Red Mosquito

Pearl Jam remains my favorite band but I keep thinking how much I wish Mike would become more of a modern Jimmy Page. He already has the Hendrix inspired closer, wrote some mid level difficulty but very good pj tunes, gave us plenty of great sounding fills and solos but what more can he achieve with that stuff or how long until the same style doesn't work anymore.

Mike is one of my favorites on solos (i like his better than Page's, maybe with the exception of a few of Page's staples) or maybe he's even my favorite but some overdubbing or not, Pearl Jam can't even begin to run through the chords the way Page did on some of his average (for him) work, Over The Hills and Far Away, for example. I hope that changes.

Mike did a great job with Retrograde, so now I'd like to see him reach for a more challenging style of playing in addition to a future increase of output on an album. If he can integrate those 2 changes into the new direction PJ have taken, that would really be something. Ed definitely brought the goods on Gigaton but they need to get him to let his vocals take a backseat on the next one or else put out a double album.

This first edit is a good start. Please add more paragraph breaks, though. Keep going

Don't do me like that! Are you two here to talk about the greatness of Jimmy Page on rhythm guitar and how someone from Pearl Jam needs to step out of his shadow or are you merely here for horseplay?!

Well maybe you need to find a different source for your horse play! Maybe you need to go to the same source for your horse play and foreplay!

I was 100% joking with the other posts. Were you surprised, after all the hearsay, how little jamming and instrumentation there was on this album despite it's length? Creativitivly (thanks Ed) they have progressed but instrumentally they still seem to be in a box.

I haven't heard Mike's stuff that you mentioned and I'm not sure where I would find it

I agree. I had high hopes after Inside Job. I thought that was going to be the start of something new from Mike. I can't help but wonder if Stone and Mike are pretty lazy!

Unless There was a bunch of unreleased material those two

This is the talk that needs to happen within the group soon:

Jeff and Matt : it's okay Ed you've been great so far but we got this now. Punk Is good but it has its limits. We wanna play and put our our most epic album yet. The wordy songs are good too but have also ran their course. Our last album was only a glimpse of what we're capable of. Just go out and hang in the hall while we have our meeting

Jeff and Matt: Boom, we know you have something to say , now show us the way of the master

Boom: Mike and Stone, ok kids, it's real easy. Do you know why no quarter is the best rock and roll song ever? No one ever said "there's so much singing in it and the singing is so great and that's why it must be the greatest rock song ever." Realize you have the potential to become the best rock band ever. You first need to make your best musical statement. Now get off your lazy asses and make it! No more stopping with two dribbles all the time and then passing to Ed every single time! Ed can't dunk and he can't shoot threes! Go coast to coast!

Mike and Stone: you mean that's it? It's that easy? That's all we're missing?!

Boom: Duh?

They befriended Neil Young. They need to befriend Jimmy freaking page. or move in with him.

reconstruction_ seeds wrote:I keep thinking how much I wish Mike would become more of a modern Jimmy Page.

I love Mike but he isn't ever going to be an all-time great guitar player in the way Page or Hendrix were. He's got talent and obviously fits Pearl Jam perfectly, so as long as they don't let him write lyrics we'll keep getting good contributions from him. The 3 songs tragabigzanda referenced above are all incredible (River of Deceit is an all-time favorite song of mine), but a song like Inside Job was one of the most different things they've ever done, and the music was so interesting for Pearl Jam. And I have to say, Retrograde was immediately my least favorite Gigaton song, but it has grown more on me every day. This is the Mike we have, I'm happy with him. Plus, he's probably the biggest Pearl Jam fan in the group, I imagine.

Rob wrote:

reconstruction_ seeds wrote:I keep thinking how much I wish Mike would become more of a modern Jimmy Page.

I love Mike but he isn't ever going to be an all-time great guitar player in the way Page or Hendrix were. He's got talent and obviously fits Pearl Jam perfectly, so as long as they don't let him write lyrics we'll keep getting good contributions from him. The 3 songs tragabigzanda referenced above are all incredible (River of Deceit is an all-time favorite song of mine), but a song like Inside Job was one of the most different things they've ever done, and the music was so interesting for Pearl Jam. And I have to say, Retrograde was immediately my least favorite Gigaton song, but it has grown more on me every day. This is the Mike we have, I'm happy with him. Plus, he's probably the biggest Pearl Jam fan in the group, I imagine.

I know what you're saying is true but it's hardto settle with the truth. I think Mike might be nimble enough on the fretboard to match some page like rhythm guitar but I don't see howany of the Pearl Jam members combined could pull off composing even one song on the same instrumental level of 1 of the 10 or more long epic LZ songs.

