JAM UP: Is anybody worried about Pearl...

JAM UP: Is anybody worried about Pearl Jam burnout?

Absolutely, especially the band, whose “Ten” has sold more than 5 million copies in this country since its 1991 release and is still in the Top 20.

Fear of overexposure is why the group’s management has asked its label, Epic Records, to downplay the participation of Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard in an album by his side-project, an alternative rock outfit called Brad.

“There’s definitely a fear of burnout,” says Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis, who noted that the Seattle group long ago stopped making new promotional videos for the “Ten” album and took a break from touring. “There was definitely ways we could have milked this thing more, but we felt uncomfortable about it. “

The Brad situation is not without precedent. A&M;’s “Temple of the Dog” album project, a hit last year, featured members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden among its Seattle all-stars. The album went Top 5 and the track “Hunger Strike” became an MTV staple, but both Soundgarden and Pearl Jam vetoed releasing the song as a commercial and radio single.