Merkin Ball
| "Merkin Ball" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Pearl Jam featuring Neil Young | ||||
| A-side | "I Got Id" | |||
| B-side | "Long Road" | |||
| Released | December 5, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | February 7–10, 1995 Bad Animals Studio, Seattle, Washington |
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| Genre | Alternative rock, grunge | |||
| Length | 10:52 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Writer(s) | Eddie Vedder | |||
| Producer(s) | Brett Eliason | |||
| Pearl Jam chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B+) |
Merkin Ball is a two-song single by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam. It features Neil Young and was released on December 5, 1995, through Epic Records. Merkin Ball is a companion to Young's 1995 album, Mirror Ball. The EP has been certified gold by the RIAA in the United States.
The tracks on Merkin Ball were recorded at the tail end of the Mirror Ball sessions in February 1995. The songs were produced and mixed by Pearl Jam sound engineer Brett Eliason. Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder was not around much for the Mirror Ball recording sessions due to what he called a "pretty intense stalker problem." Vedder said that "leaving the house wasn't the easiest thing to do." He would refer to the issue in the song "Lukin" from Pearl Jam's 1996 album, No Code.
Vedder wrote and performed vocals and guitar on the songs "I Got Id" and "Long Road", which were omitted from Mirror Ball. Because of legal complications between Epic Records and Reprise Records, the songs and the band name "Pearl Jam" were not allowed to be included on the full Mirror Ball album, so they were released separately as a Pearl Jam single. Neil Young contributed lead guitar to "I Got Id" and pump organ to "Long Road." Mirror Ball producer Brendan O'Brien plays bass on "I Got Id" while Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament plays bass on "Long Road." Pearl Jam drummer Jack Irons plays drums on both tracks. Pakistani Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan contributed backing vocals to a later recording of "Long Road."
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