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  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    SolarWorld wrote:
    soulsinging wrote:
    As to why I still kick around here: 1) good tips in the other music sections 2) addicted to the political debate in the Moving Train. But fear not, I won't be here forever. I intend to let my membership expire next time around.

    Let me be the first to say, you wont be missed...

    I'm crying inside. I'm going to go tell my therapist SolarWorld doesn't love me :roll:
  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    slightofjeff wrote:
    soulsinging wrote:
    That's another good point. PJ has hands down one of the best rock vocalists EVER. Why do they insist by squandering it with all these songs where he's reduced to doing little more than rapping essentially? Seriously, listen to the delivery. He's not singing, he's basically just speaking rhythmically twice as fast as some girl from The Hills, and throwing in a few growls or shouts to make it sound like it's rock singing.

    Sort of like ... "What the fuck is this world/coming to/you didn't leave a message ..."

    Or ... "Ohpleasedon'tgoutonme/don'tgoonmenow"

    They've been playing songs like this from Day 1.

    You don't like them. Fine. But don't act like this is something new. It's quintessential Pearl Jam, actually.

    Those songs both switch to singing for the chorus (dont go on meeee), or the big climax of porch. Compare that to what passes for the chorus on Comatose. "feelitrisin, nextstop fallin, somethin something somethin mumble gibberish"
  • John Briggs 2008
    John Briggs 2008 Posts: 1,024
    I liked it and thought ED sounded great. People say he didn't sound that good but honestly, that's about where his vocals are. The vibe seemed okay to me as well. I think Ed just didn't want o be seen as so fucking short next to Conan and that's why he was like that at he end. He seems to have a pet peeve about being next o really tall people. Dennis Rodman makes him behave that way on stage to.
  • slightofjeff
    slightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    edited June 2009
    soulsinging wrote:
    slightofjeff wrote:
    soulsinging wrote:
    That's another good point. PJ has hands down one of the best rock vocalists EVER. Why do they insist by squandering it with all these songs where he's reduced to doing little more than rapping essentially? Seriously, listen to the delivery. He's not singing, he's basically just speaking rhythmically twice as fast as some girl from The Hills, and throwing in a few growls or shouts to make it sound like it's rock singing.

    Sort of like ... "What the fuck is this world/coming to/you didn't leave a message ..."

    Or ... "Ohpleasedon'tgoutonme/don'tgoonmenow"

    They've been playing songs like this from Day 1.

    You don't like them. Fine. But don't act like this is something new. It's quintessential Pearl Jam, actually.

    Those songs both switch to singing for the chorus (dont go on meeee), or the big climax of porch. Compare that to what passes for the chorus on Comatose. "feelitrisin, nextstop fallin, somethin something somethin mumble gibberish"

    So it's perfectly acceptable for ed to sing/rap, so long as you like the chorus? Got it.

    I'm just saying. This method of singing is nothing new.

    PS -- If you wanna argue songs with me, at least bother to learn the lyrics. Again, just sayin'. ;)
    Post edited by slightofjeff on
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    cincybearcat wrote:
    soulsinging wrote:
    [
    The most memorable moments of the last few albums have all been the slow burners... songs like In Hiding, Of the Girl, NAIS, All or None. I feel they're at their strongest when they use that dynamic tension they do so well and take their time to let a song breathe and build. Some people get bored by that and want all songs sharp, short, and rocking with no jams. I'm not of that latter persuasion. Give me an epic Inside Job or a mind-blowing outro to Immortality or Present Tense or a great groove-based breakdown in Even Flow. Take your short little thrash numbers and hand them off to Good Charlotte ;)

    Kinda funny...I love In My tree and Tremor Christ (2 of my all time favs) that you mentioned early in your post, but some of my least favorite Pearl Jam over the long haul (meaning I get bored of them the quickest) are songs like NAIS, All or None, Inside Job...not Of the Girl though, still love that. But I like the mix on the album. I think you need some of what you speak as well as some "Comatose"'s. If it was an album of all songs like NAIS I'd put it done fast and never come back.

