All three have their own unique attributes. Myself, I was real torn when Jack Irons left the band. Per Ed, he saved the life of the band at the time he was enlisted and seemed to catapult the band into a different dimension and new musical territory.
Dave was great in his way but I agree with the sentiment that he was a little too one dimensional to be relevant as the band matured and experimented.
Matt is great technically but for years I thought of him as Soundgarden's drummer and a Pearl Jam fill-in. I think it took him a while to find his voice within the band and I really came to appreciate his contribution with the last album and tour -- especially vocally. The fact is, Dave ain't coming back and Jack ain't coming back. They both played vital roles in the history of the band. I appreciate that. Thanks for the memories. But Matt Cameron has been the drummer of Pearl Jam for over 10 years now -- the longest to occupy that seat in the history of the band -- and it's high time he gets the recognition that he so richly deserves. He has the mental fortitude to be a consistently AMAZING drummer in a legendary, high-profile rock n' roll band plus the skills to contribute and play just about ANYTHING. In my opinion, game over; end the debate: Matt Cameron is the best.
I think you guys forget that Dave A played on Vitalogy. Listen to his drumming on that album. Very conservative compared to what he had been doing with all the cymbals and shit (which was good in its own way at the appropriate time). His drumming on Vitalogy was much more simplistic, he really changed with the band. Sometimes I kinda forget that he's the one drumming on that album and not Jack Irons because it's so nice and simple. It was very tasteful. So to say he was too one dimensional and wouldn't change and experiment along with the band is ridiculous. I think he was very professional and had a natural instinct for what was and wasn't appropriate in certain musical circumstances, an essential skill that any musician should have.
Listen to Last Exit from that album and then listen to a Jack Irons version. Dave really drives the band along, he pushes it. Jack Irons is sluggish, he slows the whole thing down.
I'm sorry but Dave A was just a better drummer. More suitable for Pearl Jam. They needed that driving type of drumming to keep the energy up. Jack Irons puts me to sleep.
Listen to Not For You on Vitalogy. He plays it all perfectly simple. Simple beat, minimalist fills, pushes it when he needs to. He really drives the band. Excellent drumming.
Another good one: Tremor Christ. Very tasteful drumming on it. Very simple beat. Simple fills. He leaves plenty of room in the song for it to go where it goes. Doesn't overpower the band but, again, drives them along. Nothingman is also great. Great choice to use brushes. Very musically savvy. Dave A knows what he's doing and this album especially demonstrates that. Listening to it makes me truly sad that he's gone, especially Nothingman. I don't think the band realized how good he really was.
ANOTHER good one: Satan's Bed. Great fills, great beat. Very loose, but energetic. Absolutely perfect. Hear what goes on as the song fades out? Genius.
I say BRING BACK DAVE A IN 09!!! Get rid of robot Cameron.
I pledge to you a government that will not only work well, but wisely, its ability to act tempered by prudence, and its willingness to do good, balanced by the knowledge that government is never more dangerous than when our desire to have it help us blinds us to its great power to harm us.
-Reagan
Matt is great technically but for years I thought of him as Soundgarden's drummer and a Pearl Jam fill-in. I think it took him a while to find his voice within the band and I really came to appreciate his contribution with the last album and tour -- especially vocally. The fact is, Dave ain't coming back and Jack ain't coming back. They both played vital roles in the history of the band. I appreciate that. Thanks for the memories. But Matt Cameron has been the drummer of Pearl Jam for over 10 years now -- the longest to occupy that seat in the history of the band -- and it's high time he gets the recognition that he so richly deserves. He has the mental fortitude to be a consistently AMAZING drummer in a legendary, high-profile rock n' roll band plus the skills to contribute and play just about ANYTHING. In my opinion, game over; end the debate: Matt Cameron is the best.
Matt is great technically but for years I thought of him as Soundgarden's drummer and a Pearl Jam fill-in. I think it took him a while to find his voice within the band and I really came to appreciate his contribution with the last album and tour -- especially vocally. The fact is, Dave ain't coming back and Jack ain't coming back. They both played vital roles in the history of the band. I appreciate that. Thanks for the memories. But Matt Cameron has been the drummer of Pearl Jam for over 10 years now -- the longest to occupy that seat in the history of the band -- and it's high time he gets the recognition that he so richly deserves. He has the mental fortitude to be a consistently AMAZING drummer in a legendary, high-profile rock n' roll band plus the skills to contribute and play just about ANYTHING. In my opinion, game over; end the debate: Matt Cameron is the best.
