AMG's review on "Alive"
The first single and video from Pearl Jam's smash 1991 debut Ten,
"Alive" wasn't the huge hit that its follow-ups were, but its
late-night airplay on MTV was crucial in helping break the
band into the big time. While "Alive" had a big, stadium-ready
chorus, it was also subtler, less macho, and less grandiose
than true arena rock. Acoustic guitars played an important
supporting role underneath the warm fuzztone of the electrics,
and the slower tempo gave vocalist Eddie Vedder a chance to
hold back and show the gentle side of his rich, sonorous voice,
thus creating a greater contrast when he kicked up the intensity.
The opening riff creates a sort of see-saw effect, sliding back
and forth from a power chord to a single-note melody rising as
though out of a cloud. Jeff Ament proves himself a terrific bassist,
never riding the root note of the chord but sliding up and down,
often providing a contrasting harmony with the single-note part
of the riff. Vedder's lyrics seem to concern traumatic episodes
in the past, whether in family or love; however, the specifics
are often left unclear, communicating the discomfort only through
a sort of hazy, impressionistic, half-repressed memory.
It's probably safe to assume that the intent of the chorus
("I, oh, I'm still alive") is to make the song a tough-survivor
anthem, although one does wonder if the singer feels any
ambivalence about the value of having made it this far.
"Alive" closes with an extended guitar solo by Mike McCready,
whose licks are inspired by blues-rockers like Clapton and Hendrix,
but aren't really bluesy themselves, instead sounding filtered
through classic rock. It adds a final epic touch to the song,
as though the lyric-centered part of the song simply wasn't enough
to achieve complete catharsis. — Steve Huey
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.twbbs.org)
◆ From: 140.114.216.94
PearlJam 近期熱門文章
PTT偶像團體區 即時熱門文章
