Different ways Pearl Jam releases an album

STT757

I've been thinking about all the anticipation of the upcoming album, how we all waited for them to debut the new song last night. The controversy over a rough mp3 of another new song not yet debuted etc..

It seems Pearl Jam as a band have really changed up how they approach new albums, in the past new songs would be trotted out several months in advance of an albums release. In some cases (Parting Ways, Brain of J, Red Mosquito) new songs were played live years before the albums were made.

"Brain of J" was played in live 1995 3 years before Yield was released.
"Parting Ways" was heard at several sound checks in 1996, four years before Binaural was released.
"Red Mosquito was played live a good year before No Code was released.
"Daughter" was played live a good year before Vs. was released.

Pearl Jam played pretty much every song on Vs. live months before Vs. was released. There was a show in May 1993 in San Francisco where Pearl Jam played almost every song that would eventually be on Vs., this was five months before Vs. was released. They also played Betterman that night, a good 19 months before Vitalogy.

And speaking of Vitalogy nearly every song on that album was played live a year prior to Vitalogy being released, most of the Vitalogy songs were played live during the Vs. tour.

Besides Parting Ways on Binaural which was sound checked but never played live in '96, and Nothing As it Seems which was played live at the Bridge School benefit in 1999 Pearl Jam have avoided trotting out new music ahead of album promoting the way they used to. Save You was played live for the first time a mere week prior to Riot Act's release, WWS was premiered 1 month prior to Self Titled. If the dates for the new album are correct they debuted "got Some" about three months prior to the new album, who knows when we'll here the next song.

It seems to me that Pearl jam's old formula worked, during the last mini tour last year Pearl Jam should have been premiering songs for the forth coming album. In fact the band would probably have premiered a song or two during the 2006 tour if they were still following the models they used for developing albums in the '90s.

I'm trying to summarize what I'm trying to say, basically I'm pointing out that ever since Binaural Pearl Jam have either written and recorded music in a much shorter amount of time than they used to, or their holding back on premiering their music until just prior to an albums release. Neither of which I think is good practice.

Stephen Flow

Comatose was played quite a bit of time before the self-titled was released... it was called "Crapshoot Rapture" back then. lols... glad they went w/ comatose.

Stephen Flow

I really think you're overlooking the fact that they have so many songs to get through in a night that they can't bother playing stuff that is half-written or barely done... Back on the Vs. tour they played a few songs from Vitalogy every so often, not "almost all of them"... but you can chalk that up to not having a large catalog to fill up a very long set list like we're accustomed to now... the time between albums was also much shorter back then... every other year vs. every 3 years or so... you need to realize that the band is on the back half of their career and they are not going to churn out new material all the time.... they could honestly tour for the rest of their career on the song catalog they have right now and still be very successful.

Stephen Flow

STT757 wrote:

It seems to me that Pearl jam's old formula worked, during the last mini tour last year Pearl Jam should have been premiering songs for the forth coming album. In fact the band would probably have premiered a song or two during the 2006 tour if they were still following the models they used for developing albums in the '90s.

I'm trying to summarize what I'm trying to say, basically I'm pointing out that ever since Binaural Pearl Jam have either written and recorded music in a much shorter amount of time than they used to, or their holding back on premiering their music until just prior to an albums release. Neither of which I think is good practice.

why?

lukinsdad

AS long as they keep putting out new stuff and touring...who gives an "i got shit" how they do it? :twisted:

nw206329

Like everything things change, what might have worked for them back then must not now. They can do as they like in my opinion with how they prepare there new music.

ewokpelts

if they play the new songs, the new songs end up on the net 2-3 years earlier than the record's release.

STT757

ewokpelts wrote:

if they play the new songs, the new songs end up on the net 2-3 years earlier than the record's release.

They were ending up on boot legs years before the appeared on albums anyway, what's the difference. If anything it would build more enthusiasm and they could see for themselves the crowds reactions to the songs, and whether they should keep working on the song or toss. Go back and listen to the initial crowd reactions after they played Betterman, Immortality etc.. during the Vs. tour in '93. After the song the crowd gave some of the loudest cheers of the night, they knew the songs were going to be hits from the crowds reaction.

100 Pacer

STT757 wrote:

"Red Mosquito was played live a good year before No Code was released.

same goes for "Lukin", which was called a couple of different names back then,...

Elbereth84

STT757 wrote:

Pearl Jam played pretty much every song on Vs. live months before Vs. was released. There was a show in May 1993 in San Francisco where Pearl Jam played almost every song that would eventually be on Vs., this was five months before Vs. was released. They also played Betterman that night, a good 19 months before Vitalogy.

I think you can't count Betterman ... cause it's actually a very old song that Eddie wrote in his Bad Radio times (or prior?). And as far as I know Betterman was actually supposed to be on Vs. ... but the band decided to put it not on the record, because they were feared it would be a "too successful song". Eventually Betterman ended to be a part of Vitalogy.

I think/hope they will play some new stuff at their forthcoming shows!

samnation

I think playing songs live is a great way to test out new material and see what works and what doesn't connect. However, as we can clearly see by the pirated MP3 recording, the speed at which unreleased material makes it's way to our ears has shortened to almost instantaneous. 15 or 16 years ago things may have found there way on to bootlegs, but in the pre-internet days boots were a more "select" audience that had to work a little harder to seek them out. Now you can get a pretty decent recording almost as it happens. So that leads to the question for an artist, how much of my new album do I want exposed before I am ready to release it?

decides2dream

samnation wrote:

I think playing songs live is a great way to test out new material and see what works and what doesn't connect. However, as we can clearly see by the pirated MP3 recording, the speed at which unreleased material makes it's way to our ears has shortened to almost instantaneous. 15 or 16 years ago things may have found there way on to bootlegs, but in the pre-internet days boots were a more "select" audience that had to work a little harder to seek them out. Now you can get a pretty decent recording almost as it happens. So that leads to the question for an artist, how much of my new album do I want exposed before I am ready to release it?

exactly....you covered it all.
the WORLD has changed, not the least of which the music industry, so of course pearl jam has to change, too.

dimitrispearljam

KJ101081 wrote:

AS long as they keep putting out new stuff and touring...who gives an "i got shit" how they do it? :twisted:

exactly..

JimBerkell

Ed did write 'Gone' the night before in Atlantic City... played it for the crowd and liked it so much they recorded it for s/t... I'd imagine that nowadays the band doesn't spend every waking moment together anymore so they just keep their ideas to themselves until around the time to make a new album... then they hash 'em out w/ the band... and work from there. They don't really need to wait for crowd reaction. They know good songs.