Master/Slave

Album: Ten (1991)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This Blues jam features as a hidden track at the end of Ten. The album also opens with a brief interlude of the track before "Once" kicks in.
  • Pear Jam bassist and co-founder Jeff Ament told Billboard about this song and why rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard doesn't appear on this track: "I think there were a couple of days where Stone was either sick or at the dentist. We had a couple of days in the studio, and on one day we did 'Master/Slave' which is the beginning and end of the record. The other day, we just jammed on some things. This was one of the things we pulled up and we were like, 'Wow. This isn't terrible!' It shows you, even at that time, what Ed could ad-lib. Nothing got changed. That's just us hacking away at 12-bar blues and Ed (Vedder, vocals and guitar) going off and Mike (McReady, guitar) going off, basically. I think that was the sort of thing we wanted to grow into as a band. We wanted to be able to play like that; take 12-bar blues and move it somewhere exciting."

Comments: 2

  • Melissa from UsaNo, no, no...this lyric is Release. Master/Slave has a very slim lyric, just an adlib by Ed.
  • Mike from Melbourne, AustraliaI think that You are mistaking this song with '2,000 Mile Blues'. The description You provided was under '2,000' song in Ten re-edition booklet.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.