Each PJ Member's Peak

CrookedTomCrookedTom Posts: 252
edited March 2013 in The Porch
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
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • YLed2YLed2 Posts: 5,534
    Really great analysis there and a good thread. I would absolutely agree with mostly everything you pointed out. And I agree 100% that sometimes Matt's playing may be a little too fast at times, especially on the songs you mentioned and the tempo could be turned down a tad. He is missing more of that heavy punch these days, but is a technical wizard and what makes them go. PJ has been so blessed to have gone through as many drummers as they have, and each one being as talented as they are. In the end, to end up with Matt as their permanent drummer, is like stealing.

    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.
    Bristow, VA - 5.13.10
    East Troy, WI - 9.3.11
    East Troy, WI - 9.4.11
    Atlanta, GA - 9.22.12
    Las Vegas, NV - 10.31.12 (EV)
    Las Vegas, NV - 11.1.12 (EV)
    Chicago, IL - 7.19.13
    Dallas, TX - 11.15.13
    Oklahoma City, OK - 11.16.13
    Seattle, WA - 12.6.13
    Lincoln, NE - 10.9.14
    Moline, IL - 10.17.14
    St. Paul, MN - 10.19.14
    Milwaukee, WI - 10.20.14
    New York, NY - 5.1.16
    New York, NY - 5.2.16
    Boston, MA - 8.5.16
    Boston, MA - 8.7.16
    Chicago, IL - 8.20.16

  • klusterfukklusterfuk Posts: 1,411
    i won't argue with your analysis.
    The future's paved with better days

    Alpine Valley Resort is etched in my brain!!!


  • ceskaceska New York Posts: 1,129
    Great idea for a thread but 11 year- or 13 year- stretches for a band that just celebrated 20 years is a pretty broad definition of "peak." I'd keep it more to a 2-album run or 2-3 year period. I think it'd be fair however to have a career chart look like a wave with multiple peaks and valleys. For Ed the high points are the Vitalogy/No Code and the Into the Wild/Backspacer eras, at least in my opinion.
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,078
    An interesting analysis and enjoyable reading, CrookedTom.

    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.
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni











  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 16,138
    I can't disagree either.

    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.
  • on2legson2legs Posts: 15,571
    They're not peaking... They're evolving.
    1996: Randall's Island 2  1998: East Rutherford | MSG 1 & 2  2000: Cincinnati | Columbus | Jones Beach 1, 2, & 3 | Boston 1 | Camden 1 & 2 2003: Philadelphia | Uniondale | MSG 1 & 2 | Holmdel  2005: Atlantic City 1  2006: Camden 1 | East Rutherford 1 & 2 2008: Camden 1 & 2 | MSG 1 & 2 | Newark (EV)  2009: Philadelphia 1, 2 & 4  2010: Newark | MSG 1 & 2  2011: Toronto 1  2013: Wrigley Field | Brooklyn 2 | Philadelphia 1 & 2 | Baltimore  2015: Central Park  2016: Philadelphia 1 & 2 | MSG 1 & 2 | Fenway Park 2 | MSG (TOTD)  2017: Brooklyn (RnR HOF)  2020: MSG | Asbury Park  2021: Asbury Park  2022: MSG | Camden | Nashville  2024: MSG 1 & 2 (#50) | Philadelphia 1 & 2 | Baltimore  2025: Raleigh


  • CrookedTomCrookedTom Posts: 252
    I can't disagree either.

    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
  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 16,138
    on2legs wrote:
    They're not peaking... They're evolving.

    Or maintaining. That might be a better description at least in regards to PJ.
  • SPEEDY MCCREADYSPEEDY MCCREADY Posts: 26,199
    Stone has the best Beak.

    Oh wait, you said peak.

    Nevermind.
    Take me piece by piece.....
    Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 16,138
    Stone has the best Beak.

    Oh wait, you said peak.

    Nevermind.

    Any question on how to get to 17,000 posts has now been answered. ;)
  • dimitrispearljamdimitrispearljam Posts: 139,721
    Mike McCready = ALWAYS
    "...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
    "..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
    “..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
  • OGT92OGT92 Posts: 1,588
    CrookedTom wrote:
    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 :
    he wrote so many of the very best Pearl Jam songs (Betterman,

    Betterman was written before he was even in Bad Radio.
    "I read about the evils of drinking, so I gave up reading." - Henry Youngman
  • 63schoefflin63schoefflin Posts: 2,581
    In terms of live performances I honestly think these last few years Mike has been on fire. I haven't heard everything live from back in the day but from the boat load of stuff I've heard he obviously still tears it up, but he has gotten to be a lot tighter and just crushes it with those riffs. That stretch in '09-'10 was a damn good one. I was listening to the Spectrum boots the other day and forgot how amazing a few of those versions of Alive and Crazy Mary, etc. were.

    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.
    '08- Camden 1-2   '09- Chicago 2; Spectrum 1-4
    '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
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