"Ukulele songs"..simply annoying

Bigda · June 2011

I love Pearl Jam and i love Eddie Vedder. but i have to spit it out: "Ukulele songs" are simply annoying to me.. :( i cant listen to them all. just couple of songs (otherwise known in uke arrangments, like "Cant keep", or just known: like "Sleeples nights", etc.) stand out above the banal, irritaiting and kinda poor songs. Ukulele sound may be cool but maybe i am not cool enough to appreciate it. right after couple of songs i am getting a tooth-ache. i know, most of you will crucify me here for what i am saying, but even "Longing to belong" is not at Eddies own level. not to mention the video - so naive i cant understand why. all this beach walking with uke, dancing with a bride/wife - i dunno.. it is a little tacky. it is like singing about love and keeping your hand on your heart.. i know Eddie Vedder can do better. i wish he had done so.
in my personal opinion, one uke song at a time as a pre-opener, bonus, or something would be cool, rare and most welcome. would be enough.
dont get me wrong: it is cool artist experiment, it is cool Eddie writes great lyrics, it just doesnt go together, to me, of course. Ed's voice doesnt blend with this 4-strings guitar at times. i wish i could listen to these songs at some campfire, having dried couple of beers and simply enjoy Eddie's voice and company. but my home stereo simply says "no" to "Ukulele Songs".
sorry to say that.

theserialthrilla · June 2011

your not the first to say this...but most of the others then end up liking it alot more after a few days...

its not meant to be a into the wild..give it a few more spins

Bigda · June 2011

theserialthrilla wrote:

your not the first to say this...but most of the others then end up liking it alot more after a few days...

its not meant to be a into the wild..give it a few more spins

thanks. i know it is not meant to be ITW, but you can start liking every record after playing it zillion time, you know what i am saying? i will give it a try, sure i will, however, i guess this is not the way it should be. cheers

JimNastics · June 2011

I don't mind it, it's completely inoffensive to me, it's just pretty average. I seriously hope that one day we got a full-on proper EV solo album... his own Euphoria Morning. I don't mind if it's got a couple of uke songs on it

boyo79 · June 2011

Not listened to the album yet, waiting for it to arrive in the post.

But to the OP its fine that you don't like the album. No one has too. I have a feeling this album will be a 'marmite' kind of album - you either love it or hate it.

theserialthrilla · June 2011

to be honest not one of the solo albums by any of the band members have been that good.. apart from into the wild..but give me pearl jam every day when they come together its a different beast..

Bigda · June 2011

boyo79 wrote:

Not listened to the album yet, waiting for it to arrive in the post.

But to the OP its fine that you don't like the album. No one has too. I have a feeling this album will be a 'marmite' kind of album - you either love it or hate it.

i agree.

Bigda · June 2011

theserialthrilla wrote:

to be honest not one of the solo albums by any of the band members have been that good.. apart from into the wild..but give me pearl jam every day when they come together its a different beast..

what solo albums do you mean? i guess only Into The Wild can be counted as one, am i right?
pearl jam together is a completely different league:)

fortyshades · June 2011

To be honest with you, after reading many postst here and in other forums, I was getting a bit concerned - but the album is a lot better than I expected. It is in my opinion all about nakedness and vulnerability. There is nothing more naked than sitting there with a four-string instrument singing about your emotional life... It is truly a personal document. And regarding the monotony of the sound (which has been one of the major criticisms), I do not agree with this either. For a small instrument there is a lot of subtle variety in here.

fortyshades · June 2011

Bigda wrote:

theserialthrilla wrote:

to be honest not one of the solo albums by any of the band members have been that good.. apart from into the wild..but give me pearl jam every day when they come together its a different beast..

what solo albums do you mean? i guess only Into The Wild can be counted as one, am i right?
pearl jam together is a completely different league:)

I think he/she is also referring to Jeff Ament and Bayleaf (Stone Gossard).

threefish10 · June 2011

Bigda wrote:

theserialthrilla wrote:

to be honest not one of the solo albums by any of the band members have been that good.. apart from into the wild..but give me pearl jam every day when they come together its a different beast..

what solo albums do you mean? i guess only Into The Wild can be counted as one, am i right?
pearl jam together is a completely different league:)

Stone and Jeff have both put out a solo album.

