Mirror Ball
Substituting eagerPearl Jamfor wizenedCrazy Horse, Young returns to theRagged Gloryformula--big guitars, droning rhythm, mystical poetry--for this one-off 1995 CD after a joint concert tour. Pearl Jam, especially new drummer Jack Irons, focuses Young's ideas and challenges him in ways the more forgiving Horse never does. "Downtown" became an immediate rock-radio hit, and the song's three-chord force keeps even the lines about dancing hippies andJimi Hendrixfrom getting stale. Singer Eddie Vedder shows up sporadically but makes the most of a shadowy bridge on "Peace and Love."--Steve Knopper