Somewhere between an original and an improv, “Out Of My Mind” might just take the cake for most overlooked Pearl Jam song that’s been played more than once. Performed at Atlanta’s Fox Theater in April of 1994, and in Springfield Massachusetts just a few nights later (a slightly more rocking, aggressive rendition*), it’s unfortunate though not altogether unsurprising that this repetitive jam has slipped under most fans’ radars despite its inclusion as the b-side to “Not For You”. Hell, it’s not even listed on the otherwise promising Pearl Jam Wiki. The central guitar riffs are the sunniest and most upbeat to come from that turbulent era, and it sounds like the band is having a genuinely grand old time. On a high school jazz chorus trip to Boston (dorky, yes), I was shocked and thrilled to see the old Epic vinyl-imitation sleeve in a slim CD-case, red this time, and begged a friend to loan me the money for it as I was sure I would never ever come across it again. And although the song didn’t make it to Lost Dogs, and is fairly certain to fade into further obscurity, the “Not For You” single is still out there on the internets for about 99 cents. A fun little lost dog among lost dogs.
More Than Ten 
Obscurity rocks, dude. I miss it so much. To think that when an obscure song was played live (or recorded as a b-side) back in those years, it would take an indeterminable amount of time for that song to reach you. Even if you were looking for new songs…you know what I mean? Even if you were going to your usual source for bootlegs back in 94 or 95 or whenever, there was no way to know what WASN’T there…or maybe there was, but there was still a sense that more obscure songs were out there somewhere, and how to find them wasn’t so clear. I remember going to a cd store on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley maybe once a week for a year and a half, visiting the Pearl Jam collection…hoping for that find…this is where I found the Jeremy single and discovered Yellow Ledbetter and Footsteps…I came to it myself…you know what I mean? Those days are long gone. The cd bootlegs of the 2000 tour was maybe the end of it…I got caught shoplifting two of them from an FNAC on the Champs d’Elysee…because I didn’t have any francs, and I HAD to have those cd’s…(ends up they take credit card! who would’ve thought. had to use it to get my passport back! a bargain at twice the price)…but those days really seem to be over…Everything is on the internet. One of my most cherished Pearl Jam songs was one I carried in my head for about ten years because I heard it live at Red Rocks in ’95. Now, not only do I have the bootleg of the show, but I found an f’n VIDEO of the perfomance on YouTube. This most incredible special memory of mine there on YouTube with n thousand hits. Remember waiting for the xmas single to show up in February…and when it did, you felt like you had something special…now it’s everywhere and before xmas…and not only is it everywhere, but there’s all these sites and forums telling you what to look for and where…Hey, Pearl Jam fan, go find Out of my Mind…the hidden gem, that’s no longer hidden. It’s like those secret surf spots that slowly get discovered, and word gets around, and before you know you it the waves are full and you’re at a concert in…let’s say Poland, for the sake of obscurity, and everyone knows the words to I Got Id, and no one’s surprised that the show ends with Yellow Ledbetter. I’m more nostalgic for those days than I am disappointed by the new ways…I hope that’s clear. Most of the Pearl Jam I find on the internet, I’m pretty happy for…but Mr. Courduroy, you have to admit, finding and borrowing money to by that “Not for You” single because “you were sure you would never ever come across it again” is a nice memory and part of what has led you to do this blog and says way more about your connection to the band and the music and your almost drug like need to have something of theirs you hadn’t heard yet…something OBSCURE…and now matter how great it is to be able to download everything that Pearl Jam has ever done (like the “Not for You” single you thought you’d never ever see again)…it’s just not the same because those things you’re downloading aren’t obscure! They’re on the internet! It’s all Al Gore’s fault!
It definitely is a fond memory Oleyever. Well put. I miss those days as well, browsing through the Pearl Jam section in stores far from where I lived, heart pounding, hoping to find something unknown and cool.
Wow Oleyever. Well put, well put.
I can remember going to my local “bootleg” shop once or twice a week or so to check out the new pearl jam. This store had an area where you could listen to any CD you wanted before you bought it. I didn’t always have money, so a lot of times I’d listen to an entire boot and put it back. Wait till next time!
To this day, I can distinctly remember sitting in that booth, listening to a live version of Long Road and thinking how cool it was. Those days are gone, indeed.
I agree with what everyone has said so far. It was great to not have everything at the tip of your finger. In the old days, you had to do some digging or get a friend to make a tape of a tape….But the hunt for material was always so much fun.
That said, I’m also glad that the days of paying ridiculous amounts of money for poorly-recorded bootlegs are over. It is nice to be able to track down an old show somewhere online and take a listen, without having to shell out $40 on something which doesn’t sound nearly as good as it should. The band seems closer now that we have more access to the material.
So I can see both sides of the arguments. As for “Out of My Mind”…I love the song. I’ve only ever heard the version from Atlanta, but it’s definately a great jam.
Oleyever-
That is so weird. I would go to Rasputin and Amoeba records in Berkeley all the time looking for Pearl Jam B-sides. That is, in fact, where I got the Not for You single. Out Of My Mind is a great song.
Alex
I look to cover the topic of bootlegs and the pleasures of hunting down songs or finding unexpected ones even further when “Hard to Imagine” comes up in the queue.
“The world has moved on” – Roland Deschain
Played at Philly 31 Oct 2009, and I have the boot, just great.