Many people argue that when Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain died in April 1994, the entire Seattle grunge scene died with him. While the scene gradually lost momentum to the point of nonexistence in the years that followed, Pearl Jam soldiered onward and never looked back.

Fourteen years after first blasting onto the popular music map like a meteor, the band continues to stand strong as one of the few remaining bands of its respective era, and unlike its contemporaries in that bracket, Pearl Jam may be the only band that still remains a vital entity today.

Yet vital doesn't nearly begin to describe the band's current standing in the eyes of both critics and fans alike. In fact, Pearl Jam may be the first band of the X-generation to reach the status of icons, a title achieved only when your fan base includes the likes of Pete Townshend, Neil Young and other rock 'n' roll mainstays, or when a band outgrows and rejects pedestrian mediums such as MTV and still sells out stadiums worldwide. It's the mark of a truly great band when marketing yourself means little more than simply making great music, and Pearl Jam has been treading those waters for years.

That having been said, it should come as little surprise that the band has graced its fans with a greatest hits set. Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 hits all the bases, albeit somewhat unevenly, of the band's remarkable 13-year career. Comprised of 33 songs over two discs, the set leans heavily on the band's earlier, more commercially accessible output from the Ten and Vs. years — "Once," "Alive" and "Evenflow" are the first three tracks on the record — while leaving the majority of cuts from latter-day records for disc two. Credit this to the arrangement of the material, where disc one, entitled upsides, presents the band at its rip roaring and grungy best, while disc two, downsides, gives fans a taste of the band's softer, more thoughtful and melodic side.

The ratio of old material to new may be skewed in favor of Pearl Jam's flannel days, but the set works as a whole and serves as a thorough documentation of the band's versatile career. Each song represents a time and a place, from the spirited, teen-angst anthems of Ten ("Jeremy," "Why Go") to slower introspective ballads a la Yield, Binaural and Riot Act ("I Am Mine," "Off He Goes"). Encompassing tracks of both high energy and low gravity, Rearviewmirror is a record as shifty and unpredictable as the band it pays homage to.

While Rearviewmirror acts mainly as a survey course through Pearl Jam's history, the set throws a few rarities and remixes into the fold to satisfy the band's core following. Producer Brendan O'Brien offers up remixed versions of such classics as "Alive" and "Black" devoid of their stylish production quality, while B-sides and crowd favorites such as "Yellow Ledbetter" and "Last Kiss" are sure to satisfy even the most selective of admirers.

Greatest hits records generally act as an ill-fated indicator of an impending downslide for most bands. But Rearviewmirror comes off more as a celebration of all the band has accomplished thus far than a sign things are going south of the border. Pearl Jam has seen and done more in its career than almost any other band could hope for in a lifetime, and there's little indication the band will be slowing down its fierce pace. The set may give listeners a rearview look at the band's catalog over the years, but here's to hoping that Eddie Vedder and company keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel for years to come.

Grade: AB

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Dec. 2 2004.