Nope, sorry. Matt Cameron is not nearly as musical as Dave A was. You guys can say whatever the hell you want but it's a fact: Dave A was a better drummer than Matt Cameron. Cameron was good in Soundgarden, he is not good in Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam is too open and loose for Cameron. When they do jams and such, he is very very uncreative and, frankly, boring. He is more oriented to very structured music, like Soundgarden. He is bad at building up and releasing tension (something that makes someone like John Bonham, and Led Zeppelin as a whole, for example, so goddamn good) and he's bad at just opening up and letting things just flow.
I pledge to you a government that will not only work well, but wisely, its ability to act tempered by prudence, and its willingness to do good, balanced by the knowledge that government is never more dangerous than when our desire to have it help us blinds us to its great power to harm us.
-Reagan
As far a technical drumming abilities Jack and Matt take the cake by far. Jack was so incredible. He had suck a different style with such a fresh vibe. Truly an incredible drummer with great ideas.
Matt has awesome timing abilities and great ideas as well, but with a totally different vibe. He is much more tighter and more hard rocking than Jack. Much more focused. He creates some really weird timings and he has a hell of a right foot. He can make a single pedal sound like 2 and thats hard to do.
The Dave's in my eyes were nothing except standard hard rock drummers. Dave K. was the worst in my eyes. It is hard to believe anyone would like Dave K over Matt. Dave used the same style in every song. Most of the time use hi hats during the intro and verse and every time the chorus would come in he would play on the ride cymbal. That annoys the shit out of me. Dave A focused too much on being a hard rock drummer and used his crashes way too much. Other than WMA, he lacked creativity. He did have a lot of energy though. I liked that.
To be simple, Jack and Matt were easily PJs best drummers overall.
My first PJ show to witness was at Bonnaroo. How is that for lucky?
ANOTHER good one: Satan's Bed. Great fills, great beat. Very loose, but energetic. Absolutely perfect. Hear what goes on as the song fades out? Genius.
I say BRING BACK DAVE A IN 09!!! Get rid of robot Cameron.
Ironically. Wasn't it the drum tech or someone else on Satan's Bed?
Matt is way better live than any of the other drummers which is what makes him perfect. Not many drummers can do the marathon shows PJ does and say sooo strong throughout the tour. Matt is the shit.
Ironically. Wasn't it the drum tech or someone else on Satan's Bed?
Oh yeah, I forgot about that story. Damn.
Well the others still hold true.
I pledge to you a government that will not only work well, but wisely, its ability to act tempered by prudence, and its willingness to do good, balanced by the knowledge that government is never more dangerous than when our desire to have it help us blinds us to its great power to harm us.
-Reagan
I don't play drums or anything, so I can't cite any technical evidence to back myself up...but I think it's obvious that the greatest Pearl Jam drummer ever was Matt Chamberlain.
Anyone remember when Dave Grohl was supposed to join the band? That might have been interesting.
Even when he was playing In My Tree in 2000 (the right way), it sounded amazing...
Just because those songs have worldy, tribal feel to them does not mean that they are any harder to play... that's just a stupid fucking logic.
And for that matter, the studio version of WMA has many many layers of drums, the drum part is on a fucking loop. I have a hard time believing that Matt would loop a drum track during a recording.
Dave A's tempo was slower and fit the songs better. He was also alot more creative! Some small things he did, like pausing his drumming in 'black' in 1994, leaving Eddie and Stone to do that little part just the two of them... Perfect! His jamming in Porch was also really impressive.
Even when he was playing In My Tree in 2000 (the right way), it sounded amazing...
Just because those songs have worldy, tribal feel to them does not mean that they are any harder to play... that's just a stupid fucking logic.
And for that matter, the studio version of WMA has many many layers of drums, the drum part is on a fucking loop. I have a hard time believing that Matt would loop a drum track during a recording.
