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List Price: $7.98 | | Label: Sony
Salesrank: 586149
Released: August 27, 1996 |
| Our Price: $5.97 |
| Used Price: $1.60 |
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| Media: Audio Cassette |
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No Code Track Listing:
1. Sometimes
2. Hail Hail - Pearl Jam, Gossard, Stone
3. Who You Are - Pearl Jam, Gossard, Stone
4. In My Tree - Pearl Jam, Irons, Jack
5. Smile - Pearl Jam, Ament, Jeff
6. Off He Goes
7. Habit
8. Red Mosquito
9. Lukin
10. Present Tense
11. Mankind - Pearl Jam, Gossard, Stone
12. I'm Open - Pearl Jam, Irons, Jack
13. Around the Bend
Editorial Review:
Though it contains none of the band's radio staples, No Code may be the one Pearl Jam record that holds up start to finish. Partly this is because of the songs, which like the hypnotic "Who Are You" are unusually straightforward. But it's also because this is the most musically varied effort of the band's career: "Hail, Hail" is a full-tilt firestorm, but the quiet "Sometimes" is a hesitating, slow burn. And while "Smile" has a Crazy Horse roar, the unplugged setting of "Off He Goes" lets the song breathe and the emotions sink in. --David Cantwell
No Code Reviews:
Gets better with time. 
2008-11-08 - I got this CD when it first came out through Columbia House. At the time it was an unintentional purchase (forgot to send back one of their release of the month cards) but I thought that I would give it a listen just so it wasn't a waste of money. At first it didn't stack up to previous Pearl Jam releases. But after listening to it a few times I started to like it, then over the years, fall in love with the album. It's almost a friend now, about once a month I have to pop it back in my CD player and it's just... about as near perfection as an album can be. It's honest and that's just so rare.
Take five steps backward, look around, re-focus
2008-10-23 - Apple, outlet, Dennis Rodman's eye, pool ball, rotting teeth, zipper. The cover of No Code confounds and confuses, as does the album in it's entirety. This album was released during a time when no one seemed to be able to quite figure out the point or overall goal of Pearl Jam in rock music. Jumping from mainstream rock anthems to hard rock, grunge, acoustic balladry, blues, classic rock revival, experimental junk rock, and back again within the span of one album, let alone their entire career, made Pearl Jam a hard band to pin in any area, and upon first listens, some songs or albums may appeal to some listeners and not others. Pearl Jam are a band that writes and plays whatever they feel like, exploring a wide range of issues, while still maintaining artistic integrity and an excellent sense of pure rock and roll. No Code is arguably Pearl Jam's most diverse, jumpy, and spontaneous album to date, and probably the most prone to being misunderstood. What the hell is Pearl Jam trying to say with this set of thirteen seemingly unrelated songs? What the hell are Pearl Jam all about anyway?
My experience with Pearl Jam has stretched through my entire lifetime, since I was very young and my mother played the records and I heard them on the radio, to my childhood when she stuck with the band when the media did not, to my early high school years when I rediscovered the band and countless songs and hooks that colored my childhood, to now when I am progressively rounding up all the stray material and learning why exactly I enjoy them. When I popped No Code into my stereo years ago, probably six years after it was actually released, I recognized some of the songs and did not recognize others. This scramble of familiarity made things all the more confusing, yet kept me that much more interested and willing to stick with the album.
I began asking myself questions, because that is exactly what adolescents do. They ask themselves questions that they can't answer, mostly because they are too lazy and don't want to work hard enough to find the answers. Why do I like this album? Why does the album juxtapose (well, maybe I didn't know words THAT big) hard rockers awkwardly next to quiet ballads? Why does Who You Are, the song that sounds like it SHOULD be the opener, come third in the line? Who is Jerome Turner? Why does Eddie narrate the lyrics to I'm Open? Is Lukin even a word? Why did this album only come with nine Polaroids with song lyrics on them, not even coving all the songs? And what is with all this cover art, indecipherable phantasmagoria?
