PJ without the vocals...

mcameronrocks

One of the major reasons why I enjoy PJ's music is certainly Eddie's lyrics/emotions/voice/intensity/passion etc. However, another major reason is the musicians playing with Mr. Vedder.

Musically, they are all extremely talented. How awesome would it be if we could get our hands on studio versions of their music without the vocal tracks? I have the "stone gossard demos" boot that has the songs they sent to Ed to "try him out" back in '91 or whatever...but are there any others out there you know of?

Brisk.

Are Stone and Jeff really that talented?

mcameronrocks

Brisk. wrote:

Are Stone and Jeff really that talented?

I certainly can't answer that for everyone, but IMO they absolutely are. If anything, Stone's writing ability and Jeff has turned into one of the premier bass players in music.

Would take too long to list all the songs Stone has writen....let alone influenced.

Jeff-listen to Hail, Hail, The Real Me, Once, Faithful...

mcameronrocks

Brisk. wrote:

Are Stone and Jeff really that talented?

Surely, with that many posts, you would consider your self an advocate of PJ. Therefore, questioning Jeff and Stone's "talent" is a surprising coming from you...Why do you ask?

Brisk.

mcameronrocks wrote:

Brisk. wrote:

Are Stone and Jeff really that talented?

Surely, with that many posts, you would consider your self an advocate of PJ. Therefore, questioning Jeff and Stone's "talent" is a surprising coming from you...Why do you ask?

Well I know Stone has written some incredible stuff like Black but when it comes down to playing ability I do not know anything about playing guitar or bass and having lot's of posts doesn't help me learn how to play musical instruments either.

mcameronrocks

Brisk. wrote:

mcameronrocks wrote:

Brisk. wrote:

Are Stone and Jeff really that talented?

Surely, with that many posts, you would consider your self an advocate of PJ. Therefore, questioning Jeff and Stone's "talent" is a surprising coming from you...Why do you ask?

Well I know Stone has written some incredible stuff like Black but when it comes down to playing ability I do not know anything about playing guitar or bass and having lot's of posts doesn't help me learn how to play musical instruments either.

That is the great thing about music though...you don't have to know how to play a musical instrument to appreciate the talent of someone who can. Just because I am not that funny...doesn't mean I can't appreciate a great comedian...

RiddledWithMetaphors

Brisk. wrote:

Are Stone and Jeff really that talented?

I find myself constantly having to defend how much I love Stone's guitar playing... I know that Mike could technically run circles around Stone, but I prefer to home in on Stone's riffs during the Even Flow solos. A thousand notes a minute is awesome, but I love the back-rhythm of Stone's guitar during the solos and jams. He puts the groove into the guitars. Mike is amazing, don't get me wrong, but wifout Stone adding that dimension, I probably wouldn't have seen all 36 shows I have.

As far as Jeff goes, he clearly has talent, but he rarely stands out like a Flea or John Entwistle. That's okay though for Pearl Jam's sound. He fits in perfectly.

rrivers

mcameronrocks wrote:

One of the major reasons why I enjoy PJ's music is certainly Eddie's lyrics/emotions/voice/intensity/passion etc. However, another major reason is the musicians playing with Mr. Vedder.

So you enjoy Pearl Jam because of the singing and the music? Isn't that like saying you enjoy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because of the peanut butter and the jelly, oh yeah, and the bread? What else is there?

dimitrispearljam

Mike is God

mcameronrocks

rrivers wrote:

mcameronrocks wrote:

One of the major reasons why I enjoy PJ's music is certainly Eddie's lyrics/emotions/voice/intensity/passion etc. However, another major reason is the musicians playing with Mr. Vedder.

So you enjoy Pearl Jam because of the singing and the music? Isn't that like saying you enjoy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because of the peanut butter and the jelly, oh yeah, and the bread? What else is there?

After reading my post again, that certainly sounds funny huh! I was merely asking if there were any boots/recordings out there that were just instrumentals. Eddie is such a powerful instrument in the band and collectively they do make a great sandwich. But my observation is Peanut butter alone is pretty good too...

mcameronrocks

RiddledWithMetaphors wrote:

Brisk. wrote:

Are Stone and Jeff really that talented?

