As a rule, reissues have generally been flagrant final twists of the money rag on albums that have long since passed their point of relevance. I detest them, because it’s an absolute rarity that the rehashing will supplement the history of the original. But every so often, a classic gets the reissue treatment with a modern technology once-over and- if it’s done right- the album is reborn. Not to the charts, and maybe not even to the masses, but to those that appreciate the sound enough to know the difference, it’s like stepping into a time machine and discovering the most essential album of your life all over again.
Thankfully, Pearl Jam’s reissue of their debut album Ten, as part of a promotional buildup to their 20th anniversary in two years (Christ, I feel old now…), falls into the latter category. Originally released in 1991, the 12x platinum album launched the careers of what would eventually become not only the most fan-dedicated and hard-working band possibly ever, but the final standing member of the great Seattle Grunge Movement from the early ’90s who actually went somewhere. Kurt’s a headless skeleton, Layne’s no better, Cornell’s a mockery of what he was and once stood for, but Vedder and Co. are another story altogether. They’ve persevered.
There’s about a hundred different versions of the commemorative album package (okay, four), but for the sake of keeping this under 10k words I’m going to stick with the remix portion of the release, which casual listeners can find on the second disc of the Legacy edition (the cheapest one). These aren’t remixes in the Reznor/club sense of the word, mind you, but rather a production reimagining by Brendan O’Brien, who helped shape the band’s sophomore album VS, among others (including their next album), and remains a favorite among the PJ devoted. Brendan had commented that he was hesitant to remix it, but ultimately was convinced and went for a more “direct” sound on the project. The end result is a very subtle remix to the casual listener, with the most noticeable differences coming in the massive scale-down of the reverb. But after closer examination, it’s clear that O’Brien has worked his turpentine magic to strip away the dead skin of a production style that passed with the flannel fashion flare-up. The result? An album as powerful and raw as it was 18 years ago.
While she walks slowly… across a young man’s room… the incestually indicative line in Alive, the band’s very first song, is crisper, more clear, almost brand new- I look up, and the colors around me are somehow more vivid- I’m suddenly 16 again, jumping out of my mom’s moving car to grab the payphone across the street, calling the radio station to find out who the fuck that just was on the radio. I won a “Seattle Six-Pack” for my passion/reckless self-endangerment that day, receiving Ten exactly one week before official release- and changing my life forever.
But to hell with all that action. The change on the Ten remix is noticeable right off in the disarming immediacy of Once, sounding much less buried in the whirlwind of reverb and cymbal crashes. The Why Go mix is clear enough that you can hear Jeff Ament’s bass strings hitting the frets during the verses, and the added echo to Vedder’s vocals in the chorus changes the song’s atmosphere just enough to lend a haunting air to the mix. In Black, his wordless wailing at the very end is intensified, and we can hear his continued mourning as the song fades out. The fact that Vedder never allowed the song to be used in a video or as some other type of promotional tool for the band, despite gladhand guarantees that it would be “bigger than Jeremy… bigger than you or me,” speaks volumes about the integrity it takes to deserve- let alone maintain- the level of consistent devotion their fanbase has shown over the years. Black could’ve- would’ve been a goldmine, but for Pearl Jam it’s not about the money. It never has been.
It’s no surprise that the most notable difference on the entire album is Vedder’s vocals, which suddenly arrive with a much more intimate presence. His untamed vibrato isn’t hidden in the mix any longer, veiled by reverb and echoes. Precisely what makes Porch such a blistering piece after all these years is hearing the 26 year-old reluctant star pouring every ounce of himself into the song, a mix of anger, love and desperation that rises on a Mike McCready solo more in-your-face and poignant than ever before, ending on a final, frantic declaration that he couldn’t take just one day knowing he’d never touch, hold, feel the love of his life ever again. It’s a rare case of unabashed rock star romanticism without the cheese, and one you can actually relate to, instead of wondering if they’re pulling from the same source material as Boys II Men (that means you, Chad Kroeger).
There are six bonus tracks from the original sessions included in the package as well. Brother, only previously released as an instrumental version on the 2003 B-sides/outtakes collection Lost Dogs, has been getting some radio play, and it’s a strange and bittersweet sound to hear such a classic relic finally surface after all these years. It’s a slightly different version from the one that leaked on a bootleg more than a decade ago (Vedder was a ranting maniac on that one), but still a powerful rendition.
