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[Manics]

So on the weekend the wife asks me to put some Pearl Jam onto the Ipod so we can listen to them in the car (she's a bit fond of Eddie Vedder's voice for some reason). Anyway I drudgingly pull out Pearl Jam's first 2 Cd's and rip them to mp3 then load them up.

After driving in the car and listening to these again I was thinking "what the fuck! These CDs are great!" I forgot how damn good those first few Pearl Jam CDs were since I stopped really paying attention to them a few years back.

What the hell ever happened to them? The music they've put out recently isn't in the same league.

 

[Optimistic]

What happened to them is what happens to every good band that doesn't break up/overdose/commit suicide/drown within 10 years; they've just exhausted their creative ability. They've explored their artistic talents to the fullest extent. Just be glad you can still see them in concert.

 

[Manics]

What happened to them is what happens to every good band that doesn't break up/overdose/commit suicide/drown within 10 years; they've just exhausted their creative ability. They've explored their artistic talents to the fullest extent. Just be glad you can still see them in concert.

Not every good band. U2 is still making great music 25 years on. There are other examples but I'm too lazy to think of them.

 

[6.8]

U2 is still making great music 25 years on.

:lol

 

[MrPing1000]

:lol

:lol :lol

 

[Coen]

I actually really like Pearl Jam's Riot Act. I don't know if the Roskilde incident had anything to do with it, but their songs have matured a lot. It might not have the raw impact of their earlier work, but the songs excel in composition and execution. But that's just my two cents. For the record: I don't like the new U2 work.

 

[spliced]

They don't even seem like the same band anymore, their style has really change from what it used to be.

 

[CrunchyB]

:lol :lol

:lol :lol :lol

I like Riot Act as well. I'd say Pearl Jam is fairly consistant.

 

[scorcho]

:lol :lol :lol

I like Riot Act as well. I'd say Pearl Jam is fairly consistant.

their albums have been very constant in terms of quality after vitalogy, but they've also been nowhere near as good as their first 3 albums.

 

[Manics]

Wow where's the love for U2? These guys have been able to stay current for over 25 years with different musical tastes coming in and out of style and there's people on this thread dissing their accomplishments? There hasn't been a more relevant band in the last 25 years that has spanned over so many countries, been in the news more often, or influenced people in the way U2 has. I don't usually make bold matter of fact statements like this but in this case I believe I'm justified.

They're not even my favorite band but I still respect what they've accomplished and STILL can accomplish to this day.

 

[Tedesco!]

Not every good band. U2 is still making great music 25 years on. There are other examples but I'm too lazy to think of them.

Rush is still going strong, and they've been around for 30+.

 

[ShadowRed]

So on the weekend the wife asks me to put some Pearl Jam onto the Ipod so we can listen to them in the car (she's a bit fond of Eddie Vedder's voice for some reason). Anyway I drudgingly pull out Pearl Jam's first 2 Cd's and rip them to mp3 then load them up.

After driving in the car and listening to these again I was thinking "what the fuck! These CDs are great!" I forgot how damn good those first few Pearl Jam CDs were since I stopped really paying attention to them a few years back.

What the hell ever happened to them? The music they've put out recently isn't in the same league.

They jumped off the MTV hype machine and all the hanger ons and wannabe cool people stayed on and ate up whatever crap MTV shoved into their gaping mouths. With the exception of Binaural they have put out constantly good CDs, well worth the 10 bucks. The only people asking what happened to Pearl jam or any other band that is still out and producing are the ones who were only into them because MTV said they were cool. Once MTV moved on, or as the case of Pearl Jam, they jumped off the hype wagon, then those people couldn't care less what type of music they put out.

 

[Manics]

The only people asking what happened to Pearl jam or any other band that is still out and producing are the ones who were only into them because MTV said they were cool.

I don't even have MTV and I'm still asking what happened to Pearl Jam. While their music is still listenable and pretty good, it's nowhere near the same quality of songs that were found on their first 2 Cds.

