Pearl Jam is set to record their 12th album with Ozzy Osbourne producer Andrew Watt.
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Watt, who produced Osbourne’s 2020 release Ordinary Man and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder’s upcoming debut solo album Earthling, out Feb. 11, will work with the band on their upcoming release, the follow up to their 2020 album, Gigaton.
When the pandemic initially hit, Pearl Jam had a tour set for Gigaton, which was eventually postponed for 2022. Returning to the studio this time around, the band plans to record in between tour dates.
“In between, I think we’ll be recording, because now we’ve got a healthy ambition to do so,” said Vedder. “I think we’ll move quick for a year or two, then I can see us slowing down for a little bit. We have the ability to play better than ever, but also know what we want to maintain the health of the group and want to keep coming back.”
In December 2021 Watt, a longtime Pearl Jam fan, who won the 2021 Grammy for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, said that working with Vedder on Earthling, which also features a collective of artists including Ringo Starr, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and former guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, was a dream come true.
“If I admitted to you how many Pearl Jam concerts I’ve been to, it probably wouldn’t be good for anything,” shared Watt. “But I used to go to Pearl Jam concerts with a sign that said, ‘Let me play the guitar solo to ‘Alive,’’ and I found myself onstage at the Ohana Festival playing the guitar solo to ‘Alive’ with Pearl Jam. So it’s just an actual full-circle, unbelievable moment that I feel like I’ve been ready for my whole life.”
Watt added, “I’ve known Ed [Vedder] for about 10 years, and we kept in touch and started making music together… Just to hear his voice in front of me, and get to play guitar and bass under that? It’s like a celebration.”
Photos: Danny Clinch
