Jeff Ament: My Life in Rock

[evenslow]

For this article, JA decides to say more than just, "No JA."

For those that find Lightning Bolt problematic, there is some semi-revealing talk about that at the end.
http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-04-21/ ... fe-in-rock

[LoathedVermin72]

Jesus. Ugh. No wonder LB sucked. If they are going to approach songwriting that way, they will never make another good record.

[evenslow]

For those with fear of links, the aforementioned offending snippet:

Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt (2013)

“There’s such a huge difference in how we made this record compared to how we worked on Ten. Brendan [O’Brien] works at a really frenetic pace which is really good for us, because it means we don’t get too much chance to over-examine what we’re doing. We kinda left the studio thinking ‘Man, what did we just do?’ because the recording was so fast, just 10 days straight of recording without a lot of listening back.

"I think it’s good for us to be under the gun a little bit, and have that pressure, because sometimes if you’re at home and left to your own devices it can take forever to make records, you’ll leave something to tomorrow and suddenly its four months later! We were trying to write songs that we thought would be fun to play live, songs that we’d want to hear every night for 50 or 60 shows, and with Mind Your Manners and Sirens in particular I think we had songs that people liked singing along with every night.

"And that’s the goal, to write something strong enough that it’ll stand alongside the big songs from the first record and hold its own against these mythical songs which people have heard over and over for 25 years. It can be hard to write songs that will stand up like that, but on this album I think we’ve got songs that will stick around.”

[tommymtcom]

Yep, that is exactly why the newer material sucks. He nailed it.

[EJ]

I think he's acquiescing a bit there. Didn't he have to secretly record Pendulum? And it was originally a bit more spacey and "experimental." And, when he discussed the song with Ed, Ed's response was something like, "we're not that band anymore."

Can't confirm the Ed stuff. Hazy memory of some post-LB interviews.

[LoathedVermin72]

[epilogue]

I think he's acquiescing a bit there. Didn't he have to secretly record Pendulum? And it was originally a bit more spacey and "experimental." And, when he discussed the song with Ed, Ed's response was something like, "we're not that band anymore."

I'm certainly not saying that didn't happen. But I've never heard that story. Do you remember where it came from? Got a link to the source or anything? I'd be interested in reading/viewing/listening to that.

[Strat]

I think he's acquiescing a bit there. Didn't he have to secretly record Pendulum? And it was originally a bit more spacey and "experimental." And, when he discussed the song with Ed, Ed's response was something like, "we're not that band anymore."

I'm certainly not saying that didn't happen. But I've never heard that story. Do you remember where it came from? Got a link to the source or anything? I'd be interested in reading/viewing/listening to that.

The ed part ive never heard. The other part is definitely true.

[Strat]

Theres nothing wrong with recording fast. Many great records were done that way. The problem with that approach and the final product of lightning bolt, feels that they spent 10 times as long mixing and mastering the damn record that it lost all sesne of what urgency the songs might have if it were more off the cuff, rough, and raw.

And they did like two recording stints over 5 years so....whatever.

[LoathedVermin72]

The recording speed isn't the issue. It's the part about trying to write live anthems that compare to Ten.

[epilogue]

The recording speed isn't the issue. It's the part about trying to write live anthems that compare to Ten.

Yeah, I mean, I guess I understand the want to have a certain kind of live experience as a performer or whatever. But Ed's new(ish) taste for these "pattern" songs and "live anthem" songs is kind of a bummer.

[mikejasond]

They did succeed at least with lightning bolt, that song could be a live staple for a while. Sirens would be fine if they could actually perform it live but Eddie can't really and MYM just sucks....

But LB the song is IMO a success.

[Jorge]

They just sound so... uninspired. Like a couple that's been married for a couple decades being frank about their sex lives. He sounds way more excited about those other projects than PJ.

[VinylGuy]

I like lB, but it might be the only PJ album that sounded like a greatest hits compilation of sorts. Pretty much every song was like a copy of a former one from another album...¨here its MYM sounds like something on Yield¨, ¨Pendulum is for those guys who love Riot Act¨, ¨Hey Yellow Moon could have been on vs¨...

Loved the comments on the Green River album and Mirrorball...god, Ament has done really cool albums along his career...

[epilogue]

I like lB, but it might be the only PJ album that sounded like a greatest hits compilation of sorts. Pretty much every song was like a copy of a former one from another album...¨here its MYM sounds like something on Yield¨, ¨Pendulum is for those guys who love Riot Act¨, ¨Hey Yellow Moon could have been on vs¨...

Loved the comments on the Green River album and Mirrorball...god, Ament has done really cool albums along his career...

Huh. That's really interesting. I'm not sure that I agree that any of the songs you picked sound like they belong on any of the albums you put them on.

[LetMeSleep]

That was a good read. I like Jeff more as I read more about him.

And dct, I thought the same, that VG had them mixed up.

[epilogue]

That was a good read. I like Jeff more as I read more about him.

And dct, I thought the same, that VG had them mixed up.

Phew! Okay, good. I feel better.

[epilogue]

But, yeah, the point is that Jeff is the man. I adore Pearl Jam. They changed my life and have been one of the most consistent artistic forces and inspirations in my life. But I really want Jeff, Stone and Mike to make a record without Ed. I'd LOVE to see what they come up with without the shadow of Vedder hanging over them.

Likewise, I'd love for Ed to do more solo stuff.

[LetMeSleep]

"here its MYM sounds like something on Yield¨. - Nope, more like trying to recapture STBC
¨Pendulum is for those guys who love Riot Act¨ - Maybe a bit Binaural
¨Hey Yellow Moon could have been on vs¨ - More Yield or possibly Riot Act in tone.

[LetMeSleep]

But, yeah, the point is that Jeff is the man. I adore Pearl Jam. They changed my life and have been one of the most consistent artistic forces and inspirations in my life. But I really want Jeff, Stone and Mike to make a record without Ed. I'd LOVE to see what they come up with without the shadow of Vedder hanging over them.

Likewise, I'd love for Ed to do more solo stuff.

Me too. Ed needs a solo album to play with other musos. Not even session guys although that could be fantastic.

Jeff is doing good stuff with RNDM. I'm not sure I'd like a Mike, Jeff and Stone plus ???