, Pearl Jam played the entire album in order as part of their set. [34] [35]
No Code sold 366,500 copies in its first week of release, topping the Billboard 200, but falling short of analysts' predictions of at least 535,000 copies. This was significantly less than what the band's previous two albums sold in their respective first weeks of release. It was, however, the seventh biggest-selling debut of what was a slow year for the industry. [18] [36] It stayed at number one for two weeks, and was Pearl Jam's last album to debut at number one on the album chart until Backspacer was released in 2009. [37] By its sixth week, the album had sold 790,000 copies. [38] No Code was certified platinum by the RIAA, [39] but was the band's first album to not reach multi-platinum status. As of 2013, the album has sold 1.7 million copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. [40]
Three singles were released from No Code. The lead single "Who You Are" peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached number one on the Modern Rock charts and number five on the Mainstream Rock charts. Neither of the album's other singles, "Hail, Hail" and "Off He Goes", charted on the Hot 100, but both placed on the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts, as did album track "Red Mosquito". [41]
"Present Tense" reached No. 1 on iTunes' Top 40 US Rock Songs chart on May 18, 2020, after being featured in the ending of the ESPN documentary series The Last Dance .
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [17] |
Entertainment Weekly | C [16] |
The Guardian | [42] |
Los Angeles Times | [43] |
NME | 7/10 [44] |
Pitchfork | 5.4/10 [45] |
Q | [46] |
Rolling Stone | [47] |
Spin | 6/10 [48] |
USA Today | [49] |
Upon its release, No Code received a mixed to positive critical reception. Rolling Stone staff writer David Fricke gave No Code four out of five stars, saying that the album "is abrupt in its mood swings almost to the point of vertigo." He praised the album as "the kind of impulsive, quixotic, provocative ruckus that has become rare in a modern-rock mainstream" and added that "No Code basically means no rule books, no limits and, above all, no fear." [47] Q gave the album four out of five stars. The review said that the album "constantly adds unexpected and fascinating details....A solid attraction amid intriguing oddities is the powerful array of guitar sounds." [46] Critic Robert Christgau described the album as "slowly winning a heartwarming battle against constitutional melancholia." [50] AllMusic staff writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three and a half out of five stars, saying, "While a bit too incoherent, No Code is Pearl Jam's richest and most rewarding album to date as well as their most human." [17] NME gave No Code a seven out of ten. In the review, it is stated that "Vedder is still preoccupied with his own mortality, but now he appears more quasi-mystical than miserable....for all its relative placidity, No Code is still a difficult beast." [44]
Referring to the songs on the album, Jon Pareles of The New York Times said "about half are worth the effort." He observed that "too often, [Vedder] falls into American culture's Disney syndrome, idealizing childhood innocence above all." [19] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a C, saying that while No Code "cracks open their sound", it "becomes a collection of fragments that don't add up to much of anything, except a portrait of a musically disjointed band." On the change in mood compared with the band's previous releases, he said that "the album leaves you with the vaguely unsettling feeling that Pearl Jam without pain are like a pretzel without salt, or Seattle without rain." [16] Ryan Schreiber of Pitchfork stated that "there's a ton of filler here. In fact, it's almost all filler." [45] Time reviewer Christopher John Farley said that the album "makes it sound as if they're having a midlife crisis." Farley added that "too few of the songs on the Pearl Jam CD explore the musical possibilities they suggest in any kind of definitive or provocative manner." [51]
All lyrics are written by Eddie Vedder, except "Mankind" by Stone Gossard
No. | Title | Music | Length |
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1. | "Sometimes" | Vedder | 2:40 |
2. | "Hail, Hail" | Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready | 3:41 |
3. | "Who You Are" | Gossard, Jack Irons | 3:50 |
4. | "In My Tree" | Gossard, Irons, Vedder | 3:59 |
5. | "Smile" | Ament | 3:52 |
6. | "Off He Goes" | Vedder | 6:02 |
7. | "Habit" | Vedder | 3:35 |
8. | "Red Mosquito" | Ament, Gossard, Irons, McCready, Vedder | 4:03 |
9. | "Lukin" | Vedder | 1:02 |
10. | "Present Tense" | McCready | 5:46 |
11. | "Mankind" | Gossard | 3:28 |
12. | "I'm Open" | Irons, Vedder | 2:57 |
13. | "Around the Bend" | Vedder | 4:35 |
Total length: | 49:30 |
Pearl Jam
| Production
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [81] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [82] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [83] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [84] | Gold | 100,000* |
United States (RIAA) [85] | Platinum | 1,300,000 [40] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Eddie Jerome Vedder is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and one of three guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam. He was previously a guest vocalist for supergroup Temple of the Dog, a tribute band dedicated to the late singer Andrew Wood.
Vitalogy is the third studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on November 22, 1994, on Epic Records. Pearl Jam wrote and recorded Vitalogy while touring behind its previous album Vs. (1993). The album's sound is more diverse than previous releases and consists of aggressive rock songs, ballads and other styles, making it Pearl Jam's most experimental album at that period. Considered a departure from the grunge sound of the band's first two albums, the record focuses more on punk rock and hardcore styles in its production.