It took me several years of occasional listening to unwrap No Code and get to the point where I enjoyed it fully. The songs that stood out on first listen were Hail Hail and Off He Goes, simply because I recognized them. Experiences like the ones I had with these songs were the reason that I started to get so interested in music in the first place. The nostalgia, rushes of memories, and sense of vague familiarity were what made many albums in my mothers collection feel like buried treasure. Although I gravitated to those songs in particular, there were several more that struck me as outwardly fantastic, such as the other single Who You Are. The aforementioned song is nothing short of a masterpiece for Pearl Jam and an accurate representation of No Code. It swirls into view with a pounding beat and is dotted with many tidbits of foreign instrument, such as steel drums and sitars. The sitar is used again to it's full potential by the time the song has revealed it's winning hook and cemented it's place in the listeners ears. That paired with a wonderful guitar solo makes it one of the finest songs on the album.
This excellence is not lonely. It's easy for me to say that every song on this album is really great, but from a commercial standpoint, Pearl Jam knew how to put their best foot forward with No Code by producing three singles which would become radio staples. Hail Hail, Who You Are, and Off He Goes are all fantastic songs in their own right, and all coming from three completely different directions. Hail Hail is one hell of a riff rocker, Who You Are is an eclectic anthem, and Off He Goes is a gentle acoustic ballad that rivals Daughter in sheer quality. These songs would be enough to reel in the casual listener, which would then be hit hard with all the other great things Pearl Jam has to say here. Every song is finely tuned and unique; Sometimes is a reflective prayer, In My Tree is a driving explosion of glorious sound, Habit is as angry and rhythmic as the preceding album Vitalogy's Spin The Black Circle, and I'm Open is poetry recited over gentle ambient chords and soft beats. This album has about as much continuity and order to it as a fleeting stage one dream.
And yet somehow it works. No Code ends with Around The Bend, a deceptively simple lullaby of tropical style. This ending is deceptive, but ultimately satisfying and beautiful. The listener naturally expects some kind of stylistic answer or solution within that last song, and this might be yet another unsatisfying venture on the first listen. But like the whole album, it opens up with a little time. This is the brilliant code that is communicated through the album perfectly, that is, there is no code. The second you start to pin down a pattern or style in Pearl Jam, they will undoubtedly change or surprise you. The only way to fully appreciate No Code, and Pearl Jam, is to take several steps backward and look at the full picture. Pearl Jam are an excellent band that make whatever music they want to, with whatever message they feel. The entire notion that Pearl Jam cast away their fan base by becoming more experimental is a sad misconception. Pearl Jam never attempted to alienate anyone. It is not their fault that they have a strong desire to push their creative boundaries, and it is not their fault that their true fans were revealed in the process. In any case, No Code is the keystone to Pearl Jam's discography, and the picture of excellence by which the rest of their albums should be judged, even their earlier, more revered works such as Ten. It might not make any sense at first, but that makes it all the more fun. No Code is a puzzle which can be solved in a number of ways, all yielding the same solution, a transcendent masterpiece.
Smart mid-career triumph 
2008-09-09 - Arguably their last great work. It certainly fulfills the mellow contract Vedder signed which Vitalogy had been hinting towards, and though we see some rough spots straining to fulfill the musical wishes of fans past, present, and future (in particular their former heavy-rocking screamers which impressed on V take a beating here) the album remains a well-rounded snapshot of a thoughtful band in flux, in no small part from so many of the impressive transitions McCready and company impart on unsuspecting formulas.
musical change
2008-08-15 - This is their last album to debut at no.1. There are only 3 rock tunes on here, Hail'Hail, Habit and Lukin. Lukin is only a minute long to let you know. Their first single is called Who You Are, which has eastern influence sound on it. The song I'm Open, eddie first talks, then he just says I'm Open a few more times, and the rest is nothing like their first two albums. This is the album where most of the pearl jam fans dont like, I think it is a very good record. It shows that pearl jam as a band can do more than just rock anthems
"No Code" is a welcome change for Pearl Jam
2008-08-02 - With 1996's "No Code", Pearl Jam began to shift away from the limelight and dove deep into themselves to produce a record that is both diverse and entertaining.
