Is Vedder The Only Decent Songwriter Left In PJ?

Army & Navy

I'm beginning to feel that way..

If the next album was 80-90% words & music by Eddie Vedder. Would that be such a bad thing?

pjfan31

dont forget inside job was by mr mike mcCready. So I would disagree for now, though with Eddie's efforts on ITW I would be happy with a major major contribution from Eddie on the next album. Just my thoughts.

mindi

Are you kidding?

Hitch-Hiker

Blasphemy!
What about Jeff?

pjtradeking

Army & Navy wrote:

I'm beginning to feel that way..

If the next album was 80-90% words & music by Eddie Vedder. Would that be such a bad thing?

Officially the silliest thing I will read today....:)

justam

Army & Navy wrote:

I'm beginning to feel that way..

If the next album was 80-90% words & music by Eddie Vedder. Would that be such a bad thing?

Let's not be insulting to the other musicians in PJ, okay?

Mine

Inside Job is just ok. The intro is too pretentious and the way the song evolves doesn't justify it.

As for Jeff, i will be honest, I'd prefer if his songs were left as B-sides. Same goes for Matt. Stone is hit or miss.

Eddie is definitely the most elaborate and complete songwriter in the band everything else is just a matter of taste.

I know most people here don't agree but it is Eddie and then everybody else.

ps. writing a riff is not writing the music of a song

meme

no

tremor leo

itw is a great collection of songs but its not a pj album, no disrespect but if it was marketed as a pj album i would be dissapointed, of course eddie has provided the bulk of the lyrics for quite a few of the albums but itw wasnt heavy nor was it supposed to be, i think that an album with 90% eddie lyrics and music wouldnt reflect the band properly.

Niko80

pjfan31 wrote:

dont forget inside job was by mr mike mcCready. So I would disagree for now, though with Eddie's efforts on ITW I would be happy with a major major contribution from Eddie on the next album. Just my thoughts.

Mine too

Eddie is by far the best songwriter. The other members should all be thankfull to have such a talented guy still wanting to play with them. Its my opinion that without Eddie's writing, pearl jam will dry up.

Eddie on the other hand has proven that he can do just as well by himself. He is far superior in terms of songwriting, and you understand that when you hear a guy like Stone say they are ready to hit the studio when Eddie calls them in. Tells you a little bit about where pearl jam is today.

HailRoad24

Army & Navy wrote:

I'm beginning to feel that way..

If the next album was 80-90% words & music by Eddie Vedder. Would that be such a bad thing?

YOu're kidding right? Life Wasted, alone, bitch slapped all of Eddie's songs on the past album.

WWS was meh, Severed Hand was uneven, and Gone was a major clunker.

rvp

Army & Navy wrote:

I'm beginning to feel that way..

If the next album was 80-90% words & music by Eddie Vedder. Would that be such a bad thing?

YES, that would be a EV album with colaboration from other musicians, that would not be pearl jam, and that my friend WOULD BE VERY BAD...

edit: and to answer your question "Is Vedder The Only Decent Songwriter Left In PJ?" NO, HE IS NOT.

Mine

tremor leo wrote:

itw is a great collection of songs but its not a pj album, no disrespect but if it was marketed as a pj album i would be dissapointed, of course eddie has provided the bulk of the lyrics for quite a few of the albums but itw wasnt heavy nor was it supposed to be, i think that an album with 90% eddie lyrics and music wouldnt reflect the band properly.

It is a soundtrack that was written for a specific purpose to fit an already existing score and film. It's not fair to compare the structures of the songs and the arrangements to Pearl Jam. The songwriting however is superb.

12345AGNST1

today, i guess eddie is the best songwriter, but thats only because he writes most of the songs. if stone wrote some more songs then we would have an easier way of knowing. personally i like matts songs,except for evacuation,which is OK. unemployable and you are are GREAT, so is in the moonlight. stone wrote alot of the earlier stuff, so obivously he can write songs. mikes songs are more complicated IMO. marker in the sand and given to fly arent really straightforward.

Mine

HailRoad24 wrote:

YOu're kidding right? Life Wasted, alone, bitch slapped all of Eddie's songs on the past album.

WWS was meh, Severed Hand was uneven, and Gone was a major clunker.

Life Wasted's melody and lyrics existed before Stone came up with the riff for which he is credited. It's known the credits in PJ are not terribly accurate.

Ms. Haiku

It depends on what type of songs you like. I haven't heard most of the ITW songs.

Most of Stone's lyrics I don't understand, but I like the music he writes.
Regarding Mike, Inside Job was my favorite song on Avocado Blue, and I loved GTF long before I knew what the lyrics were. I hope he adds more.
Jeff is consistent in theme. So, if there's a Jeff song time to sit back and hear a man discuss his own personal challenges.
Ed has a great writing talent. Dirty Frank is my benchmark for him. That was intuitive, humourous, and yet direct. As someone else noted, Gone, was not up to par IMHO.
I understand Matt's lyrics only slightly better than Stone's, but his creation of a song is complete. The same amount of energy seems to be used for music, lyrics, whathaveyou.

