| What happens when the grungemobile runs out of gas? If you’re Pearl Jam, you grab your guitars and walk. And when they looked over their shoulders, the fans followed. Sue Ticketmaster and neglect radio and MTV? The fans kept in step. Pearl Jam’s rise to success has certainly been unconventional. Rather than rest on clichés, the band played their music and promoted a myriad of causes. In the music industry, that’s considered unconventional. Fortunately, the love for Pearl Jam is unconditional.
Strung Out on Pearl Jam is as uncompromising as the band it honors. From car radio speakers to arenas across the world, the sound of Pearl Jam is voluminous. But when guitars and Eddie Vedder’s muscular voice are replaced by violins, viola, and cello, the resulting music is simply majestic. “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” becomes cinematic in scope and poignancy. “Better Man” transforms into a subtle, nuanced portrait. Strung Out on Pearl Jam is an anomaly of good music.
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