Why wasn’t Avocado a bigger success?
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i think once a rock band spends a few years being rich then you can forget about any good new stuff0
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I for one think Avocado rocks hard!0
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Dillsnufus wrote:because none of the songs were on a commercial or american idol.
correction. none of the songs were on guitar hero 3... if i hear one more person hear Evenflow and say hey i know that song! it's on GH3 i might seriously harpoon myself between the eyes...0 -
..because it sucks, at least compared to any other pj album0
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robcascie wrote:..because it sucks, at least compared to any other pj album
Couldn't agree more.0 -
Evacuation Rules wrote:It wasn't a big success because it sucks.
This thread may as well have been closed on the first page after this post, it pretty much says all that needs to be said.0 -
I don't know if any other European PJ fans feel like this, but for me the Avocado period signalled Pearl Jam's return to to our lives after a 6 year hiatus... it was like a long lost best friend returning from the wilderness. I was a massive fan in the 90's, but drifted elsewhere in the early 00's. Riot Act was decent but still the band felt distant to me. Of course I started getting excited with as news of a new album and possible tours started, and the trigger for me was when the London Astoria gig was announced, embarrassingly I remember getting a bit emotional when I managed to get a pair of tickets. From then on it was just incredible, 2006 was one of the greatest years of my life, and Pearl Jam provided the soundtrack. The euphoria pretty much lasted up until the Wembley 07 gig.
For Americans I guess it was just another Pearl Jam album and tour. For us Europeans, it meant more than you can possibly imagine.0 -
DriftingByTheStorm wrote:you wrote:I don’t think kids who are 15 or 18 or whatever are raving to their friends about the anticipation they feel waiting for the follow up to Avocado. Kids these days are raving about My Chemical Romance or Rhianna or Modest Mouse.
Well, exactly.
When in history have 15 to 18 year olds (who typicaly don't know shit, anyhow - and yes, you'll have to excuse the generalization) EVER flocked with enthusiasm to a band that began 15-18 years BEFORE their time?
You are asking for a new wave of record buying public ... one that has a very limited knowledge of who pearl jam is or was ... and has ZERO understanding of the climate they arose from ... or just how important they were in the early 90's music scene ...
they have no clue about the mass hysteria that ensued around Pearl Jam, and honestly, most of the ones who do probably scoff at it.
Its the old "hate your parent's music" mentality.
Pearl Jam are old hat.
They are dinosaurs.
Kids want to think they are on to the hip new thing.
Pearl Jam are ANYTHING but trendy.
Why would you even want that?
Ewww.
I like young fans,
i think its fucking great.
The ones that can weed out the crap, and find true creative beauty in bands like Pearl Jam ... i embrace their new inclusion in the Jamily.
That being said, why would you want the unwashed masses of idiot teeny boppers and moron fans fawning over a band that speaks about individualism and purity of spirit?
I hear ya.
It feels great to have the validation of the world,
but be careful what you wish for,
you probably don't really want it.
