The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones (guitars, harmonica), Ian Stewart (piano), Mick Jagger (vocals, harmonica) and Keith Richards (guitars). Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up. The Rolling Stones raised the international regard for the primitive blues typified by Chess Records' artists such as Muddy Waters, who wrote the song Rollin' Stone after which the band is named.[1] R&B and blues cover songs dominated the Rolling Stones' early material, but their repertoire has always included rock and roll. According to critic and musicologist Robert Palmer, the Rolling Stones have endured and stayed relevant by remaining "rooted in traditional verities, in rhythm-and-blues and soul music", while "more ephemeral pop fashions have come and gone".[2]

Jones initially led the band, but after teaming as songwriters, Jagger and Richards assumed leadership. By 1969 Jones' diminishing contributions to the band and his inability to tour the United States for legal and health reasons led to him leaving the band. Three weeks after his departure, Jones drowned. His immediate replacement Mick Taylor stayed with the band until 1974, and was replaced by Ronnie Wood. Wyman retired from the band in 1993, and his replacement Darryl Jones is not a full member. Stewart was taken from the official line-up in 1963 to continue as the band's road manager and occasional keyboardist until his death in 1985. Since 1982, Chuck Leavell has been the band's primary keyboardist.

First popular in Europe, the Rolling Stones quickly became successful in North America during the British Invasion of the mid 1960s. Having released 22 studio albums in the United Kingdom (24 in the United States), nine concert albums (ten in the US) and numerous compilations; their worldwide sales are estimated at more than 200 million albums.[3] Sticky Fingers (1971) began a string of eight consecutive studio albums reaching number one in the United States. Their most recent album of entirely new material, A Bigger Bang, was released in 2005. In 1989 the Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2004 they ranked number 4 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[4] In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked the Rolling Stones at number ten on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists", and as the second most successful group in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Charlie Watts
Background information
Also known as	The Stones
Origin	London, England, UK
Genres	Rock, rock and roll, blues rock, rhythm and blues, blues
Years active	1962–present
Labels	Decca, London, Rolling Stones, Virgin, ABKCO, Interscope, Polydor
Associated acts	John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Faces, The Jeff Beck Group, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Super Heavy
Website	www.rollingstones.com
Members
Mick Jagger Keith Richards Charlie Watts Ronnie Wood
Past members
Brian Jones Ian Stewart Dick Taylor Tony Chapman Bill Wyman Mick Taylor

Early history :

In the early 1950s Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were boyhood friends and classmates at Wentworth Primary School in Dartford, Kent until their families moved apart.[6] In 1960 when Richards, on his way to class at Sidcup Art College, and Jagger, on his way to class at London School of Economics, met at Dartford train station, the Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records Jagger carried revealed a mutual interest leading to the re-establishment of their friendship and the formation of a band with Dick Taylor (later of Pretty Things).[7][8] Richards, Taylor and Jagger found Brian Jones as he sat in playing slide guitar with Alexis Korner's seminal London R&B band, Blues Incorporated. Blues Incorporated contained two other future members of the Rolling Stones: Ian Stewart and Charlie Watts.[9] Stewart found a practice space and joined with Jones to start a R&B band playing Chicago Blues. Besides Stewart, Jones and Jagger, the first rehearsal of the as-yet-unnamed band also included Richards attending at Jagger's behest. Other participants were guitarist Geoff Bradford and vocalist Brian Knight, who objected to the rock 'n roll material Jagger and Richards played and wanted no part of forming a band with them.[10] In June 1962 the line-up was: Jagger, Richards, Stewart, Jones, Taylor, and drummer Tony Chapman. According to Richards, Jones christened the band during a phone call to Jazz News. When asked for a band name Jones saw a Muddy Waters LP lying on the floor of which one of the tracks was "Rollin' Stone".[11][12][13]
[edit] 1962–1964

On 12 July 1962 the band played their first gig at the Marquee Club billed as "The Rollin' Stones".[14] The line-up was Jagger, Richards and Jones, along with Stewart on piano, Taylor on bass and Chapman on drums. Jones and Stewart wanted to play Chicago blues, but were agreeable to the Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley numbers of Jagger and Richards.[15] Bassist Bill Wyman joined in December 1962 and drummer Charlie Watts the following January 1963 to form the band's long-standing rhythm section.[7][16]

The Rolling Stones' acting manager Giorgio Gomelsky got the band a Sunday afternoon residency at The Crawdaddy Club, which Gomelsky tied to an international renaissance of the blues, and, along with the ascension of the Beatles, a formative musical event for "Swinging London."[17]

After observing the Rolling Stones and their fashionable Crawdaddy audience, former Beatles publicist, Andrew Loog Oldham, signed the band to a management deal.[18] Because Oldham was nineteen—younger than any of the band, and was too young to hold an agent's license, he joined with show biz veteran Eric Easton after Oldham's mother signed for her son.[19][20][21] Gomelsky—who lacked a written agreement with the band—was not consulted.[22]

The recording contract the Oldham and Easton negotiated with Decca Records contained unusually favourable terms due to Decca's regret at passing on the Beatles. The Rolling Stones got three times the typical royalty rate of a new acts, artistic control over recordings, and ownership of the recording masters.[23][24]

The Decca deal also let Oldham use non-Decca recording studios, with Regent Sound Studios, a mono facility decorated by egg boxes on the ceiling for sound treatment, becoming preferred by him.[25][26][27] At Regent, Oldham said, "The sound leaked, instrument to instrument, the right way" creating a "wall of noise" well-suited to the band.[28] Regent's economical rates resulted in the band recording for extended intervals instead three hours slots prevalent at the time. At Regent all tracks were recorded for the first Rolling Stones album.[29][30] With minimal recording experience, Oldham had made himself the band's producer.[24]

Oldham presented the Rolling Stones' use of independent studios to make his artists seem superior to the Beatles, who used EMI's studios, and, Oldham said, as a result appeared as "mere mortals ... sweating in the studio for the man".[31] Oldham initially dressed the band in identical suits, but the band returned to wearing their own clothes for public appearances.[32] Oldham ended up promoting the Rolling Stones as the nasty opposites of the Beatles by having the band pose unsmiling on the cover of the first UK album, and by planting provocative headlines in the press such as "Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone"?[33] According to Wyman: "Our reputation and image as the Bad Boys came later, completely accidentally. Andrew never did engineer it. He simply exploited it exhaustively". Oldham changed the spelling of the band from "The Rollin' Stones" to "The Rolling Stones" and changed the spelling of Richards last name to Richard because it "looked more pop".[34][35] Stewart did not fit Oldham's mould, according to Wyman, of "pretty, thin, long-haired boys, and was removed from the line-up in May 1963 to become manager and occasional pianist for the band until his death in 1985.[36][37][38]

A cover of Chuck Berry's "Come On" was the Rolling Stones' first single, released on 7 June 1963. The Rolling Stones refused to play it at live gigs,[39] and Decca bought only one ad to promote the single. With Oldham's direction fan-club members bought copies at record shops polled by the charts,[40] helping "Come On" rise to No.21 on the UK singles charts.[41] Having a charting single gave the band entree to play outside London, starting with a booking at the Outlook Club in Middlesbrough on 13 July, sharing the billing with The Hollies.[42] Later in the year Oldham and Easton arranged the band's first big UK concert tour as a supporting act for American stars including Bo Diddley, Little Richard and The Everly Brothers. This Autumn 1963 tour became a "training ground" for the young band's stagecraft.[24][43][44]

During this tour the Rolling Stones recorded their second single, a Lennon/McCartney-penned number entitled "I Wanna Be Your Man"; it reached No.12 in the UK charts. Their third single, Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away", was released in February 1964 and reached #3.

Oldham saw little future for an act that lost significant song writing royalties by playing songs of "middle-aged blacks", limited the appeal to teenage audiences. At Oldham's urging, Jagger and Richards co-wrote songs, the first batch of which he described as "soppy and imitative."[45] Because songwriting developed slowly, songs on the band's first album The Rolling Stones, (issued in the US as England's Newest Hit Makers) were primarily covers, with only one Jagger/Richards original – "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)" – and two numbers credited to Nanker Phelge, the pen name for songs written by the entire group.[46]

The Rolling Stones' first US tour, in June 1964, was, in Bill Wyman's words, "a disaster". When we arrived, we didn't have a hit record [there] or anything going for us."[47] When the band appeared on Dean Martin's TV variety show The Hollywood Palace, Martin mocked both their hair and their performance.[48] During the tour they recorded for two days at Chess Studios in Chicago, meeting many of their most important influences, including Muddy Waters.[49][50] These sessions included what would become the Rolling Stones' first number 1 hit in the UK: their cover of Bobby and Shirley Womack's "It's All Over Now".[51]

"The Stones" followed James Brown in the filmed theatrical release of The TAMI Show, which showcased American acts with British Invasion artists. According to Jagger in 2003, "We weren't actually following James Brown because there were hours in between the filming of each section. Nevertheless, he was still very annoyed about it..."[52] On 25 October the band also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Regarding the pandemonium the Rolling Stones caused, Sullivan banned the band from his show,[53] though he later did book them repeatedly.[9] Their second LP – the US-only 12 X 5 – was released during this tour;[54] like their first album, it contained mainly cover tunes, augmented by Jagger/Richards and Nanker Phelge tracks.

The Rolling Stones' fifth UK single – a cover of Willie Dixon's "Little Red Rooster" backed by "Off the Hook" credited to Nanker Phelge – was released in November 1964 and became their second No.1 hit in the UK – an unprecedented achievement for a blues number. The band's US distributors (London Records) declined to release "Little Red Rooster" as a single there. In December 1964 London Records released the band's first single with Jagger/Richards originals on both sides: "Heart of Stone" backed with "What a Shame"; "Heart of Stone" went to number 19 in the US

Nickelback is a Canadian alternative rock band from Hanna, Alberta, formed in 1995 by Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and then-drummer Brandon Kroeger. While largely a rock band, the group has also experimented with various other musical styles such as pop and country, aside from their hard rock and post-grunge base. Nickelback is one of the most commercially successful Canadian groups, having sold over 35 million albums worldwide.[2] Nickelback ranks as the 11th best selling music act of the 2000s, and is the 2nd best selling foreign act in the U.S. behind The Beatles for the 2000s.[3] In December 2009, Nickelback were ranked 7th on Billboard Magazine's list of "Artists of the Decade" - both the highest-ranked band and the highest-ranked rock artist in the list.[4] Billboard Magazine also named Nickelback as the Adult Pop Artist of the decade.[5] The band has sold 21,000,000 album copies in the U.S.[6] The band is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its name originates from the nickel in change that band member Mike Kroeger gave customers at his job at Starbucks; he would frequently say, "Here's your nickel back."[7] The band is signed to EMI in Canada and Roadrunner Records for the rest of the world. In July 2008, the band signed with Live Nation for three touring and album cycles, with an option for a fourth. The contract includes recordings, touring, merchandise and other rights.

Nickelback
Nickelback live on stage, 2006
Background information
Origin	Hanna, Alberta, Canada
Genres	Alternative rock, post-grunge, hard rock,alternative metal
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Roadrunner, Atlantic, EMI (Canada), LiveNation
Website	www.nickelback.com
Members
Chad Kroeger Ryan Peake Mike Kroeger Daniel Adair
Past members
Ryan Vikedal Brandon Kroeger Mitch Guindon

Silver Side Up and The Long Road (2001–04) :

In 2001 Nickelback released the Silver Side Up album. The single "How You Remind Me" was a number 1 single on the Mainstream and Modern rock charts, as well as the pop chart. It also peaked at number 2 on Adult Top 40 and became the Billboard Hot 100 number 1 single of the year for 2001. The next single was "Too Bad", which also reached number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Chart and had a small amount of success on the pop chart. The final single from the album was "Never Again", another number 1 hit on Mainstream Rock.

