W.M.A.

Happy Thanksgiving America- Excuse me while I rant and rave about what today's holiday means to me. For me, we should not celebrate for the just sake of partying, or because you feel that you have to due to tradition. Instead, actually open your eyes, take a good look around at what you've got... yes, it may not be much- but the little that we as the so-called "average" Americans do have, is worth more than precious gold, platinum or anything else in the universe. What we have is love, and it's absolutely priceless. We have family, we have friends, we have each other. And when it really boils down to it, that's all we need. You can go without food, water & shelter for so long... but can you really go without love? Without the company of another for an extended period of time? And wouldn't it be better to have at least one other person to be there with, even if you dislike that particular person that  your with? Imagine you were stranded on a small desert island- alone. How would you feel?

In any case, I, myself had a fantastic day filled with great conversation, excellent food, beer & wine... but most importantly- I spent it with my loved ones. I hope you had the priveledge of doing the same- happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Tonight, I bring you W.M.A. from the Versus Demos. As I've said before, I just love the unpolished sound of these, so I'm going with the flow here. W.M.A. is a song that's close to my heart because I was raised by parents who wern't necessarily what you would call hippies just by plain sight, but they sure as hell had the right idealisms. Sticking it to the man was instilled deep within me throughout the years. This song just pumps me up all the way & makes me wanna go start a protest down at my local cop-shop. It's awe-inspiring.

Before I go, I wanna scream h-e-l-l-o at a couple of friends: VedderFreak & Rox-Man... without friends like you two, this blog wouldn't be possible. Thanks.

The picture I've enclosed is the artwork for the 1993 vinyl edition. Peace, Love & Pearl Jam!

WMA.mp3 (13.27 MB):

http://www.sendspace.com/file/tmtxao

RELEASE ME.

I can specifically remember putting Release on many of the mix-tapes that I had made for my father as a child.

Ever since I first heard this song in 1993, it's always sent shivers up and down my spine, puts a tear in my eye & a lump in my throat- particularly when Eddie gets to the part where he's screaming in pain, "I'll wait up in the dark for you to speak to me...".

I've uploaded three versions of this song, and each one is special in it's own way of course. The first is the studio version- classic Ten is always a good way to go. The second is live from The Garden 1998- the pain in Eddie's voice seems more intense than ever at this show. The third is what I consider to be the absolute best of the best of this set though... I have for you tonight Release from the Mookie Blaylock demos- and once again, the pure grittiness and raw unhampered energy that's captured is reason enough to name Pearl Jam the number one rock band of all time. They don't need to be edited to sound good- it's almost preternatural, you could say.

Release - Live at the Garden 1998.mp3 (5.75 MB):

http://www.sendspace.com/file/1qqo55

Release - Studio Version.mp3 (3.60 MB):

http://www.sendspace.com/file/phy5ox

Release - Mookie Blaylock Demos.mp3 (9.22 MB):

http://www.sendspace.com/file/809dk0

I got some bad news about my father today, and well, I'm sending tonight's post out to him.

"Oh dear dad - Can you see me now?

I am myself - Like you somehow.

I'll ride the wave - Where it takes me.

I'll hold the pain - Release Me."

HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY.

YOU'VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY:

I'm screaming h-e-l-l-o to all of my fellow Jammers, on this cold & snowy day here in Ashevegas. The other day I put 200 new random songs on my mp3 player and just now got around to listening to them. As I was listening, several Beatles songs came on- Helter Skelter, Golden Slumbers & Octopus' Garden... but then I came accross You've Got to Hide Your Love Away played by Eddie Vedder. I'm not sure which show it's from, but I felt that it deserved to be shared today. You see, when I was really little, my father & I didn't get to spend an awful lot of time together... but when we did, it was all about the music. He'd "pop quiz" me in the car on the way to school to see if I knew who was singing whatever song might be on. And when we were home on the weekends, he'd spin his records. Elton John, Iron Butterfly, and yes, the Beatles. Hide Your Love Away is one of those very nostalgic songs that have become a small yet very significant part of who I am today. When Eddie covered it for the soundtrack "I Am Sam", it was like hearing it again for the first time... so so many years ago. It created a special & unique connection for me- I suppose that you could say that it bridged the past with the present, & brought my entire life full-circle.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I have over the past couple of years- and keep spinin' the black circle baby!

HideYourLove.mp3 (5.11 MB):

http://www.sendspace.com/file/1lyoc5

"IF SHE'S GONE I CAN'T GO ON. FEELING TWO FOOT SMALL."

TREMOR CHRIST.

MORE FROM THE SELF POLLUTION RADIO VIDEOS:

A good friend of mine really came through for me today. He had read my previous blog post where I had said that I lost all but one of my Self Pollution Radio videos. Turns out that he was able to help me out with all of them, and then some. You know who you are, and I thank you so much.

So, today's goodie is my all-time favorite Pearl Jam song EVER! This song has forever changed me into the very woman you "see" before you today. I fucking love Tremor Christ, and I'm not afraid to say so. This video completely sucked me in & had my heart pounding by the time you hear "do you know what it's like??". So without further ado, here's Tremor Christ from Self Pollution Radio '95.

TremorChrist.mp4 (10.95 MB):

http://www.sendspace.com/file/yu6966

"RANSOM PAID THE DEVIL. HE WHISPERS PLEASING WORDS.

TRIUMPHANT ARE THE ANGELS IF THE CAN, GET THERE FIRST."

ONE STEP UP.

Hey Jammers! I hope you've all had as great a day as I have!

