DON’T MISS OUT: Vitalogy (1994)

Pearl Jam wasted no time in getting to work on their third album, but things were changing; Gossard ceded creative and ideological leadership of the band to Vedder with a reaction to their sudden and seismic fame following suit (see the defiant “Not for You” as the clearest airing of that). The punk rock leanings of “Spin the Black Circle,” “Last Exit” and “Whipping” showcased an organic live edge to their tone, but among the odd experimentations of “Bugs” and “Stupidmop,” there’s heart and soul here in abundance too; “Nothingman” and “Immor

tality” are effecting, atmospheric strummers. Vedder was prompted to revisit his pre-Pearl Jam expose of his stepfather by producer Brendan O’Brien to realize one of his greatest compositions in “Better Man.”

Download: “Better Man”