In 2002, Chad Kroeger collaborated with Josey Scott on the Spider-Man theme song, "Hero". This also featured Tyler Connolly, Mike Kroeger, Matt Cameron, and Jeremy Taggart. In 2002, Nickelback released their first DVD Live at Home. In 2002 they re-released their first album Curb, with RoadRunner Records. Silver Side Up has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

In 2003, Nickelback released The Long Road. It spawned five singles. The lead single was "Someday" and the album went on to sell five million copies worldwide.[12] The band also released "Feelin' Way Too Damn Good" as a single, which peaked at number 3 on the Mainstream Rock Charts. "Figured You Out" was also released as a single and topped the Mainstream Rock Charts for 13 consecutive weeks.
All the Right Reasons (2005–07)

Nickelback's fifth studio album, All the Right Reasons (2005), produced five U.S. Hot 100 top 20 singles: "Photograph", "Savin' Me", "Far Away", "If Everyone Cared" and "Rockstar". Three of these became U.S. Hot 100 top 10 singles. All the Right Reasons had sold 7,357,944 copies in the US to June 19, 2010.[13] In total, All the Right Reasons has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide since its 2005 release. Aside from all the success of All the Right Reasons, lead singer Kroeger began his own label named 604 Records in 2005 and holds the position of executive producer. In early 2005, Ryan Videdal left the band and 3 Doors Down's drummer Daniel Adair joined Nickelback. The group was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2007.
Dark Horse (2008–present)

On September 4, 2008, Roadrunner Records announced that the first single from the upcoming album would be "If Today Was Your Last Day", to be released on September 30, 2008. However, the song was replaced by "Gotta Be Somebody".[14] The new album, produced by Mutt Lange and titled Dark Horse, was released on November 18, 2008. The album was .[15] "Something in Your Mouth" was released as the second single to rock radio only on 15 December, where it reached number 1. "If Today Was Your Last Day" was released as the third single. Four more singles were released, "I'd Come for You", "Burn It to the Ground" (which would become the theme for WWE RAW) and "Never Gonna Be Alone" released in September and "Shakin' Hands" as the seventh single on November 16.[16] Its eighth single, "This Afternoon", was released on March 23, 2010. On February 28, 2010, Nickelback gave a performance at the beginning of the concert portion of the 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony, performing "Burn It to the Ground". On October 2010 Nickelback finished their Dark Horse Tour.[17]

Chad Kroeger said in an interview with Billboard.com in September 2010 that songwriting for the next Nickelback album was planned to commence as early as February 2011 with "about four tunes" already in mind.[18] Adair mentioned that the band wanted to go back to the musical style of All The Right Reasons, which he described as "more organic."[19]
Critical reception

At various points in their career Nickelback has received widespread negative reviews from various sources. Review aggregator Metacritic reports that three of their six most recent studio albums since becoming a mainstream act, The Long Road, All the Right Reasons and Dark Horse, have scores of 62%, 41% and 49% respectively.[20][21][22] Criticism tends to focus on the band's themes of "strippers, sex, prostitutes, drugs, sex, drinking and sex",[23] for being derivative in the music they create, as well as too often sticking to formula instead of innovating.[24]

Despite a barrage of criticism Nickelback has still managed to please some reviewers with each of their mainstream albums. Allmusic reviewer Liana Jones complimented Nickelback after their commercial breakthrough, Silver Side Up; "what gives the group an upper hand over its peers is intensity and raw passion... Nickelback ups the ante by offering realistic storytelling that listeners can relate to."[25] Following their 2008 album, Dark Horse, ChartAttack credited the band's success to knowing their target audience: "Chad Kroeger is a genius because he knows exactly what people want and precisely how far he can go. He turned out an extremely racy album that's loaded with songs about gettin' drunk and doin' it all without breaking any taboos, and with enough love and moral authority to grease its passage into the mainstream. Rejoice, North America. This is your world."[26] Billboard gave praise to the band: "The bulletproof Nickelback provides affordable fun that promises good returns in hard times."[27] Also various fellow musicians like Chris Martin of Coldplay[28] as well as R&B singer Timbaland[29] support the band.

The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960. They are one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music.[1] From 1962, the group consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the group later worked in many genres ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. The nature of their enormous popularity, which first emerged as "Beatlemania", transformed as their songwriting grew in sophistication. They came to be perceived as the embodiment of ideals of the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.

Initially a five-piece line-up of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe (bass) and Pete Best (drums), they built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960. Sutcliffe left the group in 1961, and Best was replaced by Starr the following year. Moulded into a professional outfit by their manager, Brian Epstein, their musical potential was enhanced by the creativity of producer George Martin. They achieved mainstream success in the United Kingdom in late 1962, with their first single, "Love Me Do". Gaining international popularity over the course of the next year, they toured extensively until 1966, then retreated to recording studios until their break-up in 1970. Each then found success in independent musical careers.

During their studio years, they produced what critics consider some of their finest material including the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), widely regarded as a masterpiece. They are the best-selling band in the history of popular music,[2][3] and four decades after their break-up, their recordings are still in demand. They have had more number one albums on the UK charts and have held the top spot longer than any other musical act.[4] According to the RIAA, they have sold more albums in the United States than any other artist.[5] The Beatles were placed at number one on Billboard magazine's fiftieth-anniversary list of all-time top Hot 100 artists in 2008.[6] They have received 13 Grammy Awards from the American National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences[7] and 15 Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.[8] They were collectively included in Time magazine's compilation of the 20th century's 100 most influential people.[9] Lennon was murdered outside his home in New York City in 1980, and Harrison died of cancer in 2001. McCartney and Starr remain active.

The Beatles
The Beatles in 1964 John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr
Background information
Origin	Liverpool, England
Genres	Rock, pop
Years active	1960–1970
Labels	Parlophone, Capitol, Vee-Jay, Apple
Associated acts	The Quarrymen Plastic Ono Band
Website	www.thebeatles.com
Members
John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison Ringo Starr
Past members
Stuart Sutcliffe Pete Best

Sonny Moore (born January 15, 1988), professionally known as Skrillex, is an electro house/dubstep producer from Los Angeles, California and former frontman for the American band From First to Last.[2][3] In late fall of 2007 he embarked on his first tour as a solo artist, the Team Sleep Tour with Team Sleep, Strata, and Monster in the Machine. After recruiting a new band lineup, Moore toured North America on the Alternative Press Tour, supporting bands such as All Time Low and The Rocket Summer, and appeared on the cover of Alternative Press annual 100 Bands You Need to Know issue.[4] In June 2008, Moore went into recording for his debut album, titled Bells, alongside producer Noah Shain. He released the Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites EP as a co-release between mau5trap and Big Beat record labels, and runs an imprint label called Owsla, named after an organization in the book Watership Down

Skrillex
Skrillex performing at Sasquatch 2011
Background information
Born	January 15, 1988 (age 23)
Origin	Los Angeles, California, USA
Genres	electro house, fidget,[1] dubstep
Occupations	Musician, DJ, singer, guitarist
Years active	2002–Present
Labels	Atlantic, Sony BMG, Mau5trap
Associated acts	From First to Last, deadmau5, Korn
Website	www.skrillex.com
Notable instruments
Ableton Live[1]

Solo career (2007–present) :

On February 27, 2007, Moore announced he had left From First to Last to pursue a solo career. He then launched a Myspace page displaying three demos ("Signal", "Equinox", and "Glow Worm"). This led to Moore's first performance since his leaving From First to Last. On April 7, 2007, alongside harpist Carol Robbins, Moore played several original songs at a local art building.

