Before Eddie Vedder became the iconic grunge singer in Pearl Jam, he worked as a security guard in San Diego. He worked the night shift so in his free time, he would spend mornings surfing on the coast of the Pacific. Aside from brief bouts in other bands, Vedder had received a demo tape from future bandmates, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament. During an early morning foggy surfing session, Vedder felt inspired by the demo and thoughts of his father. That is, his real father.

When Eddie Vedder was a teenager, he learned some harsh news. The man he believed to be his father was actually his stepfather. His real father, Edward Severson, had already passed away by the time Vedder discovered this truth. For years, this shook Vedder’s perception of reality and later inspired his writing. During this specific surfing session, Vedder strung together his thoughts, adding lyrics to the demo tapes that were sent to him. He pieced together the three tracks into one “min-opera”, titled Mamasan. Vedder drew inspiration from his love for The Who’s Quadrophenia, which opens with the sound of waves on “I Am The Sea”.

The opening track of the mini-opera became “Alive”, the band’s breakout single. Upon hearing this demo tape, the future members flew Vedder up to Seattle. There, the band was in the studio with Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron of Soundgarden. Together, they were recording a tribute album called Temple Of The Dog, for their late mutual friend and musician Andrew Wood. In the studio, Cornell decided to let Vedder contribute additional vocals to the song “Hunger Strike”. It became a hit single in 1992 once their record label realized they had a collaboration between Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, after Pearl Jam found mainstream success in 1991.

Pearl Jam Forms, Taking Grunge Into The Mainstream

After Temple Of The Dog finished and released their only album, Pearl Jam began recording their debut album, Ten. Their lead single, “Alive”, was released on July 7, 1991. It peaked at No. 16 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart and No. 18 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The success of the single set their debut album, Ten, up for future success. “Alive” is one of three songs included in the mini-opera demo, Mamasan. “Once”, the second song on the demo, was also included on the band’s debut album. The third track, “Footsteps”, appeared on the band’s rarities and B-sides compilation Lost Dogs, released in 2003.

Released on August 27, 1991, Ten went to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 a whole year later. Fueled by a string of hits with “Alive” and then “Even Flow” in March 1992. Following the release of “Jeremy” in August 1992, the album became a massive commercial success. Also, by this point, Nirvana had helped push grunge into the mainstream when they peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in January 1992. In August 1992, Ten peaked at No. 2, held from the top spot by Billy Ray Cyrus’ Some Gave All.

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In the early 1990s, Pearl Jam emerged at the forefront of the grunge invasion into the mainstream. Eddie Vedder joined Pearl Jam while the members were recording the Temple Of The Dog album, a tribute album in which they collaborated with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. He contributed additional vocals to their single, “Hunger Strike”, and soon after recorded the first Pearl Jam album with the new group.

Following the release of Pearl Jam’s debut album, Ten, in 1991, the band’s popularity skyrocketed. Eddie Vedder became one of the most defining and signature voices of the 90s grunge movement. Aside from their hits penned throughout the decade and beyond, here are 5 forgotten Pearl Jam tracks that showcase Eddie Vedder at his best.

“Long Road”

In 1995, Pearl Jam acted as a backing band for their hero Neil Young on his album, Mirror Ball. Following a dispute between record labels, Pearl Jam couldn’t include their name on the album release. Therefore, they released “I Got Id” as a single under their own name, with “Long Road” included as the B-Side. Technically released as an EP called Merkin Ball, the single peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Featuring Neil Young on guitar, pump organ, and additional vocals, “I Got Id” was included on the band’s Greatest Hits album, Rearviewmirror. “Long Road” is lesser known, though it’s a gem for die-hard Pearl Jam and Neil Young fans.

“Unthought Known”

In September of 2009, Pearl Jam released their ninth studio album, Backspacer. Eddie Vedder claimed the album has a more positive tone due to the then-recent election of Barack Obama. “Unthought Know” wasn’t included as one of the album’s three singles, yet it’s one of the strongest tracks on the album. It truly showcases Vedder’s mastered craft of songwriting, and his vocals were arguably better than ever.

“Down”

Another B-side track, this one was included with their 2002 single “I Am Mine”. With music written by guitarist Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder wrote the lyrics. They left the song off their 2002 album Riot Act, feeling it didn’t fit the tone of the record. Instead, it was included on their 2003 rarities compilation album, Lost Dogs.

“Hard To Imagine”

Also included on their 2003 rarities compilation, Lost Dogs, this track was recorded in the 90s. While Pearl Jam was recording their 1993 sophomore album Vs., they recorded “Hard To Imagine”. Co-written by Vedder and guitarist Stone Gossard, the song was left off the album. However, it was later included on the soundtrack for the 1997 dark comedy-drama film Chicago Cab.

“State Of Love And Trust”

This 1992 track featured lyrics written by Vedder, with music co-written by bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Mike McCready. It first appeared on the soundtrack for the 1992 cult classic film, Singles. Pearl Jam included the song on the 2004 greatest hits album, Rearviewmirror. Additionally, it was included on the reissue version of the band’s debut album, Ten, released in 2009.

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