Riot Act (album)
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| Riot Act | |||||
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| Studio album by Pearl Jam | |||||
| Released | November 12, 2002 | ||||
| Recorded | February 2002–May 2002 at Studio X and Space Studio, Seattle, Washington | ||||
| Genre | Alternative rock | ||||
| Length | 54:15 | ||||
| Label | Epic | ||||
| Producer | Adam Kasper, Pearl Jam | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
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| Pearl Jam chronology | |||||
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| Singles from Riot Act | |||||
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Riot Act is Pearl Jam's seventh studio album, released on November 12, 2002 through Epic Records. Following a full-scale tour in support of its previous album, Binaural (2000), the band took a year-long break. The band then reconvened in the beginning of 2002 and commenced work on a new album. The music on the record featured a diverse sound, including folk-based numbers and experimental tracks.
Riot Act debuted at number five on the Billboard charts. It was the band’s lowest opening on the chart since the band’s debut. The band supported the album with a politically-charged concert tour in 2003. Riot Act was the band's last album of all-new material for Epic. The album has been certified Gold in the United States.
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[edit] Recording
Producer Adam Kasper was brought in to work with the band on its seventh album. Kasper had previously worked with drummer Matt Cameron on Soundgarden's Down on the Upside. Riot Act was recorded in two sessions in February and April of 2002 at Studio X in Seattle. The album was mixed by Brendan O'Brien at Studio X.
Similar to the process for Yield and Binaural, the individual members worked on material on their own before starting the recording sessions.[1] According to Matt Cameron everyone in the band had "four or five" ideas coming into the sessions, and there was "a lot to just kind of weed through and work on."[1] Riot Act was the first Pearl Jam album to feature Kenneth "Boom" Gaspar on organ, most notably on the song "Love Boat Captain". According to Gaspar, the song initially developed out of a jamming session he had with Vedder in Hawaii after the two first met. When they were done, Vedder asked Gaspar if he was "ready to go to Seattle."[2] According to guitarist Stone Gossard, bringing in Gaspar was about being "open to new things,"[3] while guitarist Mike McCready said that he had always wanted the band to feature keyboards.[4]
McCready described the recording environment as "a pretty positive one" and "very intense and spiritual." Cameron said that producer Adam Kasper created a "really relaxed" atmosphere and that the band was able to complete lot of material in a short amount of time.[4] Frontman Eddie Vedder set up his typewriter in a corner of the studio and would write lyrics as the band members played their material.[5] Most of the album was recorded live, with Cameron describing the album as "our anti-Pro Tools record."[5] Gossard said that the band fed off Matt Cameron's playing as well as Vedder's excitement about the recording process.[6]
[edit] Music and lyrics
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"I Am Mine" Sample of "I Am Mine", the first single released from Riot Act. The song blends a warm, acoustic sound with Vedder's lyrics about personal freedom. "Save You" Sample of "Save You", the second single released from Riot Act. The song features a garage rock sound. - Problems playing the files? See media help.
Riot Act features a diverse sound, including folk-based as well as experimental songs. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide said "Riot Act is the album that Pearl Jam has been wanting to make since Vitalogy — a muscular art rock record, one that still hits hard but that is filled with ragged edges and odd detours."[7] Stone Gossard said "Riot Act really seems to showcase all of our thing. There's the simple rock songs we could have written in the earlier era, but it covers all the different times and dynamics we have had and still holds together."[6]
The album's lyrics tackle existential matters ("Love Boat Captain", "Cropduster", and "I Am Mine"), as well as social and political concerns ("Green Disease", "Bu$hleaguer", and "1/2 Full"). "Bu$hleaguer" is a commentary on President George W. Bush. A few songs on the album feature lyrical collaborations between Vedder and other members of the group, including two with guitarist Stone Gossard ("Bu$hleaguer" and "All or None"), one with bassist Jeff Ament ("Ghost"), and one with drummer Matt Cameron ("You Are"). Sole lyrical contributions from band members other than Vedder include Cameron with "Get Right" and Ament with "Help Help".
Several songs on the album were inspired by the June 2000 Roskilde Festival tragedy in which nine people died during Pearl Jam's set. The album's first single, "I Am Mine", was written by Vedder in 2000 in a hotel room before the band's first show after the Roskilde tragedy.[8] "Love Boat Captain" includes brief reference to Roskilde ("Lost 9 friends we'll never know... 2 years ago today"). When it was performed at concerts thereafter, Vedder noted the passing of time by updating the lyrics (by 2007, the lyric was "7 years ago today"). The track entitled "Arc" was recorded as a vocal tribute to the nine people who died at the festival. Vedder only performed this song nine times on Pearl Jam's 2003 tour, and the band left the track off all released bootlegs as an act of respect.
