30 years ago (!!!!) Pearl Jam erupted onto the scene and Steven Hyden, a well known rock critic has created the
a engaging and entertaining look at the group. Hayden is focused on the career arc of Pearl Jam, and the model that they created for other bands. Hyden claims that PJ is an anomaly because they started big (on radio, in arenas) and now is equally popular in a counterculture way via bootlegs and devoted fans.

I have always been a PJ fan, an Eddie Vedder fan and a grunge listening flannel wearing Gen xer. I wasn't sure if this story was for me but I found it incredibly nostalgic and enjoyable.

Long Road - a look at the storied career of a well known band that survived, is broken into 18 chapters titled by PJ classic songs. There is so much I didn't know, and lots that I wanted to hear again. If you are a Gen Xer, a PJ fan or just love rock music, this book is surely for you!#Hachettebooks #Hachette #Netgalley #Netgalleyreads #LongRoad #PearJam #PJ10 #Steven Hyden

Overall I am a little disappointed in this book. It could be the fact that I look at myself as the biggest Pearl Jam fan in the World. So there really isn't much I don't know.
This may work for just a regular fan. Or just someone interested in knowing a little history.
I guess I was just hoping there would be something new. Instead it seemed like a lot of rehashed information that has been printed before. And some of it not legit.
It had a few entertaining parts.
overall a little meh.

When Ten was released in August 1991, I had just turned 15. Although I was never an intense music fan of any band or singer, Pearl Jam was the band of my high school years and I still love their early music. But I was like a lot of people who sort of forgot about them in the late 90's when radio stations moved to more poppy music or women with guitars (Sean Colvin, The Indigo Girls, Sarah McLachlan etc.). I have never seen Pearl Jam live, and I don't think I even have an old copy of Ten on CD. So when I saw this book I impulsively requested it and I'm glad I did. This is not a history of the members of Pearl Jam so much as of the band itself, and the cultural and political times in which they have existed for the last 30 years. (Damn, I'm old.) It was an interesting analysis of their catalog, and the way that Pearl Jam affected, and was affected by, the world. And there is a fair amount of comparison and contrast to other "grunge" bands of the early 90's, most of whom are now gone due to the death of members from substance abuse and depression.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and have taken it as a nudge to revisit both Pearl Jam and some of their peers and influencers, and to appreciate the fact that they continue to tour and make music.

A fantastic and deep (no pun intended) dive into the history of Pearl Jam, using 18 songs--not just the hits--to tell the band's story. The author clearly has an affinity and an understanding of the band, its music and its fans, not to mention a wealth of knowledge about the subject and the time in which they first came to prominence (e.g., the 1990's). Pearl Jam fans and music fans in general will find something to enjoy here. And it will certainly send you back to the records with a new perspective.

I have to admit, I haven't thought about Pearl Jam in any meaningful way since the turn of the century. Steven Hyden knows there are a lot of people in the same boat as me, and this book is for them. It was great to venture past the limits of my knowledge of this seminal Grunge era band, into their middle age and onto their rebirth as a fervently followed live act. Not sure if I'm ready to join the "Jamily" anytime soon, but I enjoyed the long road that Hyden charts in this book. Highly recommended for fans of Hyden's previous books and rock fans in general.

I love this book! I have been a Pearl Jam fan throughout their entire run and yet Hyden was still able to tell me a lot I didn't know about the band. Great stories and facts I had never heard. In addition, you also get to hear Hyden's interpretation of their discography. Anyone who has read his previous books or heard his podcasts knows that he is one of the most insightful people currently writing about music.

Hyden extends beyond just the music as he makes Pearl Jam's story a larger tale about Gen X getting older and changing over the years. Terrific book for music fans, Gen X folks.

Netgalley provided me a free ecopy of the book in return for an honest review.

Between the years of 1991 and 2003, I would have counted Pearl Jam among my all-time favorite bands…maybe even my number one. When Riot Act was released, I found my interest waning, though I still loved everything prior and I still own all of the records up to that point and have still found things to enjoy on every record since. I know there are much bigger fans out there (I know some of them) who own everything the band has ever produced including many of the “official bootlegs”. I never had the money to seek out everything in the catalog back in the 90’s, but much of that output has been officially released since, so I’ve heard it. The point is that I’m not a casual Pearl Jam fan who only knows the hits, but neither am I a “superfan” who listens relentlessly and collects memorabilia and music from the band.

My reason for telling you all of this is that your enjoyment of Long Road will likely be predicated upon what you expect from it. If you go into this book expecting a basic biography, you will likely be disappointed, because this is not a standard biography. While Steven Hyden does touch on biographical elements, he expects you to know the basics by now. Long Road is more of a critical analysis of Pearl Jam’s legacy and influence. If you already know how the band got it’s name and don’t need another long explanation of the Mamasan, then you are likely ready to expand your thought process of a band that will stand next to Led Zeppelin and The Beatles in the lexicon of music history. Much like those bands, there has been an astounding amount written about Pearl Jam but Hyden’s book is a welcome addition for those who want to read about the band, but don’t want to read everything.