After months of releasing demos via Myspace, Moore played on the Team Sleep Tour with a full band. The tour also featured supporting acts Monster in the Machine and Strata. Moore made several demo CDs available on this tour, limited to about 30 per show. These CDs were tour exclusive, and were packaged in "baby blue envelopes", each with a unique drawing by Moore or bandmate.

In February 2008, Alternative Press Magazine announced the second annual AP Tour, with All Time Low, The Rocket Summer, The Matches, and Forever the Sickest Kids, as well as Sonny Moore. The tour started in Houston, Texas on March 14 and went through North America, ending in Cleveland, Ohio on May 2, with the majority of the shows being sold out. All bands playing the tour would be featured on the cover of Alternative Press Magazine's annual 100 Bands You Need to Know special, and would be interviewed on the Alternative Press Podcast. During this tour Moore's line-up consisted of Sean Friday on drums, Christopher Null on guitar, and Aaron Rothe on keyboards.

On April 7, 2009, he released Gypsyhook EP, a digital EP, which featured three songs and four remixes. Also included was a Japanese version of "Mora" entitled "海水". Physical copies of the EP were available at his shows. After going on tour with Innerpartysystem and Paper Route and opening for Chiodos on their European tour, Moore performed at Bamboozle on May 2. He performed on Bamboozle Left's Saints and Sinners stage on April 4. He toured with Hollywood Undead in April 2009 performing under the band name Sonny and the Blood Monkeys, with Chris Null (electric guitar), Sean Friday (drums, percussion & beats) and Aaron Rothe (keyboards, synthesizers, programming & turntables)

Although no official statement has been given regarding the album, Moore has been reported in interviews and at events saying Bells will no longer be released.

Red Hot Chili Peppers (sometimes referred to as RHCP) is an American rock band. They formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1983.

The band's current line-up consists of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Michael "Flea" Balzary (bass), Chad Smith (drums) and Josh Klinghoffer (guitar). The group's musical style has fused traditional funk with elements of other genres, including punk and psychedelic rock.

The group's original line-up featured guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons. Slovak died of a heroin overdose in 1988, resulting in Irons's departure.[2] Former Dead Kennedys drummer D.H. Peligro briefly replaced Irons before the band found a permanent replacement in Smith. Guitarist John Frusciante replaced Slovak. This line-up recorded the band's fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth albums, Mother's Milk (1989), Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991), Californication (1999), By the Way (2002), and Stadium Arcadium (2006).

Blood Sugar Sex Magik, the group's first commercial success, has sold over seventeen million copies. Frusciante grew uncomfortable with the success of the band and left abruptly in 1992, in the middle of the album tour. His use of heroin increased. After recruiting guitarist Arik Marshall to complete the tour, Kiedis, Flea, and Smith employed Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction for their subsequent album, One Hot Minute (1995). Although commercially successful, the album failed to match the critical or popular acclaim of Blood Sugar Sex Magik, selling less than half as well as its predecessor. Navarro left the band shortly after the album's release. Frusciante, fresh out of drug rehabilitation, rejoined the band in 1998 at Flea's request. The reunited quartet returned to the studio to record Californication (1999), which sold fifteen million copies – the band's most commercially successful album. That album was followed three years later by By the Way (2003), which was also successful. In 2006, the group released the double album Stadium Arcadium, their first number one album in America. After a world tour, the group went on an extended hiatus. Frusciante announced he was amicably leaving the band to focus on his solo career.[3] Josh Klinghoffer, who had worked both as a sideman for the band on their Stadium Arcadium tour and on Frusciante's solo projects, joined as lead guitarist.[4] The Red Hot Chili Peppers have recently finished their tenth studio album, entitled I'm With You, which will be released on August 30, 2011 and will be their first release with Klinghoffer.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have won 7 Grammy Awards. The band has sold over 85 million albums worldwide, charting eight singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 (including three in the Top 10), five number one singles on the Mainstream Rock charts, and a record of eleven number one singles on the Modern Rock charts.

Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2011 (from left to right) Flea, Josh Klinghoffer, Chad Smith, Anthony Kiedis
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Funk rock Alternative rock Punk rock[1]
Years active	1983–present
Labels	EMI, Warner Bros.
Associated acts	Ataxia, Jane's Addiction, The Mars Volta, What Is This?
Website	www.redhotchilipeppers.com
Members
Anthony Kiedis Flea Chad Smith Josh Klinghoffer
Past members
John Frusciante Hillel Slovak Dave Navarro Jesse Tobias Arik Marshall D.H. Peligro DeWayne McKnight Jack Irons Cliff Martinez Jack Sherman

Mother's Milk (1989–90) :

Attempting to cope with Slovak's death and Irons's departure, Kiedis and Flea temporarily employed Dead Kennedys drummer D. H. Peligro and former P-Funk guitarist DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight. Neither fit and they were each replaced rapidly. However, Peligro's brief tenure did have one vital, long-term consequence: he introduced John Frusciante, an acquaintance, and got him to audition for the band's empty guitarist role. Frusciante was fascinated with the band and was interested in auditioning. Following a constructive jam (which would later appear on Mother's Milk as "Pretty Little Ditty"), the band members unanimously decided to accept him.[40]

Three weeks prior to the beginning of recording, the band was still without a drummer. Philip "Fish" Fisher from fellow LA based Punk-Funk band Fishbone briefly joined the band and is featured on the track "Taste the Pain". Eventually, a friend of the band told them about a drummer she knew, Chad Smith, who was so proficient on the drums he "ate [them] for breakfast".[41] Kiedis had qualms about allowing Smith to try out; however, he agreed to give him a chance. At his audition, Smith overwhelmed the band by not only matching Flea's intricate and complex rhythm, but even beginning to lead him. After this successful jam session, Kiedis, Frusciante and Flea admitted Smith into the band. Smith was told to shave his head to fit into the band's style, but was nonetheless still allowed into the band when he showed up the next day with the same bandana.

