Pearl Jam - C or D?

Anyway, Ten has its moments, the best of which, you're right Dan, is "Black." I didn't really follow them much after that.

Also, out of curiosity, does anyone here rate the guitarists and/or rhythm section?

This seems like a very valid point to me, even though it seems like a vague statement. Something about it intuitively makes sense.

The vocal drone thing was actually kind of cool, thinking about it now. They did have a distinctive sound that way. Do you think that approach might have been influenced by Jane's at all? I'd like to hear the collaboration with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (to whom I'm listening now.)

I've also realized I like in retrospect: The Tragically Hip.

1. Porch
2. Oceans
3. In My Tree
4. Who You Are
5. Do the Evolution
6. All Those Yesterdays
7. Corduroy
8. Bugs
9. Present Tense
10.Given to Fly

Their music: classic. Stone Gossard's record label: classic. Eddie Veddar's duet with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (who he studied with at one point) on the Dead Man Walking soundtrack: classic.

However, calling Pearl Jam a "grunge" band: DUD!!!!!

Allegedly the new album's cover.

Still OTM nearly 4 years later.

"all these...
i got bugs
i got bugs in my room
bugs in my bed
bugs in my ears
their eggs in my head
bugs in my pockets
bugs in my shoes
bugs in the way i feel about you
bugs on my window
trying to get in
they don't go nowhere
waiting, waiting...
bugs on my ceiling
crowded the floor
standing, sitting, kneeling...
a few block the door
and now the question's:
do i kill them?
become their friend?
do i eat them?
raw or well done?
do i trick them?
i don't think they're that dumb
do i join them?
looks like that's the one
i got bugs on my skin
tickle my nausea
i let it happen again
they're always takin' over
i see they surround me, i see...
see them deciding my fate
oh, that which was once...was once up to me...
now it's too late
i got bugs in my room...one on one
that's when i had a chance
i'll just stop now
i'll become naked
and with the...i'll become one"

Oh yeah!! Now I'm ready for some shots and good times!

Otherwise, Pearl Jam is a horrible, horrible nightmare.

Most of Vitalogy, No Code, and Yield sound great.

Yup. But I'll stand by the quiet songs on the first one.

I don't understand the Pearl Jam hatred. Compared to other bands on the radio like Nickelback, Creed and Fuel, they're the Beatles, Elvis and Dave Clarke 5 combined.

They're also one of the best cover bands around, with killer versions of Let My Love Open the Door, and tons of others. Eddie Vedder does a great version of X's Poor Girl, backed by teh Supersuckers.

i really like courderoy. that's a good song.

i find them kinda loveable now, for just keepin' on keepin' on....but i don't really ever listen to them.

http://digicollage.com/music/pearl_jam.jpg

OK, I have to admit I really dig the opening trio on their new record. They've gone all Accelerate on us, 11 tracks in 36 minutes.

yeah, uptempo single and short running time have me feeling pretty optimistic about picking this up this weekend

That's right, I need to make sure I swing by Target on Sunday.

'Fixer' has a great Replacement-y feel that they haven't really done before...I'm really excited to hear the rest of the album.

yeah...the idea of PJ of all bands doing kind of a tight poppy almost new wave record is strangely appealing

what Simon said.

New album arrived today...the fast songs are awesome, so tight and rocking, like they're digging around in their rock/punk/metal roots finally. The slower tempo ones are pretty cool...only jarring note is the one that sounds like an outtake from Into The Wild. Not a bad thing, just kind of glaring. But overall, cool!! Can easily throw this on repeat. Easily, and happily. And occasionally dance while I'm doing it!

I like Pearl Jam but we all agree this is the worst album cover of 2009, right?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/Pearl_jam_backspacer.jpg

Must check this out, didn't care for the last couple.

i like the presence of multiple eugene levys on the sleeve... the album is ACE.

i fucking h8 Tom Tomorrow and his smug unfunny comix. on the other hand, i'm not sure Pearl Jam has ever had a good album cover.

I dunno — their batting average is pretty low, but the cover of Ten is as great and iconic as its reputation suggests, imo.

the covers of their singles are beautiful on occasion; ex.:

http://991.com/newgallery/Pearl-Jam-Wishlist-112261.jpg

(the PEARL JAM font is pretty fugly, to be fair)

also

http://www.ugo.com/music/songs-about-school/images/entries/Jeremy.jpg

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/4159/64902.jpg
(front)

http://www.o-level.net/data/olevel/_/70726f647563742f393933393236393535362e6a70670032353000.png
(back)

duuuuud

I'm not in love with the Tom Tomorrow art...and there's a TERRIBLE rendering of the whole band on the last page of the cd booklet. All of his people end up looking like porn blowup doll versions of themselves. But the music's good!

I really love this.

I think Matt Cameron joining the band has been a great unifier...the whole rhythm section on this album is really noticeable, and so tight and interesting.

I dunno...on 2 listens I'm still kinda just grateful that this is better than the last couple albums, but I still feel like they haven't used Cameron much to his full potential since Binaural.

Really? I feel like Matt's beats are a real driving force on the fast-paced songs, like Fixer and Supersonic, where everything kind of merges in behind his beatz.

Yeah those songs are good, and I might like his work on the new album as I listen to it more. But I feel like at first they were maybe trying to give him something to sink his teeth into given that Pearl Jam's songs tend to be more rhythmically straightforward than Soundgarden's, but nowadays he/they are content to just do those meat'n'potatoes uptempo rock songs.

love the kinda unassuming way they throw in weird time signatures on "Fixer" though

well, it's finally happening. i just put on Pearl Jam. loving feeling like i'm in junior high again.