183: VITALOGY | PEARL JAM

Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic: Thanks to its stripped-down, lean production, Vitalogy stands as Pearl Jam's most original and uncompromising album. While it isn't a concept album, Vitalogy sounds like one. Death and despair shroud the album, rendering even the explosive celebration of vinyl "Spin the Black Circle" somewhat muted. But that black cloud works to Pearl Jam's advantage, injecting a nervous tension to brittle rockers like "Last Exit" and "Not for You," and especially introspective ballads like "Corduroy" and "Better Man." In between the straight rock numbers and the searching slow songs, Pearl Jam contribute their strangest music -- the mantrafunk of "Aye Davanita," the sub-Tom Waits accordion romp of "Bugs," and the chilling sonic collage "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me." Pearl Jam are at their best when they're fighting, whether it's Ticketmaster, fame, or their own personal demons.

Wiki: Vitalogy is the third studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam, released on November 22, 1994 on Epic Records. Pearl Jam wrote and recorded Vitalogy while touring behind its previous album Vs. (1993). The music on the record was more diverse than previous releases, and consisted of aggressive rock songs, ballads, and other stylistic elements, making it Pearl Jam's most experimental album to date.

The album was first released on vinyl, followed by a release on CD and cassette two weeks later on December 6, 1994. The LP sold 34,000 copies in its first week of release, and until Jack White's 2014 album Lazaretto it held the record for most vinyl sales in one week since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. Upon its CD release, Vitalogy became the second-fastest selling album in history, only behind the band's previous release Vs., selling 877,000 copies in its first week and went multi-platinum quickly. The album has been certified five times platinum by the RIAA in the United States. It is Pearl Jam's last album to feature drummer Dave Abbruzzese, who left the band before the recording session was finished. He was initially replaced by session drummers and later officially replaced by Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Jack Irons, who completed recording of the album.