Vitalogy (Expanded Edition) [Remastered]

This is the 2011 edition of Pearl Jam’s 1994 studio album, its third Vitalogy. This set features three additional bonus tracks: a 1993 demo version of “Nothingman” featuring Richard Stuverad on drums, an alternate take of “Corduroy,” and a special mix of “Better Man” featuring guitar, organ, and vocals. The original Vitalogy was issued the year that Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain committed suicide. Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder has halfheartedly denied it, but certain key songs do seem—in their lyrics or in their somber tones—to be influenced somewhat by this tragedy, especially the hard-charging “Not for You” and the chilling, reflective “Immortality.” The songs were written and recorded during breaks from the tour for Vs., and there’s a raw, live urgency to the playing that makes the album among Pearl Jam's most vibrant. A few experiments (“Bugs,” “Aya Davanita”) divided critics, but the aggressive roars of “Last Exit,” “Spin the Black Circle,” and “Corduroy” thrown next to the future concert staples “Nothingman” and “Better Man” made Vitalogy an essential core release from one of the few major bands of the '90s.