Merkin Ball

The tracks on Merkin Ball were recorded at the tail end of the Mirror Ball sessions in February 1995. The songs were produced and mixed by Pearl Jam sound engineer Brett Eliason. Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder was not around much for the Mirror Ball recording sessions due to what he called a "pretty intense stalker problem".Weisbard, Eric, et al. "Ten Past Ten". Spin. August 2001. Vedder said that "leaving the house wasn't the easiest thing to do." He referred to the issue in the song "Lukin" from Pearl Jam's 1996 album, No Code.{{cite magazine | last = Hiatt | first = Brian | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/pearl_jam_the_second_coming | title = The Second Coming of Pearl Jam | magazine = Rolling Stone | date = 2006-06-16 | access-date = 2007-06-22 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070528041642/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/pearl_jam_the_second_coming | archive-date = 2007-05-28 | url-status = dead }}

Vedder wrote and performed vocals and guitar on the songs "I Got Id" and "Long Road", which were omitted from Mirror Ball.Strauss, Neil. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE0DF1239F931A35754C0A963958260&scp=6&sq=neil+young+mirror&st=nyt "The Predictably Unpredictable Neil Young"]. The New York Times. July 2, 1995. Retrieved on March 27, 2008. Because of legal complications between Epic Records and Reprise Records, the songs and the band name "Pearl Jam" were not allowed to be included on the full Mirror Ball album, so they were released separately as a Pearl Jam single. Neil Young contributed lead guitar to "I Got Id" and pump organ to "Long Road". Mirror Ball producer Brendan O'Brien plays bass on "I Got Id", and Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament plays bass on "Long Road". Pearl Jam drummer Jack Irons plays drums on both tracks. Pakistani Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan contributed backing vocals to a later recording of "Long Road".{{cite book|title=Lives and Legacies: Artists, Writers, and Musicians|year=2001|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-1573561549|page=[https://archive.org/details/artistswritersmu0000unse/page/105 105]|author=Manheim|editor1=Michel Andre Bossy|editor2=Thomas Brothers|editor3=John C. McEnore|url=https://archive.org/details/artistswritersmu0000unse/page/105}}

Mirror Ball and Merkin Ball complement each other musically. Jonathan Cohen of AllMusic said that "I Got Id" was "an even mix of Vitalogy{{'}}s raw rock and No Code's major-key majesty" and said regarding "Long Road" that "Vedder's melody is uplifting, his lyrics poignant." "I Got Id" is also known by its original title "I Got Shit" by the band and its fans. It is rumored that when Vedder proposed the idea of a single to Epic, the label made him change the title of the song. In some concert performances, Vedder has also introduced the song as "I Got I.D."{{cn|date=October 2022}}. Upon introducing the song at Pearl Jam's September 19, 1998, concert in Washington, D.C. at Constitution Hall, Vedder stated, "{{bracket|Neil Young}} gave me a song writing lesson at a half-price rate; this is what I came up with...on my final, he gave me a B+ I think."[http://www.fivehorizons.com/tour/cc/t1998p3.shtml "Pearl Jam: 1998 Concert Chronology: Part 3"]. fivehorizons.com. At Pearl Jam's May 10, 2006, concert in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the Air Canada Centre, Vedder revealed that the song's chorus melody was inspired by the verse melody in Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" from the 1969 album, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090327142136/http://www.twofeetthick.com/concert-chronology/pj2006/ "Pearl Jam Concert Chronology: 2006"]}}. TwoFeetThick.com.

At Pearl Jam's July 7, 2006, concert in San Diego at Cox Arena, Vedder revealed that he wrote "Long Road" after hearing about the death of his former high school drama teacher and mentor, Clayton E. Liggett.Varga, George. [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060710/news_1c10pearl.html "By finish, Pearl Jam, Vedder had a connection"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224162030/http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060710/news_1c10pearl.html |date=February 24, 2009}}. The San Diego Union-Tribune. July 10, 2006. He added that he began to hit the opening D-chords of "Long Road" as if he was "trying to ring a bell to say that 'We lost one of the good ones,'" and after "about eight minutes", the rest of the performers on the track joined in without saying anything and began to bring the song to life.