Arainea

As for Jeff, i will be honest, I'd prefer if his songs were left as B-sides. [/quote wrote:

I love Jeff songs. I'd miss them for sure.


I think that with Pearl Jam, the sum is greater than the parts.

tremor leo

evidently th context that itw was created in was far diffrent to that in which pearl jam`s albums are created but i cant see how having an album penned almost solely by one man cant ba a good idea for pearl jam the likes of matt and jeff are to good at what they do to be xcluded frm the creation of the music they play

Army & Navy

I thought I should back up my original post..Don't get me wrong, I think as live musicians and players, the rest of PJ are top notch. No-one can catch them, but since 2000 I just think Vedder is not only writing 60% of all the material but that 60% is the best stuff...I mean take:

Insiginicance
Greivance
I Am Mine
Parting Ways
Severed Hand
Worldwide Suicide
Man of The Hour
Undone
Can't Keep
Green Disease
Sad
Education

Can anyone deny, that list contains their best songs this decade?

SomethingCreative

eddie writes the best lyrics and he should...he's the singer. Stone is the best writer in the band though

alive
even flow
In Hiding
DTE
Life Wasted (just because ed had lyrics before the music doesn't mean stone didn't write the music)
Parachutes
Fatal (words AND music)
Footsteps
Hard to Imagine
Once
Black

and that's just stone...the list would be much longer if it were Stone/Jeff or Stone/Mike. One other thing is that lately...a lot of Ed's songs aren't really that original...they are VERY similar to Who songs...which is fine, I don't really care but he's not the best songwriter in the band, on guitar anyway.

dr teeth

this post is just crazy.he's tied for fourth with matt.that's just the way it is.i mean, have you heard parachutes and marker in the sand?

audiodave

One of the things I love about PJ is that everyone writes. I think it's great that everyone is able to contribute something, and I don't prefer anyone's songs over anyone else...I don't bother to sit down and memorise who wrote each individual song. I'm not THAT bored.

Anyway, if all the writing was left to Ed, then it would take away one of the major things that makes PJ the band they are. To me at least.

So I guess my answer to your question is...hell no.

justam

Army & Navy wrote:

I thought I should back up my original post..Don't get me wrong, I think as live musicians and players, the rest of PJ are top notch. No-one can catch them, but since 2000 I just think Vedder is not only writing 60% of all the material but that 60% is the best stuff...I mean take:

Insiginicance
Greivance
I Am Mine
Parting Ways
Severed Hand
Worldwide Suicide
Man of The Hour
Undone
Can't Keep
Green Disease
Sad
Education

Can anyone deny, that list contains their best songs this decade?

I think these are your favorite ones, but not necessarily the best ones.

As someone else said above, PJ is what it is because of the whole group of people.

For example, Stone and Matt's songs may not be initially as appealing as Ed's but some of them have better staying power over time because they are more complicated. Perhaps Mike and Jeff don't write as many songs but wouldn't you miss Given to Fly, Inside Job, and Nothingman?

boyo79

I'd be disappointed to have a PJ album where the only contribution was from Ed. I think the rest of the band are happy for Ed to make most of a contribution but then they add in gems like Lowlight, Unemployable, Nothing As It Seems and Inside Job.

NC_Irie

pjfan31 wrote:

dont forget inside job was by mr mike mcCready. So I would disagree for now, though with Eddie's efforts on ITW I would be happy with a major major contribution from Eddie on the next album. Just my thoughts.

dont forget about jingle bells. that was all mike. no one else was credited there.

Fahka

Of course not. The only hopes i could have for the next album is a more "binaural" apt album... (IE, the whole band having writing credits ect) oh and no more backing vocals from Matt.... not his fault, i just dont think matt's and ed's voice mesh that well together....

audiodave

Ok. I'm looking through the post 2000 albums now, and it seems to me that the most interesting/different sounding songs come from people other than Ed. I WANT songs like that.

Nothing As It Seems, Of The Girl, Rival, Sleight Of Hand (music), You Are, Help Help, Half Full (music), All Or None...most of the more interesting music was written by someone other than Ed on Avocado, not to mention Inside Job. And let's not forget Lost Dogs, with the likes of Fatal, Otherside, Strangest Tribe (not post 2000 I know), Down (music)...

It all comes down to your opinion. It seems other people here greatly disagree.

Cropduster84

Although I prefer In The Wild to Avocado (at least at the minute) I'd hate to see Pearl Jam become all Ed....Mike wrote Given To Fly, 'nuff said.....

The great thing about Pearl Jam is the fact that all members are very individual and contribute very different and unique things....

josevolution

come now folks ED with out the rest of the band or band with out ED, would be totally different style of songs written by all party's involved one can't work with out the other in collaboration leading up to recording an album ...

shadowcast

Eddie contributes to over 90% of everything as is. So why is this a surprise to anyone?

hookemhorns0505

From how i see it; they're a band, they write music together. Ideas come from all around and everyone can add something to that particular song if it works; its about the best thing for the song, not the best thing for their egos.

Bottom line, its important that they enjoy writing together, accepting each others ideas and taking risks and exploring new musical experiences.