CD review

Pearl Jam
Rearviewmirror
Sony Music

There’s a sense of irony in the release of a greatest hits package by a band that hasn’t relied on hits to establish a successful career. From the lawsuits over ticket prices to Eddie Vader’s “this means absolutely nothing to me” Grammy Awards acceptance speech, Pearl Jam have only maintained their relationship with the mainstream by demand of a cult-like fan base.

However, despite all their ignorance towards pop culture, their success by numbers cannot be denied, thus setting the opportunity to release Rearviewmirror. From the radio hits Better Man, Alive and Last Kiss to the more obscure Wishlist and Yellow Ledbetter, the double CD set of Upsides (the heavies) and Downsides (the slows) consists of 33 songs that span their 15-year career.

Some loyalists might find room to gripe about the fact that most of the songs included are from the bands earlier albums, however all those must keep in mind that it was during albums like Ten and VS that Pearl Jam’s commercial appeal was at its prime.

To those fans here’s another one to add to the collection, to the casual admirers here’s the perfect chance to get a better idea of how consistently great songwriting has made for a collection worth owning-8.5/10

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