Friday, December 26, 2014

Top Ten Pearl Jam Moments of 2014, #5

THE SINGLES


There were no major musical releases from Pearl Jam in 2014, but the band kept excitement high with several surprise items that popped up (and disappeared quickly).  Three singles and an EP by band members made their way into the Ten Club's warehouse (Free Ride by Brandi Carlile, Mike McCready, Stone Gossard and Barrett Martin; Knife Fight/Caught In A Mess by Stone Gossard and Mason Jennings, Music From Film EP by Mike McCready; and Hold Your Head Up/Holy Roller by Mother Love Bone), but each was gone in less than an hour.  If you wanted some rare vinyl this year, you had to be fast.  To date, only Music From Film is even commercially available in any other format as none were even released as a digital download.

What is a fan with a day job supposed to do?

Fear not, collectors!  This past spring, the Ten Club did some major house cleaning and created Mystery Boxes.  A steal for around $70, fans were promised two posters, two clothing items, a bootleg, and various other goodies.  What arrived were old newsletters, test pressings of Fan Club Singles, rare cassettes, backstage passes, and out-of-print vinyl/CDs.  Most sizes were available for more than an hour, and fans raked in some fantastic goodies.  Check out some sample shots from fans below.