Perhaps I should have been less forceful in my original post -- I don't hate Pearl Jam -- I just think the quality of their music has dropped off considerably since the early days. I can still listen to their newer stuff, but i find myself going back to the older CDs if I really want to be blown away by their music.

 

[scorcho]

vitalogy > ten.

there, i said it.

 

[Manics]

vitalogy > ten.

there, i said it.

Hehe...everyone has their own opinions. I thought Vitalogy was where they started dropping off. I didn't really think No Code, Yield or Binaural were anything special after that, so consequently I never bought Riot Act. Maybe I'm missing out. It could be a case where I really didnt' give them as much chance as I should have. Perhaps I'll go back and re-listen to those other CDs and stop dissing PJ so much. I find that certain CDs grow on me after time if I give them a chance.

I apologize to any hard core Pearl Jam fans I've offended in this thread.

 

[scorcho]

Hehe...everyone has their own opinions. I thought Vitalogy was where they started dropping off. I didn't really think No Code, Yield or Binaural were anything special after that, so consequently I never bought Riot Act. Maybe I'm missing out. It could be a case where I really didnt' give them as much chance as I should have. Perhaps I'll go back and re-listen to those other CDs and stop dissing PJ so much. I find that certain CDs grow on me after time if I give them a chance.

I apologize to any hard core Pearl Jam fans I've offended in this thread.

truthfully vitalogy was my first PJ album. one of the first albums i bought actually, hence my bias. i'd even go as far as ranking Vs. higher than Ten.

no worries needed. i'm just thankful that PJ didn't burn out like every other big alternative band that emerged from Seattle at the time. and. and. they still rock the casbah in concert.

 

[CrunchyB]

I don't even have MTV and I'm still asking what happened to Pearl Jam. While their music is still listenable and pretty good, it's nowhere near the same quality of songs that were found on their first 2 Cds.

You really think so? I mean, Ten is fantastic, but VS kinda sucks IMO. Their style definetly changed a bit, but I really like Binaural and Riot Act, so I'm happy with the change

Wow where's the love for U2?

Hey, they were my #1 band when Pop was released. That and Achtung Baby/Zooropa are some of finest pieces of music ever, and their older stuff rocks as well. They really rediscovered themselves there.
But it's been all downhill since Beautiful Day...there are a few exceptions but it's mostly unimaginative drek for two albums in a row. I didn't even buy the last one.

 

[Manics]

no worries needed. i'm just thankful that PJ didn't burn out like every other big alternative band that emerged from Seattle at the time. and. and. they still rock the casbah in concert.

I remember seeing Pearl Jam playing for Neil Young doing Rockin in the Free World and I thought the performance was brilliant. I forget what show it was on.

I know what you mean about the first album you "discover" from a band being your favorite though. It's kinda like never forgetting your first girlfriend. I guess that's part of the reason Ten always stands out for me too -- I remember the day I bought that bitch and listened to it on the stereo. I had non-stop switches between Nirvana and Pearl Jam back then. I almost overplayed those 2 bands.

 

[Grifter]

You really think so? I mean, Ten is fantastic, but VS kinda sucks IMO. Their style definetly changed a bit, but I really like Binaural and Riot Act, so I'm happy with the change



Hey, they were my #1 band when Pop was released. That and Achtung Baby/Zooropa are some of finest pieces of music ever, and their older stuff rocks as well. They really rediscovered themselves there.
But it's been all downhill since Beautiful Day...there are a few exceptions but it's mostly unimaginative drek for two albums in a row. I didn't even buy the last one.

So you're the guy who still listens to Zooropa.

Vs. is their tops, IMO. I love the style and polish, personally. My first album of theirs was Vitalogy, which was a slight decline from Ten/Vs.


Manic - absolutely agree with your assessment on U2. They've grown, reinvented, reverted styles, etc. very well and maintained relevancy throughout.

 

[Fragamemnon]

Vitaology > Ten > Vs. based off the albums. If I was picking which album I'd want to see live, though, it would without a doubt be Ten.

