Avocado Demos II leak!

[stip]

On the strength of 10 Billion Years and Sunburn alone, I think it's time for Ed to step down for an album. I want an album with just Stone, Jeff, Matt and Mike. And I want Stone doing all the lead vocals. And I want it yesterday, on an everything bagel.

I just want Ed to quit trying to rock out so much. His voice sounds great on ItW, Uke Songs, and anything else he approaches in his lower register.

I have no issue with Ed's vocals. It just seems that the evidence is mounting that Ed is the one holding them back. When you put the two songs I mentioned above next to Stone's solo albums and Jeff's solo albums and Matt's work with other bands, it just seems clearer and clearer.

I think I want one Pearl Jam album without Ed. Or at least, where Ed is in a background role. Where he lets them write and sing and he just plays his guitar and does some harmonies or something.

I really like 10 Billion days, but I know I don't want a whole album of this. Then again I never cared much for Sunburn.

[Norah]

On the strength of 10 Billion Years and Sunburn alone, I think it's time for Ed to step down for an album. I want an album with just Stone, Jeff, Matt and Mike. And I want Stone doing all the lead vocals. And I want it yesterday, on an everything bagel.

I just want Ed to quit trying to rock out so much. His voice sounds great on ItW, Uke Songs, and anything else he approaches in his lower register.

I have no issue with Ed's vocals. It just seems that the evidence is mounting that Ed is the one holding them back. When you put the two songs I mentioned above next to Stone's solo albums and Jeff's solo albums and Matt's work with other bands, it just seems clearer and clearer.

I think I want one Pearl Jam album without Ed. Or at least, where Ed is in a background role. Where he lets them write and sing and he just plays his guitar and does some harmonies or something.

I really like 10 Billion days, but I know I don't want a whole album of this. Then again I never cared much for Sunburn.

That's because you have no soul.

[stip]

Could be.

[mrgoose13]

Where the hell is Navy Bean?

[epilogue]

On the strength of 10 Billion Years and Sunburn alone, I think it's time for Ed to step down for an album. I want an album with just Stone, Jeff, Matt and Mike. And I want Stone doing all the lead vocals. And I want it yesterday, on an everything bagel.

I just want Ed to quit trying to rock out so much. His voice sounds great on ItW, Uke Songs, and anything else he approaches in his lower register.

I have no issue with Ed's vocals. It just seems that the evidence is mounting that Ed is the one holding them back. When you put the two songs I mentioned above next to Stone's solo albums and Jeff's solo albums and Matt's work with other bands, it just seems clearer and clearer.

I think I want one Pearl Jam album without Ed. Or at least, where Ed is in a background role. Where he lets them write and sing and he just plays his guitar and does some harmonies or something.

I really like 10 Billion days, but I know I don't want a whole album of this. Then again I never cared much for Sunburn.

That's because you have no soul.

I'm gonna make a "new" album where Sunburn, 10 Billion Years, and In the Moonlight are the centerpieces.

[epilogue]

Jeff must have really loved The Only Cloud in the Sky as a title, since he used it on TONE.

[epilogue]

Also, it's awesome. Imma put Cloud on my "new" album, too.

[stip]

I do need to listen to Moonlander one of these days

[Kaius]

You have me pretty worried. I have to be real fucking honest.

it's a great day for the people of pearl jam

we get to celebrate the performance of an amazing album that will barely see daylight again

and two amazing tracks in The Only Cloud In the Sky and 10 Billion Years, that will never see daylight






...better?

Don't ever change. Not for me. Not for anyone.

[stip]

Here's what will appear on the TSIS mainpage tomorrow, for anyone who cares:

It looks like Christmas came early this year. Some kind soul has leaked a series of 11 very rough cuts from the S/T sessions. We have very early versions of Life Wasted, Severed Hand, and Big Wave, two more songs with vocals Open Road and 10 Billion Years (stone), and 6 additional instrumentals. An impressive amount of material, though only 10 Billion Years is at the level of completion we got with Cold Confession and Let it Ride

Still, even with the rough state of these songs this is a revelation that sheds a whole new light on the S/T sessions. The closest parallel we have was the way Lost Dogs expanded Binaural’s universe. But those new songs felt like they belonged on Binaural. While throwing on Sad or Fatal or Education might have enhanced the album, it didn’t fundamentally alter it. You could mix and match the songs to make the album your own, but it’s still Binaural.


This is something different. These songs, for the most part, don’t really belong on S/T—not the finished version of it, anyway. They’re looser and sloppier, more open, organic, playful—and on occasion thoughtlessly beautiful. Granted what we have are songs in their early stages, but they are less intense and focused. They document the experience of guys playing in a room together for the love of making music, rather than people coming together to make a statement. And these songs can’t help but make you wonder what else S/T could have been if the band didn’t feel that Riot Act required its musical negation, or what Pearl Jam would be if they didn’t feel the need to always sound like ‘Pearl Jam’. If nothing else, these songs bridge the gap between the record and a song like Cold Confession, whose presence in the S/T sessions now makes sense.

What it means when Pearl Jam says they write songs for their live show also becomes apparent with this leak. These songs are long, meandering, and easy to get lost in. They could have made for an excellent album, but probably would be out of place with the revival atmosphere and dynamic pacing of the shows that defines the Riot Act -> live experience.

