Pearl Jam: I Got a Feeling [Beatles cover]
By tunequest November 14, 2006
Back before all this digital music and internet mumbo jumbo, finding a live recording of a band’s performance was a tricky proposition. You basically had to stumble upon one by knowing someone who was in a bootlegging circle and was willing to make a cassette copy (leaving you with a reduced quality duplicate). Alternately, you could have searched the racks at used music stores to find a quasi-legal, imported recording.
Sometime in 1993, I stumbled upon a CD, imported from Italy, called I Got a Feeling, via that second method. It’s a high-quality recording of Pearl Jam, live at the legendary (and recently closed) CBGBs in New York City, November 8, 1991 (about 2 months after the release of Ten).
It was a surprise gig that ran about 40 minutes and was attended mostly by fan club members. That explains why the audience on the recording seems to know all the words, despite the fact that Ten wouldn’t enter the Billboard 200 (at #155) for another 2 months.
For comparisons sake, Nirvana’s Nevermind was already at #17 on the chart the week this was recorded.
Still, the show itself is an illustrative overview of that early period of the band’s history. The best part however is the final song of the set: a fantastic cover of The Beatles’ I’ve Got A Feeling with some nice ad-libbing from Eddie.
Enjoy.
Hmmm, pretty interesting… as a Beatles fan it’s neat to hear the Pearl Jam take on it. Really brings out the bluesy aspects which are kind of subdued in the original. I like the middle part with the different guitar lick and Vedder singing along.
Didn’t really capture the contrast between Lennon and McCartney vocal parts, but oh well…
There is a studio version I enjoy much more