In a lot of ways, Pearl Jam's Binaural record represents a lot of beginnings and ends for the band.

The band said goodbye to producer Brendan O'Brien, and hello to Tchad Blake. They'd already bade farewell to drummer Jack irons, and Matt Cameron joined them in the studio for the first time.

Mike McCready went into rehab to say goodbye to an addiction.

This would be the group's 6th studio album, and by this point they'd long left chasing chart numbers in the rearview mirror.

The previous album Yield, was full of songs Vedder once described as the kinds they wanted to make. Binaural would continue that, and the band would record it trying a new (to them) recording technique. Binaural recording.

What the heck does binaural mean?

Binaural recording is a method that utilizes two microphones. The idea is to create a 3D sound; one that will make the listener feel as if they are in the same room as the musicians. A mannequin fitted with a microphone in each ear is often used.

This music should be played with headphones , as it really doesn't work if listening on a stereo...or radio...

So did it work? The record was generally well received, even with the context that this was not an album made with the made with the mainstream in mind.

Writing for Rolling Stone, Jon Pareles, noted:

The album reflects both Pearl Jam’s longstanding curse of self-importance and a renewed willingness to be experimental or just plain odd. Vedder sings “Soon Forget,” a bouncy parable about materialism, backed by nothing but a ukulele.

But it was made for the fan, and fans came out for the record. It was the first of their records to not go platinum, it did debut at #2 on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold.

In a look back at the record as it turned 20, Alan Ritch summed it up nicely:

Pearl Jam made a clear choice on what they wanted to do with Binaural.