A freshly-born version of Breath And A Scream (also known as Breath) is included as well, featuring a raw sense of vitality from the entire band, but a particularly fascinating vocal delivery that swings a quick stylistic pendulum between pensive, slow-step delivery and extreme emoting. Vedder’s voice is unpolished, as if he’s not entirely sure where he wants to take the melody quite yet. The finished version would later appear on the soundtrack to the seminal Seattle scene flick Singles, and become a massive fan favorite in concert; so much so that a massive fan movement was sparked just to get the band to play the song live after a five-year setlist absence. I was a member of the rafter-packed Madison Square Garden on September 11th, 1998 when the band finally gave in to the unprecedented thousands of fan signs begging them to play it- the roar of the crowd when Eddie finally said “Fuck you, we’re gonna play it” and those first chords began damn near took the fucking roof off of MSG. We shook the foundations of the entire stadium.
Meanwhile, State Of Love And Trust, Pearl Jam’s other Singles offering, is absolutely unhinged. While holding the form that we’d later hear on the soundtrack, it’s still very loose and embryonic at points, such as the bridge into the solo where Vedder amateurishly sings “state of love and…” over and over with the guitar line. Mike McCready’s signature squealing lead guitar, the definitive characteristic of the song, is conspicuously missing from the mix. The drums are cymbal-heavy and sloppy, the entire production feels unpolished, but there’s something entirely endearing about seeing the sparks that would later become classic fireworks in the band’s catalog. Especially hearing Mikey yelp and geek out at the end.
There’s also the well-known but previously unreleased love-it-or-hate-it track Just A Girl and an embryonic 2,000 Mile Blues, the band’s only attempt at a straight-ahead blues jam. Vedder wordlessly rambles through the song, trying out melodic structures without regard to lyrical design. This is a bittersweet glimpse into what could’ve, possibly, maybe been a pretty badass PJ blues jam.
The weird-ass throwaway track that is Evil Little Goat is barely worth mentioning except for a passing chuckle, but anyone looking for more (and immeasurably better) B-sides, live gems and other goodies can head over to Gremmie.net- they’re the ultimate source for non-album PJ material. Everything else you need to know (where to find/buy the album, etc) can be found here.
The simple fact is that after nearly two decades, Ten still holds up surprisingly well. The remix treatment has given the songs a new vibrance that’s hit home with at least one Pearl Jam fanatic, and bound to remind anyone who puts on some headphones and gives it a chance that there was once a time when it was actually cool to feel empathy & compassion for your audience, to pour yourself into a collection of songs that speak from a place of passion and truth, of love and rage, of belief in music’s ability to pull you out of the fire. For some, that’s exactly what makes Pearl Jam so special.
P.S. If you’re more than a casual fan, new or old, make sure you pick up one of the reissues that includes their appearance on MTV Unplugged. It’s a performance more passionate and raw than any you’ve ever seen at a Pearl Jam show- unless you were down with the sickness back in ‘92.
Pearl Jam
Ten (Legacy Edition)
Disc 1: Remastered
1. Once
2. Even Flow
3. Alive
4. Why Go
5. Black
6. Jeremy
7. Oceans
8. Porch
9. Garden
10. Deep
11. Release
Disc 2: Remixed
1. Once
2. Even Flow
3. Alive
4. Why Go
5. Black
6. Jeremy
7. Oceans
8. Porch
9. Garden
10. Deep
11. Release
12. Brother (Bonus Track)
13. Just A Girl (Bonus Track)
14. Breath And A Scream (Bonus Track)
15. State Of Love And Trust (Bonus Track)
16. 2,000 Mile Blues (Bonus Track)
17. Evil Little Goat (Bonus Track)
- Disc 1
- 01. Once
- 02. Even Flow
- 03. Alive
- 04. Why Go
- 05. Black
- 06. Jeremy
- 07. Oceans
- 08. Porch
- 09. Garden
- 10. Deep
- 11. Release
- Disc 2
- 01. Once
- 02. Even Flow
- 03. Alive
- 04. Why Go
- 05. Black
- 06. Jeremy
- 07. Oceans
- 08. Porch
- 09. Garden
- 10. Deep
- 11. Release
- 12. Brother [#][*]
- 13. Just A Girl [#][*]
- 14. Breath And A Scream [#][*][Demo Version]
- 15. State Of Love And Trust [#][*]
- 16. 2,000 Mile Blues [#][*]
- 17. Evil Little Goat [#][*]
Thank you for a great article, JF. I do consider myself more than a casual listener, and a big fan, and this review intrigued me to grab this reissue, not only to see what has changed, and maybe try to relive some of that 91 vibe, but also for the bonus trax, even though I think I have a few of em in one form or another.