Ten was much more a "rock" album than the later albums. Vitalogy is more accessible, which is why I like it more. I like Mellon Collie more than Siamese Dream from the Pumpkins for pretty much the same reason.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

their music matured cause they are old now. They could easily try and latch on to their past and release "Ten part II" or some shit but thats not what they are about.

 

[dave is ok]

Binaural, their 2000 album, is one of my favorites by them. Didnt care for Riot Act so much though.

 

[ronito]

Last I heard (months ago) Vedder wanted to get the guys together to start on another record, but complained that people were too busy, caught-up in other projects or just too selfish (as he put it) to get together. Too bad, so sad.

 

[shantyman]

They are working on a new album right now.

Very cool, they did an instore a couple weeks ago at Easy Street Records in Seattle:

 

[Manics]

They are working on a new album right now.

Very cool, they did an instore a couple weeks ago at Easy Street Records in Seattle:

Wow, Eddie Vedder sort of looks like Russell Crowe leading up 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts in that photo.



<runs away and hides>

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Last I heard (months ago) Vedder wanted to get the guys together to start on another record, but complained that people were too busy, caught-up in other projects or just too selfish (as he put it) to get together. Too bad, so sad.

complete bull. They are working on a new album right now and it'll probably be released this year. Vedder's never come out and called his bandmates "selfish" and has always been supportive of their side projects.

 

[fallout]

If you don't care for the new stuff on the albums, listen to it live. I'm quite positive that there isn't a single Pearl Jam song that I don't prefer live.

 

[Kano on the Phone]

So on the weekend the wife asks me to put some Pearl Jam onto the Ipod so we can listen to them in the car (she's a bit fond of Eddie Vedder's voice for some reason). Anyway I drudgingly pull out Pearl Jam's first 2 Cd's and rip them to mp3 then load them up.

After driving in the car and listening to these again I was thinking "what the fuck! These CDs are great!" I forgot how damn good those first few Pearl Jam CDs were since I stopped really paying attention to them a few years back.

What the hell ever happened to them? The music they've put out recently isn't in the same league.

Like everyone has said, they've just matured and changed. The way I see it, they can be Trent Reznor and still try to make angsty music for teenagers well past the point where it's gotten pathetic or they can change and do different things. They've done the latter. They've grown up and so have the people that grew up listening to them, so it makes sense that they're not trying to make Ten 2 in 2005. Ten was a great album and so was Vs., but at 25 I don't need another one of those records. I have them and still listen to them to this day, but I can relate better to albums like Riot Act. It's as technically sound as their old stuff, but the content of the songs is far beyond just hating your parents, and I'm thankful for that. If Pearl Jam, in their 40s were to release an angsty album full of songs about why mom and dad suck I'd fucking hate it.

 

[CajoleJuice]

Like everyone has said, they've just matured and changed. The way I see it, they can be Trent Reznor and still try to make angsty music for teenagers well past the point where it's gotten pathetic or they can change and do different things. They've done the latter. They've grown up and so have the people that grew up listening to them, so it makes sense that they're not trying to make Ten 2 in 2005. Ten was a great album and so was Vs., but at 25 I don't need another one of those records. I have them and still listen to them to this day, but I can relate better to albums like Riot Act. It's as technically sound as their old stuff, but the content of the songs is far beyond just hating your parents, and I'm thankful for that. If Pearl Jam, in their 40s were to release an angsty album full of songs about why mom and dad suck I'd fucking hate it.

That about sums it up.

The problem for me, is that I'm still an "angsty" teenager and I prefer their first two albums to anything else they've released. But I still respect them as a band, and I'm impressed that they are the one grunge band still around, and that they've grown and matured musically.

 

[etiolate]

If you don't care for the new stuff on the albums, listen to it live. I'm quite positive that there isn't a single Pearl Jam song that I don't prefer live.

Totally agree. There's so many so-so songs that when I heard them live completely rocked.

As has been said, Pearl Jam stopped from Creeding themselves so to speak. Something U2 has done and looks kind of pathetic now.

 

[Manics]

As has been said, Pearl Jam stopped from Creeding themselves so to speak. Something U2 has done and looks kind of pathetic now.