Those In My Tree performances from 2000 I think are a good example of what was lost when Jack left the band. Those drum parts for the songs we've been talking about (Who You Are, In My Tree) are not complicated, but they illustrate Jack Irons' unique way of approaching and playing the drums. So Matt plays In My Tree the right way, but to my ears he did not capture the beautiful, swirling feel that the song had with Jack. I think that's one of the reasons it's probably been reworked.
My favorite PJ drummer was Jack, but that was primarily because I like my drummers to be a little eccentric and unique in their approach. Matt has alot of talent in different time signatures, shifting sections, Soundgarden-esque stuff, but I think since Pearl Jam is, for the most part, a 4/4, straightforward rock band, those talents rarely get brought to the forefront. I've never been wowed by a Cameron PJ part, besides a few moments on Binaural, the way I was wowed by Jack's creativity on In My Tree, Given to Fly, In Hiding, etc. That said, Cameron's still extemely welcome; he plays the parts well, although he drives the band a bit too fast at times, and he's definetely been one of the reasons they've played so frequently since 02.
I'm in the camp that thinks Matt is by far the most advanced of three (leaving out DK and TC), but also the least inspiring. He keeps them running like a machine, no doubt, and he's extraordinary in that regard. technical chops? Galore! But I like passion, flair, unreserved at-the-edge energy and primal flows of almost sexual passion. Connection. He ain't got that.
To me it's interesting to reflect back on the studio work:
Dave: Vs, Vitalogy - the foundations of everything great in this band
Jack: No Code, Yield - their most beautiful and soul-searching works, without a doubt. Studio masterpieces, rich organic feelings
Matt: Binaural, Riot Act, 8 - 'cool', almost calculated precision; I hear "production" when I listen to these albums, a linear regression away from abstract chemistry and soul where the core thrives.
Just my 2 cents as a long time musician and fan. Gimme Dave A on the road, Jack in the studio, and Matt to keep the shows going today
Nope, sorry. Matt Cameron is not nearly as musical as Dave A was. You guys can say whatever the hell you want but it's a fact: Dave A was a better drummer than Matt Cameron.
Actually, no, that's an opinion.
Cameron was good in Soundgarden, he is not good in Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam is too open and loose for Cameron. When they do jams and such, he is very very uncreative and, frankly, boring. He is more oriented to very structured music, like Soundgarden. He is bad at building up and releasing tension (something that makes someone like John Bonham, and Led Zeppelin as a whole, for example, so goddamn good) and he's bad at just opening up and letting things just flow.
Did Matt Cameron run over your dog and steal your girlfriend or something?
everybody wants the most they can possibly get
for the least they could possibly do
I pledge to you a government that will not only work well, but wisely, its ability to act tempered by prudence, and its willingness to do good, balanced by the knowledge that government is never more dangerous than when our desire to have it help us blinds us to its great power to harm us.
-Reagan
Nope, sorry. Matt Cameron is not nearly as musical as Dave A was. You guys can say whatever the hell you want but it's a fact: Dave A was a better drummer than Matt Cameron. Cameron was good in Soundgarden, he is not good in Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam is too open and loose for Cameron. When they do jams and such, he is very very uncreative and, frankly, boring. He is more oriented to very structured music, like Soundgarden. He is bad at building up and releasing tension (something that makes someone like John Bonham, and Led Zeppelin as a whole, for example, so goddamn good) and he's bad at just opening up and letting things just flow.
I'm not arguing with you. What would be the point? You, personally, are of the opinion that that lame-ass, high-hat riding no-talent ass-fuck Dave A. is the best PJ drummer.
Seriously, though, why would I try to argue you out of a personal preference? If you told me your favorite flavor of ice cream was vanilla, I wouldn't say, "No, your favorite flavor has to be chocolate."
I disagree wholeheartedly with you about Matt. That dude never plays the same fill twice. His drumming is interesting as hell to me. I remember recording the shows I went to on the '98 tour, Matt's first, and listening to GTF over and over and over again ... Matt's fills at the end were stunning. I remember thinking, "This is what Jack should have done with this song."
More recently, listening to Matt at the end of, say, Save You is one of the highlights of that record to me.