The only copy I ever had of Ten was a cassette copy I made from a friends CD back in 91 which I listened to obsessively for a year. I was blown away. It was magic. After Vs. and Vitalogy, though, which I bought the day they came out, on CD, I never got around to buying Ten on CD also. Over the years, it seems my love of the album faded, especially when they moved into No Code(perhaps their best album, in my opinion).
I still don’t own Ten, and haven’t listened to my cassette copy in ages either. I don’t know what happened, but I seem to have grown out of that sound,(even though I love the songs still and especially their live versions) and into what they were doing with Vs., Vitalogy, No Code and Yield.
I think part of it was that I felt like I had been listening to it since before everyone in America jumped on the bandwagon and after it took off, I didnt want to be counted as one of the trendy crowd who probably never listened to another PJ album after that first one. Maybe I’m weird, but I felt like their next 3 albums were “mine”, and they felt more powerful, more real, partially because they weren’t liked by everyone. To me, the difference between Ten and everything that came after was like a dividing line between “real” PJ fans and the grunge hangers-on who probably switched to listening to Korn after Vitalogy came out. If all you knew was Ten, and didnt like No Code, you sucked in my book.
Fellow PJ fans couldn’t believe me, thought I was crazy, when I said I didn’t listen to Ten anymore, didn’t even own it, (though I had every one of their other studio and live albums, including Lost Dogs and other oddments)and that I favored their later stuff more.
I don’t know if I was being elitist or just really fucking stupid by letting it fall to the wayside, but it seems high time (shit 20 years!!) to rectify that shit and give this landmark another listen. Very curious to hear it, on vinyl, through headphones, to see if that same magic can come back around. Long Live Pearl Jam, the only true rock band left out there.
[...] 1991 Sounds Better Than Ever [Antiquiet] [...]
Well said, Zoop. Thanks for sharing.
You just had to take another shot at Cornell. That was incredibly lame. I like Pearl Jam, but they’ve been making the same exact record for 20 years now and its getting old…Eddie Vedder could learn a thing or two from Cornell. Because while Cornell is stretching out like a true artist, Vedder keeps strumming his ukuele. Continuing to play it safe with Brendan O’Brien only assures us that it will be another Pearl Jam record that sounds just like the previous 7.
Same…record…for twenty years? Jesus jumping Christ someone else take this one please.
There is a difference between stretching out as an artist and allowing your musical soul to become a “for rent” sign.
Staying true to your muse, what makes you feel vital is something that I think Pearl Jam has done, there have been fits and stops along the way, but, it seems to me that they haven’t given up on what makes them vital to themselves and to their fans.
A gentleman like Chris Cornell, maybe he is searching for his ultimate muse, seems to have sold out what made him vital.
I think there is a difference in searching for commercial relevancy vs. searching for musician relevancy. I think Pearl Jam has that in them, making relevant music whereas Cornell is looking for relevancy in latching on to a trend.
Cornell took a greater risk on this one record than Pearl Jam have in their entire career. Latching on to a trend? That is laughable. Cornell knew this album would piss off a fair amount of narrow minded rockers, yet he made the album he wanted to make. By no means did Cornell think he was going to latch on to a trend and with it come a whole new fanbase.
Pearl Jam, likewise do the same thing. They make records that Eddie Vedder wants to make. The problem is, Ed wants to make the same record over and over again. You could take anything off the last record and swap it for anything on Vitalogy, Yield or Riot Act and nobody would notice.
As for relevance…Album sales keep slipping and slipping. In fairness, its a new age where people steal and don’t buy, but I do think people are getting bored with yet the same old Pearl Jam.
I love Pearl Jam, but you talk about a band that desperately needs to take a left turn and this is them.
Hearing that Brendan O’Brien will be producing the band again is a disappointment and further proof that Vedder doesn’t like to leave his comfort zone.
nice review.
PJ 4EVER!
State Of Love and Trust is my fav bonus track
[...] Pearl Jam Ten Reissue Review @ Antiquiet [...]
