Pearl Jam: Place/Date

Rating:
Summary: Perfect for Hardcore Fans
Review: Pearl Jam has made a career of hiding from the press and keeping a deliberately low profile. But they are known for giving goodies to their hardcore fans. I would have thought that PJ never allowed anyone to take pictures of them, but apparently Mercer and Peterson have had free range to take any pictures they wanted with the band on tour. There are only a few "publicity" shots where the band is clearly posing for the camera. The majority are onstage action shots and candid moments which provide a lot of insight into the band's personalities. There are also many great shots of the fans. Each of the four core members seems to be showcased equally, with some shots of their various temporary drummers. The funnest aspect of the book is watching the guys' image change over time - from overdressed, long-haired alt-rockers in the early days to their current scruffy low-maintenance "regular guy" look.

Rating:
Summary: One word...Class
Review: This book has class written all over it. What else would you expect from such a great band? Lance Mercer and Charles Peterson are very talented and their photos really show the emotion and intensity of the band. The packaging and layout is fantastic with each photo carefully positioned on the page. One great sequence of 4 photos (which also happens to be the back cover) shows four of the band member's silhouettes in front of a coloured light. Eddie-red, Mike-green, Jeff-yellow and Stone-purple/blue. The effect is absolutely fantastic. I was in awe when I saw the photo of Eddie hanging 30 feet in the air during the 'Drop in the Park' concert. Some photos made me laugh, like mike pretending to sleep on hei guitar with a little smirk on his face and the scrabble photo was pretty funny too. I absolutely cherish this book and believe that any Pearl Jam fan should have it. It is the best way of showing the history of Pearl Jam, no words to criticise, just beautiful pictures. Classy.

Rating:
Summary: Great photos, but...
Review: This book is a great collection of some very artistically done work from some very talented photographers...but it doesn't go too far beyond that. Granted, some of the pictures are actually about something (I love the Drop In the Park shots, so wish I could have been there). And the shots of the band just as people, as friends, those are great, personal depictions, but the artsy blurring effects are definitely a bit much. I don't much see the point in the really grainy black-and-white shots either. Black-and-white is definitely classy, but they could at least be clear. I do like the colored pictures, the close-ups of the silhouettes...those are great. And the posed shots are cool, a lot of them look like they should have been posters. (Although perhaps those aren't "real" enough for some people.) I think this book is overall a great collection of photography, albeit a far too serious one. It seems the attempt to create art instead of just the same lame old press photos superseded the actual point of the book, which was to give the fans a look into the band in a more personal way. But don't accuse Pearl Jam of taking themselves too seriously; anyone who has ever seen a video or read an article about them knows they have a sense of humor. It's the photographers who took this too seriously (and also perhaps some of these reviewers!). One really cool thing about this book, though: it's the first time I've ever seen Dave Krusen, the band's first drummer. Everyone's seen pictures and videos with Dave Abbrusezze and Jack Irons, but Krusen left so soon after recording "Ten" that I don't think he was ever featured in too many photos. So that was interesting. So all in all, I'm glad I got this book, but it's not for everyone. With no words whatsoever except for the places and dates the different pictures were taken, this book better be something you really plan on looking through again and again if you're going to spend your money.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful pictures
Review: This book is great for any Pearl Jam fan. It has various pictures of all the band members. I got my copy of this book free from Best Buy when I bought the latest Pearl Jam album Binaural (that was back in May). However, if you buy it it would be worth the money. The book's photos are creative and they are from different years. Great photography. It would be an awesome gift for a Pearl Jam fan.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful pictures
Review: This book is great for any Pearl Jam fan. It has various pictures of all the band members. I got my copy of this book free from Best Buy when I bought the latest Pearl Jam album Binaural (that was back in May). However, if you buy it it would be worth the money. The book's photos are creative and they are from different years. Great photography. It would be an awesome gift for a Pearl Jam fan.

Rating:
Summary: Rising above hardships, alas a chronicle of a band we love
Review: We have all, in time, waited for Pearl Jam, just for once, to bow to the demands of being a rock and roll band. Eddie Vedder, after Kurt Cobain died, assumed this role, although reluctantly. So many photographs, so many magazines chronicled the band's struggles--from the zenith of their power to the nadir of their performance, to sheer obscurity. Peterson and Mercer's photographs embodied the character, the emotion, the mood, the camarederie of a band that started as a seed, then as a plant and then as a towering tree. One endearing scene is the bond between Mike and Eddie onstage, in which the former was having the hard time to connect in ``those days,'' from the ``VS.'' to ``Vitalogy'' days. The singer, albeit the melodrama and almost Shakespearean life, became an enigma to Mike and to others. And this I applaud Place/Date for its work. And how many times the band members change their hairstyle, their musical style, Place/Date remains as one proof that Pearl Jam is band and not a one-man show.

Rating:
Summary: This is the first real Pearl Jam book
Review: What's great about this book is that it's actually from the band, so you get to see these great unpublished photos that were selected by the guys themselves. It's so much more personal then all the other wannabes out there. A must for all true Pearl Jam fans. I should also mention that's it's really good-looking--a great packaging job.