But even though I disagree wholeheartedly with you, what good would it do to argue against your preference for Dave "I love these cymbals so much I want to marry them" Abruzzesse?
everybody wants the most they can possibly get
for the least they could possibly do
I disagree wholeheartedly with you about Matt. That dude never plays the same fill twice. His drumming is interesting as hell to me. I remember recording the shows I went to on the '98 tour, Matt's first, and listening to GTF over and over and over again ... Matt's fills at the end were stunning. I remember thinking, "This is what Jack should have done with this song."
quote]
It is strange how divergent opinions could be on this topic, because I personally think Given To Fly has been one of the songs that suffered most from the transition between Jack behind the kit to Matt.
I think that loose, rolling feeling on the toms that is such a hallmark of Jack's work is the one thing that Matt doesn't seem to have the handle on, to my ears. It's this very distinct feeling that you can hear particularly in In My Tree and Given To Fly. I think the latter song loses that unique flavor during the verses now...although that may have to do with the drastically sped up tempo which is another matter.
It is strange how divergent opinions could be on this topic, because I personally think Given To Fly has been one of the songs that suffered most from the transition between Jack behind the kit to Matt.
Well, I'll admit that Matt isn't playing GTF the same way he was in '98 ... for whatever reason. I liked it better then. Still good, though.
everybody wants the most they can possibly get
for the least they could possibly do
Well, I'll admit that Matt isn't playing GTF the same way he was in '98 ... for whatever reason. I liked it better then. Still good, though.
Certainly. For me, though, I think the reason the 98 versions are better than the versions we've gotten more recently are that those are the Cameron versions that are closest to Jack's approach, which is what makes them the best, as opposed to the changes that Matt made to it. I think the more Matt moved away from Jack's approach, the song suffered as a result.
I'm not arguing with you. What would be the point? You, personally, are of the opinion that that lame-ass, high-hat riding no-talent ass-fuck Dave A. is the best PJ drummer.
Seriously, though, why would I try to argue you out of a personal preference? If you told me your favorite flavor of ice cream was vanilla, I wouldn't say, "No, your favorite flavor has to be chocolate."
I disagree wholeheartedly with you about Matt. That dude never plays the same fill twice. His drumming is interesting as hell to me. I remember recording the shows I went to on the '98 tour, Matt's first, and listening to GTF over and over and over again ... Matt's fills at the end were stunning. I remember thinking, "This is what Jack should have done with this song."
More recently, listening to Matt at the end of, say, Save You is one of the highlights of that record to me.
But even though I disagree wholeheartedly with you, what good would it do to argue against your preference for Dave "I love these cymbals so much I want to marry them" Abruzzesse?
Did you listen closely to Vitalogy as I implored you to do? It's easy to see that Dave doesn't love his cymbals enough to prevent him from making some very good musical choices when the situation calls for them. His drumming is very tasteful on that album and shows how he, too, was changing, along with the band.
And I'll point it out again; Matt Cameron is good mechanically. Good grooves, good fills, the whole deal. But he doesn't quite understand dynamics as much. He tends to play long, epic songs like Even Flow or Porch the same way all the way through. At the times when he should really be pushing the intensity of the song (like near the end) he just doesn't do it!! It frustrates the hell out of me, being a drummer. SOMETIMES he does it, but that does not excuse him for the many times he just goes through the motions and doesn't FEEL what he's playing.
Pearl Jam has many songs that build and build and build and then EXPLODE into a climax. This concept of tension release comes from jazz, and any good rock band will have it. Stairway To Heaven is a prime example. Once Page goes electric the tension starts building and building, all the way through the guitar solo, and RELEASES in an EXPLOSION of energy at "And as we wind on down the road..." Some good bands don't have too many tension release songs, like Soundgarden. Their songs tend to stay on the same plane. The only one I can really think of that builds is Black Hole Sun. There's nothing wrong with that, Soundgarden is still a great band. But that style doesn't work for MANY of Pearl Jam's songs. Dave A was great in Pearl Jam because he knew how to build it and push it and then release it (and, yes, cymbals help..). Cameron is not oriented that way as much.
I pledge to you a government that will not only work well, but wisely, its ability to act tempered by prudence, and its willingness to do good, balanced by the knowledge that government is never more dangerous than when our desire to have it help us blinds us to its great power to harm us.
