Reviews of Mid-Era PJ from RateYourMusic.com

[LoathedVermin72]

Vitalogy

It's hard to contemplate what makes Pearl Jam so ultimately lame to me and so many other people. Its just Eddie Veder doesn't have the soul for what he does even if he does have the heart. This sounds like a very cold and uninformed statement but let me explain. There is a reason why Joe Satraini does what he does why and some people can vibe with it. I think Pearl Jam are a fine Led Zeppelin homage but when they try to be all artsy and self-important it turns to shit. There is nothing there that needs to be said, it just feels like someone trying to say something important so it can be important and that's never good. Or maybe they just suck and I shouldn't think about it so much.

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Pearl Jam is the sound of people hating grunge.

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This may mark an evolution of sorts for Pearl Jam but surely is not one for Rock music. Their Hard-Rock moments sounds middle-aged and with out urge, their experimental attempts are irrelevant for experimental music standards, their Punk factor is finally removed and only the ballads are as good as the ones on Ten.

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I listen to a lot of angry shit, but tone-wise, this is perfect for losing your keys.

"Corduroy" reminds me of New Order's "Ceremony"

"Bugs" is crappy accordion fart joke

lol "Can't find a beda man"

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Pearl Jam 1994 Vitalogy

BEATS 2.5
GOOD 2/14 (exclude 7 12 14 [interlude])
Not For You
Betterman

Pearl Jam (PJ) is a rock band from Seattle, consisting of lead singer/guitarist Eddie Vedder (EV), & instrumentalists whose instruments include guitar, & drums. This is PJ’s 3rd studio album.

VOCALS Typical EV: EV is a decent singer, with a good unique emotive voice, yet poor half-unintelligible annunciation.

I recommend skipping this, & instead listening to Pearl Jam 1993 Vs.

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No Code

Nah…not for me. I like this band served with a steaming pile of throat shredded screams and a fuck load of guitars going ballistic in the background.

Instead you get ‘nice’.

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This is the worst Pearl Jam album I have heard. I've got five PJ albums so I haven't heard everything but I don't think I want to. After the first three they went down hill fast. I think I've only listened to this once when I bought it and have never had the desire to listen to it again.

Singles were "Who Are You", "Hail Hail" and "Off He Goes" but I think "Red Mosquito" was also popular.

P.S. Wow, and I thought the packageing for Vitalogy was annoying! This ones even worse!

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Weird that at this point in history, Pearl Jam was just one of a handful of major-label acts lauded for following its own muse, packaging and all, when a couple decades prior, you couldn't've swung a sex-hammock without touching a dozen art-rock outfits doing the same thing.

So, being alone in the wilderness isn't that awesome if your palm-frond shelter is half-collapsed and your diet consists of sand 'n' lunacy. "Hail Hail" turns into something interesting, and "Who You Are" is pure morphinic bliss, a hymn for atheists. "Red Mosquito" has group vocals to live for. But what of the rest? It's like the Thunderdome: Neil Young goes in, no man comes out. Follow your muse all you want, but don't tape her while she's brushing her teeth. It's rude.

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Pearl Jam's worst record is middling, not terrible. That said, "Present Tense" might have been the first Creed song and "Mankind" kicks a lot of butt.

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At least Pearl Jam are consistent in the fact that every album they release is worse than the one before.
If Vitalogy was a misfire albeit an interesting one this album is anaemic and soulless and has no standout track and actually leaves you feeling depressed and yearning for the old Pearl Jam of yore.
Avoid.

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Pearl Jam 1996 No Code

BEATS 2.5
GOOD 2/12 (exclude 9 [interlude])
Present Tense
Hail Hail

Pearl Jam (PJ) is a rock band from Seattle, consisting of lead singer/guitarist Eddie Vedder (EV), & instrumentalists whose instruments include guitar, & drums. This is PJ’s 4th studio album.

BENCHMARK Pearl Jam 1993 Vs

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thinks too much of itself

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Pearl Jam has never been an interesting band, but at least on Ten they showed that they could write great grunge anthems. Here they keep pushing the same generic alt rock, except the songwriting has taken a turn for the worse. It seems that they lack conviction in anything they do in these songs. There are a few more ballads than rockers. This would be ok if the vocals didnt sound completly out of place in the ballads. I cant understand half the words he says, and this is definitly not a good thing. They never are terrible, and overal it can even be enjoyable in certain moments, but its a disappointing listen considering what this band is capable off.

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Yield

Eddie Vedder actually has a really good vocal range and a very powerful voice. If he did not do that annoying vibrating thing that makes him sound like a goat, he would probably have maybe the best voice
ever. Still, great band. Given To Fly is awesome.

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Boring and without any ideas, worst Pearl Jam album together with No Code. Very disappointing tracklist.

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Why don't they just say what they mean in plain English?

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Pearl Jam shows us here with _Yield_ what a good band lacking any energy can produce. I feel like they want it to be there, but they're not finding the avenue with which to release it. It simply fails in creating any spark, I felt bored and empty track after track. Remember though, Dave Abruzzesse has since gone. Jack Irons is simply not bringing the whackit. He fails to step up with the Pearl Jam spirit when necessary. He was the hole in Uplift Mofo Party Plan for the Chilis back in 1987 and still isn't bringing anything. "Wishlist" is good, but it's nowhere near enough to hold up an album with this kind of dead weight. They'll go on to continue this trend with their next few albums. Thus, _Yield_ stands tall as the start of the downward slope. What a warm and fuzzy classification for this album. Just remember, from here on, forget about it.

