That and it's hallmark of an absolutely stunning blues song. It’s a bit of an anomaly in the huge PJ catalogue – there really is nothing else like it, and perhaps that’s why it is loved enough by fan’s to become a PJ set closer for years. But this unabashed homage to McCready’s hero Hendrix thankfully landed on the flipside to Jeremy back in 1992. Pearl Jam's Mike McCready on working with Mark Lanegan in Mad Season: "I’d been wanting him to sing on it for 16 years"īefore streaming lay waste to the physical single, a band could once be judged on the standard of its b-sides, and Pearl Jam’s 2003 Lost Dogs compilation proved the quality of outtakes that didn’t even make it that far. Things get really interesting immediately after the second chorus where a Bb signals a change in pace, building to a driving edgy chord-based section before taking the song right back into a dreamy place with cascading high arpeggios repeating over the returning verse part. Then completely open strings kick in for the first chorus chord to take it up a gear. It’s in dropped D tuning for the drone note in the minimalist, calming intro / verse section. Moreover, Present Tense especially demonstrates the power of less is more when it's in the right dynamic context. And it’s the kind of masterful atmospheric rise and fall approach he’d mine later for songs like Given To Fly and Inside Job. Present Tense also smashes any pigeonhole of McCready as just the band’s guitar hero and reveals a deeper side to his writing. But it’s this deeper cut and live favourite that is all McCready’s music and typifies the band’s ability to balance the experimental with the anthemic. Musically the record is a fascinating selection of textures and approaches, some that evolved from jams but elsewhere saw Vedder fully stepping into the creative driver’s seat with five songs credited solely to him. Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament talks No Code album: "I don't know if we made any money on that record" (opens in new tab)
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