In April 1989, the Chili Peppers embarked on a short tour to familiarize Smith and Frusciante with how the band managed live performances.[42] The "Positive Mental Octopus tour" saw the band play small venues throughout the United States, including several concerts on the East and West Coast. During this period, Frusciante began to assert more energy and his ego "got a little swollen", according to Flea, "He was running around being rude to girls and getting them pissed off. But that's to be expected, I mean, shit, you're 18 years old and you want to get laid really bad and all of a sudden you're in a band, the girls want to fuck. You're bound to go crazy."[43] Another incident, following a performance at the George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, caused legal repercussions; a student accused Kiedis of engaging in sexual misconduct and indecent exposure. The vocalist was subsequently arrested and released on bail pending a trial that was to be set for a later date.[43]

Recording was hindered by conflict with producer Michael Beinhorn, whose primary agenda was to give Frusciante's guitar playing a loud, overpowering sound, similar to the abrasive tones utilized in heavy metal.[44] Although there had been stress and conflict during the recording of other Chili Peppers albums, the Mother's Milk sessions were especially uncomfortable due to Beinhorn's incessant desire to create a hit. Beinhorn recalled that he and the band were at odds: "Suffice to say that I had a very intense personal relationship [with the band] and somewhere along the line I fell out with [them]."[45] He constantly clashed with Frusciante over guitar effects. According to Kiedis, "[Beinhorn] wanted John to have a big, crunching, almost metal-sounding guitar tone whereas before we always had some interesting acid-rock guitar tones as well as a lot of slinky, sexy, funky guitar tones."[46] Frusciante was frustrated with the producer's attitude and ultimately resented his playing on the record, feeling it was too "macho".[47] Kiedis recalled that, in the end, "I couldn't tolerate his direction any longer. He was trying to squeeze something out of me that I wasn't feeling, and we got in a fight and I knew that I was done with him."[46]

Mother's Milk was released in August 1989, and gave them their first top modern rock hits—a tribute ballad to Slovak, "Knock Me Down",[5] their cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground", and the song "Taste the Pain", which formed part of the film Say Anything... 's soundtrack. The anthem "Magic Johnson", a tribute to the Los Angeles Lakers pointguard and fellow Michigander, is still sung at Los Angeles Lakers games. The album reached No.52 on the American album charts and became the band's first gold record.

Blink-182 is an American pop punk band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992. With original drummer Scott Raynor they released their debut album Cheshire Cat in 1994 and achieved moderate success with its follow-up, 1997's Dude Ranch, which went on to sell over one million copies. Raynor was replaced by Barker midway through a 1998 tour.

The band achieved greater success with 1999's multi-platinum selling Enema of the State, which reached #9 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of the singles "What's My Age Again" and "All the Small Things", the latter of which became the highest-charting song of their career by reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Blink-182 gained popularity for their irreverent sense of humor, and the follow-up album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001) reached #1 in the United States, Canada, and Germany. The eponymously-titled Blink-182 followed in 2003 and was a stylistic shift for the group, infusing experimental elements into their usual pop punk formula which resulted in a more mature sound.

DeLonge left Blink-182 in early 2005, sending the band into indefinite hiatus. He went on to form Angels & Airwaves while Hoppus and Barker formed +44. Hoppus also pursued a career as a television host while Barker continued working in music as a producer and solo artist. Blink-182 reunited in February 2009 and are currently recording a sixth studio album.

Blink-182
Left to right: Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and Travis Barker.
Background information
Also known as	Blink (1992–1994)
Origin	Poway, California, United States
Genres	Pop punk
Years active	1992–2005, 2009–present
Labels	Grilled Cheese, Cargo Music, Kung Fu, MCA, Geffen, Interscope
Associated acts	Box Car Racer, +44, Angels & Airwaves, Transplants
Website	blink182.com
Members
Mark Hoppus Tom DeLonge Travis Barker
Past members
Scott Raynor

Formation (1992–1993) :

After moving to San Diego in the summer of 1992, Mark Hoppus was reunited with his sister Anne, to whom he expressed his desire to be in a band. Anne attended Rancho Bernardo High School, where she became friends with new student Tom DeLonge who had been previously expelled from Poway High School for showing up drunk at a basketball game. DeLonge often expressed the desire to be in a band as well, so in August 1992 Anne introduced him to her brother Mark Hoppus.[1] The two played for hours in DeLonge's garage, showing each other songs they had previously written, and writing new songs together – one of which would become the track "Carousel".[1] To impress DeLonge, Hoppus climbed to the top of a streetlight outside of DeLonge's home – however, he broke both ankles on the way down, resulting in being in crutches for the next few weeks.[1] The two decided they needed to officially start a band, so DeLonge recruited friend Scott Raynor, whom he had met at a party.[2] The three began playing together and called themselves Duck Tape, until DeLonge thought of the name Blink.[1]

The band practiced constantly, which angered Hoppus's girlfriend.[1] She told him he had to choose between the band and her, so he left the band just as it was starting. DeLonge then informed Hoppus that he borrowed a 4-track from a friend and he and Raynor were using it to make a demo tape. Upon hearing this, Hoppus decided he would leave his girlfriend and return to the band. The demo tape, titled Flyswatter, was recorded in May 1993 in Raynor's bedroom. The 4-track used to record the material resulted in poor sound quality. According to Hoppus only a small number of demos were released, primarily to their family and friends. The same year, the band recorded another demo tape, this one untitled and known simply as Demo #2. It featured re-recordings of a few Flyswatter songs and also included new songs, some of which would go on to be re-recorded and re-released on the band's albums Buddha, Cheshire Cat, and Dude Ranch.

Buddha, their third and final demo, was recorded in 1993 over three rainy nights on a 24 track recording system at Double Time Studios in San Diego, California, according to the CD's liner notes. It was released on cassette in 1993 with around 1,000 copies of the tape produced by Filter Records, an independent record company headed by Hoppus's boss. The album was one of the few Blink-182 productions released with the band name as Blink. A remastered version was released on Kung Fu Records in 1998 (with three of the original tracks omitted and two new tracks added).