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Pearl Jam 1998 Yield

BEATS 3.0
GOOD 4/12 ~33% (exclude 8 [interlude], 13b [bonus])
Do The Evolution
Brain Of J
Faithful
No Way

Pearl Jam (PJ) is a rock band from Seattle, consisting of lead singer/guitarist Eddie Vedder (EV), & instrumentalists whose instruments include guitar, & drums. This is PJ’s 5th studio album.

BENCHMARK Pearl Jam 1993 Vs

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They built upon the daft sensibilities and experimental pop / folk of ‘No Code’ when really they should have learnt their lesson and returned back to the nastiness of their first two albums if they were going to avoid being the band that it was cool to think were uncool.

Little bit better than No Code inasmuch that there are more guitars but it remains a close run thing for mediocrity.

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Binaural

This release begs the question(s): did the band itself think that its sound was still fresh? Or how many times can you release the same record without getting bored? I would've preferred if Vedder just screamed over white noise for 60 minutes; at least I'd know they were trying to create something different. Binaural is so generic Pearl Jam that it should be sold at half price, right next to earlier Pearl Jam records, like generic bottled water or mouth wash is sold at next to Evian and Scope at grocery stores.

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Pearl Jam 2000 Binaural

BEATS 2.5
GOOD 2/13
Light Years
Insignificance

Pearl Jam (PJ) is a rock band from Seattle, consisting of lead singer/guitarist Eddie Vedder (EV), & instrumentalists whose instruments include guitar, & drums. This is PJ’s 6th studio album.

VOCALS Typical EV: EV is a decent singer, with a good unique emotive voice, yet poor half-unintelligible annunciation.

I recommend skipping this, & instead listening to Pearl Jam 1993 Vs.

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Riot Act

Another crappy Pearl Jam album. After their first three albums the rest are throwaway material. I gave this one a 1.5 just because the lyrics to "I Am Mine" are interesting. The song sucks but the lyrics are interesting. This is the last Pearl Jam album I have purchased and probably the last one I ever will. Not as bad as 'No Code' but I don't care, I'm giving up on Pearl Jam.

Singles were "I Am Mine", "Save You" and "Love Boat Captain."

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Definitely the worst Pearl Jam's album. It's devoid of almost any energy and drags on for ever. When I listen to it, I see in my head the whole band in a circle, playing those songs and at the same time trying not to doze off. Great record for insomniacs.

Highlights:
+ Love Boat Captain
+ I Am Mine
+ Thumbing My Way

Lowlight:
- Save You ("the rocker" which sounds like 90-year-old competing in a 200m dash)

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Pearl Jam 2002 Riot Act

BEATS 2.5
GOOD 2/14 (exclude 14 [interlude])
You Are
Get Right

Pearl Jam (PJ) is a rock band from Seattle, consisting of lead singer/guitarist Eddie Vedder (EV), & instrumentalists whose instruments include guitar, & drums. This is PJ’s 7th studio album.

BENCHMARK Pearl Jam 1993 Vs

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Getting better the more I listen to it....

...I wrote that a long time ago. It turns out, this albums sucks. Sucks balls.

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[Leatherhead]

All written by mikejasond.

[EJ]

<_<

[Stardog Champion]

While I don't agree, calling "Present Tense" the first Creed song was pretty funny.

[Kevin Davis]

Jack Irons = not bringing the whackit

[wease]

I wouldn't consider Vitalogy a mid-era album.

[BurtReynolds]

Why don't they just say what they mean in plain English?

i giggled

[LoathedVermin72]

I wouldn't consider Vitalogy a mid-era album.

relax

[Simple Torture]

Pearl Jam (PJ) is a rock band from Seattle, consisting of lead singer/guitarist Eddie Vedder (EV), & instrumentalists whose instruments include guitar, & drums.

Take it to the "Pearl Jam opinions that don't faze you either way" thread.

[evenslow]

Joe Satraini

Welp, my new username has finally arrived.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[LoathedVermin72]

for fuck's sake, trag

[evenslow]

*backs out of thread slowly... slowly... slowly... RUNS LIKE HELL*

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Kaius]

Pearl Jam (PJ) is a rock band from Seattle, consisting of lead singer/guitarist Eddie Vedder (EV), & instrumentalists whose instruments include guitar, & drums.

Take it to the "Pearl Jam opinions that don't faze you either way" thread.

heh

[Mine]

I wouldn't consider Vitalogy a mid-era album.

That's what i found interesting about the reviews. I think while the fan base tends to group it with the first two, the general public doesn't.

[McParadigm]

Read all about these years in my book, 'so, being alone in the wilderness isn't that awesome if your palm-frond shelter is half-collapsed and your diet consists of sand 'n' lunacy: the Pearl Jam story'

[Mine]

i wonder how many of those reviews were written by the band themselves

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

The sad thing is that "No Code" was the first Pearl Jam album that I actually liked. I learned to like the first three, but at the time I thought they were bullshit.

[McParadigm]

i wonder how many of those reviews were written by the band themselves

The reviews of the early albums aren't kinder tho

Man, I loathe this album. I don't even understand why it's always mentioned in the same company as Nirvana's Nevermind and Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger. No way. Uh uh. I remember back in the day, fans of Mudhoney and Nirvana used to mock Pearl Jam for being posers. If you ask me, they were right in doing so. It was so easy to sniff PJ out as fakes like a seemingly innocuous fart in a car. If anything, this is responsible for inspiring all the shitty post grunge bands (Nickelback, Bush, Creed, etc, etc) who kept horrifically popping up throughout the 90s and the 00s. To me, Eddie Vedder's Foghorn Leghorn vocals are unbearable and the bassist's fashion sense (i.e. longjohns worn underneath cut off jean shorts) is just horrid.

Jeremy spoke in class today. He said you guys suck.