[edit] Release and reception
Riot Act reached number five in the U.S. and number 34 in the UK. The album sold 166,000 copies in its first week of release.[9] This was Pearl Jam's lowest opening since Ten was released in 1991. The album would end up selling only 500,000 copies in the United States, less than Vitalogy and Vs. sold in their first weeks. Riot Act achieved Gold status.[10]
In spite of its poor sales, Riot Act received generally favorable reviews.[11] NME gave Riot Act an eight out of ten. Reviewer Louis Pattison stated that "Riot Act is the sound of a band entering a powerful middle-age. They still deserve your attention."[12] Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars. Reviewer Keith Harris said that "like Neil Young at his most deliberately despondent, Pearl Jam sound purposefully tired."[13] Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B, saying that Vedder’s lyrics "rarely cohere," and that "too few of the tense rhythmic setups build to the kind of...catharsis that would be something to Riot home about."[14] Hugo Lindgren of The New York Times stated that the "record sounds as if it were made to slip quietly into the marketplace, connect with the faithful and leave everyone else alone," and that "there is no catchy single, and not even the slightest echo of anything else happening in pop music now." He added that the "band's grooves still sound taut, emotive, and world-class."[15]
Two singles were released from Riot Act, the second one varying depending on location. While "Save You" was released as the second single for North America, "Love Boat Captain" was the second single for international markets.[16] The lead single "I Am Mine" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 43. The second commercially released single in North America, "Save You", did not chart on the Hot 100, but it did place on the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts. "I Am Mine" was the most successful song from Riot Act on the rock charts, reaching number 6 on the Modern Rock charts. Music videos for several songs from the album, including "I Am Mine", were filmed at Seattle's Chop Suey club in September 2002.[17]
[edit] Imagery and design
The album cover features two skeletons wearing crowns, suggesting the possibility that the two represent a king and a queen. The forged metal figurines were created by blacksmith Kenny Gilliam.[18]
According to Ament, the band had trouble coming up with a name for the album.[19] After the artwork had been finalized and the tracks were sequenced, the band spent weeks trying to come up with a title. Vedder suggested Riot Act, and the band members went with it as they were tired with trying to come up with a title.[19] Guitarist Mike McCready stated that the title has no real significance. He said, "I guess we were trying to come up with a title that reflected some of the music on the record, which we thought was urgent-sounding and kind of loud...It just seemed to fit."[4] Ament implied that the title has to do with "getting your act together."[20] The term "riot act" dates back to the Riot Act of 1714 which was introduced by the Parliament of Great Britain giving permission to local authorities to declare any group of more than twelve people to be unlawfully assembled.
[edit] Riot Act tour
Pearl Jam promoted the album with tours of Australia, Japan, and North America in 2003.[21] The tours were the band's first with keyboardist Boom Gaspar. The two legs of the North American tour focused on the Midwestern United States, the East Coast of the United States, and the West Coast of the United States.
The band received much publicity for its energetic politically-charged performances during the tour. At many shows during the 2003 North American tour, Vedder performed "Bu$hleaguer" with a rubber mask of George W. Bush, wearing it at the beginning of the song and then typically hanging it on a mic stand to allow him to sing. The band made news when it was reported that several fans left after Vedder had "impaled" the Bush mask on his mic stand at the band's Denver, Colorado show.[22] The song "Arc" was performed by Vedder at nine shows during the second North American leg of the tour as a tribute to the victims of the Roskilde disaster.[23] The Australia, Japan, and North America tours were documented by a long series of official bootlegs, all of which were available through the band's website, and six of which were released in stores. The first of two shows at Madison Square Garden was released as the Live at the Garden DVD. Pearl Jam also supported the album's material at a series of political rallies and benefit concerts while preparing for its eighth studio album.
[edit] Track listing
- "Can't Keep" (Eddie Vedder) – 3:39
- "Save You" (Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Vedder) – 3:50
- "Love Boat Captain" (Boom Gaspar, Vedder) – 4:36
- "Cropduster" (Cameron, Vedder) – 3:51
- "Ghost" (Ament, Vedder) – 3:15
- "I Am Mine" (Vedder) – 3:35
- "Thumbing My Way" (Vedder) – 4:10
- "You Are" (Cameron, Vedder) – 4:30
- "Get Right" (Cameron) – 2:38
- "Green Disease" (Vedder) – 2:41
- "Help Help" (Ament) – 3:35
- "Bu$hleaguer" (Gossard, Vedder) – 3:57
- "1/2 Full" (Ament, Vedder) – 4:10
- "Arc" (Vedder) – 1:05
- "All or None" (Gossard, Vedder) – 4:37
[edit] Outtakes
The album's singles featured three B-sides from the Riot Act recording sessions that weren't included on the album, "Down", "Undone", and "Other Side".[24] "Down" and "Undone" were B-sides on the "I Am Mine" single, and "Other Side" was featured on the "Save You" and "Love Boat Captain" singles. All three songs were included on the Lost Dogs collection of rarities, although "Undone" appeared in a slightly different form. McCready said that "Down" came out lighter than intended, and was ultimately left off Riot Act because it did not fit with the other songs on the album.[25] Also recorded during the sessions was "4/20/02", a song honoring Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley. It was written by Vedder on the day that he heard the news of Staley's death. According to Vedder, the reason why it was not included on Riot Act was that the band already had too many songs.[26] It was included on Lost Dogs as well, albeit in the form of a hidden track. A recording of "Severed Hand", which later appeared on Pearl Jam, was attempted during the recording sessions, however the band only spent a few hours on the song before it was shelved.[8]
[edit] Personnel
- Jeff Ament – bass, cover/inside photos; credited as "Al Nostreet" for album concept
- Stone Gossard – guitar
- Mike McCready – guitar
- Eddie Vedder – guitar, vocals; credited as "ev" for typist
- Matt Cameron – drums, percussion, rhythm guitar
- Boom Gaspar – Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes, keyboard, organ
- Adam Kasper – production, recording, piano
- George Webb – guitar technician
- Greg Keplinger – drum technician
- Pearl Jam – production
- Brendan O'Brien – mixing
- Sam Hofstedt – engineering
- John Burton – additional engineering
- Danny Clinch – additional inside photography
- Kenny Gilliam – forged metal figures
- Brad Klausen – LBC illustration, layout and design
Pearl Jam dedicate this record to three bass players that passed away in 2002:
- John Entwistle, The Who
- Dee Dee Ramone, Ramones
- Ray Brown, legendary jazz musician
[edit] Chart positions
Information taken from various sources.[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49]
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[edit] References
- ^ a b Mills, Fred. "Yield Not". Seattle Weekly. November 6, 2002.
