Riot Act (album)

Riot Act
Studio album by Pearl Jam
Released	November 12, 2002
Recorded	February 2002 – May 2002 at Studio X and Space Studio, Seattle, Washington
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	54:15
Label	Epic
Producer	Adam Kasper, Pearl Jam
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link E! Online (B) dead link, view archive here Entertainment.ie link Entertainment Weekly (B) 11/15/02 The Music Box 2/03 NME (8/10) link Pitchfork (4.9/10) 1/6/03 Q 12/02, p.108 Robert Christgau link Rolling Stone 11/28/02 Spin 12/1/02, p.137 Stylus (C-) 9/1/03 Tiny Mix Tapes link Uncut 12/02, p.132
Pearl Jam chronology
Binaural (2000) Riot Act (2002) Lost Dogs (2003)
Singles from Riot Act
"I Am Mine" Released: October 8, 2002 "Save You" Released: February 11, 2003 "Love Boat Captain" Released: February 18, 2003

Riot Act is Pearl Jam's seventh studio album, released on November 12, 2002 through Epic Records. As of 2007, Riot Act has been certified gold in the United States.

Recording

Producer Adam Kasper was brought in to work with the band on this album. Riot Act was the first Pearl Jam album to feature Kenneth "Boom" Gaspar on organ, most notably on the song "Love Boat Captain". Most of the album was recorded live.^[1]

Music and lyrics

Riot Act featured a much more folk-based and experimental sound. The album's lyrics tackle existential matters ("Love Boat Captain", "Cropduster", and "I Am Mine"), as well as social and political concerns ("Green Disease", "Bu$hleaguer", and "1/2 Full"). The track entitled "Arc" was recorded as a vocal tribute to the nine people who died at the Roskilde Festival in June 2000. Eddie only performed this song nine times on Pearl Jam's 2003 tour and left the track off of all released bootlegs as an act of respect. "Love Boat Captain" also includes brief reference to Roskilde ("Lost 9 friends we'll never know... 2 years ago today"). When it was performed at concerts thereafter, Eddie noted the passing of time by updating the lyrics (by 2007, the lyric was "7 years ago today"). A few songs on the album feature lyrical collaborations between Vedder and other members of the group, including two with guitarist Stone Gossard ("Bu$hleaguer" and "All or None"), one with bassist Jeff Ament ("Ghost"), and one with drummer Matt Cameron ("You Are"). Sole lyrical contributions from band members other than Vedder include Cameron with "Get Right" and Ament with "Help Help".

Reception

Riot Act reached number 5 in the U.S. and number 34 in the UK. It included the singles "I Am Mine" and "Save You". Riot Act produced the relatively popular single "I Am Mine", which reached #6 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart, but only sold 166,000 copies in its first week of release. This was Pearl Jam's lowest opening since Ten was released in 1991. Riot Act achieved gold status in the US.^[2] The album would end up selling only 500,000 copies in the US, less than Vitalogy and Vs. sold in their first weeks. Despite Riot Act's lack of commercial success, many critics and fans applauded the effort, and the band received much publicity for their energetic politically-charged performances during the album's 2003 tour. Pearl Jam also supported the album's material at a series of political rallies and benefit concerts while preparing for their eighth studio album, which would not be released until three and a half years later.

Track listing

All information taken from All Music Guide.^[3]

1. "Can't Keep" (Eddie Vedder) – 3:39
2. "Save You" (Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Vedder) – 3:50
3. "Love Boat Captain" (Boom Gaspar, Vedder) – 4:36
4. "Cropduster" (Cameron, Vedder) – 3:51
5. "Ghost" (Ament, Vedder) – 3:15
6. "I Am Mine" (Vedder) – 3:35
7. "Thumbing My Way" (Vedder) – 4:10
8. "You Are" (Cameron, Vedder) – 4:30
9. "Get Right" (Cameron) – 2:38
10. "Green Disease" (Vedder) – 2:41
11. "Help Help" (Ament) – 3:35
12. "Bu$hleaguer" (Gossard, Vedder) – 3:57
13. "1/2 Full" (Ament, Vedder) – 4:10
14. "Arc" (Vedder) – 1:05
15. "All or None" (Gossard, Vedder) – 4:37

Chart positions

All information taken from various sources.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]}

Albums

Singles

Personnel

All information taken from All Music Guide.^[17]

• Jeff Ament – bass
• Stone Gossard – guitar
• Mike McCready – guitar
• Eddie Vedder – guitar, vocals
• Matt Cameron – drums, percussion, rhythm guitar
• Boom Gaspar – Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes, keyboard, organ
• Adam Kasper – piano
• George Webb – guitar technician
• Greg Keplinger – drum technician
• Adam Kasper, Pearl Jam – production
• Adam Kasper – recording
• Brendan O'Brien – mixing
• Sam Hofstedt – engineering
• John Burton – additional engineering
• Al Nostreet – album concept
• Jeff Ament – cover/inside photos
• Danny Clinch – additional inside photography
• Kenny Gilliam – forged metal figures
• Brad Klausen – LBC illustration, layout and design
• eV – typist

Pearl Jam dedicate this record to three bass players that passed away in 2002:

• John Entwistle, The Who
• Dee Dee Ramone, Ramones
• Ray Brown, legendary jazz musician

References

External links

• Riot Act information and lyrics