The lyrics seem to be written with two Staleys in mind: the powerful lead singer of a respected band, and the lost soul who was a friend and peer. The song is bookended with lyrics about the first Staley. Vedder’s voice drips with sorrow and resignation as he sings the opening lines: “So all of you fools that sing just like him/ feel free to do so now, ‘cause he’s dead.” The sentiment is revisited with slightly more venom to end the song.
The song does more than chide Alice in Chains clones. The sentiment of a simple line, like “lonesome friend we all knew/ always hoped you’d pull through” makes the tribute sadder with each listen. “4/20/02” is a fitting eulogy to both a friend and an era.
Pearl Jam is the only band of the grunge movement to have made it through the decade (more or less) intact. Shifting taste and changing mood are largely responsible for the demise of most of the other bands, but there is no denying that the pain of addiction took a heavy toll on the 90s music scene.
So, what’s not to like about Lost Dogs? Not much. The band ignored the two gems from the Singles soundtrack. (This, too, has been corrected with my handy, dandy iPod.) “Breath” and “State of Love and Trust” are two of the best Pearl Jam songs and need to be available on a proper Pearl Jam release. Live versions of both can be found on many of the official Pearl Jam bootleg albums. The band’s collaboration with Neil Young is not represented on the package either. Lastly, the hidden track “4/20/02” is tacked onto the end of “Bee Girl,” making it inconvenient to find.
Lost Dogs restores faith in Pearl Jam’s ability to continue recording good, sometimes great songs. It teases us into believing they might be capable of another great album if they can learn which songs belong on albums and which ones should be relegated to leftover status.
Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
Ah. Pearl Jam. I love reading about them, especially when h writer, as in this case, doesn't get all pretentious. I saw them three days straight in December of 1995 in Seattle Center with various supporting acts - Hater being one of them. Deep Six another and I can never remember the third.
They will always be one of my favorites. 12 years? wow.
2 - DJRadiohead
especially when h writer, as in this case, doesn't get all pretentious.
I try to avoid pretentiousness... sometimes I am more successful than others. =)
And Pearl Jam is a band that seems to draw out pretentious responses because they themselves can sometimes be pretty pretentious. And I say this as a fan of the band- I like them very much and this collection has some of my favorite songs by the band.
3 - Temple Stark
DJ R
I point you to the Alabama music review site of Advance.net.
Your review's up there, loud and proud. Please go and tell your contacts that hundreds of thousands more readers will now have access to your review.
4 - Ranko
i found lost dogs to be a bit of a waste of time. there were sum brillant songs on there like yellow ledbetter and alone but the others jst seemed wierd sorta like the song "bugs" from Vitalogy really those songs are jst kinda gay and it seems wierd that a great band like pearl jam would want to release songs that are never going to be released as singles
5 - DJRadiohead
Ranko, I wish you would choose different descriptive words than 'gay.'
Many of the songs released on the Lost Dogs collection were b-sides to singles or were included on different compilations and/or soundtracks. Lost Dogs served as a cheap way to collect all of those songs.
As to the wierdness... it is not uncommon for bands to relegate some of their more unusual songs to b-side status or to be parceled out to soundtracks, etc. Lost Dogs takes songs that were recorded at different times throughout the band's entire career (and with different lineups). Cohesiveness could not really be expected on a package like that.
You are certainly entitled not to like the album. It is one I still quite enjoy.