A last blast from peak Pearl Jam before drummer changes and general malaise of success dulled the edge of their song craft.

I love Matt Cameron as a drummer - for Soundgarden. But for me, a hardened '90s preservationist, the drummer for Pearl Jam will always be Dave Abbruzzese, all philosophical and personality conflicts aside. His drumming on Vs. and Vitology is exemplary for its energy, detailed skill, and creative adaptation to each song. After him, the drummers of Pearl Jam became essentially Eddie Vedder yes-men and play with nothing of the same joy.

Here on "Corduroy," Abbruzzese is more restrained than usual but still provides the energy of the song. The song is inert and uncommitted to start, until that drum build enters, and with one big flam on that excellently poppy snare, the blaring verse is underway.

The choruses are more modest, with the drums settling into a very basic pattern to support. In later albums, Vedder would take this plainness obsession too far, but here I love the contrast with the explosive verse.

The vocal is a great one, with unique personality and not just Vedder engaging in Vedder tics.

The middle interlude is cool. Again the drumming is key to its originality. I like especially the change leading into it. The main guitar pattern gets a lot of milage in different sections but I think hits its best incarnation in the the ending.