{{Music ratings

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite web|title=allmusic ((( Merkin Ball > Review )))|url={{Allmusic|class=album|id=r330062|pure_url=yes}}|work=AllMusic|author=Cohen, Jonathan|access-date=March 21, 2009}}

|rev2 = Entertainment Weekly

|rev2score = B+{{cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/article/1995/12/22/merkin-ball/ | title=Merkin Ball | access-date=May 20, 2009 | author=Browne, David | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | date=December 22, 1995}}

}}

Epic Records released Merkin Ball on December 4, 1995, as a CD and 7-inch single.{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1995/Music-Week-1995-12-02.pdf|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=48|date=December 2, 1995|access-date=July 4, 2021}} Misprinted as December 3. The albums section uses the correct date. In Japan, Sony Records issued a CD single two weeks later, on December 21.{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/129344/products/234735/1/|title=アイ・ガット・イド {{!}} パール・ジャム|trans-title=I Got Id {{!}} Pearl Jam|publisher=Oricon|language=ja|access-date=August 29, 2023}} David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave Merkin Ball a B+. Browne called "I Got Id" a "standard PJ chest thumper" and stated that "Long Road" "[takes] Young and Pearl Jam into a mystical zone never hinted at on [Mirror Ball]." AllMusic staff writer Jonathan Cohen gave the record two and a half out of five stars, saying, "By no means essential, but well worth a spin."

Merkin Ball debuted and peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number two on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks charts and number three on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Worldwide, the EP reached number two in Australia, number three in Finland, number five in Norway and number ten in Denmark. It additionally became a top-forty hit in Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom. It has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of over 500,000.

In September 2001, Vedder and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready were joined by Young to perform "Long Road" at the America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit concert. "Long Road" was also used in the films Dead Man Walking, Outsourced, and Eat Pray Love and in the episode "My Five Stages" of the sitcom Scrubs.

A wrecking ball graces the cover art of Merkin Ball. Mirror Ball and Merkin Ball complement each other in the layout and content of the packaging. The title Merkin Ball is a play on Mirror Ball. A merkin is commonly known as a pubic wig. Vedder came up with the title.[http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/PearlJam/rumorpit/pit11.html "Pearl Jam Rumor Pit: Issue #11"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219224511/http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/PearlJam/rumorpit/pit11.html |date=February 19, 2008}}. sonymusic.com. November 15, 1995. In an interview, Vedder said that the title refers to an "arrowhead".Kava, Brad. "[http://www.vedderism.friko.pl/wywiady-17.htm 'I'm Just looking to make it right.' – E.V.]" www.vedderism.friko.pl. November 3, 1995.

"I Got Id" was first performed live at the band's February 21, 1995, concert in Osaka, Japan, at Kosei Nenkin Kaikan.[https://www.pearljam.com/song/i-got-id "Pearl Jam Songs: "I Got Id""] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522105251/http://www.pearljam.com/song/i-got-id |date=May 22, 2009 }}. pearljam.com. Live performances of "I Got Id" can be found on various official bootlegs. A performance of the song is also included on the DVD Touring Band 2000.

{{Track listing

| headline = CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Merkin Ball|others=Pearl Jam|year=1995|type=US CD single liner notes|publisher=Epic Records|id=34K 78199}}

| total_length = 10:52

| all_writing = Eddie Vedder

| title1 = I Got Id

| note1 = also known as "I Got Shit"

| length1 = 4:53

| title2 = Long Road

| length2 = 5:59

}}

Pearl Jam

• Jeff Ament – bass guitar on "Long Road"
• Jack Irons – percussion, drums
• Eddie Vedder – guitar, vocals

Additional musicians and production

• Neil Young – guitar, pump organ, vocals
• Brendan O'Brien – bass guitar on "I Got Id"
• Joel Bernstein – portraits
• Brett Eliason – production, engineering and mixing

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Merkin Ball}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=Pearl Jam|title=Merkinball|award=Gold|relyear=1995|certyear=1996|access-date=August 13, 2019|refname="uscert"}}

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{{Reflist}}

• [http://pearljam.com/music/releases/single/merkin-ball Merkin Ball information at pearljam.com]

{{Pearl Jam}}

{{Neil Young}}

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Category:1995 EPs

Category:1995 collaborative albums

Category:Epic Records EPs

Category:Neil Young EPs

Category:Pearl Jam EPs