Two years ago, Eddie Vedder stood in a lounge-y Hollywood event space, packed with industry types and high-end speakers to premiere Pearl Jam’s 11th studio album, “Gigaton.” With a twinkle in his eye, Vedder hinted, as modestly as possible, he felt the band captured “a little sort of magic” in what is arguably the Seattle giants’ best album in the latter half of their career.
Whatever spark, magic or pixie dust Vedder brought to the “Gigaton” table may have helped ignite his new solo album, “Earthling.” While it’s a completely different record than “Gigaton,” Vedder’s first solo album in 11 years, released last week, is equally inspired, its twists and turns more cohesive with fewer songwriting heads coming together.
Touring in support of the album, Vedder assembled an all-star band, The Earthlings, featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, ex-Chili-turned-PJ touring member Josh Klinghoffer and producer/guitarist Andrew Watt, who all feature heavily on “Earthling.” Joining the core four on the road are Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney and Vedder’s singer-songwriter bud Glen Hansard, who’s also opening the shows.
Here are five things to know about “Earthling.”
Producer Andrew Watt is a Pearl Jam superfan
At first glance, the Vedder-Watt connection that sparked “Earthling” seems like a serious odd couple. What common ground would the 57-year-old rock great who helped upend popular music in the ’90s have with a 31-year-old pop producer whose resume highlights involve working with Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Post Malone? Turns out Watt is a die-hard PJ fan, who told Variety he’s seen the band 40-plus times, despite being in diapers when “Ten” came out.
Apparently, Vedder was rehearsing for a benefit concert last spring at Watt’s Beverly Hills studio. What started as messing around during downtime prompted a three-day session that produced soaring opener “Invincible” and buzz-saw hand-clapper “Power of Right.”
Vedder recruited some serious star power
Presumably, one of the cooler aspects of being a famous rock guy is having a famous rock guy’s Rolodex. Even beyond the all-star band, those connections were put to good use on “Earthling,” with Vedder at times leaning into sounds more associated with his collaborators. A jumping piano rocker duet with Elton John (“Picture”) has the Rocket Man squarely in his element, sounding like he wants to bust out one of his old piano handstands. Elsewhere, the Tom Petty-channeling “Long Way” appropriately features Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench on the organ.
And living Beatle Ringo Starr hops behind the kit on the playfully regal “Mrs. Mills,” with its strings and horns giving off slight "Sgt. Pepper" vibes by the end. The title’s a nod to a fabled 1905 upright piano once used by British pianist Gladys Mills, which the Beatles and others later recorded with at Abbey Road Studios.
Stevie Wonder plays harmonica on a punk song
On the other end of the spectrum, the album’s splashiest guest, Stevie Wonder, takes a walk on Vedder’s punk side, coloring “Try” — a rambunctious, full-sprint bop — with country-blues harmonica licks. The airtight ripper is possibly the first Stevie Wonder song one could legitimately mosh to, which is kinda weird and unexpectedly satisfying.
“Try” is a highlight among a trio of up-tempo rockers — including the mealy “Good and Evil” and “Rose of Jericho” — in the album’s back half, which arrive with varying results. After partnering with Hansard for the acoustic “Flag Day” soundtrack (savory as it was), it’s nice to hear Ed let his inner punk out here.
Vedder’s late biological father sings on “On My Way”
Vedder never met his biological father, a well-known piece of his childhood that inspired Pearl Jam smash “Alive.” But in a roundabout connection through former Chicago Cubs player and trumpeter Carmen Fanzone, Vedder got his hands on a CD of his father, an amateur musician, singing a handful of songs. Clips of his father’s sampled voice lace the album’s beautifully haunting coda, “On My Way.”
“Brother the Cloud” speculation
Last month, Vedder released one of the album’s most poignant tracks, “Brother the Cloud,” as a single, its lyrics prompting speculation among fans that the mournful, midtempo rocker is about the loss of Chris Cornell and/or Vedder’s half-brother who died in a climbing accident in 2016. Thus far, Vedder’s declined to detail the song’s precise inspiration, telling The New York Times only that he’d “rather leave it interpretive.” But the lyrics certainly seem to deal with grief and anger spurred by an unexpected loss of a loved one.
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