Personally I agree with the o.p. I only like a total of 2 songs from into the wild, rise and hard sun. And I only like a totally of two songs from uke songs, you're true and satellite. They are the only 4 Ed solo songs to make it onto my iPod.

hostis · June 2011

I'm just glad of spotify as its saved me £10. I've listened to it a few times and still cant get my head round it so yes, must agree, that its a marmite album. I was so looking forward to the Glen Hansard contribution but its not lived up to expectations. ho hum....

Bigda · June 2011

fortyshades wrote:

Bigda wrote:

theserialthrilla wrote:

to be honest not one of the solo albums by any of the band members have been that good.. apart from into the wild..but give me pearl jam every day when they come together its a different beast..

what solo albums do you mean? i guess only Into The Wild can be counted as one, am i right?
pearl jam together is a completely different league:)

I think he/she is also referring to Jeff Ament and Bayleaf (Stone Gossard).

threefish10 wrote:

Bigda wrote:

theserialthrilla wrote:

to be honest not one of the solo albums by any of the band members have been that good.. apart from into the wild..but give me pearl jam every day when they come together its a different beast..

what solo albums do you mean? i guess only Into The Wild can be counted as one, am i right?
pearl jam together is a completely different league:)

Stone and Jeff have both put out a solo album.

Personally I agree with the o.p. I only like a total of 2 songs from into the wild, rise and hard sun. And I only like a totally of two songs from uke songs, you're true and satellite. They are the only 4 Ed solo songs to make it onto my iPod.

true about these solo albums. forgot about them - didnt shake my ground, though i liked Three Fish or some of Brad. anyways... you are picky as for ITW:)

theserialthrilla · June 2011

true about these solo albums. forgot about them - didnt shake my ground, though i liked Three Fish or some of Brad. anyways... you are picky as for ITW:)[/quote]

i have all the solo stuff and out of them i play into the wild the most..then the three fish albums ..you need to be in the correct mood to listen to three fish..but they are good..just not pj...but they are not meant to be..

bayleaf has not been played for years or jeffs solo stuff..even tres mtn got a few plays and is now put away..

as for Brad its more about shawn smiths great voice then stone..so i look at them as a different band not a pearl jam side project.

but wew could do with a mike solo album btw

PilateOfTheStorm · June 2011

fortyshades wrote:

To be honest with you, after reading many postst here and in other forums, I was getting a bit concerned - but the album is a lot better than I expected. It is in my opinion all about nakedness and vulnerability. There is nothing more naked than sitting there with a four-string instrument singing about your emotional life... It is truly a personal document. And regarding the monotony of the sound (which has been one of the major criticisms), I do not agree with this either. For a small instrument there is a lot of subtle variety in here.

i agree with this except i had no concerns beforehand

and the album...
it's amazing
if i had had expectations, it's surpassed them

but i think it's completely personal taste. some people like the ukulele, some don't
just like some people like the banjo, others don't. or the sitar. or the harmonica

skere26 · June 2011

I find it to be a really relaxing album; perfect for driving around on these hot humid days... oh and you can't beat the $7 Best Buy price.

fortyshades · June 2011

PilateOfTheStorm wrote:

fortyshades wrote:

To be honest with you, after reading many postst here and in other forums, I was getting a bit concerned - but the album is a lot better than I expected. It is in my opinion all about nakedness and vulnerability. There is nothing more naked than sitting there with a four-string instrument singing about your emotional life... It is truly a personal document. And regarding the monotony of the sound (which has been one of the major criticisms), I do not agree with this either. For a small instrument there is a lot of subtle variety in here.

i agree with this except i had no concerns beforehand

and the album...
it's amazing
if i had had expectations, it's surpassed them

but i think it's completely personal taste. some people like the ukulele, some don't
just like some people like the banjo, others don't. or the sitar. or the harmonica

Well, I guess that is what it is in the end: if you expect a Pearl Jam album with angst and anger and raging emotions, than this is not the album for you. There are raging emotions but they are introvert and subdued, reflective almost, somewhere in a space where the narrator (sp?) sits down and look at himself and reflects. The "eyes are looking in".