I find myself constantly having to defend how much I love Stone's guitar playing... I know that Mike could technically run circles around Stone, but I prefer to home in on Stone's riffs during the Even Flow solos. A thousand notes a minute is awesome, but I love the back-rhythm of Stone's guitar during the solos and jams. He puts the groove into the guitars. Mike is amazing, don't get me wrong, but wifout Stone adding that dimension, I probably wouldn't have seen all 36 shows I have.

As far as Jeff goes, he clearly has talent, but he rarely stands out like a Flea or John Entwistle. That's okay though for Pearl Jam's sound. He fits in perfectly.

I totally agree with you about Stone. Stone add's such a groove to the group in their music. I love to solo on Why Go, mainly because the rhythem Stone plays behind Mike's shredding....

Perhaps my only disappointment in PJ is that Jeff's base playing is often overlooked.

mdgsolo

The band without vocals is called karaoke. And every one of the members uses their unique brush to create this aural painting we call Pearl Jam. And for the record- Stone is either phenomenal or he is playing a magic guitar under the spell of the groove fairy. Plus, everyone knows he is the real leader of the band.

mcameronrocks

mdgsolo wrote:

The band without vocals is called karaoke. And every one of the members uses their unique brush to create this aural painting we call Pearl Jam. And for the record- Stone is either phenomenal or he is playing a magic guitar under the spell of the groove fairy. Plus, everyone knows he is the real leader of the band.

Totally agree about everyone adding their "unique brush". I just don't smoke Eddie's pole like most fans.

mca47

They def play well together, but there are guitarists/musicians out there now (some famous and some not) who are far more talented.

fox_mulderX

Brisk. wrote:

Are Stone and Jeff really that talented?

yeah for sure. stone is so good technically. the way he writes songs, the chords he uses, the timing in the songs... such a good player.
i don't play bass so i can't give my opinion on jeff... but if you ever read any article talking about the best bass players around, jeff is always mentioned. i'm assuming that he is similar to stone in that he is an all around solid player. he can play, but also write, because he understands music.

hopethatuchoke

I think Stone comes up with badass riffs but there is nothing about his playing that makes him stand out from other modern guitarists. He is basically up there just playing chords. Same goes for Jeff. He's good but he has never really stood out for me at all. If you weren't diehard fans of Pearl Jam, I doubt you would consider their playing highly exceptional. Someone like John Frusciante (Sp?), or Johnny Greenwood really stand out to me as exceptional guitarists/musicians. Same goes for Flea or Cliff Burton. Stone and Jeff are good at what they do and more talented than I will ever be but they aren't rock gods liek some make them out to be IMHO.

And someone mentioned an article about the best bass players around and Jeff always being mentioned. Where can I find these articles?

RiddledWithMetaphors

hopethatuchoke wrote:

I think Stone comes up with badass riffs but there is nothing about his playing that makes him stand out from other modern guitarists. He is basically up there just playing chords. Same goes for Jeff. He's good but he has never really stood out for me at all. If you weren't diehard fans of Pearl Jam, I doubt you would consider their playing highly exceptional. Someone like John Frusciante (Sp?), or Johnny Greenwood really stand out to me as exceptional guitarists/musicians. Same goes for Flea or Cliff Burton. Stone and Jeff are good at what they do and more talented than I will ever be but they aren't rock gods liek some make them out to be IMHO.

Not sure about the other replies, but I never meant to imply the Stone is a rock god. More of a groove god. I mean, Eddie Van Halen may be able to play faster and technically better, but it's the style that concerns me.

"Just playing chords up there?" Stone has some great palm-muting. His little intricacies are what really keep me interested in their jams, not McCready's fast playing. If you watch or listen to the Even Flow solos, after a minute or so of jamming, Stone creates a new riff, almost completely new everytime that Mike plays around. He almost tells Mike where the solo should go. I could be wrong, but that's the way it seems to me.

Of course there are technically better musicians out there than Stone and Jeff, but they are the glue to the band.

hopethatuchoke

RiddledWithMetaphors wrote:

hopethatuchoke wrote:

I think Stone comes up with badass riffs but there is nothing about his playing that makes him stand out from other modern guitarists. He is basically up there just playing chords. Same goes for Jeff. He's good but he has never really stood out for me at all. If you weren't diehard fans of Pearl Jam, I doubt you would consider their playing highly exceptional. Someone like John Frusciante (Sp?), or Johnny Greenwood really stand out to me as exceptional guitarists/musicians. Same goes for Flea or Cliff Burton. Stone and Jeff are good at what they do and more talented than I will ever be but they aren't rock gods liek some make them out to be IMHO.