-Reagan
Did you listen closely to Vitalogy as I implored you to do? It's easy to see that Dave doesn't love his cymbals enough to prevent him from making some very good musical choices when the situation calls for them. His drumming is very tasteful on that album and shows how he, too, was changing, along with the band.
And I'll point it out again; Matt Cameron is good mechanically. Good grooves, good fills, the whole deal. But he doesn't quite understand dynamics as much. He tends to play long, epic songs like Even Flow or Porch the same way all the way through. At the times when he should really be pushing the intensity of the song (like near the end) he just doesn't do it!! It frustrates the hell out of me, being a drummer. SOMETIMES he does it, but that does not excuse him for the many times he just goes through the motions and doesn't FEEL what he's playing.
Pearl Jam has many songs that build and build and build and then EXPLODE into a climax. This concept of tension release comes from jazz, and any good rock band will have it. Stairway To Heaven is a prime example. Once Page goes electric the tension starts building and building, all the way through the guitar solo, and RELEASES in an EXPLOSION of energy at "And as we wind on down the road..." Some good bands don't have too many tension release songs, like Soundgarden. Their songs tend to stay on the same plane. The only one I can really think of that builds is Black Hole Sun. There's nothing wrong with that, Soundgarden is still a great band. But that style doesn't work for MANY of Pearl Jam's songs. Dave A was great in Pearl Jam because he knew how to build it and push it and then release it (and, yes, cymbals help..). Cameron is not oriented that way as much.
I'm just messing with you mostly. You like Dave. I like Matt. It ain't exactly Sunni vs. Shi'ite.
everybody wants the most they can possibly get
for the least they could possibly do
I'm just messing with you mostly. You like Dave. I like Matt. It ain't exactly Sunni vs. Shi'ite.
Well I certainly hope we wouldn't be blowing ourselves up over this.
I pledge to you a government that will not only work well, but wisely, its ability to act tempered by prudence, and its willingness to do good, balanced by the knowledge that government is never more dangerous than when our desire to have it help us blinds us to its great power to harm us.
-Reagan
Certainly. For me, though, I think the reason the 98 versions are better than the versions we've gotten more recently are that those are the Cameron versions that are closest to Jack's approach, which is what makes them the best, as opposed to the changes that Matt made to it. I think the more Matt moved away from Jack's approach, the song suffered as a result.
I think they're just playing everything too fast. I believe that to be an ed thing more than a matt thing (at his solo show, Ed even played Around the Bend at warp speed).
The versions of GTF that I've heard from this tour seem to be slowed down a little, thank God. Hopefully, that will help.
everybody wants the most they can possibly get
for the least they could possibly do
Comments
Dave A. is overrated.
Exactly.
Dave was great in his way but I agree with the sentiment that he was a little too one dimensional to be relevant as the band matured and experimented.
Matt is great technically but for years I thought of him as Soundgarden's drummer and a Pearl Jam fill-in. I think it took him a while to find his voice within the band and I really came to appreciate his contribution with the last album and tour -- especially vocally. The fact is, Dave ain't coming back and Jack ain't coming back. They both played vital roles in the history of the band. I appreciate that. Thanks for the memories. But Matt Cameron has been the drummer of Pearl Jam for over 10 years now -- the longest to occupy that seat in the history of the band -- and it's high time he gets the recognition that he so richly deserves. He has the mental fortitude to be a consistently AMAZING drummer in a legendary, high-profile rock n' roll band plus the skills to contribute and play just about ANYTHING. In my opinion, game over; end the debate: Matt Cameron is the best.
Listen to Last Exit from that album and then listen to a Jack Irons version. Dave really drives the band along, he pushes it. Jack Irons is sluggish, he slows the whole thing down.
I'm sorry but Dave A was just a better drummer. More suitable for Pearl Jam. They needed that driving type of drumming to keep the energy up. Jack Irons puts me to sleep.
Listen to Not For You on Vitalogy. He plays it all perfectly simple. Simple beat, minimalist fills, pushes it when he needs to. He really drives the band. Excellent drumming.
Another good one: Tremor Christ. Very tasteful drumming on it. Very simple beat. Simple fills. He leaves plenty of room in the song for it to go where it goes. Doesn't overpower the band but, again, drives them along. Nothingman is also great. Great choice to use brushes. Very musically savvy. Dave A knows what he's doing and this album especially demonstrates that. Listening to it makes me truly sad that he's gone, especially Nothingman. I don't think the band realized how good he really was.
