Disco de Pearl Jam: “Live From Easy Street”

Lesson learned: Stay aware of your surroundings at all times.

I happened upon this PJ release as a mere fluke. I was pulling out my wallet, ready to buy a cd (The Warlocks EP) at a local record store when I looked behind me at the new releases rack and saw the cover of this cd. I purchased the two remaining copies immediately.

The tracklist on this cd contians 7 of the 16 songs that Pearl Jam performed at Easy Street Records in Seattle on 4/29/05 - which goes without saying that the entire concert is not represented on this cd, however, it needs to be said that the tracks that were selected for this release are HIGH ENERGY and FLAWLESS, making this a short and sweet live experience. I can't help but wonder what the rest of the concert sounds like.

This cd contains 3 politically-charged cover songs that Pearl Jam regularly performed on the 2004 Vote For Change Tour. While bootlegs of the VFC Tour exist, this release blesses the listener with an A+ in sound quality of these rare Pearl Jam covers that wouldn't be available to the average bear.

Again, all 7 songs are high-energy and flawless. Standouts include the Dead Kennedys cover "Bleed For Me" and Pearl Jam's own "Porch" which features a different (better) intro while the song itself runs 7 minutes long.

5 stars. Easy.

When i looked at the set lists for this i was a little disappointed. But after listening to it i was pleasantly surpised. The sound quality on this EP is much better than most bootlegs i've heard. It features 3 cover songs never released before and 4 other pearl jam songs. Highly recommended if you are a big pj fan like me.

Hightlights include: bleed for me (originally by the Dead Kennedys), and Porch (a superb version of this)

This is a another great live show from Pearl Jam. Too bad its not the entire

show. Whoever put this together dropped the ball...badly!! I've read reviews of this show saying it was incredible. Why only release these tracks? It's worth buying, it just leaves you wanting to hear the whole thing.

A 7 tracks album is always a thing to consider "fans only" and if you're not on that list, you certainly could be buying "Live on 2 legs" or "Benaroya Hall" as both of these albums are full setlists with most of the greatest songs by Pearl Jam.

Now if you feel Pearl Jam is a lot more than that this live album would completely blow you away. To start sound quality is perfect!! way better than the long bootleg official collection Pearl Jam continuously releases from time to time. You don't have "hits" on it (probably "Porch"for nostalgia) the band sounds louder than ever, but in a pristine way, avoiding any kind of useless noises that would somehow interfere with the bass guitar sound, or the drumming.

in a sentence:

Go get it!

This a cool little LIVE EP from Pearl Jam... taking shots from Ten, No Code, and Riot Act, and also including a few rare covers I've never heard before. It truly pains me to rate any PJ item less than 5 stars, but I have to be honest, as biased as I tend to be. I feel they should've included atleast one or two songs from their latest LP, PEARL JAM. And I also think it could have been a little longer. Also to note, there is actually an "Intro" track (#1) before the set begins, making it a total of 8 tracks and not 7. The point being, don't go by the listed track #'s on the sleeve, they're off by 1. This however is a minor mistake easily forgiven and forgotten about if you're a true PJ fanatic like myself. When you love a band to no end and only see them in a "perfect" light, you tend to expect everything else to be perfect as well. All that being said, this is a fun little addition to your collection. I particularly liked the "Porch" version... different from the original that was recorded 17 years ago. This is the version you hear on Pearl Jam's latest DVD offering, Imagine In Cornice. The rare covers add an interesting touch as well. For the price, I don't think you'll be disappointed.