John Persh…. you sound just like phaser ;-).
PJ are true to their roots – this does not mean they stagnate.
CC… well… what can one say about that… not much really/.
persh… have you actually listened to any pearl jam albums since vs? ask 8 pearl jam fans what their favorite pearl jam album is, and each one will give you a different answer. i love pearl jam, but when no code came out, i stopped listening to them, that’s how different it was. i didn’t get back into them until after yield, when i liked the direction they took with binaural. that’s my favorite, but plenty of pearl jam fans have gone crazy over the fact that i put that one above riot act, or vitalogy, or their second album. they’re all different. have they made an r&b album with timbaland? well no. they haven’t gone so far as to completely switch genres, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t changed with each album. it doesn’t mean that they haven’t taken risks. they have- and they alienate a chunk of fans with each new album.
also, yes, their new album is being produced by o’brien, but the last o’brien produced pearl jam record was over ten fucking years ago dude. they’re a different band now, and surely their next one will be different. i hope i like it. but i know i may not. there’s always that chance, because contrary to what you say, the band has never had a problem avoiding a “comfort zone.”
To John Persh:
There are opinions and facts. You take your opinions as facts. So if CC “took risk”(or soldout or jumped on the David Cook fans’ bandwagon after Cook covered his Billie Jean cover) who cares?!? Chris can do whatever he wants, more power to him, but does that mean he is successfull in that. I don’t like his new album. So do i have to force myself to like it because of CC “taking risk”, to force myself to listen to that commercial garbage named “Part of me”(the first track on his album). Of course he knew he would piss off a lot of his fans. But what it seems to me is that he doesn’t care at all if he trades his previous fans with a new batch of fans(commercial music fans, Timbaland is synonyme for “commercial”) and i get that feeling from his recent interviews. And to conclude my words about Mr.Cornell is that all of the buzz he is getting about his new album is not that because it’s some groundbreaking music or a masterpiece but only because of his “risk-taking move” = the album will be forgotten few months after the last video he will record for it + be sure he will not sell more than 500K and Pearl Jam sold 700K+ for the “Avocado” which is amazing number in todays world of internet.
And for you opinion that Pearl Jam’s not taking risks i’d say that your absolutely wrong and i have facts. Pearl Jam’s album sales keep slipping and slipping exactly because of their attitude to take real risks and to not recycle their old stuff. If they wrote “Ten no.2″ instead of Vs, Vitalogy or No Code they would be called “Nickel-pearljam-back” and to this day they might’ve hold the record of albums sold in history, compared to anyband. And B.O’Brien is an amazing producer, he knows the band better than anybody else, “in his hands” they made Vs, Vitalogy, No Code, Yield – all of them are different, but everyone has a right to have an opinion. I know that the new album will be different, better or worse than the previous albums – i dont know, but different it will be for sure.
Here is an excerpt of a recent interview with Ed for Newsweek(Google it if you want):
Q: How do you keep your music relevant?
A: I think by pushing the boundaries, by not doing something you’ve already done, and pushing each other as bandmates to create in a new way.
3 people told me that Pearl Jam take risks and their records all sound different. Yet, nobody offered any examples other than to say “Ask 10 people their favorite Pearl Jam record and you’ll get 10 different answers” That doesn’t speak to the band taking chances or their records sounding different. That just means people have different tastes. I own every last Pearl Jam record and I know the material very well. Whether or not Pearl Jam IS relevant is a whole ‘nother show. Frankly, I thought the last record was real average and thats being kind. If someome wants to tell me how “Life Wasted” or “World Wide Suicide” is any different than what they’ve done on the previous 5 records, I’m all ears.
And If Eddie Vedder thinks strumming his ukuele is pushing the boundaries he really needs to give Brian Eno a call…I would love to hear what Pearl Jam would sound like with someone truly pushing their sound away from Garage Band record #10.
