Pearl Jam: Ranking Their Albums From Worst To Best

5. Yield

This album has tinges of the "weirder" Pearl Jam that we'd heard in the mid-90s, but it never lets itself get completely swept away in the avant-garde. (Whether or not you're on board with this more experimental style will determine whether or not you think it's appropriately ranked.) So Yield is more accessible than No Code, especially when it aims for the rafters, relishing in their arena rock glory on songs like "Given to Fly" and "MFC." Still, those moments are much rarer here than on Ten, so anyone expecting a true "return to form" was likely disappointed by this mildly disjointed effort. Those willing to just go along for the weird, wild ride, however, were treated to some wonderfully schizophrenic stylings that brought in elements of funk ("Pilate"), bluesy Clapton-worship ("In Hiding"), and classic grunge ("Do the Evolution," "No Way"). It's never going to win an award for Most Cohesive Album of the Decade, but that's just fine. Sometimes all you need is a great batch of songs, regardless of how connected they feel. And hey, if nothing else, Yield gave us the template for every rollicking, punk track the band would ever release with the excellent opening track, "Brain of J." (Seriously, count how many times that same exact style is replicated from then on anytime the band ventured into garage rock. It's bonkers.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eigy86Nvnzo