Not sure about the other replies, but I never meant to imply the Stone is a rock god. More of a groove god. I mean, Eddie Van Halen may be able to play faster and technically better, but it's the style that concerns me.

"Just playing chords up there?" Stone has some great palm-muting. His little intricacies are what really keep me interested in their jams, not McCready's fast playing. If you watch or listen to the Even Flow solos, after a minute or so of jamming, Stone creates a new riff, almost completely new everytime that Mike plays around. He almost tells Mike where the solo should go. I could be wrong, but that's the way it seems to me.

Of course there are technically better musicians out there than Stone and Jeff, but they are the glue to the band.

Sorry, I wasn't addressing you directly. I think your last sentence expresses my thoughts pretty well.

RiddledWithMetaphors

hopethatuchoke wrote:

RiddledWithMetaphors wrote:

hopethatuchoke wrote:

I think Stone comes up with badass riffs but there is nothing about his playing that makes him stand out from other modern guitarists. He is basically up there just playing chords. Same goes for Jeff. He's good but he has never really stood out for me at all. If you weren't diehard fans of Pearl Jam, I doubt you would consider their playing highly exceptional. Someone like John Frusciante (Sp?), or Johnny Greenwood really stand out to me as exceptional guitarists/musicians. Same goes for Flea or Cliff Burton. Stone and Jeff are good at what they do and more talented than I will ever be but they aren't rock gods liek some make them out to be IMHO.

Not sure about the other replies, but I never meant to imply the Stone is a rock god. More of a groove god. I mean, Eddie Van Halen may be able to play faster and technically better, but it's the style that concerns me.

"Just playing chords up there?" Stone has some great palm-muting. His little intricacies are what really keep me interested in their jams, not McCready's fast playing. If you watch or listen to the Even Flow solos, after a minute or so of jamming, Stone creates a new riff, almost completely new everytime that Mike plays around. He almost tells Mike where the solo should go. I could be wrong, but that's the way it seems to me.

Of course there are technically better musicians out there than Stone and Jeff, but they are the glue to the band.

Sorry, I wasn't addressing you directly. I think your last sentence expresses my thoughts pretty well.

No need to apologize, I didn't take offense... Well then we agree... Stone's duck walk for life...

fox_mulderX

hopethatuchoke wrote:

I think Stone comes up with badass riffs but there is nothing about his playing that makes him stand out from other modern guitarists. He is basically up there just playing chords. Same goes for Jeff. He's good but he has never really stood out for me at all. If you weren't diehard fans of Pearl Jam, I doubt you would consider their playing highly exceptional. Someone like John Frusciante (Sp?), or Johnny Greenwood really stand out to me as exceptional guitarists/musicians. Same goes for Flea or Cliff Burton. Stone and Jeff are good at what they do and more talented than I will ever be but they aren't rock gods liek some make them out to be IMHO.

And someone mentioned an article about the best bass players around and Jeff always being mentioned. Where can I find these articles?

they weren't internet articles... a lot of my friends are musicians and they buy guitar magazines and whenever they see pearl jam mentioned, they show me. jeff was mentioned in a few of those as one of the greatest. i'm pretty sure if you searched the internet, you'd find some.
john frusciante is a great rhythm player, but he can't solo for shit so he doesn't stand out as exceptional. johnny greenwood is great, but he's no better than stone or mike.

DewieCox

I think Stone is the better technical guitarist.

Speed isn't technical.

Stuff that Stone writes/play has alot more musical depth than what Mike and Eddie play. His chord choices are almost always a little funky. He plays more in the pocket. His solos always have twice the dynamic sexiness of a Mike solo. When there's something kinda off or strange about the guitar in a song, it's Stone.

Jeff is solid, but he blends in soo much. I agree he doesn't stand out as much as Flea or Entwistle, and I would even go a step further and say John Paul Jones. Very little flash comin from Jeff, but always tasty.