Vs. is the sound of a band on fire. The same confluence of talent passion timing and fate
that made grunge the world's soundtrack also lit a short fuse beneath Pearl Jam. The band
combusted between late 1992 and mid-1994 the span during which they planned recorded and
supported their sophomore record. The spotlight the pressure the pace-it all nearly turned
the thriving act to ash. Eddie Vedder the reluctant public face of the band responded by
lashing out lyrically. Jeff Ament Mike McCready and Stone Gossard who beheld success with
varying degrees of anxious satisfaction attacked their instruments in solidarity. Dave
Abbruzzese welcomed the rock-star lifestyle and left his mark on the record with more than
just potent percussion. Vs. roils with fury-and at times gently steams-over the trappings of
fame human faults and societal injustice. The record is a thrashing testament to Pearl Jam's
urgent creativity and greater-good interests and the band's logistical calculations behind it
drew a career-defining line in the sand. It promised the world that Pearl Jam would neither
burn out nor fade away. This book weaves research little-known details and band members'
memories into a definitive account of how Vs. set them on a path toward enduring integrity and
relevance.
