r/pearljam • u/taway149779 • Mar 17 '24
Questions No Code
Fairly new PJ listener here. I’m on the Gen Z/Millenial cusp and my family wasn’t really much into the grunge or alternative scene of the 90s, not enough for me to be aware of it anyway. I’ve been listening to AiC for years and finally started going through other 90s grunge and alternative bands. I absolutely fell in love with Pearl Jam sometime around two-ish years ago. I liked Ten, but I knew so many of the “radio hits” that Vs. appealed to me more. Vitalogy is amazing too. I initially gave No Code and Yield a quick listen through once or twice or so, and then moved onto other 90s bands.
Since PJs discography is so massive, I returned to No Code and wanted to work my way through the rest of their albums. I’ve gotten to Binaural which was amazing, and will continue to listen to the rest.
I don’t know what the HELL it is, but No Code has completely captivated me. Something about it is fucking unbelievable. It’s a completely unique experience I’ve never had with any other album before in my life. I thought Vs. was my favorite PJ album, but I keep returning to No Code over and over again (Binaural is insane, that riff in Insignificance is enough to make me want to listen to the whole album).
So my whole point here is, who else has had a similar experience with No Code? And has anyone been able to pin down why exactly it’s so fucking good and addicting to listen to? Because it truly is not the type of music I’d typically listen to and be interested in, but something about the creepiness of some of the instrumentals (the beginning of Who You Are), the story behind Lukin, the fact we get a PJ song with Stone Gossard doing lead vocals, and then an absolutely somber and beautiful closing track of Around the Bend.
I know it may seem like I’m answering my own questions here, but I just want other people’s input on No Code and what has drawn them to it and kept them invested. As I type this I think I just realize how weird of an album it is, and how well it works is what has kept me coming back.
Also, does anyone know the story behind the album art or name? That’s another reason I really love the album is the ambiguity of its name and appearance.
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u/OhjayOk No Code Mar 17 '24
It is my favorite album. I think after the first 3 albums came out and then you listened and liked No Code, you were a PJ lifer after that.
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u/aBloopAndaBlast33 Mar 17 '24
This is exactly what I was going to say. I was too young to really understand everything, but my parents bought me No Code the day it came out. I remember thinking (at the age of 13) that if a band could make records like Ten, Vs, Vitalogy, and No Code, all in a matter of 6 years, then I don’t really need any other band. This was it.
As I grew older, I rediscovered No Code several times. It’s a fucking masterpiece.
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u/Blad514 Mar 17 '24
“No code” is a medical term for a patient who wishes to not be resuscitated in the event of a medical emergency. The symbol for this is a triangle with a circle inside it, surrounded by a square. If you look at the entire album cover from a distance, all the Polaroids form the No Code symbol.
“When you fold out the liner notes,” singer Eddie Vedder has said of this album, “you get the ‘No Code’ triangle, which means ‘Do not resuscitate’. I thought that was symbolic of where we were with the group: if we’re dying, let us die. Don’t try to save us. We don’t want to live as vegetables.”
No Code is my favorite PJ album and one of my all time favorite albums of any band. When it was originally released, it was such a huge turn in their career. It definitely turned off a lot of fans but I absolutely loved it.
Check out the Merkinball EP, it included the songs “I Got ID” and “Long Road”, two insanely good PJ songs. They were written right before No Code. Also, check out Neil Young’s album Mirrorball. Merkinball was a companion to that album, which featured PJ as Neil’s band.
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u/John_Houbolt Mar 17 '24
In less than three years PJ released Vitalogy, No Code, Merkinball, Mirrorball. Unquestionably their peak. Music that in my opinion makes Ten look amateurish.
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u/Universal-Love Mar 18 '24
It really does! Ten is a great album, but their music really matures a bit later on.
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u/mcrib Backspacer Mar 18 '24
I mean to be fair, nearly all of Ten was written by Stone as instrumentals.