    Hehe, well, I'm a huge AiC and Pink Floyd fan... so long, epic guitar jams will always hook me. I am so incredibly bored by punk (no, not even the beloved ramones or clash), so short riffers with jumbled vocals are never going to win me over.
  • slightofjeff
    slightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    soulsinging wrote:
    Hehe, well, I'm a huge AiC and Pink Floyd fan... so long, epic guitar jams will always hook me. I am so incredibly bored by punk (no, not even the beloved ramones or clash), so short riffers with jumbled vocals are never going to win me over.

    The thing is, this is what Pearl Jam is now. It's a transition that has been in the works for the better part of this decade. The "old days" of long epic guitar jams aren't coming back.
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    slightofjeff wrote:
    soulsinging wrote:
    slightofjeff wrote:
    Sort of like ... "What the fuck is this world/coming to/you didn't leave a message ..."

    Or ... "Ohpleasedon'tgoutonme/don'tgoonmenow"

    They've been playing songs like this from Day 1.

    You don't like them. Fine. But don't act like this is something new. It's quintessential Pearl Jam, actually.

    Those songs both switch to singing for the chorus (dont go on meeee), or the big climax of porch. Compare that to what passes for the chorus on Comatose. "feelitrisin, nextstop fallin, somethin something somethin mumble gibberish"

    So it's perfectly acceptable for ed to sing/rap, so long as you like the chorus? Got it.

    I'm just saying. This method of singing is nothing new.

    PS -- If you wanna argue songs with me, at least bother to learn the lyrics. Again, just sayin'. ;)

    No, but a decent chorus or verse with good singing can lift a mediocre and forgettable track up to make it worthwhile. Hell, even a cool jam can redeem a song with worthless lyrics. But there are just too many of these forgettable tunes clogging the last 3 albums. You can tell by looking at setlists what works and what doesn't. There's a reason they don't play Ghost, Gods' Dice, and other album tracks, even though tunes like Deep, Garden, Leash, and Blood still get brought out.

    I was making a point... that nobody even remotely acquainted with the english language could ever decipher whatever crap ed was spitting on comatose without looking at a lyric sheet. And I couldn't make out a single word of that song last night. Not one.
  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    slightofjeff wrote:
    soulsinging wrote:
    Hehe, well, I'm a huge AiC and Pink Floyd fan... so long, epic guitar jams will always hook me. I am so incredibly bored by punk (no, not even the beloved ramones or clash), so short riffers with jumbled vocals are never going to win me over.

    The thing is, this is what Pearl Jam is now. It's a transition that has been in the works for the better part of this decade. The "old days" of long epic guitar jams aren't coming back.

    Inside Job wasn't half bad, nor were 1/2 Full and All or None. And they seemed to make a nod to it with Severed Hand. It's still there, they just aren't embracing it much, which I think is a bad move on their part. They've got 2 phenomenal guitarists, a great rhythm section, and a knock out lead singer. That talent is squandered on these crappy punk songs that a 15 year old could write and perform just as well. But you're right. It has been a clear transition over the last few albums towards this sound, much as it saddens me. Doesn't keep me from hoping that they'll abandon this direction though.
  • slightofjeff
    slightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    soulsinging wrote:
    I was making a point... that nobody even remotely acquainted with the english language could ever decipher whatever crap ed was spitting on comatose without looking at a lyric sheet. And I couldn't make out a single word of that song last night. Not one.

    Nobody could ever understand what Ed is saying on first blush. Again, that's one of the key reasons it takes a while for Pearl Jam to grow on you. You have to first figure out what he's singing. Then you figure out what he means by it. Then you realize he's probably the greatest poet of our generation, and you don't give a fuck what the music sounds like. At least, that's the way it typically works for me.

