Lost Dogs

For sure, this is not an item that just anyone should buy, having knowledge of Pearl Jam does help, but "Lost Dogs" is much better than your average B-Sides package, and there are some startling omissions from their original releases. For example, how the achingly beautiful, 'Other Side', never made the average 'Riot Act', I'll never know, it would surely have been an album highlight. 'Fatal' not making the inconsistent 'Binaural' is also a bit of a mystery, but what it does say about this album, is that it plays like a studio album. Although many songs were recorded at completely different times, Vedder's voice stays fresh throughout, and you can hear the two guitarists, particularly Gossard, slowly learning to use their instruments to their best and occasionally even finding original styling.

The highlights do tend to come from disc 2, which is more involved in the balladry and slow rock style that Pearl Jam do well, and rather better than many of their peers. Take already well known numbers, such as the remake of a fifties, Eddie Cochran classic, 'Last Kiss', which is startlingly tragic under the watchful eye of Eddie Vedder, and add a load of unknowns and demos from PJ's past, and you get quite an atmosphere. The different versions of 'Ten' lost classics, 'Wash' and 'Footsteps', are very good as is the unique 'Strangest Tribe', but there is nothing more beautiful than the stirring and melancholic, 'Let Me Sleep'. Previously on a Christmas single, it's a beautiful, seasonal piece, that is grand in its feeling, but beautiful in its simplicity and Vedder's stunningly affecting lyrics: "Oh, when I was a kid/ How magic it seemed/ Oh, please let me sleep, it's Christmas time" sung in Vedder's tingling drawl is stunning.

But the rock songs are purely Pearl Jam in every way, shape and form. "Sad", "Down" and "Undone" are all tracks that should have made their respective albums, while "Yellow Ledbetter"s immortality as a fans and live classic is assured. "Hitchhiker" has a good example of the bizarre vocal effect that PJ started using around "Binaural", and "Don't Gimme No Lip", has one of the greatest PJ (Gossard) riffs of all time.

It makes for an at least intriguing listen, and for Pearl Jam fans it is indeed an essential, as it does play like an album, and the thoughts like "Why didn't this song make the cut?" and "Wow, they were really onto something there" will fly. For others, maybe not so, but the highlights are very, very good, and for anyone who's into classic rock and maybe a punk attitude, this should be an at least interesting listen, and is surprisingly consistent, and amazingly is their best release since 'Yield'. From looking at the inside of the cover there are plenty more demos out there to be let loose, but for now "Lost Dogs" is more than enough, and with nearly 2 hours of music, this should keep a lot of Pearl Jammers jamming for a long time. It won't win any new fans, but it's a terrific collection, and amazingly, one of Pearl Jam's better albums consistency wise.

4 Stars.

How wrong can you be !!! I have come to the conclusion that Messers Vedder, Ament, Gossard and McCready couldn't write a bad song even if they tried. The quality of the music on this collection is astounding.

If you are a fan of Pearl Jam you will buy this album regardless of what people say. If you are not a PJ fan, but would like to see what all the fuss is about, at a very reasonable price. I strongly suggest you get this as it would, in my opinion, serve as an excellent introduction to a fantastic, consistently superb band.

Oddly enough, outtakes from the last two albums are better than anything else on those records - bizzare!

I have all Pearl Jams studio albums but had never bothered to collect all the singles and rarities as I got into them kinda late with Vitalogy.

So what you get with Lost Dogs is a chance to play the producer - hunt through the 30 tracks here and make your own album of quality tracks - there's plenty to choose from.

Would have preferred one disc of good songs and one of the curio stuff as the flow is kinda weird.

My advice - buy the Singles soundtrack for the two excellent tracks, then buy the Merkinball EP for another two forgotton gems, then buy this and you can create an album better than almost anything else they have put out.

All Night, Sad, Down, Alone, Education, You, Undone, Hold On, Yellow Ledbetter, Other Side, Hard To Imagine, Wash, Dead Man...

These tracks are EVERY bit as good as Pearl Jams better album tracks and singles. BUY IT!