I debated about this song most of the last 24 hours. Do I write about a seldom heard Pearl Jam song (again), or touch on another song that folks might know. But after hearing back from my likely initial source for this song,(Thanks Joe!!!!!!!!) I felt I had to go for the first choice. Today's pick for Pearl Jam Song of the Week, has been a treasured song to me for so long, and this blog has served as a reminder to another who also treasured it according to Joe, "I haven't heard it in a good, long while."
So here goes: Pearl Jam 'Sonic Reducer' has been a favorite of mine since high school. I really don't know what came first, getting some tapes from Joe or getting my own bootlegs first. Either way, at some point in high school, I got my hands on the song. The song was from the Ten era. From what I can tell, it first became available to fans on the bands vinyl 45 christmas single.
Each year the Pearl Jam Ten Club, gives out a freebie to the fans. Most years it's a gem, but occasionally there's a dud, like 'Olympic Platinum' or the R.E.M. joint effort 'Happy When I'm Crying'. Usually I step away from the record player wanting a digital version, so I don't have to keep unearthing my ancient stereo receiver. In fact, I have not even heard the last couple of years, as they sit untouched and unheard. Fortunately, my basement is nearly complete and the first item to be installed once finished is a new(hand me down from Ric Nic) stereo receiver to hook up to my old school Technics player.
I wasn't cool quite yet in '92 to get that treasure, but in '95 the song came back in a live version on yet another Ten Club X-mas single 'Sonic Reducer (Dead Boys cover, live in New Orleans with Joey Ramone)' as the B-side to 'History Never Repeats (Split Enz cover, live in Auckland with Neil & Tim Finn)'. Also, somewhere around that time, I landed the Pearl Jam Versus the World bootleg, which included recordings from MTV Unplugged, one of my all time fav PJ cover songs, 'Master of War', and of course 'Sonic Reducer'
'Sonic Reducer' consists of a repeated heavy riff, with Eddie Vedder also wailing away to the lyrics such as 'Sonic Reducer, Ain't no Loser". As simple as the versus and composition are, it's succinctly kick-ass, making any teenager pumped up, and anyone older nostalgic for those feelings of the world ahead of you.
The original is by the Dead Boys from the 1977 album Young, Lound and Snotty. It's well worth the listen, and in some cases well worth the sample (Beastie Boys - 'An Open Letter to NYC').
Pearl Jam - 'Sonice Reducer'
For more Pearl Jam or 'Sonic Reducer' info...
On Pearl Jam Christmas 45's
On Pearl Jam Ten Club
On the song itself : wiki/Sonic_Reducer
To buy the original version :try iTunes
To see more stats on the Pearl Jam recordings: pearljam.com/song/sonic-reducer
To buy the Pearl Jam version : GOOD LUCK
So here goes: Pearl Jam 'Sonic Reducer' has been a favorite of mine since high school. I really don't know what came first, getting some tapes from Joe or getting my own bootlegs first. Either way, at some point in high school, I got my hands on the song. The song was from the Ten era. From what I can tell, it first became available to fans on the bands vinyl 45 christmas single.
Each year the Pearl Jam Ten Club, gives out a freebie to the fans. Most years it's a gem, but occasionally there's a dud, like 'Olympic Platinum' or the R.E.M. joint effort 'Happy When I'm Crying'. Usually I step away from the record player wanting a digital version, so I don't have to keep unearthing my ancient stereo receiver. In fact, I have not even heard the last couple of years, as they sit untouched and unheard. Fortunately, my basement is nearly complete and the first item to be installed once finished is a new(hand me down from Ric Nic) stereo receiver to hook up to my old school Technics player.
I wasn't cool quite yet in '92 to get that treasure, but in '95 the song came back in a live version on yet another Ten Club X-mas single 'Sonic Reducer (Dead Boys cover, live in New Orleans with Joey Ramone)' as the B-side to 'History Never Repeats (Split Enz cover, live in Auckland with Neil & Tim Finn)'. Also, somewhere around that time, I landed the Pearl Jam Versus the World bootleg, which included recordings from MTV Unplugged, one of my all time fav PJ cover songs, 'Master of War', and of course 'Sonic Reducer'
'Sonic Reducer' consists of a repeated heavy riff, with Eddie Vedder also wailing away to the lyrics such as 'Sonic Reducer, Ain't no Loser". As simple as the versus and composition are, it's succinctly kick-ass, making any teenager pumped up, and anyone older nostalgic for those feelings of the world ahead of you.
The original is by the Dead Boys from the 1977 album Young, Lound and Snotty. It's well worth the listen, and in some cases well worth the sample (Beastie Boys - 'An Open Letter to NYC').
Pearl Jam - 'Sonice Reducer'
For more Pearl Jam or 'Sonic Reducer' info...
On Pearl Jam Christmas 45's
On Pearl Jam Ten Club
On the song itself : wiki/Sonic_Reducer
To buy the original version :try iTunes
To see more stats on the Pearl Jam recordings: pearljam.com/song/sonic-reducer
To buy the Pearl Jam version : GOOD LUCK
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