Kurt Cobain didn't like Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has claimed the late Kurt Cobain didn't understand the kind of music Pearl Jam were making, accusing them of being careerists in the beginning of their career.

Cobain, frontman of Nirvana, was one of Pearl Jam's most vocal critics when their 1991 album 'Ten' went in at number two on the US Billboard album chart. At the time, Cobain said the group were “pioneering a corporate, alternative and cock-rock fusion”. In 1993, Pearl Jam's follow-up 'V' outsold Nirvana's third album 'In Utero' by almost five copies to one.

Speaking to The Sun newspaper about Cobain's comments, Vedder said: “I don’t think Kurt understood us at the time, but we became friends and I’m glad we had some of the great conversations we had, that I’m always going to keep up here.

“I don’t talk too much about him in respect to Krist (Novoselic) and Dave (Grohl) and I know he said that early stuff about not liking us. But there’s a couple of complimentary things that he said in public about me as a human being, which I’m proud exist. But if Kurt were around today, I know he’d say to me, ‘Well, you turned out OK'.”

Pearl Jam are re-issuing 'Ten' tomorrow worldwide. The album includes a new mix by producer Brendan O'Brien and is available in a number of different formats.

www.pearljam.com

Nick Drake tribute album by Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson must feel he is connected to Nick Drake because they're both acoustic guitarists. He's probably right, because there ain't much else they have in common. Nevertheless, Jack has decided to put together a tribute album dedicated to enigmatic hippie songwriter Nick Drake. The likes of Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl and Norah Jones have weighed in as well. Drake died in 1974 from an overdose on antidepressants, aged 26. His too-short career birthed three troubled and delicately beautiful albums that weren't recognised then, but have since gone on to earn cult status.

The tribute album, set to be released through Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records, also includes a short film of late actor Heath Ledger simulating suicide to Drake’s song Black Eyed Dog. It was believed Ledger was developing a Drake biopic when he died last year of an accidental overdose. He made the Black Eyed Dog video for an art installation in 2007. We at Music Universe are looking forward to it so much that we've been playing Drake's albums all week. Oh yeah, we've also gone through a dozen boxes of Kleenex.



www.brushfirerecords.com

Liam Finn supports Eddie Vedder in US

As a complement to his first solo tour in April, which only visited the US West Coast, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder will head east for another round of dates later this summer, beginning Aug. 1-2 in Boston.

Liam Finn will reprise his opening act duties. Tickets go on sale July 11 to the general public but will be available first to members of Pearl Jam's Ten Club fan organization beginning July 7.

On the earlier solo dates, Vedder mixed obscure Pearl Jam songs with a wealth of covers, as well as material from his soundtrack to the Sean Penn-directed film "Into the Wild."