- ^ Paiva, Derek. "Friendship takes stage at Pearl Jam concert". The Honolulu Advertiser. December 1, 2006.
- ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "Inciting a 'Riot': Pearl Jam's New Album". Billboard.com. November 2002.
- ^ a b c Stout, Gene. "A charged-up Pearl Jam is really into its daring new 'Riot Act'". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. November 12, 2002.
- ^ a b Moon, Tom. "Eddie Vedder's Evolution Puts Emotion Out Front". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 10, 2002.
- ^ a b "Interview with Stone Gossard and Mike McCready". Total Guitar. November 2002.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Riot Act. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
- ^ a b Cohen, Jonathan. "The 'Pearls' Of Pearl Jam". Billboard.com. April 14, 2006.
- ^ Gundersen, Edna. "Pearl Jam: Life after 'Suicide". USA Today. June 15, 2006.
- ^ Gold and Platinum Database Search. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
- ^ Riot Act by Pearl Jam. metacritic.com.
- ^ Pattison, Louis. "Pearl Jam: Riot Act". NME. November 12, 2002.
- ^ Harris, Keith. "Pearl Jam: Riot Act". Rolling Stone. November 4, 2002.
- ^ Willman, Chris. "Riot Act". Entertainment Weekly. November 15, 2002.
- ^ Lindgren, Hugo. "Music; Pearl Jam Turns Pop Fame on Its Head: Less Is More". The New York Times. November 10, 2002.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Rumor Pit #53". SonyMusic.com. January 28, 2003.
- ^ Pearl Jam: 2002 Concert Chronology. fivehorizons.com.
- ^ "Pearl Jam: Rumor Pit Issue #52". sonymusic.com. September 15, 2002.
- ^ a b Ament, Jeff. (Speaker). (2003) Pearl Jam: Riot Act: Live at Chop Suey. Promo DVD. Epic Records.
- ^ Morse, Steve. "Pearl Jam Wants to Be Loved Again". Boston Globe. November 3, 2002.
- ^ Pearl Jam: Set Lists. pearljam.com.
- ^ Pearl Jam Bush Stunt Angers Fans. BBC News (2003-04-04). Retrieved on 2007-07-01.
- ^ Pearl Jam: 2003 Concert Chronology Part 3. Fivehorizons.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-01.
- ^ (2003) Album notes for Lost Dogs by Pearl Jam, [CD booklet]. New York: Sony Music.
- ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "The Pearl Jam Q & A: Lost Dogs". Billboard.com. 2003.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil. "Pearl Jam: Readin' The Riot Act". VH1.com. November 7, 2002.
- ^ Pearl Jam – Billboard Albums. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ Chartverfolgung / Pearl Jam / Longplay. musicline.de. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 14 November 2002". ChartTrack.com.
- ^ EveryHit.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-16.
- ^ Pearl Jam – Billboard Singles. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ Chartverfolgung / Pearl Jam / Single. musicline.de. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ Classifice Artisti - Archivio. FIMI. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
- ^ Schweizer Hitparade. hitparade.ch. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Swedish Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay. swedishcharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Norwegian Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay. norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Dutch Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay. dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Austrian Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay. austriancharts.at. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ French Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay. lescharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Finnish Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay. finnishcharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Schweizer Hitparade. hitparade.ch. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Swedish Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay. swedishcharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Norwegian Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay. norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Dutch Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay. dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Finnish Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay. finnishcharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Belgian Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay. belgiancharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Pearl Jam in Australian Charts. Australian-Charts.com. Retrieved on May 28, 2008.
- ^ Pearl Jam in New Zealand Charts. Charts.Org.NZ. Retrieved on May 28, 2008.
- ^ Chart Log: 1994-2006. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by The Best of 1990–2000 by U2 |
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album November 18, 2002 - November 24, 2002 |
Succeeded by Up! by Shania Twain |
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