No Code

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No Code
No Code cover
Studio album by Pearl Jam
Released August 27, 1996
Recorded July 12, 1995 - May 1996 at Chicago Recording Company, Chicago, Illinois; Southern Tracks Recording and Doppler, Atlanta, Georgia; and Studio Litho, Seattle, Washington
Genre Alternative rock
Length 49:37
Label Epic
Producer(s) Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam
Professional reviews
Pearl Jam chronology
Vitalogy
(1994)
No Code
(1996)
Yield
(1998)


No Code is Pearl Jam's fourth album, released on August 27, 1996 through Epic Records. This was Pearl Jam's last album to hit #1 on the Billboard 200. It stayed at #1 for two weeks, despite being one of Pearl Jam's worst received albums. No Code sold 366,000 copies in its first week of release. This was significantly less than what their previous two albums sold in their respective first weeks of release. It was, however, the biggest-selling debut of what was a slow year for the industry.

Contents

The sessions for the album were filled with strife and tension, with bassist Jeff Ament walking out at one point.[1] However, by the time the album was done the band seemed to have found a calmer place in which to exist, and gave credit for this to new drummer Jack Irons.

While Vitalogy had shifted away from the earlier albums' accessible compositions and polished production, No Code represented a deliberate break from Ten's anthemic stadium sound, favoring experimental ballads and noisy garage rockers. This could be a reason why this album served as a divider between fans who favored the band's earlier work and those who continued to be fans of the band's later work.

The album still remains a favorite among die-hard fans of the band, claiming it's one of the band's most honest works. It stood out with its emphasis on subtle harmony ("Off He Goes"), eastern influences ("Who You Are"), and spoken word ("I'm Open"). No Code included the singles "Hail, Hail", "Who You Are", and "Off He Goes".

The album cover unfolded, creates the No Code logo.
The album cover unfolded, creates the No Code logo.

The album package consists of 144 polaroid photos that unfold into a 2x2 square, and the pictures, when viewed from afar, blend to form the No Code triangle/eyeball logo that is the theme throughout the album. Later pressings of the album fold into a 1x4 strip, thus losing the 'hidden message' effect. These later pressings also include the band name and album title printed directly onto the album cover - the original release contained this information on a removable sticker. Hidden allusions to the central packaging concept are a common trait among many Pearl Jam albums.

There were nine different covers for the cassette, each one a different Polaroid found on the CD and vinyl.

The CD and vinyl came with lyrics printed on the back of replica Polaroids. Only nine Polaroids came in a set, leaving one to have to raid another set to accumulate all thirteen songs. Even for the same songs, there were different pictures on some of the Polaroids between the different sets. The sets are divided into four groups:

  • 1C: Hail, Hail
  • 2C: Smile
  • 3C: Off He Goes
  • 4C: Mankind
  • 5C: Around the Bend
  • 6C: Sometimes
  • 7C: Red Mosquito
  • 8C: Present Tense (no lyrics printed)
  • 9C: Habit

-

  • 1O: Hail, Hail
  • 2O: Smile
  • 3O: Off He Goes
  • 4O: Mankind
  • 5O: Around the Bend
  • 6O: Sometimes
  • 7O: Red Mosquito
  • 8O: Present Tense (no lyrics printed)
  • 9O: Habit

-

  • 1D: Hail, Hail
  • 2D: Smile
  • 3D: Off He Goes
  • 4D: Mankind
  • 5D: Around the Bend
  • 6D: Who You Are
  • 7D: I'm Open (no lyrics printed)
  • 8D: In My Tree (no lyrics printed)
  • 9D: Habit

-

  • 1E: Hail, Hail
  • 2E: Smile
  • 3E: Off He Goes
  • 4E: Mankind
  • 5E: Around the Bend
  • 6E: Who You Are
  • 7E: I'm Open (no lyrics printed)
  • 8E: In My Tree (no lyrics printed)
  • 9E: Lukin

  1. "Sometimes" (Vedder) – 2:40
  2. "Hail, Hail" (Gossard, Vedder, Ament, McCready) – 3:41
  3. "Who You Are" (Gossard, Irons, Vedder) – 3:50
  4. "In My Tree" (Gossard, Irons, Vedder) – 3:59
  5. "Smile" (Ament, Vedder) – 3:52
  6. "Off He Goes" (Vedder) – 6:02
  7. "Habit" (Vedder) – 3:35
  8. "Red Mosquito" (Ament, Gossard, Irons, McCready, Vedder) – 4:03
  9. "Lukin" (Vedder) – 1:02
  10. "Present Tense" (McCready, Vedder) – 5:46
  11. "Mankind" (Gossard) – 3:28
  12. "I'm Open" (Irons, Vedder) – 2:57
  13. "Around the Bend" (Vedder) – 4:35

Album Year Chart Position
1996 The Billboard 200 No. 1
1996 UK Albums Chart No. 3
1996 German Albums Chart No. 6

Year Single Chart Position
1996 "Who You Are" Australian Singles Chart No. 5
1996 "Who You Are" UK Singles Chart No. 18
1996 "Who You Are" Irish Singles Chart No. 19
1996 "Who You Are" US The Billboard Hot 100 No. 31
1996 "Who You Are" US Modern Rock Tracks No. 1
1996 "Who You Are" US Mainstream Rock Tracks No. 5
1996 "Hail, Hail" US Mainstream Rock Tracks No. 9
1996 "Hail, Hail" US Modern Rock Tracks No. 9
1996 "Hail, Hail" Australian Singles Chart No. 31
1996 "Red Mosquito" US Mainstream Rock Tracks No. 37
1997 "Off He Goes" US Modern Rock Tracks No. 31
1997 "Off He Goes" US Mainstream Rock Tracks No. 34
1997 "Off He Goes" Australian Singles Chart No. 46

Organization Level Date
RIAA Gold January 8, 1997
RIAA Platinum January 8, 1997

Pearl Jam:

Additional Musicians:

Additional Personnel:

Pearl Jam
Jeff Ament | Stone Gossard | Mike McCready | Eddie Vedder | Matt Cameron
Boom Gaspar | Dave Krusen | Matt Chamberlain | Dave Abbruzzese | Jack Irons
Discography
Albums: Ten | Vs. | Vitalogy | No Code | Yield | Binaural | Riot Act | Pearl Jam
Live Albums and Compilations: Live on Two Legs | Official Bootlegs | Lost Dogs | Live at Benaroya Hall | Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 | Live in NYC 12/31/92 | Live at Easy Street
Videos: Single Video Theory | Touring Band 2000 | Live at the Showbox | Live at the Garden
Singles: "Alive" | "Even Flow" | "Jeremy" | "Oceans" | "Go" | "Animal" | "Daughter" | "Dissident" | "Spin the Black Circle" | "Immortality" | "Not For You" | Merkin Ball | "Who You Are" | "Off He Goes" | "Hail, Hail" | "Given to Fly" | "Wishlist" | "Last Kiss" | "Nothing As It Seems" | "Light Years" | "I Am Mine" | "Save You" | "Love Boat Captain" | "Man of the Hour" | "World Wide Suicide" | "Life Wasted"
Related content
Articles: Green River | Grunge music | Mother Love Bone | Bad Radio | Temple of the Dog | Soundgarden | Singles | Brad | Mad Season | Neil Young | Three Fish | Wellwater Conspiracy
Categories: Grunge musicians | Pearl Jam | Pearl Jam Albums | Pearl Jam Official Bootlegs | Pearl Jam Songs | Pearl Jam Tours
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