Persh:
You tell me how making random soundscapes in the background of a song or how electronic music is “pushing the boundaries”? The only people to successfully go to full on electronica and still manage to stay popular were Radiohead. Bands going off the deep in doesn’t make them better than other bands. Now, on the other hand. Look at the chord progressions that Thom York of Radiohead uses. He does not use conventional chords. He uses many odd tunings and many open strings in his progressions. He is quite the creative guitarist. Pearl Jam uses similar guitar skill. Vedder, Gossard, Ament, Cameron, and Even McCready are great at coming up with odd songs and making them sound great. They are talented. Very much so. If you think they have just remade Ten for 20 years straight then you, sir, are ignorant. Listen to Help, Help off of Riot Act and then listen to Even flow. Does that compare. Even on the next record after Ten, Vs., listen to Glorified G or Rats, or even Go and tell me if it sounds like any of the songs on Ten. If you think the sound is the same then you don’t have a true ear for music. W.M.A, In My Tree, Sometimes, Pilot, Dead Man, In The Moonlight, Yellow Ledbetter (which is a bluesy guitar gem), Strangest Tribe, Save You, Can’t Keep, Parachutes, Army Reserve, Evacuation, Mankind, Rival, Sleight of Hand, Hard to Imagine, Other Side, Sad, etc. All sound nothing like anything off of Ten. Each album is a creative piece of Art in its own sense. And if you own each of their albums and truely believe that they are just remaking the same album then you should sell the albums and continue to listen to Kanye West or Chris Cornell’s Pop “masterpiece” that he just created with the lyrics repeating over and over each song. Tell me his lyrics are more intriguing, obscure, and interesting than Eddies, Stones, Mike’s, Matts, or Jeffs.
“Pearl Jam has broadened its musical range with subsequent releases. By 1994’s Vitalogy, the band began to incorporate more punk influences into its music.[96] The band’s 1996 album, No Code, was a deliberate break from the musical style of Ten. The songs on the album featured elements of garage rock, worldbeat, and experimentalism.[6] After 1998’s Yield, which was somewhat of a return to the straightforward rock approach of the band’s early work,[44] the band dabbled with experimental art rock on 2000’s Binaural and folk rock elements on 2002’s Riot Act. The band’s latest album, 2006’s Pearl Jam, was cited as a return to the band’s early sound.[73][74]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Jam
It’s easy to see somebody doing a U-turn and switch genres and proudly proclaim “look at that! Now THAT’S experimenting!” Maybe it is, but it’s not the ONLY kind of expermintation – not to mention that, in Cornell’s case, it coincidentally pairs him up with Timbaland, probably the most commercially sucsessfull and in-demand producer at this moment. Pearl Jam may have never left the confindes of rock, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been making the same album over and over again. No Code gets mentioned a lot, and rightfully so – given the gigantic sucsess of their first three records (and those records were pretty different from each other), it was pretty weird to hear Pearl Jam taking their influences from Eastern music and what have you.
I just don’t understand the logic that if a band keeps playing guitar, that means they’re not evolving. Instead of jumping ship and switching to RnB, they’ve arrived at a place that they seem comfortable with, and their sound has changed whether you notice it or not. And by the way, up until Scream, has Cornell really been an expermintal artist? Soundgarden was pretty far out there I guess but Audioslave? Carry On? It’s easy to say “he always changes it up” but he hasn’t really. For the record, I like Scream but it’s not the second coming of Christ.
And anyway, who says a band needs to experiment to make good records? AC/DC are doing just fine.
Watch this and tell me if it reeks of style repetition to you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc7WHldC2_A
yeah, adam’s rant hinted at something- how “brave” is it to make a record with timbaland, after all? he’s really the most obvious producer in the entire music recording industry right now. it doesn’t take a whole lot of inspiration or courage really. an idea like that could come from any major label brainstorm sesh. sure, his fans might freak out. but he doesn’t hang out with his fans every day. i’ll bet everyone around him gave him full support.
now if he were to pick a less popular genre, with a less popular producer that he himself believed in, then i’d give him a little more credit for “experimenting” as an artist or “making the album he wanted to make.” not that he doesn’t get some, but let’s get out of the perspective of the fanboy for a sec.
If you truly own all the Pearl Jam albums, and know them well, and think they all sound the same … well, I’m not sure what to even say to that. You are entitled to your opinions of course, but their albums do NOT all sound the same, plain and simple, and they have lost many fans due to that. Yes, they continue to make “rock” music, if that’s what you mean, but in my opinion, their sound has evolved over the years with each and every album. (I do think the Avocado album – which I love – has some throw-back sounds/tendencies to the earlier albums though; that I have no problem admitting.)