ANOTHER good one: Satan's Bed. Great fills, great beat. Very loose, but energetic. Absolutely perfect. Hear what goes on as the song fades out? Genius.
I say BRING BACK DAVE A IN 09!!! Get rid of robot Cameron.
-Reagan
Nope, sorry. Matt Cameron is not nearly as musical as Dave A was. You guys can say whatever the hell you want but it's a fact: Dave A was a better drummer than Matt Cameron. Cameron was good in Soundgarden, he is not good in Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam is too open and loose for Cameron. When they do jams and such, he is very very uncreative and, frankly, boring. He is more oriented to very structured music, like Soundgarden. He is bad at building up and releasing tension (something that makes someone like John Bonham, and Led Zeppelin as a whole, for example, so goddamn good) and he's bad at just opening up and letting things just flow.
-Reagan
Matt has awesome timing abilities and great ideas as well, but with a totally different vibe. He is much more tighter and more hard rocking than Jack. Much more focused. He creates some really weird timings and he has a hell of a right foot. He can make a single pedal sound like 2 and thats hard to do.
The Dave's in my eyes were nothing except standard hard rock drummers. Dave K. was the worst in my eyes. It is hard to believe anyone would like Dave K over Matt. Dave used the same style in every song. Most of the time use hi hats during the intro and verse and every time the chorus would come in he would play on the ride cymbal. That annoys the shit out of me. Dave A focused too much on being a hard rock drummer and used his crashes way too much. Other than WMA, he lacked creativity. He did have a lot of energy though. I liked that.
To be simple, Jack and Matt were easily PJs best drummers overall.
Ironically. Wasn't it the drum tech or someone else on Satan's Bed?
Matt is way better live than any of the other drummers which is what makes him perfect. Not many drummers can do the marathon shows PJ does and say sooo strong throughout the tour. Matt is the shit.
Dave A. was good for that era.
Jack was good in studio, but kinda blew live.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that story. Damn.
Well the others still hold true.
-Reagan
Anyone remember when Dave Grohl was supposed to join the band? That might have been interesting.
Even when he was playing In My Tree in 2000 (the right way), it sounded amazing...
Just because those songs have worldy, tribal feel to them does not mean that they are any harder to play... that's just a stupid fucking logic.
And for that matter, the studio version of WMA has many many layers of drums, the drum part is on a fucking loop. I have a hard time believing that Matt would loop a drum track during a recording.
Dave A's tempo was slower and fit the songs better. He was also alot more creative! Some small things he did, like pausing his drumming in 'black' in 1994, leaving Eddie and Stone to do that little part just the two of them... Perfect! His jamming in Porch was also really impressive.
That said, I don't think Matt has come close to his brilliant work on the last two Soundgarden albums. He was phenomenal on Down on the Upside.
Those In My Tree performances from 2000 I think are a good example of what was lost when Jack left the band. Those drum parts for the songs we've been talking about (Who You Are, In My Tree) are not complicated, but they illustrate Jack Irons' unique way of approaching and playing the drums. So Matt plays In My Tree the right way, but to my ears he did not capture the beautiful, swirling feel that the song had with Jack. I think that's one of the reasons it's probably been reworked.
My favorite PJ drummer was Jack, but that was primarily because I like my drummers to be a little eccentric and unique in their approach. Matt has alot of talent in different time signatures, shifting sections, Soundgarden-esque stuff, but I think since Pearl Jam is, for the most part, a 4/4, straightforward rock band, those talents rarely get brought to the forefront. I've never been wowed by a Cameron PJ part, besides a few moments on Binaural, the way I was wowed by Jack's creativity on In My Tree, Given to Fly, In Hiding, etc. That said, Cameron's still extemely welcome; he plays the parts well, although he drives the band a bit too fast at times, and he's definetely been one of the reasons they've played so frequently since 02.