Okay, so let’s take a look at what we have:

1. 2x4 (instrumental) (4:24) . Pretty cool song—has some of the jagged elements of Tremor Christ refracted through a punk sensibility that circles around itself in a lighthearted way that feels sharp without ever actually cutting
2. The Only Cloud in the Sky (instrumental) (4:49). I’m pretty sure there are parts of this song used in the Immagine in Cornice DVD. One of those songs that starts pointing towards Cold Confession. Pretty without being showy, and thoughtful without being overly pensive, like a radiohead song minus the claustrophobic alienation. A mature song, in a good way. It seems to be grasping for something while being self-aware enough to question whether or not it deserves to have it—though in the end it decides that it does.

3. Life Wasted (vocal rough mix) (4:13). Very rough vocal mix. The melody is there but the lyrics are incomplete (or different). Slightly less abrasive than the studio version, which will be a plus for many people, but it still has the same gritty attitude. And we get the whole outro solo (though sections are absent during the final chorus) without the second most irritating fade out in the entire pearl jam catalog (Lightning Bolt has it beat). Life Wasted has always been one of my very favorite Pearl Jam songs, so it’s a bit of a treat to watch it develop.


4. Severed Hand (vocal rough mix) (4:12). Like Life Wasted this is still in its pretty early stages. Part of my issue with the final studio version is that it didn’t sound as huge as it wanted to be. The home recording feel of these demos steers this away from anthem and closer towards garage rock, which probably does the song some favors. In particular it gives the final solo a bit more life. I always thought it disappointed a bit on the record, especially when you had the monstrous Life Wasted Solo occurring just a few songs prior

5. The Bigger the Wave (vocal rough mix) (3:01). This is Big Wave before it was about crustaceans. This may have been my favorite discovery. It’s rougher, but somehow groovier, than the studio version. It also feels more natural, has a better bridge, and rocks harder by trying less hard. Big Wave was always a pleasant enough but ultimately forgettable filler track. But The Bigger the Wave is actually pretty strong.

6. Open Door (Vocal rough mix) (6:24). This sounds exactly like one of those meandering improvs from the late 90s/early 2000s period that people used to go nuts for. There’s a compelling, plaintive edge to Eddie’s vocals that call to mind Cold Confession. The song starts out slow and overly familiar, but the fact that it is in no rush to make its point or take the listener somewhere means that you get the time and space to get pulled in, and by halfway through the song I’m committed. The ‘bridge’—which basically feels like a less clean version of what we’ve been hearing—drags a bit but I’m immediately sucked back in when Eddie starts up again. This is a lovely performance by him. Odd ending though—it sounds a bit too much like the start of Education.

7. Rearranged Furniture (instrumental) (4:04). Has the muscular feel of Let It Ride but without being so deathly serious. These ‘lighter’ songs definitely benefit from the scruffier production.

8. Rearranged Priorities (instrumental) (4:19). I like this one a lot. Flows nicely from Rearranged Furniture, further softened with an acoustic guitar, and even more playful. If the Fixer was less earnest it might have ended up sounding a bit more like this. It’s really a shame this never turned into a song (or one we’ve heard, anyway). There’s a palpable ‘joy of playing music with my friends’ feel to this song that rarely makes it onto the albums but is all over the live experience.

9. 10 Billion Years (vocal rough mix) (6:00). Stone’s on vocals here, and he sounds really good. This is a very pretty song, in the same slightly country vein of a song like Off He Goes or Thin Air (I may like this one more than those two, actually, though they were never favorites of mine). Simple repetitive lyrics that end up becoming fairly poignant by the end. This was a gem.

10. Lucky 13 (Litho demo) (4:29). I presume this is a Matt song. It sounds a bit like a Wellwater Conspiracy number.

11. Breeze In D (instrumental) (5:10). A friendly barroom handshake of a song.

Overall this was an awesome little surprise. I really like the Big Wave demo. 10 Billion Years is Beautiful. 2x4 and Rearranged Priorities are very solid instrumentals. The Only Cloud In the Sky could have been a great song if they wanted it to be. There’s a different band on display here then we’ve gotten on the last three albums. And while Backspacer and Lightning Bolt are two of my favorite Pearl Jam albums, I definitely wouldn’t mind hearing them spend some time exploring this side of the music.

[96583UP]

I think I want one Pearl Jam album without Ed. Or at least, where Ed is in a background role. Where he lets them write and sing and he just plays his guitar and does some harmonies or something.

Mirrorball is basically that album

and 10 Billion Years sounds Mirrorbally

that little light organ

that not trying to impress anyone, rustic vibe

[epilogue]

I think I want one Pearl Jam album without Ed. Or at least, where Ed is in a background role. Where he lets them write and sing and he just plays his guitar and does some harmonies or something.

Mirrorball is basically that album

and 10 Billion Years sounds Mirrorbally

that little light organ

that not trying to impress anyone, rustic vibe

I goddamn love Mirrorball.

[Norah]

Don't call Big Wave filler. You can not like it, but c'mon.

[stip]

Disposable? Forgettable?

[stip]

basically joey just wants Pearl Jam to write an alt country album

[Norah]

Joey's fantasy album sounds fantastic.

[Kaius]

I like Big Wave, but it's probably "forgettable" territory.

[Norah]

I hear a little bit of the MITS outro in Rearranged Priorities.

[stip]

i'll switch filler with forgettable

[Norah]

If I was writing about music, I'd probably just want to avoid ever using the word filler.