Each PJ Member's Peak
CrookedTom
Posts: 252
So looking at the 5 current members – When were they at their best, looking at the songwriting and then performance on tour.
Get it?
So here is mine...
Eddie Vedder : Peak: 95-06
Vedder certainly has changed his singing over the course of PJ’s career – From the shouty stuff and deep baritone from VS and Ten, and then the honeyed warmth from No Code and Yield. Live as well, the voice has changed, and in most cases for the better.
His singing on the Vitalogy tour in ’95 was pretty rough, however from ‘95
he wrote so many of the very best Pearl Jam songs (Betterman, Corduroy, Off He Goes, I Am Mine, Sometimes, MFC, Immortality, Wishlist, I Got ID, Parting Ways, Insignicance, Worldwide Suicide). His voice on the 2000 and 2003 & 2006 tours is simply outstanding. Unfortunately it wasn’t quite the same again in my opinion.
Stone Gossard: Peak 91-93
If you include his work in Green River, Mother Love Bone & Temple Of The Dog – Gossard created an amazing amount of truly outstanding Riffs and music. You can’t help feel that Ten was the last of this fertile period a little. That one album he dominates, and a quicklook at the pool of songs he co-wrote shows how important he was at that stage to the band (Even Flow, Alive, Black, Once, Deep,)
Since then he’s kind of taken the more Folky writer style (Daughter, All or None, Thin Air, Of The Girl, Parachutes) but occasionally still pulls out a classic (Do The Evolution, In Hiding)
Still a key cog in the band, and a fantastic rhythm guitar player, infact when they play live, he seems to be the (musical) leader, keeping things in time etc.
Jeff Ament : Peak 2000-2013
No doubt, a rock solid Bass man. Though in their early career he didn’t write a lot, although of the few he did write, they were normally corkers (Jeremy, Nothingman, Smile)- However from 2000, Jeff Ament the writer came forward, his songs from Binaural onwards were often the most interesting on the albums (Nothing As It Seems, Sleight of Hand, Cropduster, Army Reserve, Big Wave, Got Some). A sort of secret weapon songwriter in the band! In concert he is, Mr Professional. Don’t often notice any bass errors in the Boots I listen to.
Mike McCready – Peak 1998-2006
McCready brings that streak of magic that all the best lead guitarists have. In concert he sometimes can miss cues, and be a little sloppy and also his guitar theatrics are not always needed in my opinion...However, saying that when he regularly nails guitar solos as brilliantly as he does, there’s not many that can touch him He brings that unpredictictibilty to the band. He can also write, infact he dominated Yield and Pearl Jam as the main writer behind Vedder. You can’t argue with the quality of his writing (Given To Fly, Yellow Ledbetter, Faithful, Save You, Brain of J, Red Mosquito, Down)
Matt Cameron 2000-2003
Cameron brought a Machine like sense of timing and rhythm, and they peaked wonderfully as a live unit in 2000. They played more aggressively with him, than Irons, and it pushed the heavy rockers over the edge. Sometimes he plays too fast, though that may not be his entire decision, there’s no doubt that Even Flow, Corduroy, State of Love and Trust, could do with slowing down a peg or two.
It took a while for Cameron’s pretty advanced songwriting, to blend with the Pearl Jam sound. His first go Evacuation was quirky, but Vedder couldn’t find a decent melody, and the song remains one of their worst. Still in recent times, his writing at times has been brilliant, The Fixer & You Are are 2 of the finest Pearl Jam songs post Binaural. I still think his drums sound best in 2000. They lack a bit of bite and heaviness these days
Get it?
So here is mine...
Eddie Vedder : Peak: 95-06
Vedder certainly has changed his singing over the course of PJ’s career – From the shouty stuff and deep baritone from VS and Ten, and then the honeyed warmth from No Code and Yield. Live as well, the voice has changed, and in most cases for the better.
His singing on the Vitalogy tour in ’95 was pretty rough, however from ‘95
he wrote so many of the very best Pearl Jam songs (Betterman, Corduroy, Off He Goes, I Am Mine, Sometimes, MFC, Immortality, Wishlist, I Got ID, Parting Ways, Insignicance, Worldwide Suicide). His voice on the 2000 and 2003 & 2006 tours is simply outstanding. Unfortunately it wasn’t quite the same again in my opinion.
