Jack Irons/Matt Cameron...compare and contrast...

SSS81

I've been trying to work out the differences and similarities between Jack and Matt and I am having a hard time. I don't play the drums so I am having a hard time describing their styles. From what I can come up with, it seems that Jack is more melodic and flowing while Matt is faster and more Jazz sounding???

Can anyone out there help me with a better "analysis" of these two drummers?

Thanks,

-s

danny

they are both awesome!i thought matt started out doing jazz might be wrong.

Zidane

Answer: you can't compare them, it's the worse thing you can do about drummers! And trust me, I played drums for a while... Each drummer will have their own background, with their own inspirations...

And... you just opened a can of worms... Here come the pro-Irons, the pro-Abbruzzese, the pro-Cameron, etc.

The Waiting Trophy Man

I thought every drummer was inspired by Ringo!?

hrd2imgn

I love them both, but I always have seen Matt as more of a metal hard rock drummer in how he plays (I am not a drummer) Yes Harrybumccage is an exception.

Jack has this pitter patter touch I just love. In My tree opening sums it up, it is like the drums are delicate sometimes ...just love and miss Jack

bburpee

Matt is jazz influenced and frequently plays off time - a necessity in Soundgarden, less useful in Pearl Jam.

I'm not anti-Jack, but I think Matt Cameron is probably the most professional drummer working in rock and roll today, a freakin' machine who can learn whatever you want him to learn and adapt to whatever the song requires.

Any band with a revolving drummer situation would name Matt their permanent drummer in a heartbeat, it just so happens Pearl Jam was the band who did. Heck, he's the permanent drummer for two platinum-selling headliner bands that are currently recording and touring. Absolute stud.

</cameronfan off>

CJMST3K

Jack is a very loose player. His performances were often sloppy and timing would slow and speed up within the same song on some, but he really had a unique tribal groove. Overall though he played much of the material as true to the original music (live and recorded) as possible. His drums followed the guitar changes to intertwine with the music.

Matt is a rigid drummer. He plays pretty dry (without many cymbal strikes) and with lots of toms. He changed a lot of the drum parts of the pre-cameron music, some very significantly. His drumming often does not follow the guitar changes, so it seems to stand separate from the music. He often plays with odd timed crash cymbal hits (listen to Wishlist with Jack and then with Matt and you'll hear the odd timed crashes).

ckoke

I am a realist who thinks more objectively.

Soundgarden is my favorite band. It is obvious that his best work was from the Soundgarden material, and not with Pearl Jam as he is vastly underutilized in the band. And I am sure I am not the only one on here who thinks that. When comparing Matt with Jack, from a full body of work standpoint, I would give the nod to Matt Cameron, but Jack Irons is the better drummer when it comes to the Pearl Jam material.

I like them both alot, but there are better drummers in the industry.

Please see the list below.

-Neil Peart - Rush - Any Rush album with him playing on it. The best live drummer I have ever seen in my 30 years of going to concerts. Real smooth.

-Danny Carey - TOOL - Any of their albums, and live in concert. Lots of feel, speed, technique and power - the 6'6" powerhouse.

-David Grohl - Listen to any of his Nirvana albums and QOTSA: Songs for the Deaf and Them Crooked Vultures. Note: Back in the 90s, Pearl Jam wanted this drummer before offering the job to Jack Irons.

-Joey Castillo - An absolute beast - Any live QOTSA stuff from 2003 to now. Anyone going to PJ20 will see just how good he really is.

-Brad Wilk - Rage Against the Machine - Saw them at Alpine Valley in 2007 - "AWESOME" Listen to any of the RATM albums.

-Dave Abbruzzese - Another true beast on the kit with great power and dynamicism. Listen to any of his work in the early 90s with Pearl Jam (like Blood, Go, WMA and Porch (the tearing version.) Listen to the best PJ shows ever; in Atlanta at the Fox Theater on April 2 & 3 of 1994. Also, listen Drop in the Park from the Ten Deluxe set as well as the Orpheum show. INTENSE!!!!!!!!!

There are many great drummers in the music industry, so you will always have differences in opinion.

Later......

The Juggler

CJMST3K wrote:

Jack is a very loose player. His performances were often sloppy and timing would slow and speed up within the same song on some, but he really had a unique tribal groove. Overall though he played much of the material as true to the original music (live and recorded) as possible. His drums followed the guitar changes to intertwine with the music.

Matt is a rigid drummer. He plays pretty dry (without many cymbal strikes) and with lots of toms. He changed a lot of the drum parts of the pre-cameron music, some very significantly. His drumming often does not follow the guitar changes, so it seems to stand separate from the music. He often plays with odd timed crash cymbal hits (listen to Wishlist with Jack and then with Matt and you'll hear the odd timed crashes).

i've always liked your drumming analysis and this seems pretty on point to me but i am no expert.

jack's my favorite. not a huge matt fan. i always get mad listening to him play a lot of pre-binaural era tunes. just doesn't sound right...especially the no code tunes. in my tree? :x

Zillah13

ckoke wrote:

I am a realist who thinks more objectively.

Soundgarden is my favorite band. It is obvious that his best work was from the Soundgarden material, and not with Pearl Jam as he is vastly underutilized in the band. And I am sure I am not the only one on here who thinks that. When comparing Matt with Jack, from a full body of work standpoint, I would give the nod to Matt Cameron, but Jack Irons is the better drummer when it comes to the Pearl Jam material.

I like them both alot, but there are better drummers in the industry.

Please see the list below.

-Neil Peart - Rush - Any Rush album with him playing on it. The best live drummer I have ever seen in my 30 years of going to concerts. Real smooth.

-Danny Carey - TOOL - Any of their albums, and live in concert. Lots of feel, speed, technique and power - the 6'6" powerhouse.

-David Grohl - Listen to any of his Nirvana albums and QOTSA: Songs for the Deaf and Them Crooked Vultures. Note: Back in the 90s, Pearl Jam wanted this drummer before offering the job to Jack Irons.

-Joey Castillo - An absolute beast - Any live QOTSA stuff from 2003 to now. Anyone going to PJ20 will see just how good he really is.

-Brad Wilk - Rage Against the Machine - Saw them at Alpine Valley in 2007 - "AWESOME" Listen to any of the RATM albums.

-Dave Abbruzzese - Another true beast on the kit with great power and dynamicism. Listen to any of his work in the early 90s with Pearl Jam (like Blood, Go, WMA and Porch (the tearing version.) Listen to the best PJ shows ever; in Atlanta at the Fox Theater on April 2 & 3 of 1994. Also, listen Drop in the Park from the Ten Deluxe set as well as the Orpheum show. INTENSE!!!!!!!!!

There are many great drummers in the music industry, so you will always have differences in opinion.
.

I have to agree with this. And I don't think I could've put it better.

Spencer

ckoke wrote:

-David Grohl ... Back in the 90s, Pearl Jam wanted this drummer before offering the job to Jack Irons.

I don't think is true at all. They were always after Jack - he was the person Stone and Jeff originally approached to play drums in Pearl Jam (which is how they got in touch with Ed).

I'm pretty certain Dave was already getting the Foo Fighters debut LP happening at that time anyway.

crazygeo

Listen to the drumming on "No Code and Yield'........

AMAZING STUDIO DRUMMING......end of "IN MY TREE"....best PJ drumming

P.S (don't forget w/ Neil)
JOHN BONHAM ' mIGHTY LED ZEP
KEITH MOON tHE wHO!

crazygeo

David Grohl - Listen to any of his Nirvana albums and QOTSA: Songs for the Deaf and Them Crooked Vultures. Note: Back in the 90s, Pearl Jam wanted this drummer before offering the job to Jack Irons.

How about?
Eddie/Dave G/Geddy Lee/Pete Townshend

2-feign-reluctance

CJMST3K wrote:

Jack is a very loose player. His performances were often sloppy and timing would slow and speed up within the same song on some, but he really had a unique tribal groove. Overall though he played much of the material as true to the original music (live and recorded) as possible. His drums followed the guitar changes to intertwine with the music.

Matt is a rigid drummer. He plays pretty dry (without many cymbal strikes) and with lots of toms. He changed a lot of the drum parts of the pre-cameron music, some very significantly. His drumming often does not follow the guitar changes, so it seems to stand separate from the music. He often plays with odd timed crash cymbal hits (listen to Wishlist with Jack and then with Matt and you'll hear the odd timed crashes).

Jack does have a tribal sound versus Matt's jazzy sound as suggested by Hoff's 2011 assessment (Hoff, 2011).

dasvidana

I agree about Jack's tribal sound. Matt's sound seems more traditional rock and roll, if there is such a thing. Jack's seems more of a visceral groove.

fox_mulderX

this is simple

jack - interesting sound
matt - boring sound

everyone here can say that matt keeps the music tighter when they play live, and maybe he does, but it's probably due to his boring style of playing. even on the studio albums i can't stand his sound. yeah, he's an extremely talented drummer, but he's as dry as the sahara.

dasvidana

fox_mulderX wrote:

this is simple

jack - interesting sound
matt - boring sound

everyone here can say that matt keeps the music tighter when they play live, and maybe he does, but it's probably due to his boring style of playing. even on the studio albums i can't stand his sound. yeah, he's an extremely talented drummer, but he's as dry as the sahara.

that's a little harsh. Matt's sound isn't boring IMO but is just more straight forward rock.

petesopete

I think Jack's intensity is very hard to match... Listening to Berlin '96 I find it hard for any drummer to match that intensity... however Matt's got the technical chops...

slightofjeff

Back before the official boots, I taped the shows I attended on the '98 US tour (Matt's first with Pearl Jam). I remember listening to Given to Fly over and over and over again ... the fills Matt threaded throughout the song, never playing the same one twice, were just so fucking phenomenal.

He played Given to Fly, and much of the Yield material, better than Jack Irons did. I thought, "THIS is the guy."

Matt has since changed the he plays the song, but he still the king of fills. Just so creative. Never the same one twice.

I love that.

Most of the old songs are played too fast, but I blame Ed. Anyone who has heard him blaze through "Around the Bend" on the solo tours knows Ed likes to play everything faster than it's supposed to be.

EDIT: Did someone say Matt is boring? WTF?!? Two words: Matt Cam. Go watch it. My God.

fox_mulderX

slightofjeff wrote:

Back before the official boots, I taped the shows I attended on the '98 US tour (Matt's first with Pearl Jam). I remember listening to Given to Fly over and over and over again ... the fills Matt threaded throughout the song, never playing the same one twice, were just so fucking phenomenal.

He played Given to Fly, and much of the Yield material, better than Jack Irons did. I thought, "THIS is the guy."

Matt has since changed the he plays the song, but he still the king of fills. Just so creative. Never the same one twice.

I love that.

Most of the old songs are played too fast, but I blame Ed. Anyone who has heard him blaze through "Around the Bend" on the solo tours knows Ed likes to play everything faster than it's supposed to be.

EDIT: Did someone say Matt is boring? WTF?!? Two words: Matt Cam. Go watch it. My God.

i didn't mean that he was boring lol i meant his sound. i've watched the matt cams. meh.