Pearl Jam and Legacy Recordings Celebrate 30th Anniversary of Vs. with New Spatial Audio Mix of Album

Pearl Jam and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, commemorates the 30th anniversary of the band’s seminal sophomore full-length offering, Vs., with a series of special releases, available in new Vinyl and Cassette configurations via various partners on November 17th. 

Pearl Jam’s own Ten Club features an exclusive 2LP Dreamsicle (translucent orange with white swirls) color variant vinyl and clear cassette. While for HMV & Indies in the UK a 1LP clear vinyl will also be available, alongside a new black 2LP vinyl which will be available in all participating retailers. Album and cassette preorders are available HERE.

Additionally, Pearl Jam and Legacy Recordings will unveil a brand new Atmos Spatial Audio Mix of the album released tomorrow October 20th on Apple Music alongside new visualizer videos for each track on the album. Stream the Vs. and watch the track visualizers HERE.

Pearl Jam arrived like a tidal wave with Ten in 1991, unassumingly emerging as one of the most popular bands in rock music and culture at large. With all eyes on them for a follow-up, the musicians opted to hold nothing back, cut deeper, and deliver a dark and dynamic 12-track opus in the form of Vs. Powered by classics such as the heartbreakingly introspective “Daughter,” acoustic nostalgia of “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town,” primal punked-up fury of “Blood,” and downright raw catharsis of “Leash,” the album found the group at its rawest. From the explosion of “Go” through the poignant exhale of “Indifference,” it traced a journey through insecurity and uncertainty in the face of unwanted fame, stared down heavy themes such as abuse and neurodivergent learning disorders, raised a middle finger to America’s gun obsession and police brutality, tackled the topic of suicide fearlessly, and even managed to let light peek through the cracks with some of the group’s most treasured anthems ever.

In a 1993 Rolling Stone interview with Cameron Crowe, Eddie Vedder shared, “Music is an incredibly powerful medium to deliver a story by. But the best thing is, that you have to have volume. You’re supposed to play it loud. I would do anything to be around music. You don’t even have to pay me.”

Vs. is the sound of a band that won’t compromise its message or meaning. It’s the moment the tide really turned…

It also notably marked the first of many albums to be helmed by longtime collaborator Brendan O’Brien, kicking off a new three-decade partnership with the producer. Upon arrival, Vs. smashed records by moving over 950,000 copies during its first five days in stores, eclipsing the sales of the rest of the entire Billboard Top 10 combined. It clinched #1 on the respective chart for five weeks, logging the longest run at the top for any Pearl Jam release to date. It held the record for “most albums sold first-week” for the next five years and set the record for “most first-week vinyl sales,” which would stand for the next 20 years.

Moving 10 million units worldwide, Vs. has since gone 7x-platinum in the States. Meanwhile, “Daughter” just reached RIAA platinum status, while “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town” has gone gold.

Retrospectively, Rolling Stone hailed, “Pearl Jam emerged victorious with Vs., an album that still stands as one of the strongest records of their long and storied career. Looser, heavier, and angrier than their debut, Vs. found the band exploring new sounds and dynamics.” Billboard proclaimed, “To date, the sophomore set that proved the band could do things its own way — a tactic that directly helped make its longevity possible.”

Not to mention, Pearl Jam’s tenth full-length LP and fan favorite Lightning Bolt also celebrates its 10th anniversary this week. It originally dropped on October 15, 2013, and became the group’s fifth #1 debut on the Billboard 200. Brendan O’Brien produced Lightning Bolt, and it will be released in Spatial Audio on October 20th.

Check out the full tracklisting below and stay tuned for more news and announcements soon.

Pearl Jam – Vs.
track listing

1. Go
2. Animal
3. Daughter
4. Glorified G
5. Dissident
6. W.M.A.
7. Blood
8. Rearviewmirror
9. Rats
10. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
11. Leash
12. Indifference

Bonus Tracks (*digital release only):

13. Indifference
14. Cready Stomp
15. Crazy Mary

Pearl Jam – Vs.
1LP Side Splits

Side A
1. Go
2. Animal
3. Daughter
4. Glorified G
5. Dissident
6. W.M.A.
 
Side B
1. Blood
2. Rearviewmirror
3. Rats
4. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
5. Leash
6. Indifference

2LP Side Splits

A Side
1. Go                                                                                                                                        
2. Animal                                                                                                                                
3. Daughter
                                       
B Side
1. Glorified G                                                                                                                         
2. Dissident                                                                                                                            
3. W.M.A.                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                             
C Side
1. Blood                                                                                                                                   
2. Rearviewmirror                                                                                                                
3. Rats

D Side
1. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town         
2. Leash                       
3. Indifference