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“The End” by Pearl Jam – Chords, Tabs, & How to Play

Chris Moore — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:59:20 +0000

Originally posted 2009-09-28 22:16:37.

“The End”
Pearl Jam

F#                            C#
What were all those dreams we shared
C#       Ebm              F#
Those many years ago?
What were all those plans we made
Now left beside the road?
F#   B                    F#
Be – hind us in the road.

More than friends I always pledged
Cause friends they come and go
People change as does everything
I wanted to grow old
Just want to grow old

F#          B         F#
Slide on next to me
F# B                    Ab
I’m just a human being
B                   Ebm
I will take the blame
Ebm           C#
But just the same
C#             B
This is not me
You see
Believe
B                     F#
I’m better than this

F#     B                  F#
Don’t leave me so cold
F#   B                            Ab
Or   buried beneath the stones
B                   Ebm
I just want to hold on
Ebm C#                            B
And   know I’m worth your love
Enough
I don’t think
B                                      F#
There’s such a thing…

It’s my fault, now I been caught
A sickness in my bones
How it pains to leave you here
With the kids on your own
Just don’t let me go

Help me see myself
Cause I can no longer tell
Looking out from the inside of
The bottom of a well
It’s hell
I yell
But no one hears

Before I disappear
Whisper in my ear
Give me something to echo
In my unknown future’s ear

My dear
The end
Comes near
I’m here
But not much longer

** These chords and lyrics are interpretations and transcriptions, respectively, and are the sole property of the copyright holder(s). They are posted on this website free of charge for no profit for the purpose of study and commentary, as allowed for under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, and should only be used for such personal and/or academic work. **

“Thin Air” by Pearl Jam – Chords, Tabs, and How to Play

Chris Moore — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:59:18 +0000

Originally posted 2009-02-28 20:57:25.

“Thin Air”
Pearl Jam

Intro: E

E C E
There’s a light… when my baby’s in my arms;
There’s a light… when the window shades are drawn.
Hesitate… when I feel I may do harm to her…
[Wash it off...] ’cause this feeling we can share.

E C D – A E
And I know she’s reached my heart… in thin air.

Byzantine… is reflected in our pond;
There’s a cloud… but the water remains calm.
Reaching in… the sun’s fingers clutch the dawn to pass;
Even out… it’s a precious thing to bear…

And I know she’s reached my heart… in thin air.
Yes, I know she’s reached my heart… in thin air.

E   F             C              G
It’s not in my past to presume…
G             D                            A
Love can keep on moving, in both directions.
F               C               G
How to be happy and true…
G       D                           A
Is the quest we’re taking on together…

E
Taking on… on, on, on…
Taking on… on, on, on on, on.

There’s a light… when my baby’s in my arms…

And I know she’s reached my heart… in thin air.
And I know she’s reached my heart… in thin air.
Yes, I know she’s reached my heart… in thin air.

E C A – E
Yes, I know she’s reached my heart…

Music Review: Pearl Jam’s “Backspacer”

Chris Moore — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:31:32 +0000

Originally posted 2009-09-21 22:41:46.

RATING: 4 / 5 stars

By Chris Moore:

This most recent Pearl Jam release is aptly titled; in many ways, Backspacer is closer in focus and energy to Ten than any of their more recent efforts.

Most reviews have wasted little time in pointing out that this album holds the band’s record for brevity — 37 minutes from the first guitar strum to the final vocal fade. This can, of course, be interpreted in one of two ways, the worst case scenario being that the album was hurriedly prepared and produced.

This could not be further from the truth.

Backspacer is a strong, purposeful album comprised of eleven very upbeat, very direct tracks that leave little room for the listener to catch his breath over the record’s half hour span. For the most part, these tight, three minute tracks are energizing and satisfying, catchier and cooler than anything Eddie Vedder and company have turned out in a long time.

This is, of course, a mixed bag. After all, short, to-the-point pop rock is fun when done properly — which, by the way, it certainly is here. Still, the electric soundscapes of 2000′s Binaural and the distortion-drenched protest of 2002′s Riot Act were excellent installments in the Pearl Jam catalog, even if their respective values have been minimized by critics who seemed more concerned with comparing them to early releases like Ten and Vs.

It should be noted that 2006′s Pearl Jam lacked cohesiveness as an album, although several songs on that release are among the best of their career (“World Wide Suicide” or “Marker in the Sand,” anyone?). This eponymous release is an album of wild energy and abandon, which works particularly well in the first half of the track listing. That being said, Vedder rips his vocal chords to shreds in his effort to sing without holding any emotion or effort in reserve. This works well in some places, and yet crackles to pieces in others.

On Backspacer, Vedder has somehow been able to amp up his emotions and energy, and yet his vocals stand out as some of the best of any Pearl Jam recording to date. Some songs, like the opener “Gonna See My Friend,” harken back to the roughly shouted vocals of Pearl Jam. Most, however, feature Vedder at his best.

The opening track is also notable for a strumming pattern that is evocative of some mid-1950s Chuck Berry-esque riffing — with a decidedly grunge rock twist to it, of course. “Gonna See My Friend” is a catchy track but certainly does not stand out among the other excellent album starters of their career.

From the first millisecond of ”Got Some,” there is suddenly evidence that this might be an excellent album. Jeff Ament’s collaboration with Vedder is a nice addition to the other outstanding Ament contributions — think: ”God’s Dice,” “Ghost,” and ”Low Light;” if you’re really kind, forget “Pilate.” The best part of “Got Some” is that, by the time it has finished, you haven’t even heard the single yet.