I got to thinking about what really got me into Pearl Jam... I mean really really got me into them. So I asked myself, when did this really all begin? And yes, I can trace my appreciation of

 their music back to the very beginning in '91... But when I really think about it, it all began

 when I met a guy named Eddie Lozanski in an old AOL PJ chatroom, back in '96 before No

 Code was released.

He was a kind soul who just wanted to help a fellow Jammer in need. He ended up sending me several tapes with every possible b-side and rarity, that at that point, you could possibly want or imagine. Now, there were many songs on those miracle tapes that stuck with me over the years, even after losing them in 2000. Two of my absolute favorites though, are a couple of Bad Radio tunes- One Step Up & Believe You Me. I still think of him when I hear them to this day.

So tonight's post goes out to Eddie- thanks for making me the hardcore Jammer that I am today, and always will be.

OneStepUp.mp3 (6.43 MB):

http://www.sendspace.com/file/pztn82

BelieveYouMe.mp3 (6.29 MB):

http://www.sendspace.com/file/5vd4e0

"LAST NIGHT I DREAMED I HELD YOU IN MY ARMS.

THE MUSIC WAS NEVER ENDING."

HAWAII '78.

I've had several requests for Hawaii '78. It's only been played twice in Pearl Jam history, and to be quite honest, I'm not sure which one this is. It was played on December 2, 2006 & on December 9, 2006 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was first written and recorded by Israel Kamakawiwoole. The True Story of Hawaii '78 has a detailed page with the origin of this song: http://www.hawaiiseventyeight.com/.

And until next time, please enjoy!

Hawaii '78.mp3 (3.92 MB):

http://www.sendspace.com/file/fpdo9x

Translated lyrics can be found at:

http://www.lyricsdownload.com/israel-kamakawiwo-ole--hawaii-78-lyrics.html

"TEARS WOULD COME FROM EACH OTHER'S EYES AS THEY WOULD

STOP TO REALIZE THAT OUR PEOPLE ARE IN GREAT, GREAT DANGER NOW."

SUNBURN.

Good morning to you all on this cold & blustery winter day. It's about 17 degrees outside & snowing right now, so what better to waste my time with than posting some goodies for you?

Today, I've got a very yummy treat... it's a rare No Code outtake called Sunburn. Absolutely amazing- it's guaranteed to bring you to tears. Stone is on vocals in this one, and I'd almost like to think that this was written with Andy in mind. At least that's who I think of when I listen to this hidden gem.

In any case, I do hope you enjoy. I'll never fully understand why they decided not to release this, but that only makes it more sacred, and therefore more appreciated by people like you & I.

Sunburn.mp3 (5.36 MB):

http://www.sendspace.com/file/riclgm

"LOST FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE IN YOUR ARMS."

Lyrics located at:

http://www.theskyiscrape.com/website/wikijam/index.php/Sunburn

NOT FOR YOU.

SELF POLLUTION RADIO: RARE VIDEO CLIP

A while back, I was fortunant enough to come accross five incredibly rare Pearl Jam videos, that of course, were damn-near immediately removed by YouTube. How does this make me fortunant, you may ask? Because I was able to download them before they were removed. Now, there's a downside to this little story though- my entire harddrive was formatted, right along with four of the five video clips- but the one remaining is worth it's weight in gold... and I'd like to share with you here tonight.

NotForYou-SelfPollutionRadio.flv (10.37 MB):

http://www.sendspace.com/file/palii2

"ALL THAT'S SACRED COMES FROM YOUTH.

DEDICATION, NAIVE AND TRUE."

HARD TO IMAGINE.

WELCOME TO MY NEW BLOG, HARD TO IMAGINE.

I'm Niccole- a die-hard, old-school Pearl Jam fan & this is to be a collection of my inner-most thoughts & feelings on my all time favorite band & their music. I also hope to post some of my favorite quotes, pictures, shows & more.

Let me start by saying that my life really wouldn't be the same without Pearl Jam's music- the gut-wrenching lyrics... the catchy riffs & bass lines... the raw emotion that I can so easily relate to.

Now, I can't honestly say whether my life would be any more difficult than it is or not, but what I can tell you for sure is that unlike people, the collective talents of Ed, Stone, Mike, & Jeff have always been there for me when I needed it most. Their songs simply speak to me, & when I've had a hard day, I'll sit back with my headphones on full blast with Save You, All Those Yesterdays or Present Tense playing. Or hell, all of No Code will do, for that matter.

But when I really think about it, I suppose that it's not just Pearl Jam that has been a constant friend, but all music. You see, I don't believe that people can show true unconditional love for one another quite as easily as we can for our music. No matter how many songs you listen to, you're favorites will still be there for you... and always will. And even when you find new favorites, you're old ones will still have a place in your heart. We, as people, don't generally turn our backs on music as easily as we do on one another. True, that we may move on- but the music is still there.

Anyways, those are my thoughts for this evening. I've given the boys the night off & have got some Pink Floyd going instead. A wise woman once said that variety is the spice of life, and I personally find this to be very true. While it's true that I listen to Pearl Jam 3/4 of the time, I do still love the classic tunes that I grew up on. They'll always be in my heart- like the most true friend that you could ever find. Good night all- may the music be with you... forever & ever amen.

Hard To Imagine - Asheville 2004.mp3 (8.64 MB):

http://www.sendspace.com/file/nrmfqr

Hard to Imagine - Soundtrack Version.mp3 (6.29 MB):

http://www.sendspace.com/file/354i94

"PAINT A PICTURE VISIONS ONLY GREY.

LIGHT YOUR PILLOW. LAY BACK. WATCH THE FLAMES."