Green Day had a massive resurgance with American Idiot, yet they arose approximately 10+ years prior to the album's release... I remember seeing a show on the American Idiot tour and was shocked at how many 15 year-olds were there... It was equally shocking to see that none of them knew the words to any of the radio singles off Dookie. They just stood there with their arms crossed.9/28/96, 8/28/98, 8/29/98, 8/18/00, 10/8/00, 10/9/00, 4/28/03, 6/22/03, 7/8/03, 7/9/03, 10/2/04, 10/5/04, 10/1/05, 10/3/05, 5/28/06, 6/20/08, 6/25/08, 10/27/09, 10/30/09, 10/31/09, 5/18/10, 5/20/10, 5/21/10, 10/21/13, 10/22/13, 4/28/16, 4/29/16, 8/22/16, 9/26/21, 10/1/21, 10/2/21, 5/3/22, 5/6/220 -
Porchsitter wrote:It's funny, ya know. For me, albums like Binaural and Riot Act required some time for me to come around to them. Not that they were bad albums. They just felt different when you place them aside with Vitalogy and Yield. However, over time, I've come to enjoy these albums (Binaural moreso than Riot Act) as they have grown on me. Avocado, on the other hand, took the exact opposite approach. I was smitten with it initially but have grown tired of it over time. I'm not sure if it's my least favorite album, but I would say that it ranks somewhere close to the bottom.London Astoria - Dublin - Wembley - Shepherds Bush - London 020
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I love ST (Avacado)! I don't care what anyone says.Pearl Jam Shows: 1998 - 9/11 New York, NY (MSG night 2); 9/13 Hartford, CT || 2000 - 8/24 Wantagh, NY (Jones Beach 2); 8/27 Saratoga Springs; 8/29 Mansfield, MA (night 1); 8/30 Mansfield, MA (night 2) || 2003 - 4/29 Albany, NY; 5/3 State College, PA; 7/2 Mansfield (night 1); 7/6 Camden, NJ (night 2); 7/8 New York, NY (MSG night 1) || 2004 - 9/28 Boston, MA (night 1); 9/29 Boston, MA (night 2) || 2005 - 10/3 Philadelphia, PA || 2006 - 5/12 Albany, NY; 5/13 Hartford, CT; 5/24 Boston, MA (night 1); 5/25 Boston, MA (night 2); 5/27 Camden, NJ (night 1); 5/28 Camden, NJ (night 2)|| 2008 - 6/19 Camden, NJ (night 1); 6/24 New York, NY (MSG night 1); 6/25 New York, NY (MSG night 2); 6/27 Hartford, CT; 6/28 Mansfield, MA (night 1); 6/30 Mansfield, MA (night 2); 7/1 New York, NY (Beacon Theater)|| 2009 - 9/21 Seattle, WA (night 1); 9/22 Seattle, WA (night 2); 10/27 Philadelphia, PA (Spectrum night 1); 10/28 Philadelphia, PA (Spectrum night 2); 10/30 Philadelphia, PA (Spectrum night 3); 10/31 Philadelphia, PA (Spectrum night 4)|| 2010 - 5/15 Hartford, CT; 5/17 Boston, MA; 5/20 New York, NY (MSG night 1); 5/21 New York, NY (MSG night 2)|| 2011 - 9/3 East Troy, WI (PJ20); 9/4 East Troy, WI (PJ20) || 2012 - 9/2 Philadelphia, PA, 9/30 Missoula, MT || 2013 - 7/19 Chicago, IL (Wrigley Field), 10/12 Buffalo, NY, 10/15 Worcester, MA (night 1), 10/16 Worcester, MA (night 2), 10/18 Brooklyn, NY (night 1), 10/19 Brooklyn, NY (night 2), 10/25 Hartford, CT || 2014 - 10/22 Denver, CO || 2015 - 9/26 New York, NY (Global Citizen Festival) || 2016 - 5/1 New York, NY (night 1), 5/2 New York, NY (night 2), 8/5 Boston, MA (Fenway Park night 1), 8/7 Boston, MA (Fenway Park night 2) || 2018 - 9/2 Boston, MA (Fenway Park night 1) || 2020 - 3/30 New York, NY
Eddie Vedder solo: 2008 - Boston night 1 & 2 || 2009 - Albany, NY night 1 & 2 || 2011 - Hartford, CT, Boston, MA0 -
Yeah, I was annoyed with Avocado....I hated they were "going back" to some time long gone; where is the evolution that's expected from Pearl Jam?!?! They went out and tried hard to promote it commercially, reinforcing my suspicion that Avocado was indeed meant to appeal to the masses so that Pearl Jam could once again be "successful," whatever that means. Avocado was an artistic failure....yes, I love some of the songs on there, but it just doesn't sound natural to me...they over-produced that album......I really hope this next album is more organic, perhaps Brendan O'Brian's tight schedule will pave the way for less tinkering...
