Match AR: Cold Confession vs. Dead Man

[Iholdthepain]

Just heard CC for the first time ever... WoW! What a tough day in the iso-booth for Mr. Vedder! He definitely smoked one too many American Spirits that day. The song may be good, musically, but I can definitely see why they didn't want it released. Not only are the vocals an in-studio train wreck, but Ed rubs your nose in the shit at the end, like he thinks he's a fucking Pavarotti or something... and it's too much like Army Reserve, too.

Dead Man, on the other hand, is indeed a top-shelf PJ song.

nO way. Vedders vocals are intentional with that tune. Perfect.

Sounds like a grudge match to me, and the vocal chords lost. I guess I need to know the emotional reasons for some of these songs, because heartstring tugs seem to have a lot of sway 'round here.

[Jorge]

heartstring tugs seem to have a lot of sway 'round here.

It's music, bro. Emotion is everything.

[Iholdthepain]

heartstring tugs seem to have a lot of sway 'round here.

It's music, bro. Emotion is everything.

Interpretation counts, too... All he said before rolling the tape was "This is an experiment." I thought it was a bad experiment. If it helps, every time I hear the "Lost 9 friends we'll never know..." line, I feel bad for the band.

[Jorge]

I'm talking about the vocals in "Cold Confession", I think you're talking about "Arc".

[Iholdthepain]

I'm talking about the vocals in "Cold Confession", I think you're talking about "Arc".

Yep, losing track here... Like I said, just heard CC for the first time. I don't know shit about the meaning and emotion. Just my first impression. Either way, DM would get my vote.

[stip]

The vocals on cc sound perfect for the song. I love them

[Birds in Hell]

The vocals on cc sound perfect for the song. I love them

Agreed, they're fantastic.

One of Ed's best recorded performances.

What the hell, Cold Confession it is.

[stip]

This song and let it ride dropped the day mia was born. We were in the hospital for 3 days and this song got a lot of play walking back and forth between our room and the convenience store down the block

[Iholdthepain]

2nd listen, to see WTF I'm missing.



Too much Boom, terrible ending... like he's failing miserably to channel the same spirit of 'The Wolf' ... Music's tight, though, and there are good, soulful melodies lost in the shards of Ed's voice. I'd love to hear what a Norah Jones-type singer would do for this song. I'm sure it's a deep, dark personal song, oozing with so much emotion that I don't know about. I have no idea how you can otherwise like that vocal performance.

To each his reach.

[stupidmop]

This is just cruel

[CopperTom]

Cold Confession. I assumed it would go quite far given the love it gets.

[Thejambi]

Cold Confession is pretty good, especially when held up against most other songs of it's era. However, Dead Man is top tier Pearl Jam.

[EJ]

This one's really close for me. Need a few more listens today.

DM is really, really good. Strong haunting lyrics, delivery, and Jeff's work here is pretty outstanding.

CC has that smoky vibe that I really like. Ed's voice is perfectly suited to this song. And, maybe the best Boom performance to date? Never thought I'd acknowledge him. Wish we had a finished version of it to really compare. As it is though, its a very good song.

[stip]

oh for fucks sake, has deadman really pulled ahead of cold confession?

[tommymtcom]

oh for fucks sake, has deadman really pulled ahead of cold confession?

Dead man is a great song, Stip. Get it together.

[Thejambi]

As it should.

[epilogue]

The vocals on cc sound perfect for the song. I love them

Agreed, they're fantastic.

One of Ed's best recorded performances.

What the hell, Cold Confession it is.

You did the right thing, Spence.

[bada]

The vocals on cc sound perfect for the song. I love them

Agreed, they're fantastic.

One of Ed's best recorded performances.

What the hell, Cold Confession it is.

Go listen to the Dead Man on your 2006 Euro mix you'll change your mind!

[epilogue]

I don't consider either song a top tier PJ song. But I think they're both really lovely songs, and both achieve, I think, exactly what they're going for. I just really love Ed's performance on CC. That's the tie-breaker here for me.

[epilogue]

The vocals on cc sound perfect for the song. I love them

Agreed, they're fantastic.

One of Ed's best recorded performances.

What the hell, Cold Confession it is.

Go listen to the Dead Man on your 2006 Euro mix you'll change your mind!

Oh yeah, I'm only taking into account the studio versions of all these songs -- or at least, the ones that have studio versions.