Early days in the band included carrying and tuning their gear at every gig and living in a van.[3] The band's first goal was to headline SOMA, a San Diego all-ages club only (then) capable of holding 1,500 people. After eventually playing other small clubs in Southern California, Hoppus recalls "[we] worked our way up from there."[4] DeLonge called clubs constantly in San Diego asking for a spot to play, as well as calling up local high schools convincing them that Blink was a "motivational band with a strong anti-drug message" in hopes to play at an assembly or lunch.

Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody.[1][2] After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies [3] worldwide and helped the band win two Grammy Awards.[4] A year later, Evanescence released their first live album, Anywhere but Home, which sold more than one million copies worldwide. In 2006, the band released their second studio album, The Open Door, which sold more than six million copies.[5]

The line-up of the band has changed several times: David Hodges leaving in 2002, co-founder Moody left in 2003 (mid-tour), bassist Will Boyd in 2006, followed by guitarist John LeCompt and drummer Rocky Gray in 2007. The last two changes led to a hiatus, with temporary band members contributing to tour performances. In June 2009, it was announced on the Evanescence website that the band was working on new material for a third studio album. Billboard ranked Evanescence #71 on the Best Artists of the Decade chart.

Evanescence
Evanescence in 2006. Left to right: John LeCompt, Amy Lee, Terry Balsamo, Rocky Gray, and Tim McCord
Background information
Origin	Little Rock, Arkansas, US
Years active	1995–present[1]
Labels	Wind-up
Website	evanescence.com
Members
Amy Lee Terry Balsamo Tim McCord Troy McLawhorn Will "Science" Hunt Will Hunt
Past members
Ben Moody David Hodges Rocky Gray John LeCompt Will Boyd

In other media :

Lee claimed that she wrote a song for the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but that it was rejected because of its dark sound. Lee went on to state that it was just "more great stuff [for The Open Door]".[60] Another song supposedly written for Narnia was the Mozart-inspired "Lacrymosa".[61] The producers of Narnia, however, rebutted her claim, stating this information was "news to them" and that no Evanescence music had been planned for inclusion in the soundtrack.[62]

In 2010, Evanescence released "Together Again" as a digital download, a song created for The Open Door but later cut. The song was released due to benefit the United Nations Foundation for their Haiti earthquake recovery efforts.[63] It later received wide release as a digital download on February 23, 2011.

Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987. Nirvana went through a succession of drummers, the longest-lasting being Dave Grohl, who joined the band in 1990.

In the late 1980s Nirvana established itself as part of the Seattle grunge scene, releasing its first album Bleach for the independent record label Sub Pop in 1989. The band eventually came to develop a sound that relied on dynamic contrasts, often between quiet verses and loud, heavy choruses. After signing to major label DGC Records, Nirvana found unexpected success with "Smells Like Teen Spirit", the first single from the band's second album Nevermind (1991). Nirvana's sudden success widely popularized alternative rock as a whole, and as the band's frontman Cobain found himself referred to in the media as the "spokesman of a generation", with Nirvana being considered the "flagship band" of Generation X.[1] Nirvana's third studio album In Utero (1993), challenged the group's audience, featuring an abrasive, less-mainstream sound.

Nirvana's brief run ended following the death of Cobain in 1994, but various posthumous releases have been issued since, overseen by Novoselic, Grohl, and Cobain's widow Courtney Love. Since its debut, the band has sold over 25 million albums in the United States alone, and over 50 million worldwide.[2][3] In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Nirvana number 30 on their list of the 100 greatest artists of all time

Background information
Origin	Aberdeen, Washington, United States
Genres	Alternative rock, grunge
Years active	1987–1994
Labels	Sub Pop, DGC
Associated acts	Fecal Matter, Foo Fighters
Members
Kurt Cobain Krist Novoselic Dave Grohl
Past members
Aaron Burckhard Chad Channing Dale Crover Jason Everman Dave Foster Dan Peters

Songwriting and lyrics :

Everett True said in 1989, "Nirvana songs treat the banal and pedestrian with a unique slant."[103] Cobain came up with the basic components of each song (usually writing them on an acoustic guitar), as well as the singing style and the lyrics. He emphasized that Novoselic and Grohl "have a big part in deciding on how long a song should be and how many parts it should have. So I don't like to be considered the sole songwriter."[104] When asked which part of the songs he would write first, Cobain responded, "I don’t know. I really don’t know. I guess I start with the verse and then go into the chorus."[59]

Cobain usually wrote lyrics for songs minutes before recording them.[104] Cobain said, "When I write a song the lyrics are the least important subject. I can go through two or three different subjects in a song and the title can mean absolutely nothing at all."[105] Cobain told Spin in 1993 that he "didn't give a flying fuck" what the lyrics on Bleach were about, figuring "Let's just scream some negative lyrics and as long as they're not sexist and don't get too embarrassing it'll be okay", while the lyrics to Nevermind were taken from two years of poetry he had accumulated, which he cut up and chose lines he preferred from. In comparison, Cobain stated that the lyrics to In Utero were "more focused, they're almost built on themes".[106] Cobain didn't write necessarily in a linear fashion, instead relying on juxtapositions of contradictory images to convey emotions and ideas. Often in his lyrics, Cobain would present an idea then reject it; the songwriter explained, "I'm such a nihilistic jerk half the time and other times I'm so vulnerable and sincere [. . . The songs are] like a mixture of both of them. That's how most people my age are.

The Black Keys are an American blues rock music duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2010, the band has sold over 1.7 million records.

Background information
Origin	Akron, Ohio, US
Genres	Blues rock, garage rock, alternative rock, indie rock
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Alive, Fat Possum, Nonesuch, V2
Associated acts	Blakroc Drummer
Website	www.theblackkeys.com
Members
Dan Auerbach Patrick Carney

Brothers (2010–present) :

Brothers was released on May 18, 2010, featuring a 15 track listing.[12] The album was produced by The Black Keys and Mark Neill,[13] and was mixed by Tchad Blake.[14] The song "Tighten Up" (featured on the FIFA 11 soundtrack) was released before the album as a single, along with "Howlin' for You" (featured on the NHL 11 soundtrack and used as the theme song to the Australian Police Drama TV Series Cops L.A.C.. It is also featured in the movie "Limitless". The Toronto Blue Jays baseball franchise has also used a portion of it in their promotional advertisements during the 2011 season.) on the B-side. Brothers sold over 73,000 copies in its first week, giving it a #3 ranking on the Billboard Albums chart, their highest yet. Furthermore, the single "Tighten Up" has become their most successful single, reaching the top spot on the US Alternative charts. The Brothers CD has a thin thermal film on the surface, which changes colors depending on the temperature of the surroundings and ranges from completely black to a creamy surface with writing when placed in a CD player. There are two cut tracks from this album that have been released as well. "Ohio" pays homage to the home of The Black Keys, and "Chop and Change" was featured on the soundtrack of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. The song "She's Long Gone" was used to promote the second season of "Swamp People" on History Channel.

