To understand Eddie Vedder’s vocal style, I suppose, you could just as well make a list of all the other singers who’ve copied him, made millions off this, and simply choose their best songs. Yes, Vedder is not just one of the best rock vocalists; he is also one of the most often imitated.
I want to focus on the original item. I want to talk about some of Vedder’s most awe-inspiring moments, the ones that have made many want to study his technique. These, in my opinion, are Eddie Vedder’s ten best moments in front of a microphone.
The 10 Best Vocal Performances by Eddie Vedder
10. ”Why Go”
Eddie Vedder was a shy surfer. His friend got him an audition with a rock band formed by former members of Mother Love Bone. He submitted an original demo and was chosen because he’d chosen a different route from the ones merely aping Andrew Wood, Mother Love Bone’s former singer.
But Vedder didn’t have his famous vocal tone just yet. According to Cameron Crowe’s documentary of the band, it was during a live performance, while witnessing violence in the crowd, that Vedder brought out his famous distortion by way of anger. You can hear a lot of that anger on the incredible “Why Go,” the opening song from the band’s debut album.
9. ”Just Breathe”
Sure, Vedder does more than shout or sing in barreling baritone. In fact, his most tender moments often bring out his very best vocal performances.
“Just Breathe” sounds like an anti-anxiety mantra. It’s one of Pearl Jam’s most famous later-day songs. And a lot of this is due to Vedder’s earnest, emotional delivery.
8. ”Hunger Strike”
Vedder needed a friend and a mentor. Chris Cornell offered himself for both these roles, taking him under his wing when the former first moved to Seattle.
“Hunger Strike” was supposed to be a Temple of the Dog song that included former collaborators of Andrew Wood. Cornell graciously invited Vedder on the song. Although a relative beginner, Vedder’s deep tones blend wonderfully with Cornell’s almost operatic tenor lines.
7. ”Yellow Ledbetter”
Other than Michael Stipe of R.E.M., there aren’t many rock singers who can be entirely fascinating while singing gibberish.
“Yellow Ledbetter” tells a story, sure. But Vedder doesn’t do it in an old-fashioned way. No, he lets feelings caught in the intonation of his voice and, of course, the iconic guitar solo, do the job.
6. ”Wishlist”
Pearl Jam was one of the only grunge bands to survive the genre’s popularity. I think that they managed to do this through disguises and by lying low.
“Wishlist” doesn’t sound like Pearl Jam. It sounds like an art-pop group created a kind of modern gospel, a rock spiritual, a prayer. The warmth that Vedder manages to bring to the performance is sensational.
5. ”Do the Evolution”
Anger has done a lot of wonderful things for Eddie Vedder. I’d argue that it’s been his compass, the thing that has helped him find his True North.
On “Do the Evolution,” Vedder sounds like he’s just about fed up with enough of Corporate America. He’s one of the most famous rock singers in the world, yet he won’t appear in a music video. The nearly demented, almost extreme-metal-like screaming at times feels completely honest.
4. ”Spin the Black Circle”
It’s one thing to scream once. It’s a whole other thing to do it on numerous songs, and to do it night after night. Vedder didn’t just possess a great vocal tone. He had acquired the skill to use it efficiently and repeatedly. Try and just scream out the pure punk-rock tune that is “Spin the Black Circle” without proper training and technique, and you’re dooming your voice.
3. ”Last Kiss”
“Last Kiss” was an oldie transformed into a modern hit. The fact that this is one of Pearl Jam’s biggest ever songs has plenty to do with Eddie Vedder’s vocal ability and the way in which he’d honed his skills in the years following the band’s early success. His intonation is incredible, and he sings the outro effortlessly.
2. ”Black”
“Black” in strict technical terms contains Eddie Vedder’s strongest vocal performance. The fact that this comes in the middle of a heartbreaker of a song gives it all the more weight.
Vedder is widely known for his rich baritone. However, his range extends from C2 to B♭5. His falsetto vocals on the outro to “Black” have become iconic, his singing calling card.
1. ”Release”
“Ten” managed to do two things very well. First of all, like it or not, it efficiently bottled up the angst of grunge. Secondly, it combined alt-rock with sounds popular on classic rock radio.
“Release” was the final track on the debut album, the song designed to cool things off. Much like Vedder’s own journey, the song begins with shy, murmured lines and ends with confident, life-affirming singing. It’s a little more subtle than others, but, in my opinion, “Release” is Eddie Vedder’s greatest vocal performance.
