Yet this massive popularity brought problems. In a rivalry fanned by the media, Kurt Cobain condemned Pearl Jam’s popularization of grunge, calling them a ‘corporate’ group. He later apologized, but the remark damaged the band’s reputation. They won it back with multi-million sales and critical acclaim. Vs. became the fastest-selling American album of all time and its follow-up, Vitalogy, was equally successful. By this stage, however, the pressures of fame on the band, and on the fragile Vedder in particular, began to take their toll. Band tensions, personnel changes and substance abuse reared their ugly heads before Pearl Jam returned with the lauded album No Code. It proved to be a turning point, with subsequent albums Yield, Binaural, Riot Act, Pearl Jam and Backspacer placing Pearl Jam at the forefront of alternative rock.

In Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder: None Too Fragile, Martin Clarke brings to life the band’s tumultuous history; from their beginnings amidst Seattle’s grunge underground, through the excesses and pressures of superstardom, to their current incarnation as mature rock heavyweights.