12 Best Cult Hard Rock Albums Of The 90s

After coming off an impressive run of acclaimed studio albums, Pearl Jam were still facing an uncertain future. Eddie Vedder was still getting uncomfortable with his newfound celebrity and had even entertained the idea of leaving the music industry and selling demos out of his house. Rather than forsake his band, Vedder decided to create No Code as an attempt to separate himself from his fanbase.

With a much more blemished sound, this record almost feels like it's trying to be anti-commercial from the minute it comes on. While the band had flirted with more experimental material on Vitalogy, this record shows them going down the rabbit hole head first, with songs like "I'm Open" and "Who You Are" drawing from more eclectic influences.

At the same time, there are still some great jams to be found here like the sting of "Hail Hail" and the glimmering acoustic closer "Around the Bend." Even Stone Gossard's first step up to the mic on "Mankind" goes over incredibly well, if only for all the other weird tracks surrounding it.

Vedder may have been trying to push himself away, but No Code is probably the most authentic Pearl Jam record ever created from a pure sonic perspective. It may not have had showstopping hits, but the diehard fans were still more than willing to go along for the ride.