Avocado Demos II leak!

[McParadigm]

Part of the bad taste of LW for me has always been that it sounds like rockstar Ed chiding 93-02 Ed.

"Why swim the channel just to get this far? Halfway there, why would you turn around?"

Also the chorus sucks. The lyrics there are ten times worse than that opening line.

[McParadigm]

This quote from Neil Young made me wonder how Pj can sound so relatively experimental here, and yet always seem to either go for the things that sound like themselves or hammer things like these into songs that sound like themselves..it's pertinent though

Do you ever worry about how your albums will be received or what people will think of them?

“I just keep doing what I want to do. I don’t spend much time trying to figure that out. It really doesn’t help, because then all you’d try to do is just spend all this time trying to figure out how to do the same thing again. As soon as you do it again, you’re pretty well finished. I’d rather do something else and make something happen.”

http://online.wsj.com/articles/neil-you ... 8?mod=e2fb

Exactly the mentality they abandoned for Brucification.

[digster]

I certainly don't agree that Vedder is more hands-off now than in years past. The whole dynamic of the band seems to revolve around Ed's decisions. The band have said many times that only songs Ed's excited about will end up progressing further, which is somewhat understandable, making him effectively in more or less total control of the band's direction at any given time. I don't have any issue with that, I think good bands frequently need a benevolent dictator, I just think he sometimes makes baffling decisions.

Yeah, he writes all the lyrics, sings every song, and writes the music for about half of them. I don't think he's Billy Corgan, but there's no question it's his band. That's just what happens with a lead singer; they just end up having more of a sway than the others due to their role. It's true for Eddie just like it's true for Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, etc.

[ridleybradout]

Someone said something to the effect of "Life Wasted-- now with bongos".

Oh Jorge, will you ever remember me?

[Jorge]

Sure, Randall.

[verb_to_trust]

10 billion years is cool. Open Door, 2x4 and Breeze in D seem like pretty good ideas. Man, these guys are so stupid....

[LetMeSleep]

Guitarists out there. Are you sure Mike is playing on 10 Billion Years. Because I'm not convinced it's Matt behind the kit. This could have been a Stone demo done with his other buddies.

[verb_to_trust]

Tough to tell. That solo could be anyone...

[ridleybradout]

Guitarists out there. Are you sure Mike is playing on 10 Billion Years. Because I'm not convinced it's Matt behind the kit. This could have been a Stone demo done with his other buddies.

I was thinking the same thing - sounds much more like Brad's drummer than Matt.

[digster]

I think Ed's doing some backup on it, which would lead me to believe it's Pearl Jam.

[LetMeSleep]

The noodling sounds like Stone to me. But I'm a drummer so that means shite.

[Mine]

I dont think Ed needs to go I just think the band needs to drop the idea of what pearl jam is supposed to be. Maybe that takes gettig a new producer.

I never thought they lost the capabliity of writing good music, it just seems their idea of what a pj record should be is hindering them

Great solo by mike on 10 billion years

Totally agree.

Also, maybe the rest of the band should stick up for themselves more, instead of just deferring to Ed automatically all the time. If that's in fact what's going on. I don't know if it is. But it sure seems like it lately.

It's the other way around according to them. They keep on saying that Ed's far easier to work with and does what they want him to do - as oposed to how Vitalogy and No Code were written. I remember one quote where Ed described Mike explaining him to re-do a song because he failed to see it trough 3D glasses. Stone said he likes raising the key of the songs - Severed Hand here is noticeably lower than the final version. Speed Of Sound is a noticeably different than the demo version and does't really sound like anything Ed did with or without the band. Just mentioning this examples to show how one could see it the opposite way.

Severed Hand is in exactly the same key as the released version here. I haven't done a direct comparison but I'm fairly sure these are the exact same instrumenal takes as the finished record (they just sound much, much better).

I certainly don't agree that Vedder is more hands-off now than in years past. The whole dynamic of the band seems to revolve around Ed's decisions. The band have said many times that only songs Ed's excited about will end up progressing further, which is somewhat understandable, making him effectively in more or less total control of the band's direction at any given time. I don't have any issue with that, I think good bands frequently need a benevolent dictator, I just think he sometimes makes baffling decisions.

They keep on saying how he tries really hard to write lyrics and sings on everything they bring in and tries to turn their ideas in songs they like.

I understand that the notion of Ed ruining all this enormous talent and potential of the band is compelling but it isn't what the people in the band are implying in any way.

I don't think they're current dynamic, which is a shared dictatorship with Vedder serving as moderator can't produce anything but a mediocre output. They essentially reduced themselves to the lowest common denominator of their talents which wouldn't have happened in the past. I suspect because they, Ed especially, were far more invested in what they were doing and i can very well understand why they aren't any more.

[lecherouslittlestump]

Brucification? Springsteenized? Pearl Jam wishes they were putting out albums as good as Springsteen has in the last 10 years.

[WtOB?]

hi, the mega link is ded. can someone help me out? thanks.

[VinylGuy]

hi, the mega link is ded. can someone help me out? thanks.

inbox.

[WtOB?]

love you guys.

[VinylGuy]

Loved the first two tracks...the second one is a Jeff song. Great jams.

[WtOB?]

god this stuff and CC/LiR really just make avocado an even worse album.

and why the hell is the production of the demos so much better than the finished record? this band have lost their minds.

[Strat]

Wait, I missed this

Interesting that he seems to have the vocal melody before the lyrics. I'd have thought the lyrics would come first

You actually thought "you're always saying that there's something wrong / I'm starting to believe it's your plan all along" are lines you build a song around?

Oh, im still alive, ohhh ya yaya, i i i i am still alive, yeah yeah huh derh.."

Come on man. Vedder was not changing peoples lives because of his lyrics.

[Jefrey with One F]

This quote from Neil Young made me wonder how Pj can sound so relatively experimental here, and yet always seem to either go for the things that sound like themselves or hammer things like these into songs that sound like themselves..it's pertinent though

Do you ever worry about how your albums will be received or what people will think of them?

“I just keep doing what I want to do. I don’t spend much time trying to figure that out. It really doesn’t help, because then all you’d try to do is just spend all this time trying to figure out how to do the same thing again. As soon as you do it again, you’re pretty well finished. I’d rather do something else and make something happen.”

http://online.wsj.com/articles/neil-you ... 8?mod=e2fb

Though I'm sure you seen this, Ed did bring up how he does setlists and how he could be more like Neil and not care. He feels that only playing the hits or the songs they think people want to hear keep the band from progressing. He also adds that you can get away with more strange songs the smaller the venue- which probably played a part in playing all of No Code in Moline. Skip to 3:33