Red Mosquito

Parting Ways vs. Given to Fly

Easy vote for Given To Fly - one of Pearl Jam's best anthems vs. one of their fine closers.

In both cases you could do a lot worse than either song for an encapsulation of their records, especially Parting Ways

This remains the best version of Parting Ways, and is seriously worth a full listen - from one of our PJ cover's contests well over a decade ago

https://vocaroo.com/17JUU0PtNqO5

Parting Ways is really good live though. I wish it was in heavier rotation

(Paul) Blarting Ways

The battle of the 2 farty Bois.

I'll go with given to fart today.

stip wrote:This remains the best version of Parting Ways, and is seriously worth a full listen - from one of our PJ cover's contests well over a decade ago

https://vocaroo.com/17JUU0PtNqO5

Good lord that’s beautiful. It sounds like a Cigarettes After Sex cover. Who is this?

The MM tournament in which stip keeps forcing me to vote for GtF...

Fattie_Vedder wrote:

stip wrote:This remains the best version of Parting Ways, and is seriously worth a full listen - from one of our PJ cover's contests well over a decade ago

https://vocaroo.com/17JUU0PtNqO5

Good lord that’s beautiful. It sounds like a Cigarettes After Sex cover. Who is this?

It's tree_

Edit: wait, holy shit it is tree isn't it?

Parting Ways

Fattie_Vedder wrote:

stip wrote:This remains the best version of Parting Ways, and is seriously worth a full listen - from one of our PJ cover's contests well over a decade ago

https://vocaroo.com/17JUU0PtNqO5

Good lord that’s beautiful. It sounds like a Cigarettes After Sex cover. Who is this?

iceagecoming wrote:

ABNorman wrote:

Fattie_Vedder wrote:

stip wrote:This remains the best version of Parting Ways, and is seriously worth a full listen - from one of our PJ cover's contests well over a decade ago

https://vocaroo.com/17JUU0PtNqO5

Good lord that’s beautiful. It sounds like a Cigarettes After Sex cover. Who is this?

iceagecoming wrote:

Thanks for sharing!

Whoever Shaun Douglas is, amazing work. Also, great reference to Radiohead with that handle.

epilogue wrote:The MM tournament in which stip keeps forcing me to vote for GtF...

i was hoping to pull off a habit v gtf final for you

stip wrote:

epilogue wrote:The MM tournament in which stip keeps forcing me to vote for GtF...

i was hoping to pull off a habit v gtf final for you

I do love hearing GtF live, though. Maybe more than any other PJ song.

stip wrote:This remains the best version of Parting Ways, and is seriously worth a full listen - from one of our PJ cover's contests well over a decade ago

https://vocaroo.com/17JUU0PtNqO5

This is really nice, and (from what I can hear) it omits a small but important musical detail that completely changes the feel of the song. Warning: embarrassing nerd talk ahead.

Spoiler: show

In PJ's version, Eddie picks out a melody on the guitar (which he later mirrors with his voice), one note of which briefly changes the root chord from an E major to an E minor. This is the part of the melody where the lyrics are "behind her eyes there's curtains," and "she knows their future's burning," and the note in question is on the syllables "-hind" and "she," respectively. This does not happen in the iceagecoming version. In the PJ version, the note at that point in the melody is a G; in the iceagecoming version, that note is an F#, one half-step difference. The F# (used by iceagecoming) is naturally in the key of E major; the G (used by Eddie) is not, so it feels like a "blue" note. This one note makes PJ's version sound darker, more ominous, less pretty; the iceagecoming version by comparison sounds gentler and more hopeful (both feels are exacerbated by their respective production flourishes). What Eddie does is a more unconventional compositional choice, but less naturally pleasing to the ear. I can understand why people have always liked this cover so much.

Also I am voting for "Given to Fly."

Fattie_Vedder wrote:Also, great reference to Radiohead with that handle.

I thought it was a Clash reference -- so many ice ages coming!

Kevin Davis wrote:

stip wrote:This remains the best version of Parting Ways, and is seriously worth a full listen - from one of our PJ cover's contests well over a decade ago

https://vocaroo.com/17JUU0PtNqO5

This is really nice, and (from what I can hear) it omits a small but important musical detail that completely changes the feel of the song. Warning: embarrassing nerd talk ahead.

Spoiler: show

In PJ's version, Eddie picks out a melody on the guitar (which he later mirrors with his voice), one note of which briefly changes the root chord from an E major to an E minor. This is the part of the melody where the lyrics are "behind her eyes there's curtains," and "she knows their future's burning," and the note in question is on the syllables "-hind" and "she," respectively. This does not happen in the iceagecoming version. In the PJ version, the note at that point in the melody is a G; in the iceagecoming version, that note is an F#, one half-step difference. The F# (used by iceagecoming) is naturally in the key of E major; the G (used by Eddie) is not, so it feels like a "blue" note. This one note makes PJ's version sound darker, more ominous, less pretty; the iceagecoming version by comparison sounds gentler and more hopeful (both feels are exacerbated by their respective production flourishes). What Eddie does is a more unconventional compositional choice, but less naturally pleasing to the ear. I can understand why people have always liked this cover so much.

Also I am voting for "Given to Fly."

interesting. i wish i played an instrument primarily so I could either pick up on or bettet appreciate observations like this

Kevin Davis wrote:

Fattie_Vedder wrote:Also, great reference to Radiohead with that handle.

I thought it was a Clash reference -- so many ice ages coming!

Oh I didn’t realize that as a clash reference. I was thinking of Idioteque by Radiohead.

Kevin Davis wrote:

stip wrote:This remains the best version of Parting Ways, and is seriously worth a full listen - from one of our PJ cover's contests well over a decade ago

https://vocaroo.com/17JUU0PtNqO5

This is really nice, and (from what I can hear) it omits a small but important musical detail that completely changes the feel of the song. Warning: embarrassing nerd talk ahead.

Spoiler: show

In PJ's version, Eddie picks out a melody on the guitar (which he later mirrors with his voice), one note of which briefly changes the root chord from an E major to an E minor. This is the part of the melody where the lyrics are "behind her eyes there's curtains," and "she knows their future's burning," and the note in question is on the syllables "-hind" and "she," respectively. This does not happen in the iceagecoming version. In the PJ version, the note at that point in the melody is a G; in the iceagecoming version, that note is an F#, one half-step difference. The F# (used by iceagecoming) is naturally in the key of E major; the G (used by Eddie) is not, so it feels like a "blue" note. This one note makes PJ's version sound darker, more ominous, less pretty; the iceagecoming version by comparison sounds gentler and more hopeful (both feels are exacerbated by their respective production flourishes). What Eddie does is a more unconventional compositional choice, but less naturally pleasing to the ear. I can understand why people have always liked this cover so much.

Also I am voting for "Given to Fly."

I love this kind of musical analysis. While I play some guitar, this is advanced stuff for me. Really cool.