The Black Keys also helped judge the 9th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.[15]

On October 19, The Black Keys released iTunes Sessions which is part of a series of live albums by iTunes and released exclusively on iTunes.

On November 26, 2010 The Black Keys released a special edition Record Store Day Black Friday Double 12" vinyl (45 RP) + 10" w/6 Bonus Tracks, CD, Poster called, Brothers for independent record stores.

On December 1, 2010, it was announced The Black Keys were nominated for four Grammy Awards including Best Rock Song and Best Alternative Album.

Rolling Stone magazine placed Brothers at #2 on the Best Albums of 2010[16] and "Everlasting Light" at #11 on the Best Singles of 2010.[17] On December 14, 2010, Spin magazine named The Black Keys the Artist of the Year for 2010[18]

On January 8, 2011, The Black Keys performed on Saturday Night Live.[19]

In February 2011, they released a short musical film called Howlin For You starring Tricia Helfer, Diora Baird, Sean Patrick Flanery, Christian Serratos, Corbin Bernsen, Todd Bridges, and Shaun White.

The Black Keys were nominated for three Billboard Music Awards: Top Alternative Artist and Top Rock Album and Top Alternative Album for their album, Brothers.[20]

On June 11, 2011 The Black Keys played at the 10th annual Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tennessee. They were a headliner for the four day festival and performed on "What Stage".[21]

The Black Keys are said to be working on their 7th upcoming studio album beginning in March 2011.[22] They are reportedly recording in Dan's new studio in Nashville, Tennessee.

Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock/rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. The band's lineup consists of Fred Durst (lead vocals), Wes Borland (guitar), Sam Rivers (bass), John Otto (drums) and DJ Lethal. Formed in 1995, the band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999. Limp Bizkit has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and have won several other major awards. The band has sold an estimated 60 million albums worldwide.[1]

Their third studio album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, released in 2000, continued the band's success. The album sold 1.05 million copies in its first week, making it the fastest-selling rock album ever, breaking the record held for 7 years by Pearl Jam's Vs.[2] Following the departure of Wes Borland in 2001, Mike Smith was brought in for the fourth studio album Results May Vary, released in 2003. Borland rejoined the band in 2005 for The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1), but departed again. He rejoined the band in February 2009. Limp Bizkit's sixth studio album Gold Cobra was released in June 2011.

Background information
Origin	Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Genres	Nu metal, rap metal, rapcore, alternative rock
Years active	1995-present
Labels	Interscope Records
Associated acts	House of Pain, Black Light Burns, La Coka Nostra, Snot
Website	www.limpbizkit.com
Members
Fred Durst Wes Borland Sam Rivers John Otto DJ Lethal
Past members
Mike Smith

Significant Other (1999–2000) :

In 1999, Limp Bizkit found major worldwide success with their second album Significant Other, which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and received mostly positive reviews from mainstream media. The album sold 834,000 copies in its first week and has sold over 16 million copies worldwide. The first single "Nookie", was an enormous hit on rock radio, reaching the top 10 in both rock and rap charts. The band followed-up the single with three simultaneously released singles – "Break Stuff", "Re-Arranged" and "N 2 Gether Now" (featuring hip-hop artist Method Man). "N 2 Gether Now" has been cited as an example of Fred Durst's attempt to work for unity rather than rivalry between rock and hip-hop, blurring the distinction between the two genres of music.[5] The album features the songs "Nobody Like You" with vocals by Jonathan Davis of Korn and Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and "No Sex" with vocals by Aaron Lewis of Staind.

In the summer of 1999, Limp Bizkit played at the highly anticipated Woodstock '99 show in front of approximately 200,000 people. Violent action sprang up during and after their performance, including fans tearing plywood from the walls during a performance of the song "Break Stuff". Several sexual assaults that included rapes which were reported in the aftermath of the concert, with some examples of the latter being caught on tape,[6] resulting in deliberately lit fires and looting when the Red Hot Chili Peppers played the next day. Some have blamed the band for this outbreak, although Fred Durst claimed that none of the instigations he had made at the concert were intended to cause damage.

Controversies involving the band's members began to arise. Durst particularly became involved in feuds with the metal band Slipknot, Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist Zakk Wylde and engaged in physical violence with Creed frontman Scott Stapp. The band caused a feud with rapper Eminem because they agreed to do a song with Eminem to ridicule Everlast specifically, but did not show to the recording and then on MTV talking about how if Eminem and Everlast fought, DJ Lethal said Everlast would win. Taproot released on their website an answering machine message that Durst had left on their lead singer's phone as "revenge" for ending their record company contract with his record label.

Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guitar), Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), and Mike McCready (lead guitar). The band's current drummer is Matt Cameron, also of Soundgarden, who has been with the band since 1998.

Formed after the demise of Ament and Gossard's previous band, Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream with its debut album, Ten. One of the key bands of the grunge movement in the early 1990s, Pearl Jam was criticized early on as being a corporate cash-in on the alternative rock explosion. However, over the course of the band's career its members became noted for their refusal to adhere to traditional music industry practices, including refusing to make music videos and engaging in a much-publicised boycott of Ticketmaster. In 2006, Rolling Stone described the band as having "spent much of the past decade deliberately tearing apart their own fame."[2]

Since its inception, the band has sold over thirty million records in the U.S.,[3] and an estimated sixty million worldwide.[4][5] Pearl Jam has outlasted many of its contemporaries from the alternative rock breakthrough of the early 1990s, and is considered one of the most influential bands of the decade.[6] Allmusic refers to Pearl Jam as "the most popular American rock & roll band of the '90s.

