MUSIC: Scathing Guitars, Pretty Tunes

On Vitalogy, Pearl Jam, America's dominant rock group, once again delivers an impressive mix of power and melody

Like butterflies or Apollo rockets, the careers of rock-'n'-roll superstars typically have multiple stages. In the first, the rock star sings powerfully and touchingly about the sweet pangs of adolescence and the seemingly endless , wait for adulthood. In Stage 2, the rock star screeches churlishly about the unbearable pain of megacelebrity and the seemingly endless wait for room service at the Four Seasons. And in the third and last stage, the rock star goes on MTV Unplugged and performs all the songs from the first and second stages, only this time with acoustic instruments.

The terrifyingly popular Seattle-based rock group...

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