Mike is not like Page in any kind of way his right hand approach is so different. His chord progressions as a song writer comes from a very different place. Stone has a Page right hand tendency at times. So does Jeff. In fact I feel like I want a album that Stone is the Bassist Jeff and Mike on guitars. That would be your best chance to get a LZ sound. Then there is Ed he maybe the most interesting guitar player in Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam is a three guitar headed Dragon there aren't many examples of this. E Street the Eagles come to mind not many others. Mike was at his best in Mad Season.

Tj wrote: Mike was at his best in Mad Season.

Truth

Rob wrote:

Tj wrote: Mike was at his best in Mad Season.

Truth

But I also liked his soloing on Reach Down a lot.

reconstruction_ seeds wrote:

Rob wrote:

Tj wrote: Mike was at his best in Mad Season.

Truth

But I also liked his soloing on Reach Down a lot.

Those songs on Temple have lots of room for him and it is a lead player only rule. As a pure lead player he is the best that has come since 91.

I dont know a lot about music but I know instruments keep things interesting. Maybe Pearl Jam will learn this someday!

Any Led Zeppelin fans here?
What are your favorite LZ songs? With 3 freaking guitarists, anyone think pearl jam will ever spread the "jam"?!

"Babe, im gonna leave you" - Pearl Jam, how about a mystical sounding intro and outro , acoustic behind the vocals and a guitar breakdown to match this?


"Your time is gonna come"- LZ, the king of intros? pj, no spectacular playing on this intro, just use the imagination and compose. Slow the pace and let the instruments lead.


"What is and what should never be"- Wow, the guitar at 1:40 and 3:30. Page knew how to write exactly what a song needed. Ed wrote twists and turns with lyrics in Whoever Said but Page did it better with his instrument. Gotta give Ed credit for making up for the lack of others though. Mike and Stone wouldn't have to be virtuosos to play like this.

"Thank You"- i guess it would be too much to expect anyone but maybe Ed to come up with a melodic intro like this and display some acoustic picking skills 1:40. It's not that difficult. Its alright dudes, just let Ed do everything. Ed needs to be the Jordan of the group and rekindle a fire under Mike and Stone the way Jordan did his teammates.

"Since I've been loving you"- Mike, at least one blues solo similar to this before you retire?! Can he step away from the effects for awhile?

"Gallows Pole"- Nice acoustic intro and melodies in this one. Ed, hear that soulful acoustic in the background throughout the song? You can do that. 1:50 awesome guitar melody. PJ, you have it in you. Remember the guitar interlude in Who You Are.

That's The Way and Tangerine- more great acoustic melodies. You can do it, Ed, because I'm your cheerleader! Maybe if you buy Stone a pair of fancy socks he'll join you in some song writing!

"The Battle of Evermore"- It seems like Pearl Jam avoid high notes and chords. Not sure why.

Stairway to Heaven- Out of Pearl Jam's league to write like this but it's good inspiration.

Going to California- Mike, you know this one. Borrow more, seriously.

When the Levee Breaks- I'd like to hear pj do a hard 3 guitar jam with harmonica. One can at least hope.

Black Dog- its all about that riff. Not sure pj have it in them to write a riff that memorable. LZ have a ton of these songs, too many to list, but I like their longer epic tunes better.

The song remains the same- The intro: pj probably couldn't write and play like this but if they could, unfortunately they would probably think it would be too self indulgent or have a lame excuse to throw out that part of the song.

The Rain Song- Out of Pearl Jam's league to write like this but it's good inspiration.


Over the hills and far away- Ed, this might be stretching you to your max but you can achieve this level of playing if you eat, live and breath your guitar for the next ten years. I have faith in you.

No Quarter- the Holy Grail . Out of Pearl Jam's league to write like this but it's good inspiration.

Dancing Days and Houses of the Holy- would be nice to hear pj write a memorable grooving danceable riff and keep it constant throughout a song.

"The Rover", "In the Evening" and "Down by the Seaside"- 3 of many underrated LZ gems. These are within pj's league.

Kashmir- Out of Pearl Jam's league to write like this but it's good inspiration.

In the Light- Out of Pearl Jam's league to write like this but it's good inspiration.

In my time of dying- pj couldn't (and if could wouldnt) play it. They dont want to overachieve by playing anything longer than a minute-long jam in the studio. Take the training wheels off!

Achilles Last Stand- Out of Pearl Jam's league to write and play like this but it's good inspiration.


Ten Years Gone- just another great LZ tune which PJ couldn't write because the guitar is a foreign object to them in comparison to Page's playing.




Carouselambra- something different but I like it.

These remastered LZ albums sound a lot better than the originals, i think. Sounding pretty good even on YouTube, the Houses of the Holy album, for one.

What if Page would have been born late and expressed interest in joining Pearl Jam. The others might have said, Stone, sorry, he's too good, you have to go! The possibilities after that could have been endless. They probably still wouldn't have been as huge as LZ but it would have been interesting to hear what music they would have put out.