“The Fixer” comes next, a tour-de-force taken on very convincingly by Vedder. I have vacillated about three or four times a day since I picked up the album on Sunday, and I’m still not certain whether I like “Got Some” or “The Fixer” better. I suppose I’ll just have to keep listening…

As the album continues, there are other rockers performed at breakneck speed (“Johnny Guitar,” “Supersonic”), as well as considerably slower, more instrospective numbers (“Just Breathe,” “The End”). These latter tracks were clearly influenced by Vedder’s recent solo project, writing and recording the soundtrack for the Sean Penn film Into the Wild. The fingerpicking patterns that open these songs are reminiscent of his solo tracks, yet these songs clearly show the progress Vedder has made in such a short time, particularly in terms of structure.

For once, I am forced to agree with Rolling Stone‘s assessment of this album. Their four star rating is a simple means of stating that Backspacer is an excellent album, but not a masterpiece. From track 6 to “The End,” the album takes some repeated listening to really be appreciated. At first, I felt that some of these tracks were too tight and traditional to ever truly stand out. As I’ve listened, more and more of these songs have stood out, like the soaring “Amongst the Waves” and the excellent “Speed of Sound” (listen to Vedder’s vocals in the first few lines as he momentarily invokes Leonard Cohen).

Backspacer may not be the next Ten, but it is silly to even entertain that desire. (If you read music reviews in the major magazines, you wouldn’t know it though!) What this release does offer is an energetic, cohesive Pearl Jam album — and that, for me, has always been more than enough.

“Indifference” (Pearl Jam Acoustic Cover) – The Laptop Sessions

Jeff Copperthite — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 05:48:06 +0000

Originally posted 2009-10-22 22:34:55.

By Jeff:

Welcome to Thumpin’ Thursday! My first as a 29 year old.

I decided tonight, after much deliberation, that I would record a song from a band that has seen plenty of exposure on this site. That band of course is Pearl Jam.

My friend Marc from high school had introduced me to most of the songs by Pearl Jam from their first two albums. Him and his brother were huge fans and had even saw them in concert. I found out my own brother was also a fan and let me listen to “Ten”. I loved it and it set me off on a Pearl Jam kick that I think i’m still on – at least for the albums I have currently.

The song I have chosen is the last track from their 2nd album “Vs.” The best of these songs are ones that I wouldn’t want to play on acoustic guitar. Even this one is meant for a softer electric guitar, but still works. “Indifference” is the name of the song. I’m not positive that I performed this song to the best I could. But the nice thing is the people who would watch this either a) know the song, or b) are frequent visitors to this site and love what we do.

It’s business as usual on my end. Still setting stuff up, and still teaching 4 classes instead of 3. And while I love the extra money it’s bringing in, I will be looking forward to the 1 1/2 weeks off i’m going to take at some point next month.

Enjoy this song and keep checking back for more songs from the three and only – Chris, Jim, and I!

“Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” (Pearl Jam Acoustic Rock Cover Song) – The Laptop Sessions

Jeff Copperthite — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:13:23 +0000

Originally posted 2008-02-11 19:45:02.

By Jeff Copperthite:

Welcome to Monday’s Laptop Session, and I’m back with another Pearl Jam song, this time going back to their 2nd album “Vs.”

This song also earns the title “Longest Song Title ever”, as I couldn’t even fit it into the Title field on YouTube (however, here it’s fine).

The song is “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town”, and is a song that Scott & I have played for a long time. Usually, we’ll swap instruments and he’ll play the bass to it while I do my half-ass guitar part (well, compared to him. He is the guitarist in the band after all).

This song is very sweet and easy to listen too. I hope you enjoy it.

Stay tuned for Jim’s new session tomorrow, and see what Chris brings out of the woodwork for Original Wednesday.

Oh, and I’m ever so close to the 3,000 view mark! Thank you everybody for making the Laptop Sessions such a success.

Please visit http://www.laptopsessions.com for a new session per day in 2008. Also, remember my new EP “Greenlight” will debut on February 24th. Check out http://www.fusco-moore.com to preview some of the songs!

“Last Kiss” (Wayne Cochran Acoustic Cover) – The Laptop Sessions

Jeff Copperthite — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:13:21 +0000

Originally posted 2008-12-17 00:04:13.

By Jeff Copperthite:

Welcome to Tremendous Tuesday! It’s so good, it’s “like a potential delay or closing tomorrow because of inclement weather” good.

Today I continue my romp of classic songs that have been covered more recently. Chances are you’ll think that Pearl Jam is the composer of the song “Last Kiss”, but if you do your research you’ll know it is a cover of a song that’s over 40 years old! It was actually written by Wayne Cochran, but he didn’t get a lot of publicity for the song. It took his song being covered a few times for the song to be successful.

This is among the easiest songs one can learn to play. I remember teaching this to one of my friends’ cousins at a guitar lesson. If you can play a G, Em, C, D progression, then congratulations you can wham out this song!

I had an incredibly busy day today, so i’m going to keep this brief. But short posts doesn’t mean a subpar video! The video itself came out well, and my voice “naturally” scratched during the higher notes, and it is really effective for this song that it happened. I think it is still an after effect of my voice still recovering from last week.

But Jim “Like an entire Christmas Village playing the same thing at once in their minature houses so it comes out peaceful and awesome” Fusco will be supplying us with an original tune tomorrow. I have a hunch at what it could be (if he hasn’t played it already), but chances are it will be a song I haven’t heard yet.

See you then!