Red Mosquito

I agree with Strat here. The early years are romanticized in our minds and it's partly because it's when the band blew up and became a phenomenon and there was so much drama and intrigue swirling around them. The context of those years really shapes how most people look back on those times.

In reality, go back and listen to 1991-1995 and aside from a stellar vocal year in 1994 I think Eddie sounded rough as hell and didn't get his shit together until 1996. I was listening to Soldier Field '95 in the car yesterday and for the most part he sounds like absolute shit. He sounds badass on the vocal shredders like Go and Blood, but apart from that it's difficult to listen to. It's a legendary show because we've had a radio broadcast version of it since it happened and it was a big show in the middle of a tough tour for the band/fans. Take away the context and you get an extremely rough performance.

Most of the wild '92/'93 shows suffer from a shouting/screaming Eddie who is seemingly so full of passion but ends up going overboard on some songs. Give me any version of "Release" from 2000 onwards and it's better than any version from the first 5 years of the band (aside from maybe 1994).

Eddie might have some more annoying vocal ticks these days, but at least his voice isn't shot to shit like it was back then.

Strat wrote:How drunk is vedder?



Yet somehow this shit gets a pass here because it was when they were "cool" and anti making money...

I don't think it's even that. Many people just like this kind of exaggerated singing and the hurr durr and will go to absurd lengths to try to convince themselves and everybody who will listen this is an objectively good vocal performance. Take any Ed lunatic scream fest from the 90's and people will describe it as if he was some sort of virtuoso for doing that. It's a stylistic preference towards certain kind of vocal performances but has nothing to do with the quality of the singing.
Ed's just lucky he could always make an above average vocal performance in his sleep regardless of the more or less objective flaws. He's beyond lucky to have most of his voice left after all the shit he was doing for most of his career.

VinylGuy wrote:I began to love LB after the Fallon performance.

which brings me back to my remark about the record being over produced here and there. LB is an awesome song, and i much prefer this version than the recorded one.

BootsToAsses wrote:I agree with Strat here. The early years are romanticized in our minds and it's partly because it's when the band blew up and became a phenomenon and there was so much drama and intrigue swirling around them. The context of those years really shapes how most people look back on those times.

In reality, go back and listen to 1991-1995 and aside from a stellar vocal year in 1994 I think Eddie sounded rough as hell and didn't get his shit together until 1996. I was listening to Soldier Field '95 in the car yesterday and for the most part he sounds like absolute shit. He sounds badass on the vocal shredders like Go and Blood, but apart from that it's difficult to listen to. It's a legendary show because we've had a radio broadcast version of it since it happened and it was a big show in the middle of a tough tour for the band/fans. Take away the context and you get an extremely rough performance.

Most of the wild '92/'93 shows suffer from a shouting/screaming Eddie who is seemingly so full of passion but ends up going overboard on some songs. Give me any version of "Release" from 2000 onwards and it's better than any version from the first 5 years of the band (aside from maybe 1994).

Eddie might have some more annoying vocal ticks these days, but at least his voice isn't shot to shit like it was back then.

1995 is basically unlistenable

stip wrote:

BootsToAsses wrote:I agree with Strat here. The early years are romanticized in our minds and it's partly because it's when the band blew up and became a phenomenon and there was so much drama and intrigue swirling around them. The context of those years really shapes how most people look back on those times.

In reality, go back and listen to 1991-1995 and aside from a stellar vocal year in 1994 I think Eddie sounded rough as hell and didn't get his shit together until 1996. I was listening to Soldier Field '95 in the car yesterday and for the most part he sounds like absolute shit. He sounds badass on the vocal shredders like Go and Blood, but apart from that it's difficult to listen to. It's a legendary show because we've had a radio broadcast version of it since it happened and it was a big show in the middle of a tough tour for the band/fans. Take away the context and you get an extremely rough performance.

Most of the wild '92/'93 shows suffer from a shouting/screaming Eddie who is seemingly so full of passion but ends up going overboard on some songs. Give me any version of "Release" from 2000 onwards and it's better than any version from the first 5 years of the band (aside from maybe 1994).

Eddie might have some more annoying vocal ticks these days, but at least his voice isn't shot to shit like it was back then.

1995 is basically unlistenable

the last run of shows from the first week of November is one of the best short term runs the band ever had...but other than that, yeah

it's odd, because 1994 might be the best tour they had. That or 2005.

stip wrote:it's odd, because 1994 might be the best tour they had. That or 2005.

It's weird, because a lot of 1993 was shouty Ed with some flashes of great vocal control and power. Then, 1994 was close to perfect. Flawless performances of almost every song and often better than what was recorded in the studio. Porch, Black, Release, Go, Animal, Daughter etc all sound unbelievable.

Then you get to 1995, and they've had the trauma of Kurt's suicide, the eventual firing of Dave A and the fact that by this point they were one of the biggest bands in the world. It's as though Ed said, "Fuck it, let's shred this voice so much that it'll never sound like the deep baritone I've become famous for" and he goes on a voice killing spree for most of the year. There are plenty of soundboard bootlegs from the tour - Soldier Field, Salt Lake City etc and they're all terrible IMO.

