Album · 30 years old this year
No Code
No Code is Pearl Jam's fourth studio album, released on 27 August 1996. It arrived after the difficult tour for Vitalogy, which was overshadowed by the band's much-publicised boycott of Ticketmaster. Rather than simply repeating what had come before, they went into the studio and made a record that stretched their sound.
The music is more varied than on their earlier albums, bringing in garage rock and worldbeat influences alongside their familiar rock approach. It entered the Billboard 200 at number one, their third chart-topper in a row, but then slipped away quickly, and many fans were left unsatisfied. Reviews were mixed, praising the range while questioning how consistent it was. It became their first album not to go multi-platinum, earning a single platinum certification in the US. It is a fascinating record to hear for its willingness to explore.
No Code: tracklist, credits and charts
13 tracks · 49:40Tracklist
- 1SometimesEddie Vedder2:41
- 2Hail, HailAment, Gossard, McCready, Vedder3:42
- 3Who You AreGossard, Irons, Vedder3:50
- 4In My TreeGossard, Irons, Vedder4:00
- 5SmileJeff Ament and Eddie Vedder3:52
- 6Off He GoesEddie Vedder6:02
- 7HabitEddie Vedder3:36
- 8Red MosquitoAment, Gossard, Irons, McCready, Vedder4:04
- 9LukinEddie Vedder1:02
- 10Present TenseMike McCready and Eddie Vedder5:47
- 11MankindStone Gossard3:29
- 12I’m OpenJack Irons and Eddie Vedder2:57
- 13Around the BendEddie Vedder4:37
- Produced by
- Brendan O’Brien, Pearl Jam
- Recorded at
- CRC (Chicago), Kingsway (New Orleans), Litho (Seattle), Chicago Recording Company
- Recorded
- –
- Mixed by
- Nick DiDia, Brendan O’Brien
- Engineered by
- Nick DiDia
- Label
- Sony Music Entertainment
- Length
- 49:40
Line-up
- Jeff Ament · bass guitar, guitar
- Stone Gossard · guitar, background vocals, lead vocals
- Jack Irons · drums (drum set)
- Mike McCready · piano, guitar
- Brendan O’Brien · piano
- Eddie Vedder · guitar, harmonica, lead vocals, background vocals
Singles
- “Who You Are”
- “Hail, Hail”
- “Off He Goes”
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1996 | 3 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1996 | 1 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten) · 1996 | 1 |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) · 1996 | 1 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) · 1996 | 1 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) · 1996 | 1 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 1996 | 1 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) · 1996 | 3 |
| European Albums (Billboard) · 1996 | 3 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) · 1996 | 3 |
All 23 charts
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) · 1996 | 3 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) · 1996 | 4 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) · 1996 | 4 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) · 1996 | 5 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) · 1996 | 5 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) · 1996 | 6 |
| German Albums · 1996 | 6 |
| Scottish Albums · 1996 | 7 |
| Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · 1996 | 11 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) · 1996 | 13 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1996 | 16 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) · 1996 | 17 |
| French Albums (SNEP) · 1996 | 28 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1996 | 2× Platinum |
| Canada · 1996 | 2× Platinum |
| New Zealand | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2013 | Gold |
| United States · 1997 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
71.2
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
3.9k
ListenBrainz listeners
105k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
29k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 27 August
Every year →More from Pearl Jam
Full discography →
Ten
1991
Vs.
1993
Dissident (Live in Atlanta)
1994
Vitalogy
1994
Yield
1998
Live on Two Legs
1998
Binaural
2000
2000-05-30: Wembley Arena, London, UK (#5)
2000
2000-06-08: Bercy, Paris, France (#10)
2000
2000-08-29: Boston, MA, USA (#43)
2001
2000-08-25: Jones Beach, NY, USA (#41)
2001
2000-10-22: Las Vegas, NV, USA (#62)
2001
Riot Act
2002
2003-07-08: New York, NY, USA
2003
Lost Dogs
2003
2003-10-22: Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA, USA
2004
Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003)
2004
Pearl Jam
2006
Live at Easy Street
2006
Live at the Gorge 05/06
2007
2007-08-05: Lollapalooza, Grant Park, Chicago, IL, USA
2007
Backspacer
2009
Live on Ten Legs
2011
Pearl Jam Twenty
2011
Lightning Bolt
2013
Vault #6: 1998-07-13: Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA, USA
2016
Let’s Play Two: Live at Wrigley Field
2017
MTV Unplugged
2019
Gigaton
2020
Give Way
2023
Dark Matter
2024
The Last of Us
2025
The best of 1996
All of 1996 →
Hero of the Day EP
Metallica · 1996
Evil Empire
Rage Against the Machine · 1996
Ænima
Tool · 1996
Load
Metallica · 1996
Pinkerton
Weezer · 1996
Life Is Peachy
Korn · 1996
Roots
Sepultura · 1996
The Great Southern Trendkill
Pantera · 1996
Down on the Upside
Soundgarden · 1996
October Rust
Type O Negative · 1996
MTV Unplugged
Alice in Chains · 1996
Everything Must Go
Manic Street Preachers · 1996
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1996-08-14 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 14 August 1996 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 27 August 1996 | |
| Wikidata | 27 August 1996 | |
| US release | 22 August 1996 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 22 August 1996 | earliest UK or European date |
18 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | AU | Sony Music Entertainment | other | |
| 1996 | US | Epic | other | |
| 1996 | US | Epic | other | |
| 14 August 1996 | AU | Epic | 9399700020908 | original |
| 22 August 1996 | US | Epic | other | |
| 22 August 1996 | XE | Epic | 5099748444820 | other |
| 27 August 1996 | CA | Epic | other | |
| 27 August 1996 | US | Epic | 074646750087 | other |
| 27 August 1996 | US | Epic | 074646750049 | other |
| 27 August 1996 | US | Epic | other | |
| 27 August 1996 | XE | Epic | 074646750087 | other |
| 27 August 1996 | US | Epic | 074646750025 | other |
| 27 August 1996 | US | Epic | 074646750018 | other |
| 28 August 1996 | JP | Sony Records | 4988009813899 | other |
| 28 August 2000 | XW | Epic | 074646750025 | other |
| 2 September 2016 | US | Epic | 888751889811 | remaster |
| 26 January 2018 | AU | Epic | 889854127022 | other |
| 26 January 2018 | AU | Epic | 889854127022 | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| coverartarchive | 1417×1417 | upscaled |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |