Five against One by Kim Neely
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Book Reviews of Five against One
Book Review: GOOD
Summary: 5 Stars
Best Pearl Jam book I've ever read.Book Review: like pearl jam this book can make you mad and happy
Summary: 4 Stars
i've always been a pearl jam fan and a seattle scene fan. this book talks about the history of the band with uncanny detail while still distances itself from other details. I like how it tells of eddie's struggle with stardom, mikes of alcoholism, and jeff of homosexual tendicies. The main problems with the book is the focus on eddie and at times eddie and daves confrontations. I sincerely regret to inform all potential buyers of the negelect of the stories of mike, stone and jeff. I like eddie but love mike mccready and any guitarist would aggree he is one of the modern best. i am not happy with the absence of mike and his herion habit. this book starts off good and then suddenly you spend about a third of it on eddies life i would prefer to see this in and spotligt on eddie vedder book but this saved me the trouble of buying another book. it should have been titled five against one the pearl jam and eddie vedder story. so as it takes you rolling through the years right as you reach the no code era the writer seems to grow tried of her project i dont know if she had become infactuated with another book on eddie or what ever its kinda like alright no code had no promotion sold bad and then came yield and she describes yield as three pages i think. With the other albums she told the meanings of songs and the meanings. not with the last two albums. i wished she would have told of how the hundreds of imports and bootlegs out there are being taking advantage of the fans. i mean take for instance i bought a import of the concert i went to in my home town so would that make it an import? any way i bought it for 40 dollars more than i actually paid for the ticket. but dont get me wrong not a bad book gave inciteful humorisms and what i call eddieisms so buy this book and then you'll find yourself a graduate of pearl jam university. if i could contact the writer i'd say make a public apology for shunning the last three years of pearl jam. and in afterthought i wished she would have talked about mike's side band mad season who bassist just died. but of course that would take up time from eddie and his half of the bookBook Review: A seemingly balanced prespective on the band and it's leader
Summary: 4 Stars
I've just recently become interested in the music of Pearl Jam by way of an article I read on their bassist Jeff Ament in an old copy of Bass Player magazine. I then purchased the Rearview Mirror CD and surprisingly as a 43 yr old guy have been hooked ever since and wanted to learn more about the band. I thought this was an interesting read in that it shows how much these artists suffered through considerable loss and hurt and persevered to make their dreams a reality. While some may see Neely's portrayal of Vedder as highlighting his hypocrisy I think her portrayal aptly shows how his difficult upbringing has created a complex young man who predictably eschewed authority and demonstrated some integrity albeit in a ruthless business. I honestly pained for this man as I read her portrayal of his childhood and the circumstances of how he learned who his real father was and his complex relationship or lack thereof with his adopted father. Like many, a child of divorce in the 70-80s, I identified with the circumstances and it reminded me of how I felt and how these feeling drove me to express myself in music as well. I was however dismayed at the way the band apparently treated their drummer Dave A.. However, the fact that Dave was the only "previous" memeber of the band to contribute to the book does call into question the impartiality of the content in this regard. I would have like to have also learned more about the other members of the band who each give PJ their unique style and magic for it is the whole that makes a band not just one individual. By the way, this is a band that really shines and emotes in live performances. I can't stop playing this stuff.Book Review: An informative read
Summary: 4 Stars
Although Five Against One is the only Pearl Jam book I have ever read I would still recommend it to any hardened Pearl Jam fan. Written by Kim Neely(a reporter that knows what she's talking about) the book covers Everything from Jeff's upbringing to the release of the 'Given to Fly single. The book devotes two chapters around about mid-book to the complete life story of Eddie Vedder. This basically answers all the questions you have about his past which is shrouded in mystery. The only negative thing about the book I found was that although it covered the release of their first album 'Ten' and the following European tour, it says less and less about each successive album as it progresses, No Code only has about a page written on it! Apart from that it is full of lots of interesting facts like how the noise of drumsticks clattering at the end of 'Rear View Mirror' is really when Dave Abbruzzese chucks a tantrum, and that the band is not really named after Eddie's Grandmother. What really enlightened me about reading the book was how poorly Dave was treated by the rest of the band and how it is perhaps the greatest shame that he was ever dropped. If you want to know all about Pearl Jam's battle's with Ticketmaster, their relationship with Nirvana etc. I suggest you pick up a copy of this fabulous book. Hadleigh Brownie 28/4/99Book Review: great book for an indepth analysis of the band, but...
Summary: 4 Stars
... i think many pearl jams fans will be disappointed by the constant focus on eddie vedder. i mean, dont get me wrong, he is my biggest idol, but many of us fans are just thirsting for knowledge on the other band members, especially mike. the biggest complaint i had with this book is that it is the non-stop crucification and damnation of eddie vedder, mainly from sources that he has had bad blood with in the past. many admirers of eddie himself will be even more confused on where he stands on his views concerning fame. this book seriuously and repeatedly questions eddies sincerity and credibility. the book is also very slow to start and has a very disappointing ending. on a more positive note, it is very indepth in terms of tours, ticketmaster, and his childhood. however, many diehard fans will not appreciate the majority of the book being centered around TEN, i mean there are 4 more albums and many many great imports. i still reccommend this book to prospective buyers and readers due to the incredible factual info. but my warning to all you eddie fans out there is this: your opinion may change of him drastically. keep in mind he is just one member and its the music that really counts. the sources used in this book can be greatly exagerrating anyway. happy reading.