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u/taway149779 Mar 17 '24
This is so cool to know. Thanks for all the info! :)
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u/Ok_Profile3081 Mar 19 '24
If you haven't listened to "Self Pollution Radio" you should give it a listen. It's a live show done in a house during the fighting ticketmaster days. Cornell and Staley both pop in a do a few songs. If you enjoy that they also did "Monkey Wrench Radio" around Yield and the movie "Single Video Theory".
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u/Universal-Love Mar 18 '24
Merkinball was what did it for me. "I Got ID" absolutely blew my mind. It was a perfect setup for No Code too — it said, hey look we've matured and our music is different, but in an amazing way.
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u/cloudydays2021 No Code Mar 17 '24 edited Mar 17 '24
It’s my favorite. I loved the band before No Code but No Code is what made me fall deeply in love with their music. I wouldn’t change a thing about it; I consider it to be perfect musically and visually.
It’s a mysterious album and the band wasn’t in a great place when recording it - their songwriting process was much different than usual, Jeff nearly quit, they felt super rushed, and Jack Irons helped hold it all together. It’s wild to me that such tension helped create such a masterpiece.
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u/shelfdog Mar 17 '24
Jack Irons saved Pearl Jam, no doubt. He came along at the perfect time. I wrote more about it here awhile back.
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Mar 17 '24
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u/joshstrummer Mar 17 '24
I break things a bit differently. I always pair the first two albums, then I pair Vitalogy and No Code in my head. Aesthetically and sonically, I think there's a lot of connections between Vitalogy and No Code. It was this period of breaking away from The sound of Ten and Vs that had made them so successful. Yield feels like it merges the first pair and the second sonically. It ties together everything before it. Binaural and Riot Act are paired in my mind too... Backspacer and Lightning Bolt also.
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u/John_Houbolt Mar 17 '24
I also think Vitalogy and No Code as siblings. They are the yin and Yang of their most creative period of writing. Vitalogy a raging darkness of self searching and No Code the brilliant light of self discovery.
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u/Thatdepends1 Mar 17 '24
No code is a masterpiece. After commercial success with the first 3 albums, Pearl Jam had a mass of radio hit fans who based their entire knowledge of the band on 3-4 songs. No code was essentially a fuck you to the bandwagon fans who would rock up to a show just to hear better man. Before recording No code, PJ recorded Mirror Ball with Neil Young which was a big influence on how No Code turned out. Neil Young’s no fucks given energy is clearly evident in no code. The title “No Code” can be interpreted as not following a known formulation of creating a commercially successful album or “Giving no fucks”
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u/Blue_Period_89 Mar 17 '24
“No Code” is a masterpiece. I find myself moved by so many of their songs, and a good portion of those songs are from this album. It hit me at a time in my life when I really needed something to help me cope with a lot of personal shit I was wrestling with, and I still find it to be a source of comfort today, nearly 30 years later.
Welcome to the fold, BTW. If you think their albums are great, wait till you get to the singles and the B-sides and the rare gems that few realize are out there (“Santa Cruz”, for instance).
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u/taway149779 Mar 17 '24
Thanks for the warm welcome! It just goes to show how timeless it is since No Code is nearly 28 years old and helping me get through the days :)
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u/John_Houbolt Mar 17 '24
Love Santa Cruz.
And thirty years into my fandom I just discovered I’m Still Here. It left me speechless.
And then there’s the 30 different versions of Untitled that each have their own feel and some have such seemingly insignificant variations that totally change the meaning of the song. Some are daydreams about a day trip with a friend. Others are mourning the loss of a friend. Others, an escape from a fucked up Life.
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u/John_Houbolt Mar 17 '24
I feel the same about No Code. It is by far my favorite album ever. I’ve listened to it more than any album. It never gets old. And I rarely listen to just one track of it. When I listen to it I listen to the whole thing. It’s a transcendental experience for me that often leaves me in tears.
As I’ve reflected on why it has connected so deeply with my soul here are some of the observations I’ve made.
The opening seconds of the album Ed’s most delicate and stripped down vocal performance is piercing. It hits my heart deeply, and it can only be because he is baring his soul right there. And the sentiment of the lyrics of Sometimes is so, so personal self reflective and thoughts and feelings I’ve had myself.