"Sometimes" begins the album, a track that is moody, and somewhat somber, exploring religious themes about the creation of man and man's struggle through life while remaining concise.
The next track, "Hail, Hail" picks up the pace, with a dirty, fuzzed out riff and a good bass line. The song manages to take the somewhat depressing lyrics about a relationship gone wrong while staying fast paced, and as the song goes on some hope manages to seep in.
The next two songs, "Who You Are" and "In My Tree" pick up in "Sometimes" place after the frenetic "Hail, Hail", with rolling, almost tribal drum beats carried by Jeff Ament's bass and Eddie's voice.
"Smile" has a riff with a similar dirty quality to it, and relatively simplistic lyrics. The harmonica interspersed throughout adds another dimension to the trudging rocker, making it one of the more standout tracks.
"Off He Goes" is one of my favorites from the album. The lyrics set a narrative over a slow acoustic guitar, telling the story of a friend that sets off on a trip brought on by what could be strains in his personal life ("Know a man...his face seems pulled and tense.../
Like he's riding on a motorbike... in the strongest winds"), and as doubts creep into the narrator's mind about this friend's return, he unexpectedly shows up again, seemingly the same person. However, he is soon off again, and the song ends on a note similar to how it started.
"Habit" has a garage rock/grunge-type riff to it, with muddled and often hard-to-understand vocals from Vedder. It seems to explore the drug use of someone close, how it's wrong for them but yet they're still sucked in and on the way to self-destruction. However, the two breakdowns Both crammed into a 3:36 song), coupled with the guitar solo (Which is pretty impressive) fading out right as it gets some good momentum behind it, put the track lower than it deserves to be.
"Red Mosquito" has something closer to a country rock vibe going for it, with interesting vocal melodies. It's got a good flow and progression to it, and is one of the better tracks off the album.
However, the next song takes a turn for the more abrasive side of Pearl Jam. "Lukin" is a 1 minute long song, with a simple three-chord riff and screechy vocals from Vedder, describing his own fallacies and a stalker that might or might not be out to kill him.
"Present Tense" is a slow and introspective number, which also happened to put me in a much better mindset after some personal issues that had plagued me. The atmospheric guitar work during the verses highlight the lyrics and message without getting in the way, but I'll leave that message for you to discover yourself. It's worth it.
"Mankind" is something that is either enjoyable or unenjoyable in my opinion, with little to no middle ground. Rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard employs the mic on this song, who also wrote the lyrics for the song. What's being conveyed is a man that is watching mankind obsess over the little things, while he sits back and wonders why. Again, you either like it or you don't.
"I'm Open" begins and ends with spoken word poetry from Vedder, which is interesting to listen but may end up leaving the impression of him being pretentious and rambling. For those who can appreciate the song, though, it's an interesting piece of music that deserves a bit more praise.
"Around The Bend" finishes the album, a number mostly carried by the bass and drums. The vocals are soothing and relaxing, and listening to it right now in my tired state is actually wearing me down further! The story behind it is that Vedder wrote it as a lullaby for one of the member's kids, and that quality leaves it's fingerprints through the whole song, both in lyrics and instrumentation. It's good to listen to when you want to get away from everything, if only for four minutes, because of it's optimistic and calming lyrics.
Overall, Pearl Jam took a big chance with this album. It is markedly a much slower tempo than their previous albums, and marked the point in the band's history when they shifted to a less commercial and more mature entity. Of course the album was greeted with less-than-stellar sales, but it was well worth it in my mind.