I feel like he really learned to sing in 1996, and he sounded absolutely beautiful from '96-00. His voice was at a higher pitch which sounds gorgeous.

Then I think his voice suffered a bit in 2003, sounding a bit flat...perhaps because he hadn't really warmed up his voice and stretched himself with Riot Act.

2005-2007 is unbelievable to my ears. Probably my favourite tours the band has done.

2008-2011 sounds pretty sketchy to me, and this year I think he sounds great for the most part.

stip wrote:

BootsToAsses wrote:I agree with Strat here. The early years are romanticized in our minds and it's partly because it's when the band blew up and became a phenomenon and there was so much drama and intrigue swirling around them. The context of those years really shapes how most people look back on those times.

In reality, go back and listen to 1991-1995 and aside from a stellar vocal year in 1994 I think Eddie sounded rough as hell and didn't get his shit together until 1996. I was listening to Soldier Field '95 in the car yesterday and for the most part he sounds like absolute shit. He sounds badass on the vocal shredders like Go and Blood, but apart from that it's difficult to listen to. It's a legendary show because we've had a radio broadcast version of it since it happened and it was a big show in the middle of a tough tour for the band/fans. Take away the context and you get an extremely rough performance.

Most of the wild '92/'93 shows suffer from a shouting/screaming Eddie who is seemingly so full of passion but ends up going overboard on some songs. Give me any version of "Release" from 2000 onwards and it's better than any version from the first 5 years of the band (aside from maybe 1994).

Eddie might have some more annoying vocal ticks these days, but at least his voice isn't shot to shit like it was back then.

1995 is basically unlistenable

I got verbally abused for saying as much the other day

BootsToAsses wrote:

stip wrote:it's odd, because 1994 might be the best tour they had. That or 2005.

It's weird, because a lot of 1993 was shouty Ed with some flashes of great vocal control and power. Then, 1994 was close to perfect. Flawless performances of almost every song and often better than what was recorded in the studio. Porch, Black, Release, Go, Animal, Daughter etc all sound unbelievable.

Then you get to 1995, and they've had the trauma of Kurt's suicide, the eventual firing of Dave A and the fact that by this point they were one of the biggest bands in the world. It's as though Ed said, "Fuck it, let's shred this voice so much that it'll never sound like the deep baritone I've become famous for" and he goes on a voice killing spree for most of the year. There are plenty of soundboard bootlegs from the tour - Soldier Field, Salt Lake City etc and they're all terrible IMO.

I feel like he really learned to sing in 1996, and he sounded absolutely beautiful from '96-00. His voice was at a higher pitch which sounds gorgeous.

Then I think his voice suffered a bit in 2003, sounding a bit flat...perhaps because he hadn't really warmed up his voice and stretched himself with Riot Act.

2005-2007 is unbelievable to my ears. Probably my favourite tours the band has done.

2008-2011 sounds pretty sketchy to me, and this year I think he sounds great for the most part.

this is a good assessment.

In other video related news, the extend EPK on the homepage has footage from Lightning Bolt and Getaway video shoots. What are the odds of those seeing full release? Audio of the extended outro of higher quality than the Fallon performance would go over well in my house (bands never sound well-mixed on TV).

lvc wrote:In other video related news, the extend EPK on the homepage has footage from Lightning Bolt and Getaway video shoots. What are the odds of those seeing full release? Audio of the extended outro of higher quality than the Fallon performance would go over well in my house (bands never sound well-mixed on TV).

Who knows man. Who knows.

I thought they were going to release that EPK or those videos as the exclusive digital thing along with the album.

VinylGuy wrote:

lvc wrote:In other video related news, the extend EPK on the homepage has footage from Lightning Bolt and Getaway video shoots. What are the odds of those seeing full release? Audio of the extended outro of higher quality than the Fallon performance would go over well in my house (bands never sound well-mixed on TV).

Who knows man. Who knows.

I thought they were going to release that EPK or those videos as the exclusive digital thing along with the album.

Not impressed by the Mind Your Manners take?

what eddie's solo career should have been

dprival78 wrote:what eddie's solo career should have been

I would've been OK with this.

And he could have played this again!

dprival78 wrote:

what eddie's solo career should have been

To be fair, that song (which is essentially the same kind of punk song PJ are already writing) could have easily turned into a shitty Backspacer-style non-event in 2013, depending on the producer.

stupidmop wrote:And he could have played this again!

such a shame that the '96 alternate corduroy versions (this one or the bridge school one) never got more play. i had hope when eddie start doing his solo tours, but no luck.

stip wrote:it's odd, because 1994 might be the best tour they had. That or 2005.

I never got to see the band live prior to 1998, but since that date 2005 has easily been my favorite tour.

Philly '05 was the best of the best for this band

I love the 2005 tour...that leg of canadian shows is pretty much top notch for my ears.