About 50,000 copies of a live Pearl Jam CD scheduled for exclusive

distribution through Best Buy stores were recalled on Monday after

the retail chain ran into what it calls "copyright issues" in releasing the

disc.

The 17-song Give Way CD was announced in Sunday newspaper

advertisements throughout the country as a free gift for those who purchase

the Seattle band's new home video, "Single Video Theory," which hits

store shelves Tuesday (Aug. 4). As far as is known, none of the CDs were distributed to the public. The video itself was not recalled.

"We got them in and had to immediately ship them back," said Mary Weber,

media department staffer at the Best Buy in Bel Air, Md. Asked why the discs were recalled, she said, "We're not allowed to say. It was some kind of legal

stuff."

Laurie Bauer, a

spokeswoman for the 295-store Best Buy electronics and entertainment chain, said she did not know whether the deal to release the disc -- taken

from an Australian radio broadcast last March -- had been arranged directly

through Pearl Jam or through the band's label, Epic Records, or its parent

company, Sony Music. She also said she had no information about whether a

cease-and-desist letter ordering the recall had been sent to the chain by

Epic or Sony.

Lisa Markowitz, Pearl Jam's spokeswoman at Epic, referred calls concerning

the CD to band publicist Annie Ohayon, who could not answer several faxed

questions by press time.

Sony, however, released a brief statement on Tuesday that said, "Sony Music

Entertainment is pleased that Best Buy has agreed to withdraw its plans to

distribute this Pearl Jam concert recording, which was not authorized by

Sony Music or the band." Representatives at the company were unavailable

for further comment.

In Chicago, one Best Buy store manager who gave his name only as Randy said

his store had been deluged by dozens of Pearl Jam fans asking about the

Give Way CD. He said his store was supposed to have returned the discs on

Monday, although he did not know if they had been shipped back.

"Single Video Theory" is the first home-video release by the band that has

become famous for ignoring promotional videos. The 45-minute documentary

was shot last year by award-winning director Mark Pellington, who also

filmed the band's lone video clip, "Jeremy."

"We had unforeseen copyright issues that arose," Bauer said.

"We're working to resolve them."

The live album was announced on Sunday in a 32-page Best Buy circular that

featured a full track-listing for the 70-minute disc. Pictured in the ad

is the CD cover, which features a Yield road sign with the words "Give Way"

on it. The sign is emblazoned over a photograph of a rural road bounded by

green grass stretching off into the distance, a shot similar in theme to

the cover of the group's last studio album, Yield.

The ad, which fills the next-to-last page of the circular, said copies of

Give Way were limited to one per customer, with no rain checks

extended once supplies ran out.

As compensation for the rescinded Pearl Jam CD, Best Buy is now offering

purchasers of "Single Video Theory" any CD in the store valued at $14.99 or

less.

The songs on Give Way were taken from a radio show originally

broadcast by Australia's Triple J radio. The performance was recorded at

Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, on March 5.

The album's full track-listing is: "Release," "Brain of J.,"

"Animal," "Faithfull," "In My Tree," "I Got ID," "Corduroy," "Even Flow," "Spin The

Black Circle," "Given To Fly," "Hail, Hail," "MFC," "State Of Love And

Trust," "Do The Evolution," "Alive," "Black" and "Immortality."