Steven Hyden is a good writer and Long Road is a well-written book. “Your Favorite Band is Killing Me” and “Twilight of the Gods” are both good books and this carries on his tradition of adding a personal touch to rock history and analysis of his favorite music. Hyden clearly loves the band and their music and Long Road reads like a love letter. However, he doesn’t shy away from talking about some of the missteps along the way (most notably, Eddie Vedder’s grumpy guy act) and the maturation of the band members through over two decades together.

Long Road will likely not provide any new information for those who devour everything they can find on the band, but it will probably entertain them enough to warrant a read. Conversely, a PJ newbie could find a worse place to start learning about the band. Though Long Road is a book for fans, there is enough about the history of the band to keep a neophyte interested while providing some much-needed context about the “whys” as much as the “how’s”. There are no interviews with the band members here (though Hyden does quote regularly from previous interviews) and there are no deep dives into their lives. There are not any astounding revelations here, but if you want to reminisce about your old love for a band from your youth or “geek out over Pearl Jam minutiae”, then you, like me, will find Long Road to be a fun read. I had a blast reading Long Road and I’m even more excited to see the band live again in September 2022. Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Very well written.

I'm not a huge PJ fan, (though I own a number of their cd's) & I really enjoyed the book.

If you are a big PJ fan, I suspect this would be a must-read. There is also a lot here for a person (perhaps "rock fan") who is interested in the musical & cultural changes from "the Boomers" to "Generation X" to "The Millennials" & finally to 'The Zoomers". The author spends a significant time on how music relates to culture (especially from the 60's - the 90's) & has some interesting insights.

Mr. Hyden is a huge fan, but he is also an accomplished writer, & not only focuses on PJ, but spends a lot of time putting the albums & music in both a generational & time of release setting.

A brief bit about me to put the review in context: I'm a 64 yo boomer. I was a working full time musician when 10 came out. Good thing I liked it, as I played several of the songs (Jeremy, Evenflow & Black) every night. I also played my favorite PJ song, Rearviewmirror when VS was released.

At the time I really liked the band a lot. Today, I'm most likely to play the song Rearviewmirror or the 2 live ep set (which oddly is not mentioned in the book, Dissident.).

The band pretty much lost me after Vitalogy (Which I'm only so so on) as I found the songwriting to go downhill & many of the songs just didn't stick in memory (to paraphrase the author); though the author stated he really liked the first 5 albums before losing some interest.

Ironically, (FYI I am doing a LOT of paraphrasing in this review as opposed to 100% factual quoting) The author said what got him back into the band in a major way was the official bootleg series'. I had the opposite experience. At that time, I ran a pretty large online music store, & a reviewer sold me the entire first set. But how many times could I listen to PJ play mostly the same songs with (as the author states) the main variation being the guitar solos & some covers they added to the live shows. The track selection of each show was somewhat different, but with that many shows (an entire tour) I just ended up keeping the 2 Seattle shows (I live there) after playing as many of the 2000 releases as I could before burning out.

For the author those "official boots" really hit him & brought him back into the fold.

He also finds it remarkable (& I don't disagree) how long the band has successfully stayed together; especially as their sales really dropped over VS & Vitalogy. They've gone through 5 drummers, & 1 member (per the author) has had substance abuse problems, but no one died at a young age & the band is stll a very succesful live act today (as much as any artist can be in the age of Covid).

Another focus of the book is the Grunge culture; how most of the other bands in the genre fell apart (but my favorite Grunge band Bush, isn't mentioned!!) He largely speaks of what he called the big four: PJ, Soundgarden, Nirvana, & Stone Temple Pilots. He also spends significant time on Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Red Hot Chili Peppers & other artists that had an impact on PJ. Heck, in the end Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga even get a couple pages for A Star Is Born (apparently Vedder helped prepare Cooper for the role).

Each chapter has a number of sub headings, + is tied to an unofficial bootleg which Mr Hyden uses as a sort of outline for that chapter.

Also, worth mentioning is the author's belief (which may very well be accurate; again, I was not a mega fan) that PH has a fan based family similar to the Grateful Dead; both known as the "Jamily" & the "Jammers".

Finally I do recommend this book, especially if one is a PJ fan, but even if not there is a lot to sink your teeth into for rock fans in general.

While I wasn't aware of this before doing this review, Mr. Hyden has written several other books; some of which I intend to check out. The title that intrigues me the most is "Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock".

I have not plowed through a book as quickly as 'Long Road' in quite some time.

I think I've seen 20 Pearl Jam concerts over the years and the band has been a companion to me through the years.

As much as the book is about Pearl Jam, what I appreciate is Steven Hyden's approach to the book and how he draws out bigger themes, examples, and memories that help put me in a place where this music was important, remains important, and how I can still share Pearl Jam with my family.

At the same time, I found myself learning some stuff that I had no idea about like the Eddie Vedder beef with Counting Crows.

If you are into rock music or Pearl Jam, this book will be worth the time because it is a trip to remember where you first heard Pearl Jam and why you still care about the band now.

4.5 stars
Omg what a trip down nostalgia lane. This is such a good and well researched book. And so fun reminiscing my teen years and the soundtrack of that wonderful time. Some information I was familiar with and some was new. This is a must for any Pearl Jam fan!