The Beat of a Different Drum, Part 2

Why are Pearl Jam’s albums all so different and eclectic? It’s really because they switched the right members at the right time. Pearl Jam’s drummers have always held a powerful position in the band. For a rock band, they’ve had significant songwriting contributions from the majority of their drummers. Each of these musicians brought a new flavor and style to Pearl Jam. What is most intriguing, though, is to look at how some of the Pearl Jam drummers have become victim to their own idiosyncrasies, even in their short stint in the band. To understand this, let’s look at each drummer separately:

Dave Krusen: Ten (1991)

Straightahead rock. Nothing more to this guy, other than he was in Seattle at the right time. Probably the least successful ex-musician from the band, and he knows it. Everything on Ten is pretty straightahead rock anyways (not to say it’s mediocre music…it’s actually quite revolutionary), so Krusen fit in nicely. His beats aren’t too remarkable, but his most notable work is on the song ‘Porch’. He even got a songwriting credit on ‘Release’, although I’m not too certain he contributed too much except for improvising a beat during collaboration in the studio. Ten is probably one of rock’s finest albums (just ask Chicago radio station WXRT), and it’s a staple in every middle-aged man’s record collection (if only to bring him back to his fraternity days). But even though he kept the beat on this momentous release, it was time for the band to move on to more experienced and diverse drummers.

Dave Abbruzzese: Vs. (1993), Vitalogy (1994)

Remember when I was talking about self-renewal? Honestly, it’s a fairly common ‘crime’ of most accomplished musicians. Certain musicians get really good at one technique, or become really proficient in one modal structure, or maybe even really skilled at using the wah-wah; except that they sort of do it on every record. Dave A. had a monstrous arm that could hit things…HARD. His abilities, though, slowly evolved into a tendency to overuse his cymbals. You bet Eddie Vedder had something to say about it – some of the early arguments between Dave A. and the band revolved around the excess luggage of Dave’s drumkit. On the records, he’s only slightly obsessed with the splash and ride cymbals, but when the band played live he went all out. Just watch the end of the SNL performance of 'Daughter', and you’ll see what I mean. He inserted drum fills wherever he could – granted he sounded unbelievable, ever-deft at slipping in that last tom-tom before Eddie cut back into a verse – but he fell into a groove and didn’t stop. Needless to say, Dave A. was kicked out before Vitalogy (the last PJ album he’d play on) was even released.

[Part 3]