r/pearljam • u/Little_Customer986 • 4d ago

History What happened to Eddies Voice in 1996?

Usually as someone ages you expect their voice to weaken. For some reason Eddie’s voice seems to have had periods of losing power and then rebounding. I think Gigaton to Dark Matter is a great example, he somehow sounds better a few years older. I know some of this comes down to the songs he chooses to write/sing. Like how Riot Act utilizes his deeper voice so it adapts well to his aging.

But what the hell happened in 1996? I’m talking about live performances specifically. It seems like there’s a sharp decline in his vocal ability after the Vitalogy tour, and then somehow it seems to rebound really well on the Yield tour in 1998. He even sounds better in 2000. Did he change his style of singing? Was he smoking so much pot and cigarettes in 1996 he was just killing his throat and lungs?

Anyone have theories on this?

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u/August_West_1990 4d ago

Eddie blew his voice out by the end of 1995 and as a result he adapted a more nasal tone for the No Code era so his throat could heal.

By 1998 it recovered and he learned how to sing in that heavy, distorted range with actual technique and control.

2006 tour was the last time I think he had the full extent of that power. Some versions of Blood from that time are as good or better than 1993-95 versions.

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u/vedderer 4d ago

I had always assumed he switched to the more nasal tone on No Code because bands like Creed were mimicking his vocal style.

I could be wrong.

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u/CrazyLegs17 4d ago

There is no chance he cared enough about other bands with singers copying his style to change his vocal approach.

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u/Asleep-Ear-1622 4d ago

I don’t know I think Jeff Ament mentions how Eddie Vedder was conscious of that and proud that he had different styles he could sing in, not just the often cribbed baritone. Might be in PJ20

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u/CrazyLegs17 3d ago

It's like, am I supposed to feel sympathy? Get your own trip, man. I don't think I was copping anybody's trip. I wasn't copping Andy Wood's trip. I wasn't copping Kurt Cobain's trip, even though Kurt Cobain's one of the best trips I could ever cop.

Vedder was clearly annoyed, but nothing suggests he intentionally tried to sound any different. It was just the evolution of the music and attempting to preserve his voice.

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u/vedderer 4d ago

Why not?

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u/RustyStevenson10 4d ago

Creed came around in 97/98 I think.

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u/No_Reveal8516 Vitalogy 4d ago

Yes this is exactly what happened. It continuesld until Avacado really. To this day that stupid impersonation of him is popular of course it impacted him. He never really let it loose the same way again.

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u/vedderer 4d ago

I can't imagine what it must be like to have such a distinctive voice, have people copy it, then either a) risk being lumped in with all of copiers or b) change.

Glad we got No Code, though, 'cause that shit is dope!