For twenty years, Pearl Jam has been one of the most influential
rock bands on the planet. Pearl Jam Twenty is their official story, published
as part of a massive year-long international celebration that will also include
a Cameron Crowe feature film, soundtrack and DVD release.
Pearl
Jam broke on to the world stage with the release of their debut album, Ten, twenty
years ago this year. The album catapulted the little-known Seattle-based band
into superstardom. Then, at the height of their popularity, they shunned the spotlight,
refusing to shoot videos or do interviews. Even as Pearl Jam's studio albums continued
to be critically acclaimed and commercially successful, breaking new ground musically
with each album, the inner workings of the band - their day-to-day routines, influences,
and motivations - remained unknown even to their diehard fans. They maintained
their personal integrity by refusing the traditional trappings of rock fame, at
the risk of losing popularity.
Throughout their career, Pearl
Jam has used its celebrity to fight for fans and the public and is recognised
globally for their deep commitment to social justice issues. After two decades
of making incredible music, influencing a whole new generation of musicians, selling
over sixty million albums worldwide and consistently selling out live shows within
hours of concert tickets going on sale, the publicity-shy band are finally telling
their extraordinary story, in their own words, in an aesthetically stunning chronicle
lavishly illustrated throughout with never-before-seen photographs and other rare
archival memorabilia, such as personal photos, tour notes and drawings.
Compiled
and written by veteran music writer Jonathan Cohen and Mark Wilkerson, the book
includes a foreword by Cameron Crowe (and material from all his own band interviews)
as well as original interviews with legends and contemporaries like Bruce Springsteen,
Neil Young and Dave Grohl. This intimate self-portrait provides an in-depth look
at a group of musicians who through defying convention established themselves
as "the greatest American rock band ever" (USA Today Reader's Poll 2005).
The
Pearl Jam Twenty soundtrack will be released through Sony Music Australia and
available digitally and physically on 16 September 2011. Comprised of a selected
track listing by Cameron Crowe - the album is a true companion piece to the film.
ABOUT
PEARL JAM
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle,
Washington in 1991. Frontman Eddie Vedder is joined by Jeff Ament (bass), Mike
McCready (guitar), Stone Gossard (guitar) and Matt Cameron (drums). Pearl Jam
broke into the mainstream with its debut album, Ten, and was one of the key bands
of the grunge movement in the early 1990s. Since its inception, the band has sold
an estimated 60 million records worldwide, and outlasted many of its contemporaries
to be considered one of the most influential bands in history. Pearl Jam has released
nine studio albums, most recently "Backspacer" in 2009, all of which
have reached the top five on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Visit www.pj20.com for
more information.
'Pearl Jam Twenty' is available now.
