Pearl Jam - Binaural (2000)

SOLD! $152.50

Auction Link (ends August 26th)

Epic Records: E2 63665
Format: 2X12" Trifold LP, Black Vinyl 
Includes: Original 8-page Booklet and two custom graphic inner sleeves.
Cover Condition: Near Mint! Amazing copy! No ring wear on the black cover. Hardly ever pulled from the shelf and always stored vertically in a protective poly sleeve.
Vinyl Condition: Near Mint! Only played a few times, still like new, no surface noise! Stunning! Booklet and Inner sleeves are also near mint!

Release Info: Binaural is the sixth studio album by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, released on May 16, 2000 through Epic Records. Following a full-scale tour in support of its previous album, Yield (1998), Pearl Jam took a short break before reconvening toward the end of 1999 to commence work on a new album. The music on the record featured an experimental sound, evidenced on songs that utilized binaural recording techniques.

For its sixth album, Pearl Jam brought in producer Tchad Blake, known for his use of binaural recording. Binaural recording techniques were utilized on several tracks, such as the acoustic "Of the Girl." The songs are also identified with an asterisk next to the song names in the lyric book. This was the first Pearl Jam studio album following the departure of drummer Jack Irons, and features drummer Matt Cameron, formerly of Soundgarden, who had previously drummed on Pearl Jam's U.S. Yield Tour. Binaural was recorded in late 1999 and early 2000 in Seattle, Washington at Studio Litho, which is owned by guitarist Stone Gossard.

Similar to the process for Yield, the band members worked on material individually before starting the recording sessions together. Lead vocalist Eddie Vedder called the making of the album "a construction job." Binaural was the first album since the band's debut that was not produced by Brendan O'Brien. Gossard stated that the band "felt like it was time to try something new," and that they "were ready for a change." Regarding Blake, Gossard said, "He was just there for us the whole time, wanting us to create different moods." The album was initially mixed at Sunset Sound Factory in Los Angeles, California with Blake; however, the band proved to be dissatisfied with how the mixes turned out, wanting the songs to sound "heavier." The band then turned to its former producer O'Brien, who was called in to remix several tracks at his mixing facility at Southern Tracks in Atlanta, Georgia. It was with O'Brien that the band determined the final sequencing of the album.

Binaural sold 226,000 copies during its first week of release and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 album chart. It was held off the top spot by the Britney Spears album, Oops!... I Did It Again. Binaural became the first Pearl Jam studio album to fail to reach platinum status. Binaural has been certified gold by the RIAA, and, as of December 2002, has sold 718,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album's cover art is a Hubble Space Telescope photo of the Hourglass Nebula. Hubble Space Telescope photos of the Helix Nebula and Eagle Nebula are also featured in the inside cover and liner notes for this album, respectively. The photos were used with the permission of NASA. Regarding the artwork, Ament said, "The reason that we went with Tchad [Blake] is because he provides an amazing atmosphere to songs....So, I think we wanted the artwork to represent that....One of the themes that we've been exploring...is just realizing that in the big scheme of things, even the music that we make when we come together, no matter how powerful it is, it's still pretty minuscule. I think for me the whole space theme has a lot to do with scale. You know, you look at some of those pictures, and there are thirteen light years in four inches in that picture."

The album's title is a reference to the binaural recording techniques that were utilized on several tracks. Binaural literally means "having or relating to two ears." Regarding the choice of the title, Gossard said, "When we looked up the word 'binaural,' it meant to listen with both ears. So it seemed like a fitting title for the album."

All lyrics written by Eddie Vedder, except where noted, all music composed by Vedder, except where noted.

1. "Breakerfall" 2:19
2. "Gods' Dice" Jeff Ament Ament 2:26
3. "Evacuation" Matt Cameron 2:56
4. "Light Years" Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Vedder 5:06
5. "Nothing as It Seems[*]" Ament Ament 5:22
6. "Thin Air" Gossard Gossard 3:32
7. "Insignificance" 4:28
8. "Of the Girl[*]" Gossard Gossard 5:07
9. "Grievance" 3:14
10. "Rival[*]" Gossard Gossard 3:38
11. "Sleight of Hand[*]" Ament 4:47
12. "Soon Forget[*]" 1:46
13. "Parting Ways[I]" 7:17