To me it's interesting to reflect back on the studio work:
Dave: Vs, Vitalogy - the foundations of everything great in this band
Jack: No Code, Yield - their most beautiful and soul-searching works, without a doubt. Studio masterpieces, rich organic feelings
Matt: Binaural, Riot Act, 8 - 'cool', almost calculated precision; I hear "production" when I listen to these albums, a linear regression away from abstract chemistry and soul where the core thrives.
Just my 2 cents as a long time musician and fan. Gimme Dave A on the road, Jack in the studio, and Matt to keep the shows going today
Actually, no, that's an opinion.
Did Matt Cameron run over your dog and steal your girlfriend or something?
for the least they could possibly do
But it's an informed opinion.
-Reagan
Won't let the darkness swallow me.
I'm not arguing with you. What would be the point? You, personally, are of the opinion that that lame-ass, high-hat riding no-talent ass-fuck Dave A. is the best PJ drummer.
Seriously, though, why would I try to argue you out of a personal preference? If you told me your favorite flavor of ice cream was vanilla, I wouldn't say, "No, your favorite flavor has to be chocolate."
I disagree wholeheartedly with you about Matt. That dude never plays the same fill twice. His drumming is interesting as hell to me. I remember recording the shows I went to on the '98 tour, Matt's first, and listening to GTF over and over and over again ... Matt's fills at the end were stunning. I remember thinking, "This is what Jack should have done with this song."
More recently, listening to Matt at the end of, say, Save You is one of the highlights of that record to me.
But even though I disagree wholeheartedly with you, what good would it do to argue against your preference for Dave "I love these cymbals so much I want to marry them" Abruzzesse?
for the least they could possibly do
Well, I'll admit that Matt isn't playing GTF the same way he was in '98 ... for whatever reason. I liked it better then. Still good, though.
for the least they could possibly do
Certainly. For me, though, I think the reason the 98 versions are better than the versions we've gotten more recently are that those are the Cameron versions that are closest to Jack's approach, which is what makes them the best, as opposed to the changes that Matt made to it. I think the more Matt moved away from Jack's approach, the song suffered as a result.
Did you listen closely to Vitalogy as I implored you to do? It's easy to see that Dave doesn't love his cymbals enough to prevent him from making some very good musical choices when the situation calls for them. His drumming is very tasteful on that album and shows how he, too, was changing, along with the band.
And I'll point it out again; Matt Cameron is good mechanically. Good grooves, good fills, the whole deal. But he doesn't quite understand dynamics as much. He tends to play long, epic songs like Even Flow or Porch the same way all the way through. At the times when he should really be pushing the intensity of the song (like near the end) he just doesn't do it!! It frustrates the hell out of me, being a drummer. SOMETIMES he does it, but that does not excuse him for the many times he just goes through the motions and doesn't FEEL what he's playing.
Pearl Jam has many songs that build and build and build and then EXPLODE into a climax. This concept of tension release comes from jazz, and any good rock band will have it. Stairway To Heaven is a prime example. Once Page goes electric the tension starts building and building, all the way through the guitar solo, and RELEASES in an EXPLOSION of energy at "And as we wind on down the road..." Some good bands don't have too many tension release songs, like Soundgarden. Their songs tend to stay on the same plane. The only one I can really think of that builds is Black Hole Sun. There's nothing wrong with that, Soundgarden is still a great band. But that style doesn't work for MANY of Pearl Jam's songs. Dave A was great in Pearl Jam because he knew how to build it and push it and then release it (and, yes, cymbals help..). Cameron is not oriented that way as much.
-Reagan
I'm just messing with you mostly. You like Dave. I like Matt. It ain't exactly Sunni vs. Shi'ite.
for the least they could possibly do
Well I certainly hope we wouldn't be blowing ourselves up over this.
-Reagan
I think they're just playing everything too fast. I believe that to be an ed thing more than a matt thing (at his solo show, Ed even played Around the Bend at warp speed).
The versions of GTF that I've heard from this tour seem to be slowed down a little, thank God. Hopefully, that will help.
for the least they could possibly do
I'm going to send a suicide bomber to your house with a lock of Dave's hair ... when you open the door to sniff it ... KABLOOEY!
for the least they could possibly do
Pearl Jam bootlegs:
http://wegotshit.blogspot.com
True that, it is a matter of preference.
I think Steve Vai is one of the most "technical" guitarists in the world but he has ZERO soul when playing guitar.