Post Random Pearl Jam-Related Thoughts You Have

[epilogue]

I can't even explain why "Gone" sucks so much.

There is no memorable melody or chord progression to speak of, yet at the same it screams "generic Eddie".

When was the last time they played that piece of crap anyway?

I find it insanely memorable and singable. That thing is stuck in my head a lot actually. Not saying that means you should like it. But I disagree that there is no memorable melody.

[epilogue]

i hate Gone from the bottom of my heart

It's MFC without any redeeming qualities

and I like MFC.

I like them both a lot. Though the emotions Gone conjures tend to be more familiar and comfortable to me than those conjured by MFC. But both are great. I might say I like Gone better because I feel like I can relate to it more. The emotions linger and resonate. MFC gets in and gets out and that's all it wants to do and it succeeds. But my emotional connection to that song (outside of the "They said timing was everything" verse, which fucking STICKS) is just as fast and furious and gone once we're out of the song.

[LoathedVermin72]

I can't even explain why "Gone" sucks so much.

There is no memorable melody or chord progression to speak of, yet at the same it screams "generic Eddie".

When was the last time they played that piece of crap anyway?

I find it insanely memorable and singable. That thing is stuck in my head a lot actually. Not saying that means you should like it. But I disagree that there is no memorable melody.

I'm with you. It seems like nobody on here can explain what makes it so bad, so I appreciate WCT admitting such.

[E.H. Ruddock]

When was the last time they played that piece of crap anyway?

"My wife left me. PLEASE PLAY GONE IN CHICAGO"

[Norah]

MFC is fantastic. Gone is terrible.

[chewm]

MFC is one of the best things this band has done.

[Jorge]

The one good thing I can say about "Gone" is that if you look past its horrible slog of a chorus, it's merely a very boring song.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[bodysnatcher]

"Gone" perfectly describes my attention once this song hits

[William Bloke]

This has for certain been posted before, but just stumbled across it. Funny stuff:
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http://www.laweekly.com/music/pearl-jam ... rs-2404236

Pearl Jam Are the Most Boring Band in 20 Years
THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012 AT 9:15 A.M. BY NICHOLAS PELL
Pearl Jam Are the Most Boring Band in 20 Years

August marked the 20-year anniversary of Pearl Jam's Ten. Yes, for 20 soul-crushing years we've listened to Eddie Vedder mumble. Which is somehow even worse than Jeff Ament's endless procession of silly hats. Somehow Pearl Jam enjoy more acclaim than ever these days; it seems that mediocre rock bands, like ugly buildings, become respectable if they stick around long enough.

How did they get to be so boring? Let's explore their pedigree. Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard (is there a douchier name?) played in a group called Green River alongside Mark Arm and Steve Turner. The latter two went on to form Mudhoney. Ament and Gossard jammed with some dudes from Malfunkshun, a band even more terrible than its name, and later formed Mother Love Bone, who are most noteworthy for straddling the fence between grotesque '80s glam rock and pretentious '90s grunge rock. Eventually, the pair found self-important San Diegan Eddie Vedder, a name which has terrified children ever since.

Critics lumped Ten in with grunge, despite the fact that it has nothing in common with grunge standard bearers Mudhoney, the Melvins, Tad or Gruntruck. Grunge never had much homogeneity, but Pearl Jam can't be explained away as an outlier. Ten sounds more like if your dad's classic rock cover band decided to give the "kids' music" the old state college try.

If Ten sounds like rehashed AOR bands, their public image represented the worst of major label committee think. Vedder played the brooding, tortured frontman, constantly brushing hair from his face, affecting shyness that would make the most twee indie pop bands blush. The others stood around like grinning simpletons in Body Glove shorts and bajas. Collectively they mouthed all the shibboleths about gun control and "white male dominance, maaaaaaan ..." Seriously, who did they think they were fooling?

A lot of people, apparently. Ten sold almost that many million copies. The singles are merely pedestrian, but the album cuts are downright embarrassing. It's amazing the band did anything other than play a grunge band in a made-for-TV movie. Performing "Black" at a coffee shop open mic should be grounds for a restraining order. "Why Go" becomes irritatingly repetitive upon a single listen.

Vs. followed two years later. Another unremarkable collection of tracks, it sounds composed by a GrungeTron 3000. "Daughter" takes a stand against the all-too-controversial topic of incest. "Animal" deals with the pressures of fame -- or gang rape, depending on who you ask.

In 1994, Pearl Jam attempted to branch out with Vitalogy. Released on vinyl before CD (so edgy!), lead track "Spin The Black Circle" is a paean to records. If Edison could have heard this song he would probably have never invented the gramophone, just to save us from the horror.

What are Pearl Jam up to these days? Still sucking hard, still badly ripping off better bands, still trying to be relevant, still preaching and posturing, still letting a muppet bleat over boring riffs. In an ever-changing world, it's good to know that there are still some constants.

_________________________________

[chewm]

The chorus is the best part of Gone.

[rick malone]

"Gone" perfectly describes my attention once this song hits

Yeah.

The only songs from Avocado I ever need to hear again: Life Wasted, Comatose, Parachutes, and Inside Job.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Monkey_Driven]

People who don't love Army Reserve: Why not? What is it about this song that leaves you cold?

People who hate dinner tables and families.

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

People who don't love Army Reserve: Why not? What is it about this song that leaves you cold?

Lyrics.

[stip]

People who don't love Army Reserve: Why not? What is it about this song that leaves you cold?

i like army reserve ok, but ive always felt the chorus belonged in a different song

[Kevin Davis]

I enjoy the occasional version of "Gone" but overall I think it's one of the band's weakest originals. "RVM" and "MFC" both elevate the "in the car, gettin' the fuck out of a bad situation" theme to a tangible feeling of unburdening -- the songs are cathartic because so much of their kinetic energy comes in the form of emotional calorie-burning. "Gone" doesn't work this way for me -- even as it shifts from its dreary minor-key verse (probably the best part of the song, musically) to its inevitable major-key chorus, it never finds that sense of triumph it needs to feel convincing. "RVM" and "MFC" both feel like a guy on the freeway burning rubber; "Gone" feels like a guy driving circles around town in a Prius. It never sustains momentum and thus feels perpetually weighted down.

I won't say it doesn't have a memorable melody (I can sing it from memory, after all), but musically it just feels all over the place, a lot of musical motion without any real melodic sense. This is a touchstone of Ed's modern writing -- promising verses dissolving into unsatisfying, non-sequitur choruses that betray a sense of musical cluelessness. I don't much care for the lyrics, either ("The lights of the city/They only look good when I'm speeding" - eugh, sounds like a tagline for a "Fast and Furious" movie). My favorite version is the live debut from Atlantic City, with just Ed playing solo -- at the very least, this version emphasizes Ed's voice over the middling arrangement, and as a positive I will say that it is a song that Ed generally sings very well.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[William Bloke]

Gone is...just this song, y'know?

It's alright. I have it on a fave PJ mellow mix I revisit often, so it can't be trash now, can it?

[rick malone]

People who don't love Army Reserve: Why not? What is it about this song that leaves you cold?

Army Reserve's chorus takes it to an interesting place but its just average as a whole.

I like Infallible better, feels like there's more of a payoff on that one.