The book culls new and old interviews from a broad selection of sources and unlike the film (which only has interviews with the five current members and Chris Cornell), everyone from previous drummers to manager Kelly Curtis to other musicians (Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend and Neil Young) provide words that shape this chronological story. Often when one receives one of these books, it's so daunting people aren't sure where to start due to its size. Pearl Jam Twenty is beautifully edited and sequenced allowing the reader to pick it up and delve into specific years, albums, biographies and even a lengthy beginning culling the band's entire history before Pearl Jam. If that wasn't enough, it has a lyrical introduction from Cameron Crowe. Introductions can be tedious, but Crowe's is filled with much adoration and love much like his film. If he wasn't a filmmaker, he probably would have completed this book on his own. The biographies are brief but informative. They are character sketches setting you up for the journey that unfolds over the next several hundred pages. The books authors Jonathan Cohen and Mark Wilkerson worked together with Pearl Jam to compile this book and they also briefly lay out their stories in the introductions. The film, soundtrack and book all share the same name but it's important to point out that the film is the jumping off point whereas the book is an endless sea of history.

In a simple yet ingenious move, they organized the book's chapters as years. For example, the band's early starts are covered from 1982-1990 chapters giving a significant amount of information not in Crowe's film, but the nuanced details here give the reader greater depth into the tiny steps that eventually lead to the band's formation. The difference between a band and a solo artist are vast and the book (and film) really shows how hard it is to keep momentum moving forward with several distinctive identities. In reading these early chapters, it's almost as if there was a higher power moving the band members like chess pieces attempting to line up all of their lives so they would intertwine in ways none of them had ever deemed possible. There are eerie coincidences and there's really valuable insight and stories about Green River, Mother Love Bone and Eddie Vedder's various bands. Each year is showcased by dates of important events, key releases, important shows, video shoots and diary entries. As we move onward with the band's career, key solo experiments and releases are all documented here in detail even the most fanatical Pearl Jam fan will find useful. Many of these side projects I was only vaguely familiar with. More heightened moments in their history, such as the Roskilde tragedy in 2000, get their own mini chapters within the respective years. If this wasn't enough, it's a visual feast as well as it has early pictures of the band, old set lists, postcards, early artwork, handwritten letters, an ATM receipt from Eddie Vedder in early 1991 and so many tiny and rich details that they have to be seen to be believed.

The elephant in the movie theatre when watching Crowe's film was the lack of explanation with their drummer situations, specifically Dave Abbruzzese's abrupt departure. It was handled in an amusing off-the-cuff manner that lasted only a few minutes, however none of the previous drummers were interviewed for the film. Even in my film review, I received several emails criticizing me for not pointing this out. Based on what I was told, it appears the Abbruzzese parting was the one topic Crowe was not allowed to delve into. In the book, they have lengthy interviews with each and every drummer. I'll stand by my film review where I feel due to time constraints they handled the drummer situation appropriately with the book revealing much more with producer Brendan O'Brien offering the most shimmering insight into the situation to date. There's even a section where Dave Grohl was interviewed about how Abbruzzese thought Grohl was going to replace him in 1994. The film survives without putting the drummer fiasco front and center and here within the respective chapters, most of the details are unleashed. Also, for the first time ever mythical stories and legends (notably how Eddie Vedder came into the band through a demo tape he was given by Jack Irons) are laid out and detailed for the first time. Many books have been written about the band but vague interviews and other texts have misconstrued details to the point where the myth became truth and many of these historical and controversial stories are redefined within the context of Pearl Jam Twenty.

Each of Pearl Jam's studio albums gets their own chapters outside of the respective years. By no means are these chapters definitive, as each album could get its own book however they encompass the writing, recording and mixing process helping give a greater sense of the band's history and where they were with each respective release. Due to the minimal press the band gave between 1995 and 2006, the albums during this time period, (No Code, Yield, Binaural, and Riot Act) are some of the richest in detail. They discuss the writing and recording process with feedback from producers and also the themes, tones and textures that fill up every studio release. Albums I don't consider myself a fan of are revealed in new glistening lights and made me think twice about my opinion. Besides the studio Pearl Jam albums, they also include deep looks at the b-side collection Lost Dogs, Eddie Vedder's solo album Into the Wild and Mirror Ball, the band's 1995 record with Neil Young. This book and film are more than festive occasion but a reminder to us if we once saw ourselves in their music there is still more to be found. If anything, it's a prompt to the reader that for every "Alive", there is a "Present Tense", for every "Daughter" there is a "Light Years" and for every "Animal" there is "The Fixer". Above all else, reflection projects like Pearl Jam Twenty should draw you closer to the artist, their music and hopefully yourself as well. Many people feel as if Pearl Jam changed but paging through this book, one begins to wonder if they changed, or their audience diverged down different paths only know fully realizing the shoulder that is their music has been and always will continue to be there. It calls to mind the fact that it's quite possible the band never veered off their chosen path and instead it was us, the listeners, who swayed from the herd. Pearl Jam Twenty is more than a fascinating look at their history, but a reminder of the music has been and continues to be a truthful beacon of light to embrace.

Pearl Jam Twenty encyclopaedic in its history and may be the best coffee table history book on a rock band since Neil McCormick's U2 book from 2006. It may seem foolish to really celebrate a twenty year anniversary, but why not? As one begins to page through this stunning 400-page book, you soon realize that if they waited any longer the book would be too heavy to produce. Within these 400-pages is a loaded, profound and significant history of one of the greatest rock band's to emerge from the last twenty years. It is a staggering work of art that acts more like a museum than a celebrated pat on the back. While it serves as a diary accounting for major turning points and milestones in their history, it is also a startling manuscript of how they managed to stay together even with the odds against them. Think of the relationships you have forged over your life and how many are still thriving after two decades? When you see what they went through, it's a miracle they came into existence and an ever greater wonder that they managed to hold it together. Looking at each album, year and tour makes me appreciate how true the band has been to themselves and this is a valuable lesson the reader should take away from the book. It serves a much more profound purpose than simply detailing one's history but could be a guide for our individual lives. It becomes clear that while Pearl Jam may never sell as many records as they once did, it doesn't really matter because we are shown and reminded time and time again that this is a band who stayed true to their mission, true to their instincts and above all else…true to one another.


Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter