First time in my life I was not a proud fan of this band...

elevation622

SM10080 wrote:

MAS wrote:

Was last night when I saw their Target commercial....It was as cheesey as it gets. I never thought I would see the day. Oh well....

I said the same thing

I actively sought it out on youtube after reading this thread. Man, I wish I didn't do that.

slightofjeff

Miers on Music
Blogs
Targeting Pearl Jam
Jeff Miers

18 September 2009
Buffalo News

Slate.com has posted a piece entitled "The Last Sellouts," written by someone calling him/herself Jonah Weiner. The gist of the piece suggests that Pearl Jam has betrayed all of the principles it has long claimed to adhere to in order to forge some sort of Satanic alliance with Target .

That chain of stores will be selling the band's new album, "Backspacer," beginning on Sunday, a fact that Weiner posits as proof-positive that Eddie Vedder is a flannel-clad fake who claims to be a liberal while freely frolicking with massive capitalist corporations.

This is so bogus that it boggles the mind. Here are only a few of the reasons why Weiner is being a bit of a weenie:

- "Backspacer" is the first Pearl Jam album to come out minus a record label. The Monkeywrench imprint is Pearl Jam's own indie boutique. All of the previous Pearl Jam albums came out beneath the Sony umbrella. Isn't Sony a much bigger corporate behemoth than Target?

- Target has an "exclusive" on "Backspacer." But not really. iTunes will have the record on Sunday as well. And Pearl Jam is indeed doing trade with independent record stores across the country. The folks at Buffalo's own Record Theater told this writer earlier today that they will be offering "Backspacer" for sale on Sunday.

- The idea that somehow innocent Pear Jam fans will be lured into Target and find it necessary to make a whole buncha "impulse buys" on Sunday is laughable. It's incredibly easy to walk in, grab the disc, pay for it, and leave. I did just that when AC/DC "forced" me to brave entry into WalMart to buy their recent "Black Ice" album. I emerged unscathed, with nothing but "Black Ice" in my bag.

- "Backspacer" is an absolutely incredible record. That fact trumps concern over the mode of dissemination, rather handily.

slightofjeff

elevation622 wrote:

SM10080 wrote:

MAS wrote:

Was last night when I saw their Target commercial....It was as cheesey as it gets. I never thought I would see the day. Oh well....

I said the same thing

I actively sought it out on youtube after reading this thread. Man, I wish I didn't do that.

Yeah, don't do that. It's not great. It just is.

LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun

i like seeing the commercial, too bad its fucking Fixer. awful song.

slightofjeff

Opening Band For The Sun wrote:

i like seeing the commercial, too bad its fucking Fixer. awful song.

Damn you!

vant0037

For lack of a better phrase: it could be worse.

If we just agree to take what Wikipedia says about Target at face value, its a pretty mixed bag (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target_Corporation).

Yes, Target's got some issues (in MN, we hear all about them), but they've also got some good things going on too.

Give the guys a break; most PJ fans are (or should be) well past the stage of holding up bands as icons or heroes...

corduroykelly

It was the fixer video how is that cheesey................ by the way the word cheesey is as bad as it gets so don't judge!

SM10080

elevation622 wrote:

SM10080 wrote:

MAS wrote:

Was last night when I saw their Target commercial....It was as cheesey as it gets. I never thought I would see the day. Oh well....

I said the same thing

I actively sought it out on youtube after reading this thread. Man, I wish I didn't do that.

Sometimes there are things that you can't unsee. This is one of them. Fucking crap.

corduroykelly

First time in my life I'm starting to hate people like you on this board! Go Away!

drsluggo

slightofjeff wrote:

You're right. I swear I hear Ed singing in that version of Fixer ... "If I'm out of sooaaaaap ... I just buy some more at Target!"

:roll: :roll:

to be perfectly fair the commercial promotes both Pearl Jam and Target. It does - the Target logos are all over and at the end they make sure you know its only at Target.

If it was just for Pearl Jam it would say 'only at pearljam.com, Target and select independent record stores.'

It's a Target ad promoting Target and Pearl Jam. The Yield commercial promotes Pearl Jam which helps sony's bottom line but isn't promoting the Sony brand itself.

SM10080

drsluggo wrote:

slightofjeff wrote:

You're right. I swear I hear Ed singing in that version of Fixer ... "If I'm out of sooaaaaap ... I just buy some more at Target!"

:roll: :roll:

to be perfectly fair the commercial promotes both Pearl Jam and Target. It does - the Target logos are all over and at the end they make sure you know its only at Target.

If it was just for Pearl Jam it would say 'only at pearljam.com, Target and select independent record stores.'

It's a Target ad promoting Target and Pearl Jam. The Yield commercial promotes Pearl Jam which helps sony's bottom line but isn't promoting the Sony brand itself.

Dude, the worst part is the Target brand mark on the hand at the beginning. Definitely trying to insinuate that that is Ed's hand. Jesus.

adamdude

drsluggo wrote:

slightofjeff wrote:

You're right. I swear I hear Ed singing in that version of Fixer ... "If I'm out of sooaaaaap ... I just buy some more at Target!"

:roll: :roll:

to be perfectly fair the commercial promotes both Pearl Jam and Target. It does - the Target logos are all over and at the end they make sure you know its only at Target.

If it was just for Pearl Jam it would say 'only at pearljam.com, Target and select independent record stores.'

It's a Target ad promoting Target and Pearl Jam. The Yield commercial promotes Pearl Jam which helps sony's bottom line but isn't promoting the Sony brand itself.

'zactly

Cosmo

I find it a bit amusing when people get all upset because Pearl Jam is 'sleeping with a corporate giant' (i.e. Target).
...
Do they know what that little Sony/Epic logo is on their copies of 'Ten' and Vs' is?

SM10080

adamdude wrote:

drsluggo wrote:

slightofjeff wrote:

You're right. I swear I hear Ed singing in that version of Fixer ... "If I'm out of sooaaaaap ... I just buy some more at Target!"

:roll: :roll:

to be perfectly fair the commercial promotes both Pearl Jam and Target. It does - the Target logos are all over and at the end they make sure you know its only at Target.

If it was just for Pearl Jam it would say 'only at pearljam.com, Target and select independent record stores.'

It's a Target ad promoting Target and Pearl Jam. The Yield commercial promotes Pearl Jam which helps sony's bottom line but isn't promoting the Sony brand itself.

'zactly

It's Pearl Jam saying 'you can get the album at target with special content'. The bad thing is, that the marketing guy at target is saying 'we just became a lot cooler because PJ was willing tacitly endorse our brand.' The latter is what's shitty.

LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun

i really just dont care. bring on free bootlegs with every happy meal.

SM10080

Cosmo wrote:

I find it a bit amusing when people get all upset because Pearl Jam is 'sleeping with a corporate giant' (i.e. Target).
...
Do they know what that little Sony/Epic logo is on their copies of 'Ten' and Vs' is?

A label that you signed a contract with in 1991 is one thing. Partnering with a big box retailer that sells albums at discounts because they buy on volume is another (and are pricing other, local retailers out). Particularly when you have stood against such entities in the past.

Gardenparty

slightofjeff wrote:

Miers on Music
Blogs
Targeting Pearl Jam
Jeff Miers

18 September 2009
Buffalo News

Slate.com has posted a piece entitled "The Last Sellouts," written by someone calling him/herself Jonah Weiner.

heh heh, and i'm supposed to care about what a dude with the last name weiner has to say about Pearl Jam?

no thanks

adamdude

Cosmo wrote:

I find it a bit amusing when people get all upset because Pearl Jam is 'sleeping with a corporate giant' (i.e. Target).
...
Do they know what that little Sony/Epic logo is on their copies of 'Ten' and Vs' is?

Good to see that you're active on the Pearl Jam boards, kelly curtis.

slightofjeff

SM10080 wrote:

Cosmo wrote:

I find it a bit amusing when people get all upset because Pearl Jam is 'sleeping with a corporate giant' (i.e. Target).
...
Do they know what that little Sony/Epic logo is on their copies of 'Ten' and Vs' is?

A label that you signed a contract with in 1991 is one thing. Partnering with a big box retailer that sells albums at discounts because they buy on volume is another (and are pricing other, local retailers out). Particularly when you have stood against such entities in the past.

So you're defending poor, little Wal-Mart now? The little guy always gets screwed!

LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun

i never gave a flying fuck about their brave stances against whatever, i'm not about to start caring about their supposed selling out now. Ed seemed a little too self righteous at times to me anyway. as long as the music is still good, i'm good.