Eddie Vedder - Flag Day Soundtrack

[Thurman Murman]

I find myself wishing we had a true Ed solo album. No soundtrack, collab, or uke gimmicks. In an ideal world, this imaginary album would have been a No Code-era release.

I love the guy but at this point i really don't think he has it in him.

[stip]

i strongly suspect he doesnt feel he is ‘allowed’ to do something like that - that if he has done that much writing it needs to go to a PJ tecord

[stip]

and he would be right to think that!

[VinylGuy]

im not sure why Ed hasnt released a proper solo album...nor that i need that...i mean, i just want him to release more music. If that means a soundtrack, thats fine with me.

[digster]

There doesn't really seem to be much indication that he writes enough songs to have a whole bunch left over for an accompany solo career, though. As far as I can remember, the only cache of unreleased songs Ed had during their career was the uke stuff, and he eventually ended up putting all that out. Besides that, it's soundtracks, which are half made up of covers and instrumentals. He doesn't seem like someone with more songs than he knows what to do with.

[Thurman Murman]

I just dont think he's a particularly prolific songwriter at this stage in his life.

[E.H. Ruddock]

He needs to release that fabled techno album

[stip]

There doesn't really seem to be much indication that he writes enough songs to have a whole bunch left over for an accompany solo career, though. As far as I can remember, the only cache of unreleased songs Ed had during their career was the uke stuff, and he eventually ended up putting all that out. Besides that, it's soundtracks, which are half made up of covers and instrumentals. He doesn't seem like someone with more songs than he knows what to do with.

good point

[stip]

this is not a summer album

[warehouse]

Pitchfork review is in - 1.6 out of 10

sweet, this means its probably good and worth listening to

[Thurman Murman]

There doesn't really seem to be much indication that he writes enough songs to have a whole bunch left over for an accompany solo career, though. As far as I can remember, the only cache of unreleased songs Ed had during their career was the uke stuff, and he eventually ended up putting all that out. Besides that, it's soundtracks, which are half made up of covers and instrumentals. He doesn't seem like someone with more songs than he knows what to do with.

I'm 100% with you on this. I'm not even all that convinced that he did a significant amount of songwriting on these Flag Day songs. Drive, much like some of those covers at the end of Uke songs sort of felt like they were motivated more by having to fill out an album than anything else.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[stip]

i really like the music on there’s a girl

[Owl]

Solid review and breakdown.
https://medium.com/@gregwall33_48351/of ... 056c333f8c

[washing machine]

and he would be right to think that!

Can you expand on this? Seems odd to want to pigeonhole songwriting into the PJ box. Then again, Ed's solo stuff hasn't exactly blown any minds so maybe you meant he's strongest with his bandmates?

[dimejinky99]

Glen has a post in his Instagram giving details about what they did to make this record. Obviously I don’t know ‘amounts’. But I know his songs and writin and the way he goes about melody and structure and even A bare listen tells you he did majority of the heavy lifting on their songs together. That isn’t a knock on Ed at all. But I would tend to agree I’m not sure he has an album in him at this point.
I mean another track just humming and aahhhhhhing?
It’s kinda lazy if I’m honest but I’ll wait til I’ve seen the film to stand by that. Could be context were not getting yet.

[liebzz]

Not to add to the chorus but i don’t think I’ve had the sense that Eddie Vedder has had a creative and unstoppable urge to produce music since maybe Into the Wild. He seems mostly content to tour on what he’s already built. He seems to get the most satisfaction in his career on short tours, be they solo or with Pearl Jam and otherwise retreating into his life - which is something he frankly has probably earned.

Contrast that with Jeff Ament who just seems to be extremely creatively restless and begging for avenues to express his creativity, whether it is through painting, recording music, or doing whatever else he can to keep busy. Hence my wish that Pearl Jam hand him the keys and let him drive them forward.

[dimejinky99]

Not to add to the chorus but i don’t think I’ve had the sense that Eddie Vedder has had a creative and unstoppable urge to produce music since maybe Into the Wild. He seems mostly content to tour on what he’s already built. He seems to get the most satisfaction in his career on short tours, be they solo or with Pearl Jam and otherwise retreating into his life - which is something he frankly has probably earned.

Contrast that with Jeff Ament who just seems to be extremely creatively restless and begging for avenues to express his creativity, whether it is through painting, recording music, or doing whatever else he can to keep busy. Hence my wish that Pearl Jam hand him the keys and let him drive them forward.

Fair points. Well said.

[stip]

and he would be right to think that!

Can you expand on this? Seems odd to want to pigeonhole songwriting into the PJ box. Then again, Ed's solo stuff hasn't exactly blown any minds so maybe you meant he's strongest with his bandmates?

the later. I also think the pearl jam box is a fairly big box

[VinylGuy]

We dont really have a clue of how much these guys write...Stone seemed to be not writing much and he said last year that he has lots of things...i do believe Ed might also have material.

He is no Jeff for sure, at least in terms of releasing that material.
Im really loving this soundtrack...Flag Day is a must. And Tender Mercies too. I dont care much for Ill Be Waiting nor As You Did Before, but they are fine.

Both Olivia songs are wonderful, and everything Cat Power does is magic, of course.