On a side note: Can we all leave Chris Cornell alone? There is nothing wrong with him making his own artistic choices. I haven’t even heard the whole album, and no, I’m not a fan of the little I have heard. However, he can make his music however and with whoever he chooses. People and artists change – some more than others. Just because he may (or may not) have made a different/bad album, doesn’t mean the next one won’t be amazing. Having made one misstep (if that is your opinion of this album) doesn’t discredit all his previous or future work.
Mr. Persh,
Let it go and resign your tenclub membership.
Thank You.
b.
Johnny Firecloud, I appreciate your passion as a PJ fan and your review. I did cringe, however, on the Kurt, Layne and Cornell comments, which were unnecessary. They were/ARE amazing artists in their own right!
John Persh – You can go back to the pinball machine, because your alleged Pearl jam collection over the years clearly has the shrink wrap still on it. I have been on this ride since the beginning, and it has taken many musical twists and turns along the way. To say they have been making the same music over the years is laughable…
What he meant was, that they were doing rock music for the whole time. I wouldn’t expect every band to be like Ulver, or “experiment” like Cornell, he did it in a wrong direction, though. I agree with Chris that comment about the rest of Seattle scene were uneccesary.
Skwerl – Thanks for citing Wikipedia. That was hilarious, vague and inaccurate.
Wow Eddie Vedder did one song with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan that never made it on to an album. According to you guys, thats the band exploring eastern influences.
Eddie strums his ukuele and thats the band exploring Folk Music.
Someone sites Glorified G & Rats from Vs. to make a point at how different the record is then Ten – laughable.
A little reverb is used on a song or two and the album gets labeled experimental art rock.
And yeah No Code is worldbeat LOL. My god “Spin The Black Circle” is kinda “punky”, Vitalogy must be a punk record.
Someone even goes as far as to say that the reason Pearl Jam has gone from selling 3-5 million records to 700k is because they’ve changed their sound so much.
Actually no, the reason is because “Love Boat Captain” & “World Wide Suicide” aren’t “Jeremy” & “Evenflow”…
However, I’m not here to rip Pearl Jam because in reality I’m a fan and have been at least as long as anyone on this board. I just think their sound is in desperate need of an overhaul and that they’ve been extremely conservative over the years in this regard. I would expect Pearl Jam fans to disagree as their a pretty defensive lot…
using your examples, i just played love boat captain and world wide suicide for my mom and asked her which band she liked more. she said both bands suck. i told her they were both pearl jam and she told me to shut up. she didn’t believe me. you said yourself, they’re not jeremy or even flow… yet you say pearl jam has been doing the same thing for twenty years. much of their subsequent stuff isn’t even recognizable as the same band to the casual listener, yet you insist on more proof?
i cited wikipedia as an example of how common the knowledge is that pearl jam has taken many different directions during their career. you obviously can’t be convinced, so i’m done trying.
also, the long road did “make it” onto an ep that accompanied mirrorball, the album pearl jam recorded with neil young in place of vedder. oh, but yeah, that was just more of the same, right?
Skwerl – That’s hilarious you got your mom involved – well done. I’m not sure what that proves other than your mom isn’t familiar with those songs or that maybe they aren’t very good. If I played those 2 cuts for my mom – She’d say something like “They’re no Daughtry”
Anyways, I know that The Long Road was on an ep – I Got Shit is a great song. My point is not that every Pearl Jam song is identical. Its that they’ve never really taken a chance on an entire album being that much different from the last album. Every example that was made on your side of the argument was really one song here or maybe one song there. I think even on all-music you can read reviews citing “Bugs” & “Foxymop” as Pearl Jam experimenting. If that doesn’t at least induce a chuckle…
Let me further make my point…Let’s take a track like “Sleight Of Hand” from Binaural. A brilliant song drenched in reverb and dripping with mood. Why didn’t they take the ball and run in this direction over the course of the entire record? Instead we get 2 or 3 typical Pearl Jam straight ahead (and average) garage rockers to open the disc. Yet, someone describes the album as experimental art rock, which we all know it isn’t on the whole.
But like you said, if you’re really convinced that Pearl Jam have taken all these chances and different directions over the course of their career – we’re going to have to agree to disagree.
well the crux of the argument is your claim that pearl jam has been making the same record for twenty years. not so much that they haven’t made an album with timbaland. but if you have to adjust your battlefront to save face and be right, go for it. you got us. binaural isn’t entirely experimental art rock, and no code isn’t entirely experimental world beat. you win.