    I can honestly say last night, the first verse was pretty clear. I definitely picked up the "are you dropping bombs or are you getting out" bit ... which is when I decided I kind of liked the song.

    It reminded me of listening to "Grievance" on Letterman back in 2000 or whatever it was. Only line I could really decipher was "pledge your grievance to the flag" ... and that was enough for me to decide I probably was going to really like that song.
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    thunderDAN wrote:
    Also, I read this whole thread and I'd say 65% of it is placing conditions on the song or performance. Like "After I listened again i loved it" or "The studio version will be better", a bunch of excuses placed in with how much people love the song. If it was a great song, there would be no conditions. Great songs trump over everything. You can hear Eddie sing Immortality with technical problems, and you hear that it's a great song. You don't have to listen to Corduroy 10 times before you decide if you like it. That's the thing. I think some of you guys love the band way too much and can't admit when they didn't put our a solid track. Maybe the album is full of other winners, but even from the text of this thread, I think the general consensus is that people don't really dig this one. Maybe I'm wrong too, who knows

    Exactly. This is very telling. It's like people are talking themselves into liking it. As for the rest of the world, this is not going to win any new fans and probably only reaffirm those who think the band is done.
  • Kanye East
    Kanye East Posts: 782
    Mike's guitar in the beginning of the song was awful. It sounded like they had a horn section or something. Eddie didnt sound so good either. That being said, the song definitely grew on me as I listened to it over and over.

    I cant wait for the new album!!!

    I cant wait to see Eddie at the Tower on 6/11!!!

    I cant wait to see PJ at ACL!!!
    DC-9/24/96
    Philly-8/28/98, 8/29/98, 9/1/00, 9/2/00, 4/28/03, 7/5/03, 7/6/03, 10/3/05, 5/27/06, 5/28/06, 6/19/08, 6/20/08, 10/27/09, 10/28/09, 10/30/09, 10/31/09, 10/21/13, 10/22/13, 4/28/16, 4/29/16
    Jones Beach-8/25/00
    PSU-5/3/03
    Irvine-6/2/03
    San Diego-6/5/03
    Hershey-7/12/03
    Reading-10/1/04
    The Gorge-9/1/05
    Vancouver-9/2/05
    AC-9/30/05
    E. Rutherford, NJ-6/1/06,6/3/06
    Bonnaroo-6/14/08
    VA Beach-6/17/08
    MSG-5/20/10,5/21/10
    Baltimore 10/27/13
  • Kanye East
    Kanye East Posts: 782
    Soulsinging, if you couldnt understand ONE WORD that Eddie sang, you must have shit in your ears. While I couldnt understand every single word, the chorus was pretty clear to me.
    DC-9/24/96
    Philly-8/28/98, 8/29/98, 9/1/00, 9/2/00, 4/28/03, 7/5/03, 7/6/03, 10/3/05, 5/27/06, 5/28/06, 6/19/08, 6/20/08, 10/27/09, 10/28/09, 10/30/09, 10/31/09, 10/21/13, 10/22/13, 4/28/16, 4/29/16
    Jones Beach-8/25/00
    PSU-5/3/03
    Irvine-6/2/03
    San Diego-6/5/03
    Hershey-7/12/03
    Reading-10/1/04
    The Gorge-9/1/05
    Vancouver-9/2/05
    AC-9/30/05
    E. Rutherford, NJ-6/1/06,6/3/06
    Bonnaroo-6/14/08
    VA Beach-6/17/08
    MSG-5/20/10,5/21/10
    Baltimore 10/27/13
  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    slightofjeff wrote:
    soulsinging wrote:
    I was making a point... that nobody even remotely acquainted with the english language could ever decipher whatever crap ed was spitting on comatose without looking at a lyric sheet. And I couldn't make out a single word of that song last night. Not one.

