16. 10 Billion Years vs. Life Wasted vs. Sleeping By Myself

Post by **stip** » Fri February 18, 2022 1:07 am

10 Billion Years vs. Life Wasted vs. Sleeping By Myself

tragabigzanda · Post by **tragabigzanda** » Fri February 18, 2022 1:17 am

Life Wasted is the platonic ideal of what a PJ rock song from 2006-2013 should sound like. Up there with their very best, and I find it so odd that it seems to require regular defending in these circles.

Norah · Post by **Norah** » Fri February 18, 2022 1:18 am

Life Wasted is garbage. 10 Billion Years is the clear winner here.

Post by **stip** » Fri February 18, 2022 1:31 am

tragabigzanda wrote:Life Wasted is the platonic ideal of what a PJ rock song from 2006-2013 should sound like. Up there with their very best, and I find it so odd that it seems to require regular defending in these circles.

10 Billion Years is fun.

I adore Sleeping By Myself. It's a minor song, but it has such great smile through your pain and cry brave tears energy. Great song that is unfairly held back by people being pissed it off it was on Uke Songs (though no one minds that the same is true of Can't Keep), and being on Lightning Bolt

But everything Trag said about Life Wasted is absolutely true. For a long time it was a top 10 pearl jam song for me. It may still be. Ferocious energy, killer hanging riff, go for broke performances, and one of Mike's all time best solos (I'd have to think this through, but it may well be number 2). Easy vote for a beast of a song.

Farmer John · Post by **Farmer John** » Fri February 18, 2022 1:32 am

I love 10 Billion Years so much.

Post by **stip** » Fri February 18, 2022 1:33 am

I'm going to go listen to Life Wasted right now.

Outside of Alive-Why Go-Black and Why Go-Black-Jeremy the Life Wasted - WWS - Comatose stretch of songs may be my favorite 3 song run in the catalog. It's possible Who Ever Said - SBWM - Dance has it beat. these days it probably does

Jaeti · Post by **Jaeti** » Fri February 18, 2022 2:27 am

Life Wasted, because it's tremendous.

Post by **epilogue** » Fri February 18, 2022 3:25 am

Norris wrote:Life Wasted is garbage. 10 Billion Years is the clear winner here.

It's not even close

LetMeSleep · Post by **LetMeSleep** » Fri February 18, 2022 3:59 am

Life Wasted but this ain't going past the next round.

Kevin Davis · Post by **Kevin Davis** » Fri February 18, 2022 4:31 am

stip wrote: I adore Sleeping By Myself. It's a minor song, but it has such great smile through your pain and cry brave tears energy. Great song that is unfairly held back by people being pissed it off it was on Uke Songs (though no one minds that the same is true of Can't Keep), and being on Lightning Bolt.

To be fair, there were slightly different trajectories for the two songs -- when Riot Act came out, the uke songs weren't any more than demos, so it seemed reasonable for "Can't Keep" to have been adapted by the band (at this time, solo EV wasn't a thing). But when the uke album came out and it was clear that it was representing this body of work, it would have been weird not to include "Can't Keep." Since "Sleeping" went the other way, I think people just saw it as further evidence of PJ's creative deficit at the time, and as a stand-in for BOB trying to find hit potential wherever he could.

But ultimately you're right -- what's the big deal? PJ's "Sleeping By Myself" is damn good, one of my favorites on that album, and with hindsight maybe one of the closest examples of a PJ recording that foreshadows the type of thing EV would do on Earthling. I'm into it.

But, I would easily take "Life Wasted" over it. The S/T songs have really worn well for me. I've had a lot of mixed feelings about that album over the years, but those songs have somewhat sneakily weaseled their way into my heart.

I need to listen to "10 Billion Years" again -- it seems wrong that there is a Stone-led PJ tune I am so unfamiliar with. I'm voting for "Life Wasted," but will do my homework and correct course if the Bossman demands it.

Anders · Post by **Anders** » Fri February 18, 2022 4:35 am

Farmer John wrote:I love 10 Billion Years so much.

ABNorman · Post by **ABNorman** » Fri February 18, 2022 2:33 pm

None of these have ever faced off.

10 Billion Years has an average of 47 votes per tournament, Life Wasted 68, SBM 25.

Fairly easy vote for 10 Billion Years, though I like all of these.

Strat · Post by **Strat** » Fri February 18, 2022 2:41 pm

10 Billion Years is really great and I may vote for it over lots of other songs but not Life Wasted.

That's a great song and Stones playing on it is really wonderful. I love his approach to playing with is seemingly a really easy power chord rock song. Classic stone intricacies on full display.

Add in ripping Mike work and full band ferocity - yea it kind of stacks up as some of pj's best.

tragabigzanda · Post by **tragabigzanda** » Fri February 18, 2022 3:21 pm

Strat wrote:10 Billion Years is really great and I may vote for it over lots of other songs but not Life Wasted.

That's a great song and Stones playing on it is really wonderful. I love his approach to playing with is seemingly a really easy power chord rock song. Classic stone intricacies on full display.

Add in ripping Mike work and full band ferocity - yea it kind of stacks up as some of pj's best.

weird setup too with the alt tuning/partial capo

Strat · Post by **Strat** » Fri February 18, 2022 3:24 pm

tragabigzanda wrote:
Strat wrote:10 Billion Years is really great and I may vote for it over lots of other songs but not Life Wasted.

That's a great song and Stones playing on it is really wonderful. I love his approach to playing with is seemingly a really easy power chord rock song. Classic stone intricacies on full display.

Add in ripping Mike work and full band ferocity - yea it kind of stacks up as some of pj's best.
weird setup too with the alt tuning/partial capo

taught by the maestro himself:

wease · Post by **wease** » Fri February 18, 2022 3:49 pm

Is there a reason none of Strat’s videos show on my screen? It’s just a big blank space.

E.H. Ruddock · Post by **E.H. Ruddock** » Fri February 18, 2022 3:56 pm

Life Wasted, easily.

E.H. Ruddock · Post by **E.H. Ruddock** » Fri February 18, 2022 3:56 pm

RM doesn't appreciate ST as much as they should

Kevin Davis · Post by **Kevin Davis** » Fri February 18, 2022 5:55 pm

E.H. Ruddock wrote:RM doesn't appreciate ST as much as they should

I've really enjoyed it a lot more lately. The live versions of all of those songs are just so good. It would have made for a cool "Time Fades Away," live-album-of-all-new material deal. I hardly ever play the studio album.

tragabigzanda · Post by **tragabigzanda** » Fri February 18, 2022 6:18 pm

Kevin Davis wrote:
E.H. Ruddock wrote:RM doesn't appreciate ST as much as they should
I've really enjoyed it a lot more lately. The live versions of all of those songs are just so good. It would have made for a cool "Time Fades Away," live-album-of-all-new material deal. I hardly ever play the studio album.

I appreciate this sentiment, but there’s a haphazard/ramshackle charm to the entire Ditch era that PJ would never be willing to fully commit to.

Red Mosquito