Ten is the debut studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1991, through Epic Records. Following the dissolution of their previous band Mother Love Bone in 1990, bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard began rehearsing with new guitarist Mike McCready. The group recorded a five-song instrumental demo tape that included contributions from Matt Cameron on drums. Copies of the demo were eventually given to drummer Dave Krusen and vocalist Eddie Vedder, both of whom were invited to audition for the band in Seattle. Many of the songs on Ten were instrumental jams or reworked Mother Love Bone songs for which Vedder provided lyrics.
Vs. is the second studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on October 19, 1993, through Epic Records. After a relentless touring schedule in support of their 1991 debut album Ten, Pearl Jam headed into the studio in early 1993 facing the challenge of following up the commercial success of its debut. The resulting album, Vs., featured a rawer and more aggressive sound compared with the band's previous release. It was the band's first collaboration with producer Brendan O'Brien and its first album with drummer Dave Abbruzzese.
Yield is the fifth studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam, released on February 3, 1998. Following a short promotional tour for its previous album, No Code (1996), Pearl Jam recorded Yield throughout 1997 at Studio Litho and Studio X in Seattle, Washington. The album was hailed as a return to the band's early, straightforward rock sound, and marked a more collaborative effort from the band as opposed to relying heavily on frontman Eddie Vedder to compose the song lyrics from the past four studio albums.
Live on Two Legs is the first major live album by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, released on November 24, 1998, through Epic Records. The album has been certified platinum by the RIAA in the United States.
Binaural is the sixth studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam, released May 16, 2000, through Epic Records. Following a full-scale tour in support of its previous album, Yield (1998), Pearl Jam took a short break before reconvening toward the end of 1999 to begin work on a new album. During the production of the album, the band encountered hindrances such as singer Eddie Vedder's writer's block, and guitarist Mike McCready's entrance into rehabilitation due to an addiction to prescription drugs. This is Pearl Jam's first album to feature former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron, who joined during 1998's Yield Tour to replace Jack Irons.
Riot Act is the seventh studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam, released November 12, 2002, through Epic Records. Following a full-scale tour in support of their previous album, Binaural (2000), Pearl Jam took a year-long break. The band reconvened in the beginning of 2002 and commenced work on a new album. The music on the album was diverse, including songs influenced by folk, art rock and experimental rock. The lyrics deal with mortality and existentialism, with influence from both the political climate after the September 11 attacks and the accidental death of nine fans during Pearl Jam's performance at the 2000 Roskilde Festival.
Lost Dogs is a two-disc compilation album by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, released on November 11, 2003 through Epic Records. The album has been certified gold by the RIAA in the United States.
Jeffrey Allen Ament is an American musician best known as the bassist of rock band Pearl Jam, which he co-founded alongside Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder. Ament wrote or co-wrote many of Pearl Jam's hits, including "Jeremy", "Oceans", "Dissident", "Nothingman" and "Nothing as It Seems".
Stone Carpenter Gossard is an American musician and songwriter who serves as a guitarist for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band.
Live at Benaroya Hall is a two-disc live album by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, recorded on October 22, 2003 at Benaroya Hall, Seattle, Washington and released on July 27, 2004 through BMG.
Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, as well as Matt Cameron (drums), who joined in 1998. Keyboardist Boom Gaspar has also been a touring/session member with the band since 2002. Former members include Dave Krusen, Matt Chamberlain, Dave Abbruzzese, and Jack Irons, all of whom were the band's drummers from 1990 to 1998. Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, and is considered one of the most influential bands from that decade, dubbed "the most popular American rock and roll band of the '90s".
"Hail, Hail" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by guitarist Stone Gossard, bassist Jeff Ament, and guitarist Mike McCready. "Hail, Hail" was released in October 1996 as the second single from the band's fourth studio album, No Code (1996). The song managed to reach the number nine spot on both the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock Billboard charts. The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror .
"Tremor Christ" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. The song is the fourth track on the band's third studio album, Vitalogy (1994). Although credited to all members of Pearl Jam, it features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music primarily written by guitarist Mike McCready and bass player Jeff Ament. Besides Vitalogy, the song was also featured as the B-side of the single, "Spin the Black Circle". The song managed to reach number 16 on both the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock Billboard charts.
"Red Mosquito" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by bassist Jeff Ament, guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, and drummer Jack Irons, "Red Mosquito" is the eighth track on the band's fourth studio album, No Code (1996). Despite the lack of a commercial single release, the song managed to reach number 37 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
The No Code Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Pearl Jam to support their fourth album, No Code.
The Vitalogy Tour was a concert tour by the American rock band Pearl Jam to support its third album, Vitalogy.
Live at the Gorge 05/06 is a seven-disc live box set by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, released on June 26, 2007 through Rhino Entertainment/Warner Music Group. The box set documents the band's 2005 and 2006 shows at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington.
Backspacer is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on September 20, 2009. The band members started writing instrumental and demo tracks in 2007, and got together the following year to work on an album. It was recorded from February through April 2009 with producer Brendan O'Brien, who had worked on every Pearl Jam album except their 1991 debut Ten and 2006's self-titled record—although this was his first production credit since 1998's Yield. Material was recorded at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, and O'Brien's own Southern Tracks Recording in Atlanta, Georgia. The album features lyrics with a more optimistic look than the politically infused predecessors Riot Act and Pearl Jam, something frontman Eddie Vedder attributed to the election of Barack Obama. This is also the first album since 1996's No Code for which all lyrics for the album were written solely by Vedder. At 36 minutes and 38 seconds, Backspacer has the shortest running time of any Pearl Jam studio album.