Background information
Also known as	Mookie Blaylock
Origin	Seattle, Washington, United States
Genres	Alternative rock, grunge, post-grunge, hard rock[1]
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Monkeywrench, Universal Music Group, J, Epic
Associated acts	Green River, Soundgarden, Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, Skin Yard, Brad, Hovercraft, Wellwater Conspiracy, Mad Season, Neil Young
Website	pearljam.com
Members
Eddie Vedder Mike McCready Stone Gossard Jeff Ament Matt Cameron
Past members
Dave Krusen Matt Chamberlain Dave Abbruzzese Jack Irons

Dealing with success: 1993–1995 :

The band members grew uncomfortable with their success, with much of the burden of Pearl Jam's popularity falling on frontman Vedder.[10] While Pearl Jam received four awards at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards for its video for "Jeremy", including Video of the Year and Best Group Video, the band refused to make a video for "Black" in spite of pressure by the label. This action began a trend of the band refusing to make videos for its songs, despite it being common knowledge that music videos were one of the most vital sales tools any band had in its arsenal. However, Vedder felt that the concept of music videos robbed the listener from creating their own interpretation of the song stating that, “Before music videos first came out, you’d listen to a song with headphones on, sitting in a beanbag chair with your eyes closed, and you’d come up with your own visions, these things that came from within. Then all of a sudden, sometimes even the very first time you heard a song, it was with these visual images attached, and it robbed you of any form of self-expression.” [28] "Ten years from now," Ament said, "I don't want people to remember our songs as videos."[10]

Pearl Jam headed into the studio in early 1993 facing the challenge of following up the commercial success of its debut. McCready said, "The band was blown up pretty big and everything was pretty crazy."[29] Released on October 19, 1993, Pearl Jam's second album, Vs., sold 950,378 copies in its first week of release and outperformed all other entries in the Billboard top ten that week combined.[30] This set the record for most copies of an album sold in its first week of release.[31] Vs. held this record for five years before it was broken by Garth Brooks' 1998 album, Double Live.[32] It held the record in the rock genre for 7 years until 2000 when Limp Bizkit released Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water.[33] Vs. included the singles "Go", "Daughter", "Animal", and "Dissident". Paul Evans of Rolling Stone said, "Few American bands have arrived more clearly talented than this one did with Ten; and Vs. tops even that debut." He added, "Like Jim Morrison and Pete Townshend, Vedder makes a forte of his psychological-mythic explorations... As guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready paint dense and slashing backdrops, he invites us into a drama of experiment and strife."[34] The band decided, beginning with the release of Vs., to scale back its commercial efforts.[35] The members declined to produce any more music videos after the massive success of "Jeremy" and opted for fewer interviews and television appearances. Industry insiders compared Pearl Jam's tour that year to the touring habits of Led Zeppelin, in that the band "ignored the press and took its music directly to the fans."[36] During the Vs. Tour, the band set a cap on ticket prices in an attempt to thwart scalpers.[37]

By 1994, Pearl Jam was "fighting on all fronts", as its manager described the band at the time.[38] Pearl Jam was outraged when, after it played a pair of shows in Chicago, Illinois, it discovered that ticket vendor Ticketmaster had added a service charge to the tickets. The United States Department of Justice was investigating the company's practices at the time and asked the band to create a memorandum of its experiences with the company. Gossard and Ament soon testified at a subcommittee investigation in Washington, D.C.[39] The band eventually canceled its 1994 summer tour in protest.[40] After the Justice Department dropped the case, Pearl Jam continued to boycott Ticketmaster, refusing to play venues that had contracts with the company.[41] Music critic Jim DeRogatis noted that along with the Ticketmaster debacle, "the band has refused to release singles or make videos; it has demanded that its albums be released on vinyl; and it wants to be more like its '60s heroes, The Who, releasing two or three albums a year." He also stated that sources said that most of the band's third album Vitalogy was completed by early 1994, but that either a forced delay by Epic or the battle with Ticketmaster were to blame for the delay.[38]

Pearl Jam wrote and recorded while touring behind Vs. and the majority of the tracks for its next album, Vitalogy, were recorded during breaks on the tour. Tensions within the band had dramatically increased by this time. Producer Brendan O'Brien said, "Vitalogy was a little strained. I'm being polite—there was some imploding going on."[18] After Pearl Jam finished the recording of Vitalogy, drummer Dave Abbruzzese was fired. The band cited political differences between Abbruzzese and the other members; for example, Abbruzzese disagreed with the Ticketmaster boycott.[18] He was replaced by Jack Irons, a close friend of Vedder and the former and original drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Irons made his debut with the band at Neil Young's 1994 Bridge School Benefit, but he was not officially announced as the band's new drummer until its 1995 Self-Pollution satellite radio broadcast, a four-and-a-half hour long pirate broadcast out of Seattle which was available to any radio stations that wanted to carry it.[42]

Vitalogy was released first on November 22, 1994 on vinyl and then two weeks later on December 6, 1994 on CD and cassette. The CD became the second-fastest-selling in history, with more than 877,000 units sold in its first week.[15] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said that "thanks to its stripped-down, lean production, Vitalogy stands as Pearl Jam's most original and uncompromising album."[43] Many of the songs on the album appear to be based around the pressures of fame.[44] The song "Spin the Black Circle", an homage to vinyl records, won a Grammy Award in 1996 for Best Hard Rock Performance. Vitalogy also included the songs "Not for You", "Corduroy", "Better Man", and "Immortality". "Better Man" (sample (info)), a song originally written and performed by Vedder while in Bad Radio, reached number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, spending a total of eight weeks there. Considered a "blatantly great pop song" by producer Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam was reluctant to record it and had initially rejected it from Vs. due to its accessibility.[18]

The band continued its boycott against Ticketmaster during its 1995 tour for Vitalogy, but was surprised that virtually no other bands joined in.[45] Pearl Jam's initiative to play only at non-Ticketmaster venues effectively, with a few exceptions, prevented it from playing shows in the United States for the next three years.[46] Ament later said, "We were so hardheaded about the 1995 tour. Had to prove we could tour on our own, and it pretty much killed us, killed our career."[18] In the same year Pearl Jam backed Neil Young, whom the band had noted as an influence, on his album Mirror Ball. Contractual obligations prevented the use of the band's name anywhere on the album, but the members were all credited individually in the album's liner notes.[7] Two songs from the sessions were left off Mirror Ball: "I Got Id" and "Long Road". These two tracks were released separately by Pearl Jam in the form of the 1995 EP, Merkin Ball.