And...recorded during the same sessions but left off of Mirror Ball: Mirror Ball confused a lot of 22 year-olds at the time, myself included. But a few listens in, the songs latched on. I like that the album avoids any type of songs written simply to be hit singles...this is a classic rock album and a deep listen.
Have the Merkinball EP on CD as well as Mirror Ball in both HDCD and 2-LP. Bought it when it first came out; agree with Vinyl Socks above that it's a classic rock album and is owed a deep listen.
It's one of his best albums, just the songs themselves are downright infectious, but the sound of PJ and NY is perfection. Anyone who got rid of this album should be kicking themselves. I've played it steadily since it came out.
The Grandfather Of Grunge can do his thing. Here's some great guitar work a few years before Mirror Ball.........
I love it too. Pearl Jam comes across as underrated and suits Neil to a "t" and it rocks. For what it's worth, great sound quality on the CD.
My copy went "awol" some time ago, but I had this when it was new and have always liked it. I thought it was a cool pairing with him and PJ together and I'm the Ocean still comes thru my head at the strangest times and is one of the best cuts on the album, for myself of course. I dig Throw Your Hatred Down too.
Neil And Crazy Horse did "I'm The Ocean" at their Portland Oregon stop during the '97 Horde Tour. I've seen Neil and the Horse many times but that was a true highlight. (Also unusual for the Horse to tackle a song of that tempo!)
Fantastic drumming by Jack Irons. I'm the Ocean and Throw Your Hatred Down are among Neil's best. A very good album.
I love it and played it to death when it came out 22 years ago. CD is very worn due to the inferior digipak. Lots of mates at university were hooked by that record too. No weak moments in my opinion. Great guitar riffs, like a jackhammer. However I even like Mirror Ball a tad more.
It's a nice guilty pleasure - typical Neil Young in it's (sometimes half-baked) spontaneity. Great energy, but a bit weak/thin on the songwriting departement. Especially impressive at first listening(s), but paling a bit afterwards.
Caught them in Salt Lake City that summer fgor H.O.R.D.E. Fest...boring show, not because of the bands...but Salt Lake City is a place where you CANNOT have any "fun" - saw several people accosted by security and police for lighting up things you can't light up outdoors in SLC. The show was great, though. I'm sure you had a blast in Oregon! If you don't like the songs, then get lost in the layers of guitar. With 3 electric legends jamming, not to mention Jeff Ament on bass...the guitars are hypnotic.
This is actually a good album. When it first came out, I was really into both Neil and Pearl Jam and it didn't really impress me that much, but if I just forget that it is Pearl Jam and focus on Neil and the songs, it sounds great. The drums stand out. The only complaint is the rhythm guitars are rather generic, lacking the depth of a typical Neil album. Maybe the PJ guys were intimidated and held back a bit. Might have been better as a Crazy Horse album, but still a good batch of songs. Neil's vocals seem mixed rather low for some reason. Worth revisiting this album, and best played loud. This was basically the last Neil album I bought for about 20 years, as he kind of lost me after that, but I'm now revisiting the lost years and I'm sure to find some hidden gems I may have overlooked. So far I've realized that I just wasn't ready for what Neil was delivering at the time, but maybe I'm ready now.
I think it's a pretty solid album although I do prefer the two Crazy Horse albums that bookend it, Sleeps with Angels and Broken Arrow.
