General Pearl Jam Bitching

[Iholdthepain]

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

Word.

[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?

It's a great time to be me!

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

Word.

In fact, that's several words.

[Iholdthepain]

Keep up...

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=word

[Lament]

It still seems odd to me that Pearl Jam made it into the upper echelon of "classic" arena acts without having critical/commercial smashes that spanned different periods. Even if you want to argue the first three albums were all smashes, they were all released in a barely-more-than three year span. I always figured at a certain point they'd need another legitimate HIT record to get to the status they've managed to get to, but they really didn't. It seems like all of the other acts who get to that level have records that redefine and reach beyond what their fanbase was before their release (and become cultural events) at multiple points in their career. Springsteen had Born to Run in 75, Born in the USA in 84, and The Rising in 02. U2 had The Joshua Tree in 87, Achtung Baby in 91, and All That You Can't Leave Behind in 00. Radiohead had OK Computer in 97, Kid A in 00, and In Rainbows in 07. The Stones had multiple later careers ones in Some Girls and Tattoo You after going from essentially a singles band in the early 60s to putting together maybe the greatest run of records ever from 68-72.

Pearl Jam had...Ten in 91, Vs. in 93, and Vitalogy in 94.

*THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF ANY THESE RECORDS. IT IS ABOUT THEIR RECEPTION AND CULTURAL IMPRINT.

**THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF ANY THESE RECORDS. IT IS ABOUT THEIR RECEPTION AND CULTURAL IMPACT.

[Lament]

Actually, I guess that would be the one way that they ARE like the Grateful Dead. Huh. I guess all those "Pearl Jam is the new Dead" articles weren't as wrong as I thought.

[Sgt. Crackpot]

Keep up...

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=word

I believe you may have missed the humour boat on this trip. Hang around the port, enjoy the view, have a burrito, and another boat will come by soon.

[digster]

Actually, I guess that would be the one way that they ARE like the Grateful Dead. Huh. I guess all those "Pearl Jam is the new Dead" articles weren't as wrong as I thought.

Yes, I'd agree with that point about PJ combining the way in which the Dead is viewed with a more classicist rock band approach. To be honest, I don't know if anyone views PJ as being a culturally relevant band; they're really known, arguably besides Ten, for their live show. I don't think, by and large, critics and fans outside the tribe have cared about PJ's new music for a long, long, long time, besides a publication like Rolling Stone, which is looking for something, ANYTHING, to be the next elder statesman rock band.

This includes albums I love; I'm a huge fan of Binaural, for example, but I don't think critics view it as an underrated record that didn't get it's due. No one remembers it, and I doubt many, if any of PJ's records are going to be remembered long-term.

[B]

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?

Binaural and Riot Act are the bad Pearl Jam albums that nobody likes.

[Sgt. Crackpot]

Could PJ benefit from an actual spit/hiatus? Where they actually depart, and say they're done indefinitely (for now)?

Then we can sit in wonder for many years, and and reminisce. We'll pine for our once great band.

Then, after several years, they reform with genuine renewed energy and passion and make that great record for which they were aiming?

Could it work? Or should they just keep slogging it out?

[Iholdthepain]

Keep up...

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=word

I believe you may have missed the humour boat on this trip. Hang around the port, enjoy the view, have a burrito, and another boat will come by soon.

Friends taking up for friends... That's sweet. I saw it more as passive/aggressive sarcasm than humor... I have no friends here to take up for me, so I do it myself... Even my 'teammate' won't come to my defense... Thanks a lot, Dev!

[epilogue]

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?

Binaural and Riot Act are the bad Pearl Jam albums that nobody likes.

[digster]

I also wonder if there's not really anything they're doing particularly wrong, but it's more that they've been together for over 25 years, and that's a long time for anyone to be making quality work.

To be honest, I don't have a big problem with LB; it's an okay record from a band that's been together a very long time. I just wish they'd been able to keep making great work for longer.

[stip]

The assumption made in all of these posts, which I will emphatically reject, is that the band is making shitty music. They're not. They are making different music with a different focus from what were some of the favorite periods of the people who have migrated here (in many cases, because they didn't like being around people who are still really into pearl jam's music). And what they're doing has an appeal, by most metrics we can use, to lots of people outside of the community that exists here.

I agree that they aren't making music as good as they were in their prime. As is the case with basically every band ever. But the decline/failure narrative that dominates here is really a story this community keeps telling itself.

None of this is to say that things can't be better, or that some things work better than others, and others don't work well at all. But if you only read RM you'd think pearl jam has done nothing but release horrendous albums that the world hates since 1998/2000/2003

[Lament]

Could PJ benefit from an actual spit/hiatus? Where they actually depart, and say they're done indefinitely (for now)?

Do you think they'd ever actually get back together if that happened? I think so much of their legacy is because they DID stay together and keep pushing forward, and not because they made culturally significant records (once again, like digster pointed out, it's not these records aren't great, they just weren't impactful). If they broke up, I think they'd stay broken up, and I feel like their status would drop drastically without the constant presence combined with the public's impression that there's not a wealth of great records they left in their wake.

[stip]

*all of these posts but the one digster just made

[Lament]

I feel like there are two very different, legitimate discussion going on right now, and at some point they're going to mash together into one big ugly, barely understandable blob that ends with everyone being mad at either stip, me, or both.

[stip]

That's when we're at our best!

[stip]

Basically some people are mad/frustrated/disappointed that pearl jam has not made the record they want them to make, and are mistaking this for a failure rather than a choice.

This is, of course, a perfectly good reason to not like what they've done.

[Lament]

That's when we're at our best!

If only harmless were still here. Then the options for who would be to blame for all of this would be expanded to harmless, you, me, all three of us, or any combination of two of us. So many possibilities...

[verb_to_trust]

Keep up...

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=word

I believe you may have missed the humour boat on this trip. Hang around the port, enjoy the view, have a burrito, and another boat will come by soon.

Friends taking up for friends... That's sweet. I saw it more as passive/aggressive sarcasm than humor... I have no friends here to take up for me, so I do it myself... Even my 'teammate' won't come to my defense... Thanks a lot, Dev!

Second account