Semantics Skwerl Semantics. You get my point. “Bugs” doesn’t make Vitalogy experimental.
Hey John buddy. You sounded like Pearl Jam does the same thing over and over since 10, nobody said that Vitalogy or Binural are “experimental rock”, it’s just rock albums with different approaches and diferent rock songs. Pearl Jam is, i am sorry for you :) but, a rock band not an experimental band. And what i get from your words is that you are extremely dissapointed that Pearl Jam to this day have not released a rock opera album or conceptual album like Pink Floyd’s The Wall maybe or something like that where the whole record would sound in same vein and mood but will be different than the previous body of work. If i guessed just right, i in some amount will agree about that and i would like to hear a conceptual album by Pearl Jam in the near future. But do i feel angry that this band haven’t done that till now?!? Not at all. It’s their choice. We can just listen to them or look for something else. I know i will always want to hear what is the next chapter in Pearl Jam’s career whatever that would be…
And pal, try other bands too, you overplayed all your Pearl Jam albums, boots, and bootleg DVDs so all of their stuff started to sound the same to you!!! :)) Just kidding…
i hate when people misuse the word semantics.
Semantics was used properly. I hate when people are cornered in an argument and try to resort to correcting one’s grammar or use of the language. Kind of trivial isn’t it?
i don’t feel very cornered. every single person that has commented here disagrees with you. as for the use of “semantics,” i’ll concede that one if you can explain to me how i misinterpreted the meaning of “they’ve been making the same exact record for 20 years now.” you can backpedal now and change your argument, and say that they haven’t made an album that was 100% experimental as you have, but that’s a classic manipulative move performed primarily by assholes while losing arguments. i’ve got experience with this one, trust me.
that’s not what this is about. you said pearl jam has been doing the same thing for twenty years, and when the jury pointed out that they haven’t, you changed your argument to be that they haven’t recorded tusk. instead of admitting you were wrong, you reached for the nearest thing you could be right about. that’s not semantics, it’s trolling.
I stand by my statement that they’ve been making the same record for 20 years. I never backpedaled. Nobody provided any evidence to convince me otherwise.
Your best effort was to play a few recent singles to your mom who didn’t recognize them and thought they sucked. I guess that was evidence of some sort of how their sound has changed. To me it really speaks more of quality, but…
Inaccurate listings in Wikipedia are kind of insignificant and not good ammo for your argument either.
More arguments that Pearl Jam has changed their sound:
1.) Their album sales slipped over time and they alienated fans, therefore it must be because the band changed their sound. Album sales for every band slip over time, this is nothing new. In this day and age album sales mean even less.
2.) Pearl Jam fans have different favorite albums because they’re all so different. This strange phenomena permeates every single band out there as seen on any bands message board.
3.) Glorified G & Rats were a big departure off of anything from Ten. Well no not exactly, and furthermore examples of specific songs here and there or songs that were recorded for an ep or one-offs aren’t going to convince me that the band is interested in leaving their comfort zone.
4.) The old No Code is influenced by eastern music. Hmm..Red Mosquito, Smile, Hail Hail …hmm… garage band or indian bouziki collective? Maybe I need to relisten to that album. I do remember a few mellow pieces but nothing thats radically eastern sounding.
And the semantics part of it is real too…You took my statement of “Pearl Jam are a band who have played it safe over the years and could use a radical re-hauling of their sound and twisted that into “Every Pearl Jam song is identical” I never said that. My argument is that they’ve never really changed radically from album to album other than going from grungy rock to slick sounding rock band to straight forward rock to garage rock band to 2 microphones recording rock band and back to garage rock.
I’ve never trolled on this website once. Trolls don’t take the time to explain their arguments.
Fine, you think Pearl Jam have done a great deal with their sound over the years and I don’t. You think its great they work with the same producers, while I think they should find someone who can offer different ideas and push them into new territories.
I smell a troll!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)
Best to just ignore ‘em.
Persh, Riot Act sold 500k, and the newest sold 700k. That doesn’t look like sales are slipping to me.
Persh… do you have a life? Stop being such a fucking douchebag and go stand outside for a while.
Im a girl im also 10 years old! and i love these guys has any one heard Just Breathe by them? Beautiful song with Beautiful lyrics ‘Hold me Till i die..meet you on the other side’ check out the song if you havent heard it bye! :)