The new self-titled Pearl Jam disc is out. It has been out for a week, but I needed at least that long to digest it. There was too much hype about this record for me to zip through it. Everyone called it "a return to form", "the band's best record since Ten," yadda, yadda, yadda. I can't stand that talk for a couple of reasons.

First off, I have been a life-long fan of Pearl Jam. The first time I saw them I didn't even know who they were. They were just the opening band for Nirvana and the Chili Peppers. So, I go back as a fan to almost day one. The other problem is that every band who spends a few years between records always gets overhyped as a comeback. There are too many unfair expectations with that, and it also implies that the band went away.

I actually got the disc a few days early through the band's fan club. So, I put the disc in my CD player and never took it out. I have driven about 300 miles with just that CD in, and am ready to release my verdict. The new CD really is that good. I put it on a tier with Yield, and Ten...and nothing else.

The band is better then they have been. How so? They are better at everything — better at singing, songwriting, producing, and playing their instruments. Also, Boom Gaspar is back on keys, which is terrific. It not only rounds out their too heavy guitar sound, but keeps Mike McCready from filling every second in with a solo. He is unquestionably talented, but often musically overbearing. That reminds me of a great line from Eddie I heard on some bootleg: "In the 1970s a guitar weapon was invented by the United States; his name is Mike McCready."