General Pearl Jam Bitching

[McParadigm]

And Highway 61 Revisited is a better record than Blood on the Tracks. Blood just gets called out as the masterpiece because it has hooky mystique, an oft-told fable behind its making, and that impossibly enveloping production to keep drawing the eye.

[Norah]

What are you talking about?

[Mine]

Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder Slams 'Crap' Pop Music, Calls 'Lightning Bolt' Their Best Record!

Eddie Vedder was hailed as the voice of his generation. It is clear that it is not the current generation of MTV fans. After watching the recent MTV awards, the Pearl Jam frontman has choice words.

The enigmatic singer of Pearl Jam, which produced some of the biggest hits of the 90s like "Jeremy," "Black" and "Alive" was a staple of the MTV awards almost two decades ago.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the 48 year-old Vedder notes that times have definitely changed: "These pop songs almost feel like tabloid journalism, in a way. It's crap that people seem to like. And I don't know if it has meaning. I don't know if one of the pop songs of the summer has any fiber in it. People are consuming it, and is it healthy? I don't know. Maybe it's some kind of way of taking themselves away from their problems. Maybe there's some healthy property or some restorative property that I'm not receiving. It seems like it has a really high fructose content."

While he questions the state of pop music today, he still continues to make records. In fact, he still tries to make the best record! Rolling Stone talked with Eddie to promote the band's latest album, "Lightning Bolt." Vedder calls it their best:

"I say this in the least-competitive way possible, but we're trying to make not just the best Pearl Jam record, but just the best record. It's about getting to the next level of communication, or just trying to crack a code into some higher plane of playing music. Because when we're making a record, I'm more of a listener than a player. That whole time, you're staying in this weird, objective place, like you're writing from a hot-air balloon, looking at the landscape and trying to zero in. You're trying to create a giant crop circle, and that's the mystery behind it. Like, how would you make that if you were on the ground?"

It was noted that most of the songs on the new album explored the theme of mortality. When he was teased that it was a sign of growing old, Vedder gave an explanation that hit the nail on what exactly YOLO (You Only Live Once) means:

"They say to write what you know. I think that's maybe one thing that we all know [laughs]. It's living while you're alive, and living to the day you die, and being cognizant of the end, and you might lead a more appreciative life, if that's part of your approach."

While most of today's young musicians espouse the same YOLO motto to promote debauchery and irresponsible behavior, Vedder's message is the exact opposite. Yes, you only live once, that is why you have to make it worthwhile. He has set an example, as he has already quit most of the vices associated with Rock star behavior and focused on his family and the music.

I remember this. It was one of the 1st articles that came out around the time LB was released.
To be fair he didn't call it their best.

Rolling Stone talked with Eddie to promote the band's latest album, "Lightning Bolt." Vedder calls it their best:

we're trying to make not just the best Pearl Jam record, but just the best record.

doesn't mean he thinks they succeeded

If Lightning Bolt is what we get when Pearl Jam tries to make the best record possible then it really is over.

Oh i guess you forgot Sirens was the best thing they ever recorded.
I don't think PJ will release another really good album - ever. They consciously went for ""communication "heaven" " compromising any artistic ambition. Ed is full of shit about being objective/hypercritical etc. Stone said he sings on everything they bring in. Everything goes isn't exactly compatible with being critical in any way.
Ed keeps on giving non-answers to every question about the quality of their music, Stone tries so hard to convince everybody (himself included probably) that they're at their best because he finally got "the communication" he always wanted, Jeff and Mike are super proud and exited, Matt doesn't give a shit. Communication is at an all time high though. PJ is what they are now because the people with some real talent took a back seat for the sake of the unbelievable level of communication they finally achieved.
They actually spend more time talking about the communication within the band than the music when promoting their records.

[Birds in Hell]

I don't think PJ will release another really good album - ever.

I'll be moderately surprised if they go to the trouble of making another record.

So much of what they've done over the last three album cycles strikes me as an intentional "course correction" from where they were in the 1999-2004 period.

