Rate PEARL JAM (the band)

[VinylGuy]

you're good peoples, VG

[The Argonaut]

Yeah, a solid 9 stars. I love them a lot.

[LetMeSleep]

Keep in mind: these are people who like the band enough to post on a Pearl Jam messageboard!

It's a shame faced 10 from me though I wish I could claim a 9 and retain any sense of not being a complete tragic.

And it's the last 10 years that hurts us the most.

[Jorge]

Keep in mind: these are people who like the band enough to post on a Pearl Jam messageboard!

It's a shame faced 10 from me though I wish I could claim a 9 and retain any sense of not being a complete tragic.

And it's the last 10 years that hurts us the most.

I'm actually surprised at the positive response. From reading RM, you'd think most people would be at a 6 or 7. (I voted 6)

[Anders]

In the late 90s I would have given them an 11 if possible. The Milano 2006 concert is still my all time favorite (of 100s). These days I hardly listen to them, and wish their last albums were a lot better. Still rate them as my all time favorite band. It's about their entire discography, their legacy, their prime.

[epilogue]

There just hasn't been any other band in my life that has meant as much to me. That has affected me. That has influenced my thinking. Encouraged me to look around me. Made me search. Asked me to feel and consider.

Do I listen to them every day? No. It's been months since I listened to them. But that doesn't mean anything, really. Tom Waits and Annie Clark and Laura Burhenn have also had a tremendous impact on my in my 30s. They surprised me; I didn't think profound musical discoveries were possible after 30. But Pearl Jam was there when I was 12. They were formative. And I'm not sure anything can ever replace that.

[Norah]

Of course nothing can replace that. But their total output still doesn't warrant a rating higher than 7.

[LetMeSleep]

Keep in mind: these are people who like the band enough to post on a Pearl Jam messageboard!

It's a shame faced 10 from me though I wish I could claim a 9 and retain any sense of not being a complete tragic.

And it's the last 10 years that hurts us the most.

I'm actually surprised at the positive response. From reading RM, you'd think most people would be at a 6 or 7. (I voted 6)

All of us at some point has said to ourselves that these guys are awesome or we wouldn't have sought out this forum let alone posted here. I've only posted on a handful of forums/boards, usually for trading (late 90s-early 2000s). Those acts were important enough for me for a while I guess but not near what PJ meant to me.

[LetMeSleep]

Of course nothing can replace that. But their total output still doesn't warrant a rating higher than 7.

This whole thread/poll is from personal perspective.

[epilogue]

Of course nothing can replace that. But their total output still doesn't warrant a rating higher than 7.

Obviously, I disagree. Ten through Riot Act warrants a 10, no question. And I like the three albums that followed to varying degrees. Backspacer is, I think, there least successful and interesting record. But S/T is at least an 8 and contains some top tier career Pearl Jam. And Lightning Bolt is so much better than most around here give it credit for. It's not great but it's a 6 or 7.

Backspacer is the only one I'm 100% comfortable putting below 7. That's 9 albums at 7 or higher. That's pretty fucking incredible. I can't wrap my head around anyone ranking them any lower than 8. Even if they absolutely hate the last three records, those first 7 are so damn good they more than make up for the rest.

[LetMeSleep]

Of course nothing can replace that. But their total output still doesn't warrant a rating higher than 7.

Obviously, I disagree. Ten through Riot Act warrants a 10, no question. And I like the three albums that followed to varying degrees. Backspacer is, I think, there least successful and interesting record. But S/T is at least an 8 and contains some top tier career Pearl Jam. And Lightning Bolt is so much better than most around here give it credit for. It's not great but it's a 6 or 7.

Backspacer is the only one I'm 100% comfortable putting below 7. That's 9 albums at 7 or higher. That's pretty fucking incredible. I can't wrap my head around anyone ranking them any lower than 8. Even if they absolutely hate the last three records, those first 7 are so damn good they more than make up for the rest.

Stick to your guns.

[Anders]

Agreed. No Code through Riot Act are some of the most underrated albums of all time.

[epilogue]

Of course nothing can replace that. But their total output still doesn't warrant a rating higher than 7.

Obviously, I disagree. Ten through Riot Act warrants a 10, no question. And I like the three albums that followed to varying degrees. Backspacer is, I think, there least successful and interesting record. But S/T is at least an 8 and contains some top tier career Pearl Jam. And Lightning Bolt is so much better than most around here give it credit for. It's not great but it's a 6 or 7.

Backspacer is the only one I'm 100% comfortable putting below 7. That's 9 albums at 7 or higher. That's pretty fucking incredible. I can't wrap my head around anyone ranking them any lower than 8. Even if they absolutely hate the last three records, those first 7 are so damn good they more than make up for the rest.

Stick to your guns.

[Kevin Davis]

7 is a reasonable rating for Pearl Jam if the only criteria is how much great work they've produced vs. how much average work vs. how much poor work -- and frankly, 7 is a pretty damned good score under those circumstances. But I think, for those of us cavalierly doling out 9's and 10's, the things we enjoy about the band have simply brought us more enjoyment than the things that frustrate us about the band have brought us displeasure -- there is an element of profundity that transcends simple ratios. Being a slave to logic, I can't bring myself to dismiss my frustrations entirely, but for this type of exercise I think there's a difference between how prevalent those less positive elements actually are in the music, and how meaningfully they've really impacted my overall experience with the artist.

[epilogue]

You make fine points, as usual, Mr. Davis.

I guess what it boils down to for me is that I don't think the overall quality of Pearl Jam's music has fallen off a cliff. And I can't think of many things about the band that bother me. For example, PJ20, Target, Ed's voice... all of that stuff. None of it particularly bothers me. I wish they'd release stuff more often. But that's really my only gripe.

[Strat]

I really love pearl jam.

[Jorge]

Of course nothing can replace that. But their total output still doesn't warrant a rating higher than 7.

This whole thread/poll is from personal perspective.

Yeah, "what is the current state of your Pearl Jam fandom" would've probably been the more accurate thread title, but I think a "rate Pearl Jam" is funnier. People can interpret the poll however they like.

[LetMeSleep]

Of course nothing can replace that. But their total output still doesn't warrant a rating higher than 7.

This whole thread/poll is from personal perspective.

Yeah, "what is the current state of your Pearl Jam fandom" would've probably been the more accurate thread title, but I think a "rate Pearl Jam" is funnier. People can interpret the poll however they like.

That's a completely different answer. No way are they as relevant to me now as they were in 93.

[Jorge]

I just meant your feelings about PJ, not the intensity of your fandom.

[epilogue]

RANK BANDS BY THEIR CURRENT STATE OF RELEVANCE TO YOU