W.M.A.

Dave Abbruzzese was an excellent drummer, he had chops and skills galore without ever "over-playing"; his fills were exciting to listen to but would never take away from the song. Thus, some of his most amazing work may be overlooked because of it's subtley. Take the song "Immortality" as an example of his amazing ear for melody. When Eddie sings the line "some die just to live", Dave hits a crash cymbal immediately after that sounds very much like a gunshot. This simple single drumbeat sends chills through my spine everytime I hear it, the timing of the beat and the sound it produces coming from pure Dave Abbruzzese genius.

After Dave left, Pearl Jam did continue to experience with tribal songs, most notably "In My Tree" from No Code.

"W.M.A." is another Pearl Jam masterpiece in which the lyric and melody effotlessly intertwine to tell the story of Eddie's Black friend who suffered harrassment at the hands of a white male anglo-saxon police officer. Eddie's amazing voice is showcased as he manages to sing above the din of the relentless tribal drumming and Earth-shaking bass line of Jeff Ament, a talent that places him in the same league as the "Greats", Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury, Jim Morrison, and Roger Daltrey.

Above and beyond the technical wonders of this song is the way in which Eddie Vedder's vocals display anger yet despair at the same time. Clearly, Eddie is upset at his friend's harrassment, but at the same time his vocal tone shows us how saddening it is that we live in a society that is not color blind. Eddie's mastery of lyric, melody, and emotional resonance make this a Pearl Jam song not to be overlooked. "W.M.A." will go done in the record books as one of Pearl Jam's "lost masterpieces".

about racism. It's said that eddie was just in the street talking to a friend of his who's black when a cop showed up and started harassing him, ignoring completely ed's presence.

I miss Dave! he was my favorite PJ drummer...this album shows off his skill really well, especially this song...he's so tribal and raw and cool...hmm, so about the lyrics...I don't think many rock bands would attempt to seriously approach racism as a topic for a song, props to Ed and the gang.

This id definitely the most underrated PJ song. This song touches on not only racial inequality, but also gender inequality and social inequality. I absolutely love the drums. Abruzzese was PJ's best drummer. It's not that I don't like Cameron, it's just that he fits better with Soundgarden than PJ.

i'm sad because since dave was kicked off pj, this song's been sorta forgotten, and it kicks ass. this is some really different shit, you wouldn't find a similar song

I would have to agree. This song is highly underated, it is different. I love the music to it and eddie voice is extraordinary. His lyrical ability is quite amazing.

Can anyone please fill me in on a rumour that I've heard? Is it true that Eddie has two vocal chords?

WMA stands for white male american

Eddie's voice is mesmerizing ~

Eddie's voice is mesmerizing ~

Eddie's voice is mesmerizing ~