Fascinating collection of rare and unreleased songs (Lost Dogs: Rarities And B Sides - Pearl Jam)

Member Name: mrjoegoodwin

Product:	Lost Dogs: Rarities And B Sides - Pearl Jam
Date:	18/05/09 (5 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Undone, Yellow Ledbetter

Disadvantages: Bee Girl, Education

Albums that comprise rarities and b-sides are a mixed bag, from the excellent (The Masterplan by Oasis), to the mediocre (Sawdust by The Killers), and sometimes separate the wheat from the chaff. Lost Dogs falls into the former category, the 2 disc set showcasing tracks from across the band's long career. The 'rare' tracks here are primarily drawn from 2 sources - the fan club christmas singles (Strangest Tribe, Drifting) and unreleased tracks from album sessions (All Night from the No Code era, Fatal from the Binaural era), and there are some true gems here that arguably would have enhanced the albums that they were written for. The b-sides again range from the familiar (Yellow Ledbetter, a surprise radio hit that is a frequent closer of live shows) to the less successful Black, Red, Yellow. Interesting to note that Lost Dogs also features the bands biggest commercial success, the cover of 'Last Kiss' by Wayne Cochran, which reached #2 on the Billboard Top 100, catapulting the band back into the limelight. Another cover is found in the form of 'Leavin Here' (popularised by Eddie Vedder's idols, The Who). Whilst this collection is arguably a few tracks too long (Education, Bee Girl and Gremmie Out of Control feel like weak filler), it's a great release for the Pearl Jam completist.

Summary: Strong enough to compete with some of the studio albums