Pearl Jam Friend and Associate Reflects On 30 Years of ‘Vitalogy’

As fans celebrate the 30th anniversary of Pearl Jam’s third studio album, Vitalogy, this year, a longtime friend and associate of the band joined Loudwire Nights to look back on his time working with Pearl Jam.

Listen to the full conversation in the player near the end of this article.

“They were rehearsing a lot during soundchecks,” Brett Eliason — who has worked as an engineer, producer and mixer for countless bands — told Loudwire Nights host Chuck Armstrong on Friday (Dec. 6). He was reflecting on how the songs that would end up on Vitalogy were largely worked on during Pearl Jam’s tour.

“You saw these songs kind of take shape on the road … It was an interesting thing where instead of being a cohesive group at the studio and just focusing on a record, it was something that was coming together more naturally from a touring experience.”

Eliason recalls one major thing Pearl Jam’s manager, Kelly Curtis, always made sure the guys did before they made a new album.

“Before you even went in to make a record, [Kelly would] ask them to go do a tour, even if it was just a handful of shows,” Eliason shared.

“It made a lot of sense. When you play those things live, you vet them. You work out some bugs. You find that natural live energy behind it as well — and so Vitalogy was steeped in that.”

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Another major difference in the creation of Vitalogy compared to Ten and Vs. was the fact that Eddie Vedder played guitar in the studio alongside his bandmates.

“Ed picked up his guitar and started playing with the band,” Eliason said.

“That was a huge change right there and some of the amazing songs on Vitalogy were Ed writing and playing. He got comfortable enough and confident enough that he decided to bring that.”

What Else Did Brett Eliason Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• What’s unique about the way Vedder sings and how he plays guitar: “He has an internal rhythm…things that you hear in the melody, but if you pay attention to his right hand on the guitar, it really follows that and sets the tone for that.”
• What it’s like mixing a live album like Live on Two Legs compared to a studio album like Vitalogy: “It’s a matter of finding the right performances with the right energy.”
• The first time he mixed a live Pearl Jam show in New York City: “The band had gotten whisked away by the record company to go do, probably, dinner and some chatting about business or whatnot. The house guy says, ‘Hey, you’re up. Where’s your band to get a line check done?’ … I said I’d love to get drums set up and I just jokingly yelled, ‘Is there a drummer in the house?’ It turns out Masters of Reality were on that and Ginger [Baker] stands up and says, ‘Will I do?'”

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Brett Eliason joined Loudwire Nights on Friday, Dec. 6; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.