Friday, December 12, 2008

Grunge Rockers Pearl Jam to Reissue Their LP “Ten”

Pre-orders for the reissue of Pearl Jam’s 1991 debut album will be available March 24from their former Epic Records label (also pre-orders have already begun on the band’s website www.PearlJam.com).

In fact, four different editions of the legendary debut include a host on previously unreleased tracks and special surprises from the vaults. Each version will include a digitally remastered version of the original as well as new remixes and was done by longtime producer Brendan O’Brien (who did not work on “Ten,” but produced the band’s next four LPs). Additionally, bassist Jeff Ament and designer Andy Fischer have teamed up to revamp the artwork.

The music produced by O’Brien for the project includes six previously unreleased cuts including early versions of “Breath,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Brother” (with vocals- not the instrumental version from the 2003 rarities release “Lost Dogs”), “Just a Girl,” “Evil Little Goat” as well as a Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired jam session with improvised vocals from Eddie Vedder.

Band members have been coaxing O’Brien to take on the remixing project for years and he relented after he had remixed the “Ten” cuts, “Once,” “Black” and “Alive” for the band’s greatest hits release in 2004 called “Rearviewmirror.”

“The original ‘Ten’ sound is what millions of people bought, dug and loved, so I was initially hesitant to mess around with that,” explained O’Brien. “After years of persistent nudging from the band, I was able to wrap my head around the idea of offering it as a companion piece to the original-giving a fresh take on it, a more direct sound.”

The seminal and groundbreaking album has sold more than 9.6 million copies in the US and certainly vaulted Pearl Jam to mainstream superstardom worldwide.

The ‘Legacy’ edition of the reissue includes a DVD of the band’s previously unreleased “MTV Unplugged” performance in 1992. Fans could also choose a double-vinyl version that features the original “Ten” on one LP and O’Brien’s remix on the other.

However, the package that is sure to appease even the most die-hard fans of the group will include two CDs, a DVD and four vinyl records. It will all be housed in a linen-covered, slip cased clamshell box as well as a replica of an item that is second to none in Pearl Jam Lore.

Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, who served as the art director for the original Ten packaging, reprised his role for the reissues collaborating with designer, Andy Fischer, of Cameron Crowe’s Vinyl Films (Into the Wild soundtrack LP, Vanilla Sky soundtrack LP, Harold and Maude anniversary edition soundtrack LP).

"The goal was to assemble the ultimate fan-piece,” explains Fischer. “Something Pearl Jam lovers could pore over as they experience an indelible record all over again, in an entirely new way."

“The original concept was about really being together as a group and entering into the world of music as a true band...a sort of all-for-one deal,” says Jeff Ament. “There were some elements of the original Ten artwork that didn't turn out the way we had hoped, due to time constraints. With this reissue, we’ve been able to take our time and invest resources into making the design the way we had originally intended.”


Pick up a copy of “Ten” here: http://tinyurl.com/5bdqj5




THE FOUR EDITIONS OF TEN: ALBUM EXTRAS PER PACKAGE

1. Legacy Edition (2-disc set in mini-LP style slipcase):
• Disc 1: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered (original mix)
• Disc 2: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered and remixed by Brendan O’Brien, plus six bonus tracks: “Brother,” “Just a Girl,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Breath and a Scream,” “2,000 Mile Blues” and “Evil Little Goat”
• Re-designed packaging

2. Deluxe Edition (2-disc set plus DVD specially designed hardbound package):
• Disc 1: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered (original mix)
• Disc 2: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered and remixed by Brendan O’Brien, plus six bonus tracks: “Brother,” “Just a Girl,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Breath and a Scream,” “2,000 Mile Blues” and “Evil Little Goat”
• DVD of Pearl Jam’s previously unreleased 1992 MTV Unplugged performance including never before seen bonus performance of “Oceans” with 5.1 surround sound audio remix

3. Vinyl Collection (2-LP set)

• LP 1: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl
• LP 2: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl and remixed by Brendan O’Brien

4. Super Deluxe Edition (2-disc set plus DVD, 4 LPs and replica cassette in linen-covered, slip-cased clamshell box):

• Disc 1: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered (original mix)
• Disc 2: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered and remixed by Brendan O’Brien, plus six bonus tracks: “Brother,” “Just a Girl,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Breath and a Scream,” “2,000 Mile Blues” and “Evil Little Goat”
• DVD of Pearl Jam’s previously unreleased 1992 MTV Unplugged performance including never before seen bonus performance of “Oceans” with 5.1 surround sound audio remix
• LP 1: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl
• LP 2: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl and remixed by Brendan O’Brien
• LP 3 & 4: Drop in the Park – Live at Magnuson Park in Seattle on September 20, 1992 (audio mixed by Brendan O’Brien)
• Cassette: replica of original “Momma-Son” Pearl Jam demo cassette featuring “Alive,” “Once” and “Footsteps”
• Package also includes an Eddie Vedder-style composition notebook filled with replica personal notes, images and mementos from the collections of Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament, a vellum envelope with replicated era-specific ephemera from Pearl Jam’s early work and a two-sided print commemorating the Drop in the Park concert

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