Back to why it didn't sell: Rock is not popular enough to have an album like Avocado sell millions...plus you add illegal downloads and people just don't bother....but it is possible like The Killers, whose Hot Fuss is the ideal popular rock album0 -
It is actually quite funny to see how different people's reaction to Avocado is.
Me personally I liked the Album. Was it their best? No, it wasn't. But neither were Binaural or Riot Act but again everyone has a different opinion of which album is better than the other.
I believe that recording with Brendon O'Brien for the 1st time in years is a great sign.
I'm sure in a couple of years after this new record is released, we will all be on this site arguing if it was a great album or not.0 -
LM132938 wrote:It is actually quite funny to see how different people's reaction to Avocado is.
Me personally I liked the Album. Was it their best? No, it wasn't. But neither were Binaural or Riot Act but again everyone has a different opinion of which album is better than the other.
I believe that recording with Brendon O'Brien for the 1st time in years is a great sign.
I'm sure in a couple of years after this new record is released, we will all be on this site arguing if it was a great album or not.Pearl Jam Shows: 1998 - 9/11 New York, NY (MSG night 2); 9/13 Hartford, CT || 2000 - 8/24 Wantagh, NY (Jones Beach 2); 8/27 Saratoga Springs; 8/29 Mansfield, MA (night 1); 8/30 Mansfield, MA (night 2) || 2003 - 4/29 Albany, NY; 5/3 State College, PA; 7/2 Mansfield (night 1); 7/6 Camden, NJ (night 2); 7/8 New York, NY (MSG night 1) || 2004 - 9/28 Boston, MA (night 1); 9/29 Boston, MA (night 2) || 2005 - 10/3 Philadelphia, PA || 2006 - 5/12 Albany, NY; 5/13 Hartford, CT; 5/24 Boston, MA (night 1); 5/25 Boston, MA (night 2); 5/27 Camden, NJ (night 1); 5/28 Camden, NJ (night 2)|| 2008 - 6/19 Camden, NJ (night 1); 6/24 New York, NY (MSG night 1); 6/25 New York, NY (MSG night 2); 6/27 Hartford, CT; 6/28 Mansfield, MA (night 1); 6/30 Mansfield, MA (night 2); 7/1 New York, NY (Beacon Theater)|| 2009 - 9/21 Seattle, WA (night 1); 9/22 Seattle, WA (night 2); 10/27 Philadelphia, PA (Spectrum night 1); 10/28 Philadelphia, PA (Spectrum night 2); 10/30 Philadelphia, PA (Spectrum night 3); 10/31 Philadelphia, PA (Spectrum night 4)|| 2010 - 5/15 Hartford, CT; 5/17 Boston, MA; 5/20 New York, NY (MSG night 1); 5/21 New York, NY (MSG night 2)|| 2011 - 9/3 East Troy, WI (PJ20); 9/4 East Troy, WI (PJ20) || 2012 - 9/2 Philadelphia, PA, 9/30 Missoula, MT || 2013 - 7/19 Chicago, IL (Wrigley Field), 10/12 Buffalo, NY, 10/15 Worcester, MA (night 1), 10/16 Worcester, MA (night 2), 10/18 Brooklyn, NY (night 1), 10/19 Brooklyn, NY (night 2), 10/25 Hartford, CT || 2014 - 10/22 Denver, CO || 2015 - 9/26 New York, NY (Global Citizen Festival) || 2016 - 5/1 New York, NY (night 1), 5/2 New York, NY (night 2), 8/5 Boston, MA (Fenway Park night 1), 8/7 Boston, MA (Fenway Park night 2) || 2018 - 9/2 Boston, MA (Fenway Park night 1) || 2020 - 3/30 New York, NY
Eddie Vedder solo: 2008 - Boston night 1 & 2 || 2009 - Albany, NY night 1 & 2 || 2011 - Hartford, CT, Boston, MA0 -
Personally, I think the problem with the lack of so-called success of avocado was the choice of single. The single is what brings listeners in. Whether they wanted to be more popular or not, WWS was not an accessible tune, imo. I like the song but I found it a bit boring to listen to twice.