For better or worse, I think they've succeeded. Where to from here?

[Sgt. Crackpot]

Where to from here?

[BurtReynolds]

maybe they shouldnt try to make the best album ever.

[Sgt. Crackpot]

maybe they shouldnt try to make the best album ever.

Yeah, exactly. It's like saying "I'm trying to catch a fart with a tea strainer". You're just going to get frustrated, and will probably end up with a pile of shit.

[EJ]

They need to make an album that would impress Josh Homme.

[Sgt. Crackpot]

They need to make an album that would impress with Josh Homme.

[EJ]

They need to make an album that would impress with about Josh Homme.

[Birds in Hell]

It won't happen.

The band's view of No Code, Binaural and Riot Act as "the bad Pearl Jam albums that nobody likes" and S/T, Backspacer and Lightning Bolt as "the good Pearl Jam albums that everyone enjoys" seems fairly established by now.

From the band's perspective, they feel they figured out a way to pull themselves out of what they saw as a kind of decline; why would they turn back now?

[BurtReynolds]

It won't happen.

The band's view of No Code, Binaural and Riot Act as "the bad Pearl Jam albums that nobody likes" and S/T, Backspacer and Lightning Bolt as "the good Pearl Jam albums that everyone enjoys" seems fairly established by now.

From the band's perspective, they feel they figured out a way to pull themselves out of what they saw as a kind of decline; why would they turn back now?

Maybe the frequent comments of "more of the same" in many of the LB reviews will snap them out of it?

[digster]

From my limited experience, it seems like the people with the least objective view of a band's work are usually the band themselves. This pertains to many bands, not just PJ.

[epilogue]

As it should be, I think. Shouldn't any artist be more committed to/excited about making art that moves/excites them. If they didn't think it was their best stuff, why are they releasing it?

[digster]

I don't have any issue with that. I think that's a lot less mercenary than people usually think. I think artists usually feel that what they've done most recently is the best thing they've done because they're more excited about it. So Ed thinking LB is their best record wouldn't surprise me.

[epilogue]

[stip]

If Lightning Bolt is what we get when Pearl Jam tries to make the best record possible then it really is over.

That has to be just a BS "easy nugget for the press to headline" promotion thing, doesn't it?

Please God say that it is.

He could have been saying that they're not thinking of making a "pearl jam" record specifically but just making a record, and of course they're trying to make the best one possible.

That's how I read it

On the other hand, I still think platy made up that interview

[stip]

It won't happen.

The band's view of No Code, Binaural and Riot Act as "the bad Pearl Jam albums that nobody likes" and S/T, Backspacer and Lightning Bolt as "the good Pearl Jam albums that everyone enjoys" seems fairly established by now.

From the band's perspective, they feel they figured out a way to pull themselves out of what they saw as a kind of decline; why would they turn back now?

It's a great time to be me!

And a pearl jam fan who hasn't migrated to rm, probably

[Mine]

I don't think PJ will release another really good album - ever.

I'll be moderately surprised if they go to the trouble of making another record.

So much of what they've done over the last three album cycles strikes me as an intentional "course correction" from where they were in the 1999-2004 period.

For better or worse, I think they've succeeded. Where to from here?

Make that 1994-2004.
I wonder about that myself. It does seem like they drove themselves in a dead end street.

[Mine]

It won't happen.

The band's view of No Code, Binaural and Riot Act as "the bad Pearl Jam albums that nobody likes" and S/T, Backspacer and Lightning Bolt as "the good Pearl Jam albums that everyone enjoys" seems fairly established by now.

From the band's perspective, they feel they figured out a way to pull themselves out of what they saw as a kind of decline; why would they turn back now?

Maybe the frequent comments of "more of the same" in many of the LB reviews will snap them out of it?

The press seems to love them. They only released 10 albums so far. If they manage to do another couple like the last 2 or 3 there's a serious risk they get labelled the most generic american rock band in history.