Stop with the U2 bashing! They are far from pathetic! Should I put some more exclamation points to highlight this?


!!!!!!!!!

 

[sefskillz]

No Code might be my favorite album of theirs and I've been a fan for a long time. I dunno, maybe you should give their later stuff another go.

 

[BatiGOOOOOOL]

What happened to them? Nothing. They get better with age, that's it. Sure, their first albums are absolutely fantastic, but I also adore the way they have explored their musical talents through out the years giving us a great variety of music of the highest quality.

If they were still stuck in their TEN era, I'd probably be bored of it by now. Not saying it would be bad, because that's nonsense, but I rather see them experiment and give us, the people who actually care about their music, something fresh and excellent everytime.

 

[homerhendrix]

I've always thought Pearl Jam's Vitalogy their best album. I also have to say that I don't enjoy Ten nearly as much as I did when I was younger. Yield, No Code, and Vs all rock. Bianaural and Riot Act I could probably take or leave, but Bianaural holds a special place just because that was the tour I finally saw them on. As I've gotten older I've really moved onto a different sound in rock though. Pearl Jam was my favorite band from 5th grade through my sophomore year and college, but now I prefer the Black Crowes, so what the hell do I know.

Also while U2 has a few good albums and even more good songs they have to be the most prentious' asses in all of the music albums. That said I love Achtung Baby and War.

That was a lot longer post than I originally expected. Sorry.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

Riot act is one of the best "driving somewhere far away" cd companions I have ever had, it's just so listenable.

 

[Hitman]

Pearl Jam rocks, their newer stuff still shits all over anything on radio at the moment. I can't wait till they come to my city.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Last I heard (months ago) Vedder wanted to get the guys together to start on another record, but complained that people were too busy, caught-up in other projects or just too selfish (as he put it) to get together. Too bad, so sad.

it's been said before but needs repeating: this info is completely false. Eddie has never said anything of the sort.

did you hear about the PJ branded ipods the band gave away in Seattle for the release of rearviewmirror?

To celebrate the release of Pearl Jam's first greatest hits record, rearviewmirror (greatest hits 2001-2003), the band is giving away 2 iPODS loaded with Pearl Jam's entire studio catalog and 5 bootlegs. Available only in the city of Seattle, fans must purchase the greatest hits record at any Sonic Boom Records or Easy Street Records location between Nov. 16th and Dec. 19th to be entered in the contest. After purchasing the record at any of the above locations, fans will be asked to fill out an information card and receive a special Pearl Jam iPOD ticket as proof that they entered the contest. The drawing will happen on December 20th and two winners will each receive an iPOD loaded with over 250 Pearl Jam songs. One entry is allowed for every purchase of the record.

I would love to see what they looked like.

 

[ShadowRed]

Last I heard (months ago) Vedder wanted to get the guys together to start on another record, but complained that people were too busy, caught-up in other projects or just too selfish (as he put it) to get together. Too bad, so sad.

False they have actually been working on new material for a while. They played a new song a couple months ago at so show. They are supposed to be working this month on finishing their new album.

 

[Mugen]

IT WAS YOU, IT WAS YOU!!!!!

 

[Shadow of the Sun]

Yield>No Code>Binaural>Vitalogy>Vs.>Riot Act>Ten

Don't care too much for Riot Act but I didn't care too much for Binaural either and it's steadily rising up the chart. Yield = Perfection. My favorite album of any artist or band I listen to. If you like Pearl Jam and you don't own this album go immediately to your nearest vinyl dealer and make this purchase. You will not be dissapointed.

 

[etiolate]

Yield>No Code>Binaural>Vitalogy>Vs.>Riot Act>Ten

Don't care too much for Riot Act but I didn't care too much for Binaural either and it's steadily rising up the chart. Yield = Perfection. My favorite album of any artist or band I listen to. If you like Pearl Jam and you don't own this album go immediately to your nearest vinyl dealer and make this purchase. You will not be dissapointed.

Odd.

Yield hasn't aged the best for me. While Riot Act and No Code have. Vitalogy is still my favorite.