10 Rock Songs NOT Sung By The Lead Singer

Pearl Jam's fourth effort No Code remains one of the biggest oddities in the band's discography. At a time when the group's relationship with their fans was at its most strained, Eddie Vedder led the band towards more art-rock material, with every song feeling like a different musical experiment. Given the more eclectic delivery, the idea of having Stone Gossard step up seemed suitable as well.

Granted, it does take a little while for fans to get used to a song like "Mankind," with Gossard's slip shot delivery coming nowhere close to the emotional resonance in Vedder's throat. Then again, the song is probably one of the best all-out rockers on the record, with a catchy chorus and a riff just easy enough for many beginner guitarists to start their musical journey.

Compared to something like "In My Tree" or "Who You Are" from this record, this little moment with Gossard fronting the band assured us that the rocker soul of Pearl Jam was still intact.

It's a wonder why we never got to see more of Gossard's vocal contributions on record, but his solo career and work with the band Brad is probably a much better outlet for that style of music. No Code may be a bit of a fractured record, but "Mankind" takes the punk edge of the band's sound and brings it back down to earth.