Personally, I think they should have released "Army Reserve" as the first single - easily the best tune on the album, and would have been a definite hit. Plus lyrically and musically it was strong, visual, emotive and interesting, and I'm sure the intro hook would've stuck in many brains if they'd been able to hear it regularly on the radio.
They could also have done a fairly good video to it showcasing the soldiers in the war and what they and their families are going through. The band is known for their politics and anti-war stance and this would have been a good way to continue on that theme and get their point across at the same time. They could have donated some of the revenue to a soldier's charity too, if they didn't want to look like they're cashing in on the spoils of war."We have to change the concept of patriotism to one of “matriotism” — love of humanity that transcends war. A matriarch would never send her own children off to wars that kill other people’s children." Cindy Sheehan
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Restless Soul wrote:Personally, I think the problem with the lack of so-called success of avocado was the choice of single. The single is what brings listeners in. Whether they wanted to be more popular or not, WWS was not an accessible tune, imo. I like the song but I found it a bit boring to listen to twice.
Personally, I think they should have released "Army Reserve" as the first single - easily the best tune on the album, and would have been a definite hit. Plus lyrically and musically it was strong, visual, emotive and interesting, and I'm sure the intro hook would've stuck in many brains if they'd been able to hear it regularly on the radio.
They could also have done a fairly good video to it showcasing the soldiers in the war and what they and their families are going through. The band is known for their politics and anti-war stance and this would have been a good way to continue on that theme and get their point across at the same time. They could have donated some of the revenue to a soldier's charity too, if they didn't want to look like they're cashing in on the spoils of war.
Army reserve would not have been a good choice for a single. Great song, not single worthy. Personally I think Severed Hand would have been a good first single.{if (work != 0) {
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I think Marker in the Sand was the obvious choice for a first single."The sun is shining, but not for me."0
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[quote="
I hear ya.
It feels great to have the validation of the world,
but be careful what you wish for,
you probably don't really want it.[/quote]
Well said0 -
Restless Soul wrote:Personally, I think the problem with the lack of so-called success of avocado was the choice of single. The single is what brings listeners in. Whether they wanted to be more popular or not, WWS was not an accessible tune, imo. I like the song but I found it a bit boring to listen to twice.
Personally, I think they should have released "Army Reserve" as the first single - easily the best tune on the album, and would have been a definite hit. Plus lyrically and musically it was strong, visual, emotive and interesting, and I'm sure the intro hook would've stuck in many brains if they'd been able to hear it regularly on the radio.
They could also have done a fairly good video to it showcasing the soldiers in the war and what they and their families are going through. The band is known for their politics and anti-war stance and this would have been a good way to continue on that theme and get their point across at the same time. They could have donated some of the revenue to a soldier's charity too, if they didn't want to look like they're cashing in on the spoils of war.
Seriously? WWS was their most successful single since Last Kiss.0 -
PearlJamPatriot wrote:LM132938 wrote:It is actually quite funny to see how different people's reaction to Avocado is.
Me personally I liked the Album. Was it their best? No, it wasn't. But neither were Binaural or Riot Act but again everyone has a different opinion of which album is better than the other.
I believe that recording with Brendon O'Brien for the 1st time in years is a great sign.
I'm sure in a couple of years after this new record is released, we will all be on this site arguing if it was a great album or not.
I hope not. There is no argument about Ten-Yield. Everyone digs those albums. It's only the last 3 that have engendered such divided opinions. I'd love it if they could come up with an album that can stand alongside those first five.0 -
NuclearTreeFrog wrote:I think Marker in the Sand was the obvious choice for a first single.
I agree with this. The chorus is amazingly catchy.0
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