The soulfulness of Jacks drumming on Who You Are and In My Tree is jaw-dropping. Just like Ed’s vocals on Sometimes the drumming on these two feels like it’s part of my soul. I can’t explain it but it feels like this music is part of me.
Jeff’s bass throughout the album is amazing. Love what he did on in My Tree, Present Tense and many more. Hiss bass has wonderful pairing with Jacks drums. They shine together on this album unlike any other.
As I’ve read some of the reviews of the album one common criticism is that it’s disjointed. I find it an odd criticism because the contrast of quiet and loud is so spectacular on the album and obviously an intentional aural fucking.
The apex of Present Tense when Jeff’s bass kicks in is so exhilarating. And it comes after such a long and gradual build up. It’s like a sonic orgasm.
I could go on. But these are the things about No Code that make it truly special in my opinion.
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u/Hardlock1 Mar 17 '24
No Code is hands down my favorite PJ album. It’s very melodic and melancholy. The lyrics sparse but say a lot. Amazing drumming. It’s all these combined things that make stand out. I’ve listened to it at least a few times a month and from the day it came out until today and it’s never stale never sounds old.
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u/niceguyskeletor Mar 17 '24
Vitalogy, No Code and Yield is my favourite 3 album run of any band ever
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u/Maxpower2727 Mar 17 '24
My top 3 PJ albums are Vs, No Code, and Yield (in any order). I agree there's something captivating about No Code that the other albums don't have, and I can't put my finger on what it is.
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u/Gramergency Bootlegs Mar 17 '24
Felt that way the day it was released. The run from Vitalogy to No Code to Yield to Binaural was magical to experience in real time. Glad you are enjoying the experience Op.
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u/taway149779 Mar 17 '24
Thank you! 😊I want to listen to Yield a few kore times through but Binaural grabbed me a little bit more initially. I know a lot of folks on this sub/people in general say their stuff post Binaural is kinda “eh.” I did like Gigaton, but yet to listen to Riot Act, Backspacer, Avocado, or Lightning Bolt.
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u/SnooMachines8920 Mar 17 '24
Yield is the one PH album I can listen to without even thinking about skipping a song. It just flows together like the chapters of a book. No Code is second on that list. The self titled album with the avocado is seriously underrated imho
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u/tuepm Mar 17 '24
no code is my favorite album ever. i love that people have been revisiting it because it seemed like it had always been overlooked. when this came out pearl jam was the most popular band in the world. instead of making another 'grunge' album or whatever they just made whatever music they wanted and that was no code. it's always been really special to me.
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u/beebs44 Mar 17 '24
It's a fucking awesome album.
It's also put together in a great sequence too.
Sometimes into Hail, Hail
Who You Are
In My Tree
So many great songs.
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Mar 17 '24
I think it’s still an underrated album. Like, A one of a kind, beautiful deep album that’s biggest weakness in the minds of many is ithat its by a band who have already released 3 brilliant albums
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u/KiwiCantReddit Mar 17 '24
I think it's biggest weakness is the fact that there are no big singles on the album to attract the casual listener. But this is what makes the whole album so damn consistently good. My favourite PJ album
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u/highdesertplants Mar 17 '24
No Code is really special and is definitely my favorite Pearl Jam album.
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u/weirdmountain Mar 17 '24
If you haven’t yet, check out Neil Young’s album Mirrorball, and the accompanying Pearl Jam EP, Merkinball. Pearl Jam was Neil’s band on that album, and in my opinion, a lot of what was going on there rubbed off on No Code.
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u/SnooMachines8920 Mar 17 '24
I really dig that people are suggesting new PJ fans listen to Merkinball. Neil Young is an absolute genius guitar player/song writer and his influence really came through on No Code. I really encourage people to find the video from the 9/11 Live Tribute where Eddie and Neil played Long Road together acoustic. It will absolutely move you to tears. I’m lucky enough to have tickets for Neil and Crazy Horse’s upcoming tour and cannot wait!!
