Vs. (pronounced versus) is the second studio album by Pearl Jam, released October 12, 1993 through Epic Records. After a relentless touring schedule in support of their 1991 debut album Ten, Pearl Jam headed into the studio in early 1993 facing the challenge of following up the commercial success of its debut. The resulting album, Vs., featured a rawer and more aggressive sound compared with the band’s previous release. It was the band’s first collaboration with producer Brendan O’Brien and its first album with drummer Dave Abbruzzese.
Pearl Jam decided to scale back its promotional efforts for Vs., including declining to produce music videos for any of the album’s singles. Upon its release, Vs. sold 950,378 copies in its first five days on sale, which set the record for most copies of an album sold during its first week, a record it held for five years. Vs. occupied the number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart for five weeks, the longest duration for a Pearl Jam album. The album received positive reviews from critics and has been certified 7x platinum by the RIAA in the United States.
The album cover, photographed by Jeff Ament, features a black and white image of an angora goat from Lifeline Farm in Victor, Montana. According to Ament, the cover art was a representation of how the band was feeling at the time, with Ament stating that “we were slaves“. The album booklet contains additional drawings and writings by Eddie Vedder, including a page apparently scribbled in a business meeting reading “I’ll never trust anyone again.” The lyrics page for W.M.A. features a portion of a news story about Malice Green, a victim of police brutality.
The album was originally titled Five Against One (The song Animal features the lyrics “One, two, three, four, five against one…”).
Regarding the album’s original title, Gossard said:
“To me, that title represented a lot of struggles you go through trying to make a record… Your own independence, your own soul, versus everybody else’s.” The album title was changed at the last minute, first to a self-titled album and then to Vs“.
Tracklist:
- Go
- Animal
- Daughter
- Glorified G
- Dissident
- W.M.A.
- Blood
- Rearviewmirror
- Rats
- Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
- Leash
- Indifference
Reissue bonus tracks - Hold On (acoustic demo)
- Cready Stomp
- Crazy Mary (Victoria Williams)
Pearl Jam
Eddie Vedder: vocals; rhythm guitar on “Rearviewmirror” and “Elderly Woman”
Jeff Ament: bass guitar; upright bass
Stone Gossard: rhythm guitar
Mike McCready: lead guitar
Dave Abbruzzese: drums
Production
Ames: artwork, black-and-white photography
Nick DiDia: recording
Adam Kasper: assistance
Kevin Scott: assistance
Lance Mercer: inside color photography
Brendan O’Brien: production
Pearl Jam: production
Bob Ludwig: mastering
Joel Zimmerman: art direction
