Setting Forth – Eddie Vedder

All singers in huge rock bands have a solo album in them right? All of them. Eddie Vedder may be the cool voice of the biggest grunge survivors but he’s also a really keen ukulele enthusiast. No! Wait! Don’t go!

This isn’t that. Eddie did do a solo album of Ukulele Songs back in 2011. But he was 44 that year so we can probably count that as his midlife crisis. Poor jokes aside. That voice and a simple instrument is all you need for EV to work his lyrical balm into your pains, your dreams, your ideas.

There was always something more Hollywood about Pearl Jam than the other Grunge Titans. Maybe it was the connections formed during Mother Love Bone or the early appearance in Cameron Crow’s Singles (“A compliment for you. is a compliment for us”). Pearl Jam and ‘The Movies’ have fitted together well since the start.

So Six Degrees Of Pearl Jam to Kevin Bacon? OK. I’m down with the kids. If this is what they’ve moved onto since MySpace went offline and Flying Toasters fell from fashion let’s break the internet. It’s 2018 and I’m game.

Singles is out. I’ve already named it so If I’m 6XBaconXPearlJam (see how cool and hip I can be?) So is Kyra Sedgewick (star of Singles and Kevin’s Wife for 30 years).

Pearl Jam recorded a cover of The Who’s Love Reign O’er Me for a Movie of the same name. That’s one.

That movie starred Adam Sandler (too easy keep going) Don Cheadle and Jada Pinkett Smith. OK I’m Going with the Twitter Stars Mom Jada Pinkett Smith. That’s two.

Jada Pinkett Smith featured in The Hold Steady’s lyrics for Sweet Payne. OK She was still just Jada Pinkett then but “They said they just got back from up in Hostile, Massachussetts · And girl, I’ve seen your friend, she looks nothing like Jada Pinkett” is the lyric. So Sweet Payne By The Hold Steady is a riff on Sweet Pain by Kiss. From the album Destroyer. Which was produced by Bob Ezrin. Shall we call that Three? That’s three.

Bob Ezrin’s work with Alice Cooper is some of his most famous work. He produced all of Alice’s most famous 70’s albums. Four!

Alice recorded He’s Back The Man Behind The Mask for a Friday The 13th sequel some time in the late 80’s when it felt like we were all living in the upside down. Five! Still Alive!

Annnnd Kevin B-B-Bacon was in the very first Friday The 13th Movie. So how was that? Irrelevant to the song you say? Well…

Long story short. Film about a guy who goes Into The Wild has soundtrack of heartfelt stirring acoustic folk sung by THE rock singer of a generation.

Listen.

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