comment on RS.com

Somewhat agree with this based on the past 2-3 albums, including what we know about LB. Although you also have to remember they've been playing for over 20 years and done so many albums that you have to ask is there anywhere else they could go? I just think they are tapped out creatively. I can't think of a single major band that has lasted this long that has still remained capable of doing a 180 on every other album and coming up with something fresh - that usually only happens when a new guitarist comes in. :nono:

Here is a thought... after LB dies down they should put out a complete album of full band acoustic, or another mirror ball type project (2-3 song disc) or heres an even better idea... go someplace completely unfamiliar and lock yourselves away TOGETHER for 6 months and create something epic. From what I hear they don't get together much anymore (getting old and have families) that they do a lot of prep separately and then meet for short stints trying to put it all together. That's just my take from what I've read.

I disagree with this guy. They remain relevant and still produce good music. They have obviously grown and matured into good human beings with good family values behind all of the music and hype. You keep doing your thing pj and ill be here listening and watching till...well...the end.

I think some people just expect too much. It's just music, they
Aren't going to give you the meaning of life in
A 4 minute pop song. I think a song like inside job or
Even force of nature just proves that they still pump out
Very interesting, good sounding music. All of the expert fans are
Judging LB bebore they even hear it. Everyone relax, wait
Till the record comes out and listen to the whole thing more than once
Before you trash it cause you didn't get the meaning of life from it.
Their not better musicians after 23 years? Are you serious? Who are you to say that?
I think done people are just spoiled and clueless. That's my 2 cents.

THEBIBLEISTEN wrote:

I think some people just expect too much. It's just music, they
Aren't going to give you the meaning of life in
A 4 minute pop song. I think a song like inside job or
Even force of nature just proves that they still pump out
Very interesting, good sounding music. All of the expert fans are
Judging LB bebore they even hear it. Everyone relax, wait
Till the record comes out and listen to the whole thing more than once
Before you trash it cause you didn't get the meaning of life from it.
Their not better musicians after 23 years? Are you serious? Who are you to say that?
I think done people are just spoiled and clueless. That's my 2 cents.

I do not think people are looking for the meaning of life (i know that was sarcasm). And cerainly they are all better musicians than 23 years ago. The poster probably confused style with ability. I think people are waiting for the next album that blows their minds and maybe that is an impossible wish after 23 years. There are bands like U2 where you don't know what style they are going to go with even after 30 years.

I wonder with YouTube and blogs if it is tougher to release those fun/silly songs like Happy When I'm Crying where in the past those songs were jus listened to by the fans who bought the single but now the song is quickly availble to all and critiqued as if it was meant to be a legitimate release.

ALL bands are limited in their evolution to the degree that the members of the band themselves are stylistically limited. This doesn't mean bands and their members don't continue to evolve at all, it just means tha MOST bands tend to follow a similar two stage pattern that is perceived as evolution followed by stagnation.
That pattern is summed up as
A. Their time in the shell
B. coming out of their shell.

You see it all over rock history, and the leaps and bounds that the public perceives the band to have taken are usually the simple result of crossing from A to B. once the cross is made, evolution almost always seems to slow quickly.

The Beatles spent almost a half dozen albums making mostly back beat driven three chord jangles about love. Many of the tunes are classics now, but they were all largely in the same mold. They then blew their heads on grass and LSD and came out of their shell. All albums after this transition are largely self similar but so different from the previous works.

Led Zeppelin wrote (or half stole from blues) two albums of largely similar directly blues based rock songs.
On their third album they broke out of their shell, and from the looks of the album cover I'm guessing they had started using LSD. All albums after three progress to some extent, but none are radical departures.

You can't expect bands to evolve past certain inherent limitations placed upon them by the nature and musical inclinations of the band members themselves.

Even bands that are often cited as not following this doldrums pattern really still do, IMHO. REM and U2 both spent albums producing what would become known as their early classic sounds before both breaking out of their shells and expanding sonically in to modern rock experimentation. Once this process of exploring different sonic approaches occurred though, all that follows is at least, in spirit, similary distinct from early period works.

If you don't believe this, go listen to any song by these bands, it's not hard to guess "early" or "late". It's fairly obvious.

Pearl Jam is a modern rock band, heavy on riffs, and light on frills. They seem to be largely against recording music that can not be reproduced solely by the five members live on stage. bands like U2 & REM employ help on stage to get their sounds, and often record music that would be challenging at best to perform live. Absent an utter shift in band sentiment you simply aren't going to produce that radical of a sonic shift late in your career, relying on rudiments (ie five live instruments).

I sometimes wish pearl jam wasn't so pearl jammy too, but you know what? They are fucking pearl jam.

But now I have to agree with those people I used to defend PJ against - Pearl Jam have gone through zero evolution ever since 2002... This song just sounds like they combined Worldwide Suicide with Ole with Spin the Black Circle with Comatose... etc... It sounds like Mind Your Manners is just a combination of PJ songs already written before. They've become a horribly predictable band.

As a longtime - and old - hardcore PJ fan, it's sad to me to admit they just aren't interesting anymore. They have intensity, but their creativity is zero.


Quite a statement.

I agree with this comment. I've listened to PJ since 94 and the days of me wondering what their next album will sound like are over. I miss the days when I would wait by the radio for the new PJ song and when it was over I couldn't believe it was them. I'm not saying Mind your Manners isn't a good song, it rocks, but it sounds like a song they could have put together in an hour. Then again the album isn't even out yet and I remember Mike saying there was some experiment stuff on it, so that gives me some hope. Just tired of the whole punk rock thing, do something else.

The thing is PJ has a bigger pop focus now than they've had since Ten. Thats not necessarily a bad thing, it just doesn't suit my taste particularly. I'm still excited for the album and I'm hoping there's a few songs I really like but I'm keeping my expectations at a relative level.

dimitrispearljam wrote:

some people talk like they voted pj for president to save the world and they let them down with their economy and health care program..

its a Rock Band...and a pretty good one.the best on the planet for me...and thats all....

Pearl Jam to me is all about the lives shows at this point. I've gone to other shows and they can't match how much the PJ and the crowd are on the same page and bringing such energy. But as far as new records, I'm probably looking forward to the next album from The National or even Arcade Fire than Pearl Jam's. It is probably more me but some of it is the fact we are 23 years into this band.

I never liked Ed's comment in PJ20 about learning he doesn't have to edit so much and really dig deep for the lyrics. I kinda think that hard work paid off big time for the first 6 records. All just speculation though. It was easy to tell though reading Brendan O'Brien's interview he was frustrated with the band's effort. He seemed very non-committal on praising the album completely.

THEBIBLEISTEN wrote:

More true fans stating their opinions. Go buy a t shirt or better
Yet stand in line for 5 hours for a poster. Just a bunch of spoiled complaining fans.
Do u folks like anything? Comatose, JB, inside job, help help.....your right, they all sound the same, no growth at all.

So, fans with an opinion that differs from your own are not true fans?

I would never stand in a line for 4-5 hours for a t-shirt, sticker, plastic cup. I'm not a fan?