Stone Gossard: Peak 91-93
If you include his work in Green River, Mother Love Bone & Temple Of The Dog – Gossard created an amazing amount of truly outstanding Riffs and music. You can’t help feel that Ten was the last of this fertile period a little. That one album he dominates, and a quicklook at the pool of songs he co-wrote shows how important he was at that stage to the band (Even Flow, Alive, Black, Once, Deep,)
Since then he’s kind of taken the more Folky writer style (Daughter, All or None, Thin Air, Of The Girl, Parachutes) but occasionally still pulls out a classic (Do The Evolution, In Hiding)
Still a key cog in the band, and a fantastic rhythm guitar player, infact when they play live, he seems to be the (musical) leader, keeping things in time etc.
Jeff Ament : Peak 2000-2013
No doubt, a rock solid Bass man. Though in their early career he didn’t write a lot, although of the few he did write, they were normally corkers (Jeremy, Nothingman, Smile)- However from 2000, Jeff Ament the writer came forward, his songs from Binaural onwards were often the most interesting on the albums (Nothing As It Seems, Sleight of Hand, Cropduster, Army Reserve, Big Wave, Got Some). A sort of secret weapon songwriter in the band! In concert he is, Mr Professional. Don’t often notice any bass errors in the Boots I listen to.
Mike McCready – Peak 1998-2006
McCready brings that streak of magic that all the best lead guitarists have. In concert he sometimes can miss cues, and be a little sloppy and also his guitar theatrics are not always needed in my opinion...However, saying that when he regularly nails guitar solos as brilliantly as he does, there’s not many that can touch him He brings that unpredictictibilty to the band. He can also write, infact he dominated Yield and Pearl Jam as the main writer behind Vedder. You can’t argue with the quality of his writing (Given To Fly, Yellow Ledbetter, Faithful, Save You, Brain of J, Red Mosquito, Down)
Matt Cameron 2000-2003
Cameron brought a Machine like sense of timing and rhythm, and they peaked wonderfully as a live unit in 2000. They played more aggressively with him, than Irons, and it pushed the heavy rockers over the edge. Sometimes he plays too fast, though that may not be his entire decision, there’s no doubt that Even Flow, Corduroy, State of Love and Trust, could do with slowing down a peg or two.
It took a while for Cameron’s pretty advanced songwriting, to blend with the Pearl Jam sound. His first go Evacuation was quirky, but Vedder couldn’t find a decent melody, and the song remains one of their worst. Still in recent times, his writing at times has been brilliant, The Fixer & You Are are 2 of the finest Pearl Jam songs post Binaural. I still think his drums sound best in 2000. They lack a bit of bite and heaviness these days
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Comments
I would say that Mike is still at his peak. These days, seems like he tries sometimes to make a riff or solo a little too flashy, but I think his playing has gotten more complex and has included more - especially from a writing stand point as you pointed out. Just seems he's become more a leader within the band and has/is contributing much more in the writing process. It sure would be nice to see him spotlighted more in the next album with some heavy shredding solos that we are used to, after pulling a disappearing act on Backspacer Sure he misses some cues with an occasional mis-step live, but the man is always on fire and full of energy at every show.
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Alpine Valley Resort is etched in my brain!!!
It's hard for me to separate the personal peaks from the collective peaks of the band because, as with any great band, when Pearl Jam is at it's best, the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts.
Ed is still peaking but more in the solo format. I don't really like listening to Benaroya Hall 2003 because Ed is such a better singer now in the accoustic/unplugged format. He sounds bored and monotone on Benaroya versus the singing he does now on those songs on his solo tour.
I saw Vedder live last year in London, and he was brilliant, however his voice on recent PJ Boots I've heard (2011-2012) has been a shadow of its former self - Hate to say it, but it's true. His voice is probably suited to the slow acoustic numbers now, rather than stuff like State of Love and Trust and Do The Evolution
Or maintaining. That might be a better description at least in regards to PJ.
Oh wait, you said peak.
Nevermind.
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
Any question on how to get to 17,000 posts has now been answered.
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Betterman was written before he was even in Bad Radio.
I guess my point is I think Mike is actually ramping his game up still, which can't be said for anyone else in the band...no offence.
'10- MSG 1-2 '11- PJ20
'12- MIA; DeLuna '13- Wrigley; Pitt; Brooklyn 1-2; Philly 1-2; Baltimore; Seattle
'14- Denver '16- Philly 1-2; MSG 2
'17- Pilgrimage Music Fest (Eddie)
'18- Fenway