Now I am waiting with patience for the Sitar Songs Album, that will stir things up here...

pandora · June 2011

Bigda wrote:

I love Pearl Jam and i love Eddie Vedder. but i have to spit it out: "Ukulele songs" are simply annoying to me.. :( i cant listen to them all. just couple of songs (otherwise known in uke arrangments, like "Cant keep", or just known: like "Sleeples nights", etc.) stand out above the banal, irritaiting and kinda poor songs. Ukulele sound may be cool but maybe i am not cool enough to appreciate it. right after couple of songs i am getting a tooth-ache. i know, most of you will crucify me here for what i am saying, but even "Longing to belong" is not at Eddies own level. not to mention the video - so naive i cant understand why. all this beach walking with uke, dancing with a bride/wife - i dunno.. it is a little tacky. it is like singing about love and keeping your hand on your heart.. i know Eddie Vedder can do better. i wish he had done so.
in my personal opinion, one uke song at a time as a pre-opener, bonus, or something would be cool, rare and most welcome. would be enough.
dont get me wrong: it is cool artist experiment, it is cool Eddie writes great lyrics, it just doesnt go together, to me, of course. Ed's voice doesnt blend with this 4-strings guitar at times. i wish i could listen to these songs at some campfire, having dried couple of beers and simply enjoy Eddie's voice and company. but my home stereo simply says "no" to "Ukulele Songs".
sorry to say that.

Perhaps given time and more tries you will find some positive things to say...
maybe its time for a camping trip or just hanging in your backyard
under the stars listening to Eddie sing along to mother nature.

pdalowsky · June 2011

this album is beautiful....love it.

whilst it might not be for everyone, it is for me.

slightofjeff · June 2011

As I've said from the beginning ... this album is not going to be for everyone. It is going to be for those of us who value Ed's lyrics and melodies over all else.

It's an acquired taste. I think Ed would probably tell you the same.

threefish10 · June 2011

slightofjeff wrote:

As I've said from the beginning ... this album is not going to be for everyone. It is going to be for those of us who value Ed's lyrics and melodies over all else.

It's an acquired taste. I think Ed would probably tell you the same.

i think we all can value Ed lyrics and melodies, i know i do. but i just can't get into this. take a song like I'm Still Here. to me it is a very similar theme lyrically to what is on this album, and it's just ed and a guitar, so it's not like any other pearl jam song and kinda similar to this, just Ed and a Uke. but i could listen to that song alone on repeat for hours, but i just can't get through all of Uke Songs in one sitting

slightofjeff · June 2011

threefish10 wrote:

slightofjeff wrote:

As I've said from the beginning ... this album is not going to be for everyone. It is going to be for those of us who value Ed's lyrics and melodies over all else.

It's an acquired taste. I think Ed would probably tell you the same.

i think we all can value Ed lyrics and melodies, i know i do. but i just can't get into this. take a song like I'm Still Here. to me it is a very similar theme lyrically to what is on this album, and it's just ed and a guitar, so it's not like any other pearl jam song and kinda similar to this, just Ed and a Uke. but i could listen to that song alone on repeat for hours, but i just can't get through all of Uke Songs in one sitting

I'm not saying you don't value the lyrics. I'm saying you probably don't value them above all else. That's what carries Uke Songs, at least the ones I've heard. If it's important to you that Ed sing his lyrics atop a guitar, this album simply isn't for you.

Of course, it IS called "Ukele Songs" so there should be no surprises.

tremors · June 2011

threefish10 wrote:

slightofjeff wrote:

As I've said from the beginning ... this album is not going to be for everyone. It is going to be for those of us who value Ed's lyrics and melodies over all else.

