Vitalogy is the third studio album by Pearl Jam, released on November 22, 1994 and produced by Brendan O’Brien. The album was first released on vinyl, followed by a release on CD and cassette two weeks later on December 6, 1994. The title Vitalogy, which literally means the study of life, comes from an early 20th-century medical book Eddie Vedder found at a garage sale.
This book was also the inspiration for the album cover and liner notes. When the band found out that later versions of the medical book were still under copyright, they had to consult with their lawyers to decide what material they wanted to use in the final version of the art. Upon its CD release, Vitalogy became the second-fastest selling album in history.
It is Pearl Jam‘s second and last album to feature drummer Dave Abbruzzese, who was fired from the band before recording was finished. He was initially replaced by session drummers and later officially replaced by former Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ drummer Jack Irons, who completed the recording of the album. Vitalogy released 3 singles from the Vitalogy album Spin the Black Circle/Tremor Christ (Released on November 8, 1994) Not for you (Released on March 21, 1995) and Immortality (Released on June 6, 1995).
Pearl Jam wrote many of the songs during soundchecks for their Vs. Tour, and most of the album’s tracks were recorded during breaks from the tour. The first session took place in late 1993 in New Orleans, Louisiana, where the band recorded Tremor Christ and Nothingman. The rest of the material was written and recorded in 1994 in sessions in Seattle, Washington and Atlanta, Georgia, with the band finishing the album at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle after the completion of the tour. Immortality was written in April 1994 when the band was on tour in Atlanta.
Tensions within the band had risen dramatically when they were working on Vitalogy. Bassist Jeff Ament said that “communication was at an all time low”. Drummer Dave Abbruzzese stated that communication problems began once guitarist Stone Gossard stopped acting as the band’s mediator.
According to Gossard, Vitalogy was the first album on which lead vocalist Eddie Vedder made the final decisions. Gossard said that the band had trouble collaborating, so most of the songs developed from jam sessions. He added that “80 percent of the songs were written 20 minutes before they were recorded.” During the production of Vitalogy, lead guitarist Mike McCready entered rehab.
Drums on Satan’s Bed were played by Abbruzzese‘s drum tech Jimmy Shoaf. The day it was recorded, Abbruzzese was in the hospital to have his tonsils removed. Vedder and Gossard enlisted Shoaf‘s help in running a drum machine, and after setting it up, asked Shoaf to play the same beat on drums. He is credited on the lyric sheet as “Jimmy“.
Months after finishing the initial recording sessions for Vitalogy, Abbruzzese was fired in August 1994 due to personality conflicts with other band members. Said Gossard: “It was the nature of how politics worked in our band: it was up to me to say, ‘Hey, we tried, it’s not working; it’s time to keep going forward’. On a superficial level, it was a political fight: for some reason, her ability to communicate with Ed and Jeff was very repressed.
I certainly don’t think it was Dave Abbruzzese‘s fault that it was suppressed.” Jack Irons, the original Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer and Abbruzzese‘s successor, plays drums on Hey Foxymophandlemama, That’s Me. Gossard said, “Jack entered a the band right at the end of doing Vitalogy. Jack is a breath of fresh air, a family man. Everyone had a strong sense of friendship with him immediately.
The Vitalogy album was first released on vinyl, followed by a CD and cassette release two weeks later on December 6, 1994. The LP sold 34,000 copies in its first week of release, and even Jack White‘s album Lazaretto in 2014, it held the record for the most vinyl sales in a week since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.
Upon release on CD, Vitalogy became the second best-selling album in history, behind only the release of the band’s previous album, Vs., selling 877,000 copies in its first week. and quickly multi-platinum. The album has been certified five times platinum by the RIAA in the United States.
Tracklist:
- Last Exit – Dave Abbruzzese, Stone Gossard
- Spin the Black Circle – Gossard
- Not for You – Vedder
- Tremor Christ – Jeff Ament, Mike McCready
- Nothingman – Ament
- Whipping – Vedder
- Pry, To – Abbruzzese, Ament, McCready, Gossard, Vedder
- Corduroy – Vedder
- Bugs – Vedder
- Satan’s Bed – Gossard
- Better Man – Vedder
- Aye Davanita – Abbruzzese, Ament, McCready, Gossard, Vedder
- Immortality – Vedder
- Hey Foxymophandlemama, That’s Me (or Stupid Mop) – Ament, Gossard, Jack Irons, McCready, Vedder
Reissue bonus tracks
- Better Man (guitar and organ only mix) Vedder
- Corduroy (alternate take) Vedder
- Nothingman (1993 demo featuring Richard Stuverud on drums)
Pearl Jam
Dave Abbruzzese: drums, except on “Hey Foxymophandlemama, That’s Me” and “Satan’s Bed”. Bass guitar and tremolo guitar on “Aye Davanita”
Jeff Ament: bass guitar, vocals, double bass, black-and-white photography
Stone Gossard: guitar, vocals, mellotron
Jack Irons: drums on “Hey Foxymophandlemama, That’s Me”
Mike McCready: guitar, slide guitar
Eddie Vedder: vocals, guitar, accordion on “Bugs”; credited as “e.v.” for book concept, theory of Vitalogy, typist
Additional musicians and production
Barry Ament: layout
John Burton, Caram Costanzo, Karl Heilbron, Adam Kasper, Kevin Scott, Trina Shoemaker: assistance
Nick DiDia: engineering
Brett Eliason: recording/mixing on “Hey Foxymophandlemama, That’s Me”
Lance Mercer: 8-Baby photo
Brendan O’Brien: production, piano, pipe organ, Hammond organ, recording
Pearl Jam: production
Jimmy Shoaf: drums on “Satan’s Bed”
Joel Zimmerman: art direction
