10 Rock Bands That Almost Killed Each Other In The Studio

Pearl Jam were never meant to be the biggest band in the world. Though songs like Alive and Daughter might work well in massive stadiums around the world, the amount of attention never sat well with these pretty reserved guys from the Northwest. After coming off of two blockbuster albums with Ten and Vs. and finally becoming on par with his hard rock heroes, Eddie Vedder went into the Vitalogy sessions with an axe to grind.

Before even going into the studio, there were tensions within the group, as they started a vendetta against Ticketmaster and struggled to find a way to get the best prices for their fans. On the other hand, the clash between Vedder and drummer Dave Abbruzzese resulted in the drummer being fired shortly after the album was finished. You can definitely hear that turmoil on display on tracks like Bugs and Pry To, but the rest of the album may be the greatest Pearl Jam record ever made.

Although Vedder may have been largely AWOL, the more radio-friendly stuff has aged gracefully, from the balladry of Nothingman to the absolute punk juggernaut Spin the Black Circle. Even though some stuff like Tremor Christ does happen from time to time, you have other tracks like Better Man and Corduroy that lift your spirits all over again. Considering the hell going through this album, Vitalogy should have been what broke up the band, and yet they came out with what may be their most eclectic album of the '90s.