It's an acquired taste. I think Ed would probably tell you the same.

i think we all can value Ed lyrics and melodies, i know i do. but i just can't get into this. take a song like I'm Still Here. to me it is a very similar theme lyrically to what is on this album, and it's just ed and a guitar, so it's not like any other pearl jam song and kinda similar to this, just Ed and a Uke. but i could listen to that song alone on repeat for hours, but i just can't get through all of Uke Songs in one sitting

For me the lyrics on their own are nowhere near as strong as Eddie's best writing - but these are different kinds of songs. As heartfelt and poignant personal reflections on subjects which are not easy to approach - singing for oneself rather than trying to write an amazing song - they have a big impact on me.

threefish10 · June 2011

slightofjeff wrote:

Of course, it IS called "Ukele Songs" so there should be no surprises.

oh, i'm not surprised. i had reservations going in, and had low expectations which can often be a good thing cause then there is room to be blown away, but i just wasn't.

but to me it just seem the people who do like are telling the ones who don't why they should, not saying you are cause you even said you knew it was not gonna be for everyone.

and it "Ukulele"

seems everyone is getting tripped up but it, that's way i always just type uke songs.

slightofjeff · June 2011

tremors wrote:

For me the lyrics on their own are nowhere near as strong as Eddie's best writing - but these are different kinds of songs. As heartfelt and poignant personal reflections on subjects which are not easy to approach - singing for oneself rather than trying to write an amazing song - they have a big impact on me.

I think this is a good point.

This isn't an album Ed put out as if to say, "This is my best work." It's more like, "Here is a personal and different kind of project I've been working on in my spare time. You can have a listen if you want."

It's not an album meant to go super-duper platinum. It's a collection of songs Ed made for himself, to work through some things by himself. Not everybody is supposed to like it.

threefish10 · June 2011

slightofjeff wrote:

This isn't an album Ed put out as if to say, "This is my best work." It's more like, "Here is a personal and different kind of project I've been working on in my spare time. You can have a listen if you want."

It's not an album meant to go super-duper platinum. It's a collection of songs Ed made for himself, to work through some things by himself. Not everybody is supposed to like it.

it sounds like it was never Ed's intention to put it out, it was recorded years ago, or one was and this might be new recordings of some of those songs and some newer ones. but now it is out he seems to be going the whole hog to get it out there, songbooks, music videos, sales coupons at best buy.

tremors · June 2011

threefish10 wrote:

but to me it just seem the people who do like are telling the ones who don't why they should, not saying you are cause you even said you knew it was not gonna be for everyone.

Unfortunately this seems to be the way discussions about differences of opinion on albums seem to end up going here - as for me, I have no problem somebody not liking a record I like, and I don't really have an interest in converting them. Sometimes though, like with Backspacer, which I love, I have been told I am basically mad for liking it, and it must be because I have blind love for anything the band put out - and this irritates the hell out of me. People should be free to dislike an album, and people should equally be able to find musical value in the same thing - in both cases assuming the other has a difference of opinion with all their wits about them - there are a lot of intelligent people here who have different opinions on the music. So far the discussions about uke songs don't seem to be getting into the same territory as some of the Backspacer discussions, and I hope it stays that way. My own recent comments about uke songs haven't been made with the interest of converting anybody - just to say what I like about it!

2-feign-reluctance · June 2011

Good analogy. Could also be a vegemite kind of record for me. At first tough to process, but now a staple for brekkie and tea.

boyo79 wrote:

Not listened to the album yet, waiting for it to arrive in the post.

But to the OP its fine that you don't like the album. No one has too. I have a feeling this album will be a 'marmite' kind of album - you either love it or hate it.

The Waiting Trophy Man · June 2011

threefish10 wrote:

i think we all can value Ed lyrics and melodies, i know i do. but i just can't get into this.

It's been out for one day, lol

gar mcmichael · June 2011

I agree with the original post......I've been a PJ fan and EV fan for a long time and this album just doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's these videos with Eddie in a sport coat that soured me on the whole concept.

I'll always be a PJ fan....but I hope this overly sappy love song phase passes quickly.

RedMosquito22 · June 2011

It's a perfect album to play on the deck for me this summer while I strum my ukulele along with Ed!!!!!

&quot;Ukulele songs&quot;..simply annoying

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"Ukulele songs"..simply annoying