Episode #4 of Steven Hyden's Pearl Jam podcast series is now up.
Our series on Pearl Jam continues with possibly the most fascinating record in the band's catalogue, "No Code." Released in 1996, "No Code" competed on the charts with a host of poppy alt-rock rip-offs by artists such as Alanis Morissette, Live, Bush, and Matchbox 20. In spite of being a figurehead band of 90s rock, Pearl Jam's popularity receded greatly in this period. But the band drew on the turmoil for "No Code" and produced an album that holds up decades later. Joining Steve is Derek Madden, the producer of Celebration Rock and a long-time radio veteran who's been following Pearl Jam for most of its career.
Episode #5 is also up.
Is the fifth Pearl Jam album the beginning of an era, or the end of one? Actually, it's probably a bit of both. Steve delves into one of the most underrated Pearl Jam albums, which was both the last PJ album to go platinum and the marker of a new era of stability for the band. Our guest is the poet and critic Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib.
