(Photo: John Carbonella)

Vitalogy (1994) defined Pearl Jam’s identity crisis, straddling the band’s past and future. Months before its release, and just eight days after Kurt Cobain’s death, they gave a hypnotic performance of “Not for You” on Saturday Night Live, and that tenacity carried through the rest of the album. Ten may have delivered megahits, but with Vitalogy, Pearl Jam finally owned its superstardom, as the band channeled its weary resignation into furious anthems.

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