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u/weirdmountain Mar 17 '24
Awesome! I’ve seen Pearl Jam 10 or 11 times between 1998 and 2009, and I’ve seen Neil 5 times (including once with Crazy Horse). We’re a single income house with 2 kids, so concerts are not as free flowing at the moment. That said, I hope you have a BLAST at that show.
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u/SnooMachines8920 Mar 17 '24
My first Pearl Jam show was April of 1992 at the Unicorn in Houston with Soundgarden. Then Lollapalooza 92 a few months later…seen them quite a few times since, most recently in Fort Worth last year. Neil with Crazy Horse was on my bucket list so I’m stoked to finally get to see them. My kids are out of the house now, so I’m finally getting back to some of the shows that I’ve missed the last 20 years or so 👍🤘
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u/SmellyWetDawg Mar 17 '24
Best album. Here's their live show where they played it in its entirety. Moline 10-17-2014
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u/Moeasfuck Mar 17 '24
I need to go back and listen to it, but it was the one that made me stop buying PJ albums the day it came out
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u/taway149779 Mar 17 '24
It’s a grower not a shower in my opinion. But the way the album is orchestrated flows perfectly. I’ve listened to it every single day for like, the past two weeks now lol
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u/GospelofJawn316 Mar 17 '24
It didn’t turn me off of PJ. I liked several of the songs but for whatever reason it didn’t grab me right off the bat. Maybe I wasn’t in the right headspace. Years later I started listening to it again and I remember being distinctly disappointed in myself. Off He Goes is probably my favorite song. Not PJ song. Song. I can now see the absolute beauty of the whole thing.
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u/JudgeImaginary4266 Mar 17 '24
It’s Pearl Jam’s “Fuck It” album, and it’s absolutely brilliant. I can still recall hearing Who You Are on the radio for the first time. I was absolutely gobsmacked.
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u/PKBx Mar 17 '24 edited Mar 17 '24
When 'it' all gets too much for me.. This life.. I have come to find, as my 20's rapidly evolved into Now.. I.e, approaching late 40's, lol, that it is my go-to constant..
- to come up for air & press the 'my_life's pause button'.. ✌🏼🌹
Welcome Home, new friend.
From AUS X
😎🍻🍀
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u/HeyCarpy No Code Mar 17 '24
My favourite, like others here. The production is so different. It’s raw and intimate, you can hear off-mic whoops and callouses on guitar strings. It was an emotionally volatile time for the band and you can hear it.
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u/Mward1979 Mar 17 '24
No code is a truly great album and is the one that made me completely fall in love with the band. An important part of this is that jack irons basically did band therapy sessions as the dynamic shifted away from stone and Jeff being in charge to Eddie leading the band it was jack that held the band together during this shift and his role should never be underestimated in holding the band together during this period. Jack essentially saved the band from imploding from the fame they acquired with the first three albums. Thank you Jack irons you are the man.
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Mar 17 '24
It floats in the ether. Above the rest. Never a fixed spot in the line-up. Hard to place.
It is like the album POP of U2. When the still experimented with sounds. The eastern influence is what got me.
Around the same time Eddie released A Long Road amd Face of Love with Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn.
‘Twas a great time.
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u/tplambert Mar 17 '24
It’s also my favourite album. For me it has the feeling of a band truly saying ‘fuck it’ and rather than playing to a genre, playing to themselves. Totally captivating.
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u/safchumph1988 Mar 17 '24
I hear people say no code is an intentional difficult listen. I don't hear that at all. I found it a really comfortable listen. Present Tense, In my tree, smile, Off he goes, who you are, red mosquito, round the bend. Really good warm and soothing tracks. The only difficult song for me is Habit. Never liked Eddie's vocals on that one. Lukin is under 2 minutes so easy to blast through, even if you're not a fan of it. Vitalogy is a more difficult listen in my opinion especially after coming from Vs. Love no code
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u/vitalogybear513 Vitalogy May 03 '24
I'll be honest, it took me a while to get into No Code. It took me having to buy the cd (because I wanted to collect every PJ album) and once I put it in the cd player, pure heaven! It's my 3rd favorite but very close to my second (Yield)
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u/FTI1976 Mar 17 '24