No Code

A transitional record born from tension, heat waves, and a band finding its footing with a new drummer.

No Code is the fourth studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1996, through Epic Records. Following a troubled tour for its previous album, Vitalogy (1994), in which Pearl Jam engaged in a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster, the band went into the studio to record its follow-up. The music on the record was more diverse than what the band had recorded on previous releases, incorporating elements of garage rock and worldbeat. Although No Code debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it Pearl Jam's third consecutive number one album, it left a large section of the band's fanbase unsatisfied and quickly fell down the charts.

Quick Facts

Artist

Pearl Jam

Released

27 August 1996

Recorded

12 July 1995 – 1996, 05

Studio

CRC (Chicago)
Kingsway (New Orleans)
Litho (Seattle)

Genre

Art rock; garage punk

Label

Epic

Producer

Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam

Lore & Background

The recording sessions for No Code began with strife and tension. Bassist Jeff Ament was not made aware the band was recording until three days into the sessions, and said that he 'wasn't super involved with that record on any level.' Guitarist Mike McCready admitted, 'I'm sure Jeff was pissed, but it was more about separating, because if we played all together nothing would get done. We'd all just get pissed off at each other.' At one point Ament even walked out of the recording sessions and considered quitting the band due to lead vocalist Eddie Vedder's control of the creation process. The band's mood improved by the time the album was finished, and the bandmembers gave credit for this to new drummer Jack Irons. Regarding Irons, producer Brendan O'Brien stated that 'everybody was on their best musical behavior around him.' McCready said that Irons urged the band members to discuss their problems, and called him 'a big spiritual influence, if not the biggest.' Vedder said, 'Making No Code was all about gaining perspective.'

Reader's Guide

No Code sold 366,500 copies in its first week of release, topping the Billboard 200, but falling short of analysts' predictions of at least 535,000 copies. This was significantly less than what the band's previous two albums sold in their respective first weeks of release. It was, however, the seventh biggest-selling debut of what was a slow year for the industry. The album became the first Pearl Jam album to not reach multi-platinum status, receiving a single platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States. Critical reviews were mixed, with praise for the musical variety but criticism of the album's inconsistency. Pearl Jam promoted the album with tours in North America and Europe in the fall of 1996. The short tour of North America focused on the East Coast of the United States. As with Vitalogy, very little touring was done in the United States to promote No Code because of the band's refusal to play in Ticketmaster's venues.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)
1	Sometimes	Vedder
2	Hail, Hail	Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready
3	Who You Are	Gossard, Jack Irons
4	In My Tree	Gossard, Irons, Vedder
5	Smile	Ament
6	Off He Goes	Vedder
7	Habit	Vedder
8	Red Mosquito	Ament, Gossard, Irons, McCready, Vedder
9	Lukin	Vedder
10	Present Tense	McCready
11	Mankind	Gossard
12	I'm Open	Irons, Vedder
13	Around the Bend	Vedder

Did You Know?

The album's front cover features the eyeball of photographer Lance Mercer, not Dennis Rodman.
A Polaroid photo inside the album's booklet is of Vedder's foot after he had been stung by a stingray.
The lyrics to 'Smile' are taken from a note that Dennis Flemion of The Frogs hid inside Vedder's notebook while he was offstage.
For the first time on a Pearl Jam album, a band member other than Vedder contributed lyrics, with Stone Gossard writing and singing lead vocals on 'Mankind.'
On October 17, 2014, at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois, during the Lightning Bolt Tour, Pearl Jam played the entire album in order as part of their set.