Ron's Reviews > Long Road: Pearl Jam and the Soundtrack of a Generation

I wanted to like this book. I'd read Hyden's Radiohead book a couple of years ago, and thought he'd done a good job with it. I'm a big Pearl Jam fan, and I've seen Hyden post glowingly on social media about PJ often and figured I would also enjoy this iteration of a band-centric book. I was wrong.

I think the concept is a good idea; essays about specific PJ songs over the course of their career, as a mixtape. My biggest problem with the book is the inaccuracies, albeit trivial ones. Like the assertion that the shortest gap ever between albums was No Code and Yield (18 months). Vs. and Vitalogy, their second and third albums, respectively are 13 months apart.

Another part of the book talks about the song Bu$hleaguer, which is/was an anti-Bush (George W.) song from their album, Riot Act. They played it several times during the tour of that album, which was in 2003. In the essay about Bu$hleaguer, Hyden wrote, "There were also issues earlier in the month after it was played in Denver and Oklahoma City, though in those cities people for the most part just quietly stormed out." It was not played in Oklahoma City. I know because I was in attendance for that show.

It's disappointing because the aforementioned inaccuracies are simple math and fact-checking.

What a bummer.