    Nobody could ever understand what Ed is saying on first blush. Again, that's one of the key reasons it takes a while for Pearl Jam to grow on you. You have to first figure out what he's singing. Then you figure out what he means by it. Then you realize he's probably the greatest poet of our generation, and you don't give a fuck what the music sounds like. At least, that's the way it typically works for me.

    I can honestly say last night, the first verse was pretty clear. I definitely picked up the "are you dropping bombs or are you getting out" bit ... which is when I decided I kind of liked the song.

    It reminded me of listening to "Grievance" on Letterman back in 2000 or whatever it was. Only line I could really decipher was "pledge your grievance to the flag" ... and that was enough for me to decide I probably was going to really like that song.

    I'm less concerned with finding any sort of deep meaning in rock lyrics than I am with hearing something I enjoy. I couldn't care less if the lyrics are super deep, my point was the delivery makes me not care. You can have the best lyrics ever, but if the song and the delivery are unlistenable... I might as well go read a bit to get the same meaning elsewhere.

    Grievance blew me away when I heard it on Letterman. WWS got me pretty excited for s/t even if it kinda fell short of my hopes. I kinda dug I Am Mine. I'm less than fond of some of those albums, but this is the first time I ever heard a lead single or anything that I was so ambivalent to, if not dismayed.
  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    Kanye East wrote:
    Soulsinging, if you couldnt understand ONE WORD that Eddie sang, you must have shit in your ears. While I couldnt understand every single word, the chorus was pretty clear to me.

    There was a chorus in that song?
  • norm
    norm Posts: 31,146
    slightofjeff wrote:
    I don't know why anyone would be surprised at how it sounds. It isn't "weird." It's pretty much "Pearl Jam."
  • 12345AGNST1
    12345AGNST1 Posts: 4,906
    soulsinging wrote:
    And I couldn't make out a single word of that song last night. Not one.

    Not one? give me a fucking break.
    5/28/06, 6/27/08, 10/28/09, 5/18/10, 5/21/10
    8/7/08, 6/9/09
  • DewieCox
    DewieCox Posts: 11,432
    It always took PJ to grow on me a bit b/c their albums had alot of musical depth and not everything popped out the first listen. Lyrics have always been an afterthought for me, so long as the melodies are strong.
  • Kanye East
    Kanye East Posts: 782
    soulsinging wrote:
    Kanye East wrote:
    Soulsinging, if you couldnt understand ONE WORD that Eddie sang, you must have shit in your ears. While I couldnt understand every single word, the chorus was pretty clear to me.

    There was a chorus in that song?

    Yes there was. You were probably too busy typing a negative post about the song to hear it.
    DC-9/24/96
    Philly-8/28/98, 8/29/98, 9/1/00, 9/2/00, 4/28/03, 7/5/03, 7/6/03, 10/3/05, 5/27/06, 5/28/06, 6/19/08, 6/20/08, 10/27/09, 10/28/09, 10/30/09, 10/31/09, 10/21/13, 10/22/13, 4/28/16, 4/29/16
    Jones Beach-8/25/00
    PSU-5/3/03
    Irvine-6/2/03
    San Diego-6/5/03
    Hershey-7/12/03
    Reading-10/1/04
    The Gorge-9/1/05
    Vancouver-9/2/05
    AC-9/30/05
    E. Rutherford, NJ-6/1/06,6/3/06
    Bonnaroo-6/14/08
    VA Beach-6/17/08
    MSG-5/20/10,5/21/10
    Baltimore 10/27/13
  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    DewieCox wrote:
    It always took PJ to grow on me a bit b/c their albums had alot of musical depth and not everything popped out the first listen. Lyrics have always been an afterthought for me, so long as the melodies are strong.

    "Same here," I say as I sit listening to Physical Grafiti... "Boy I remember when PJ could jam like this!"
  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    12345AGNST1 wrote:
    soulsinging wrote:
    And I couldn't make out a single word of that song last night. Not one.

    Not one? give me a fucking break.

    I couldn't make out any of WWS either, aside from that chorus.

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