When Did Pearl Jam Peak?

Stephen Flow wrote:

satansbed wrote:

I thinking looking at it through have the peaked or not isn't the best way to look at it.

how i look at it is that the first act of their career was Ten to yield (biggest band in the world), the second act was to backspacer(the what ever happened to those guys stage) and the third act is pj20 till death.(legacy act)

I think if you break it down to the average music fan it would be something like this...

During Ten & Vs. - "Fuck yeah these guys rock!"
During Vitalogy - "This is different but these guys still rock!"
During No Code, Yield, Binaural - "This sounds pretty good but what happened to the 'grunge' sound?"
During Riot Act, Avocado, Backspacer - "Pearl Jam? Those guys still make music?"

i dunno, during no code and yield they where still fucking massive.

also i like the narritive of their career being like a three act play.

i do think that they have entered the legacy period of their career and their popularity is beginning to rise again.

Bruce had a similar career arc,

and neil young has had about 3 similar career arcs

Stephen Flow wrote:

satansbed wrote:

I thinking looking at it through have the peaked or not isn't the best way to look at it.

how i look at it is that the first act of their career was Ten to yield (biggest band in the world), the second act was to backspacer(the what ever happened to those guys stage) and the third act is pj20 till death.(legacy act)

I think if you break it down to the average music fan it would be something like this...

During Ten & Vs. - "Fuck yeah these guys rock!"
During Vitalogy - "This is different but these guys still rock!"
During No Code, Yield, Binaural - "This sounds pretty good but what happened to the 'grunge' sound?"
During Riot Act, Avocado, Backspacer - "Pearl Jam? Those guys still make music?"

This goes back to the subjective argument. I didn't start following PJ until about '98. That's when I got my driver's license and could listen to whatever I wanted due to having the freedom. I think the avocado is a great album and my g/f loves Riot Act.

My first show was Columbus, Ohio in 2000 - three days before I shipped out before basic training and I was HOOKED FOR LIFE. I would give a lot to have been old enough to be at some of the 91-94 shows. I'll tell you what though, seeing the Noblesville 2010 show blew my mind and I'm still coming down from the London show. "Peaked" could, and seemingly has, elicited ten different answers from ten different people.

I'm just thankful I came upon "Live on two Legs" when I did. If one could wear out a CD, that would have been fried over and over again. As long as they're together, I'll be following religiously.

Zod wrote:

It depends on the definition of peak.

Vitalogy was their last en masse popular album. No Code kind of shook out a lot of people. I think the Vs/Vitalogy Tours were probably the band at their height of popularity.

Creatively... i'm not sure? My favorite album is Yield so that would be the obvious choice. I think Binaural is pretty creative but I don't listen to it very often. Riot Act/Avacado/Backspacer seem to find the band in a groove and not changing up their sound too too much.

My favorite tours are '98 through '05. Maybe the peaked live wise in the Canadian '05 tour? I really liked that tour (including the gorge show!).

Do not lump Riot Act together with the two Bastard-albums that are S/T/BS. Please. It deserves more from you. From all of us.

bootlegger10 wrote:

Stephen Flow wrote:

bootlegger10 wrote:

Peaked at Yield. Binaural was the first album for me to include filler (God's Dice, Evacuation, Breakerfall).

Now if Sad and Fatal made that record I would have to change my mind.

If you consider God's Dice, Evacuation & Breakerfall "filler", I'd like to know what you consider Stupid Mop, Aye Davanita & Pry, to. :?

Stupid Mop is worthless but it added to the interesting aspect of Vitalogy. Bugs and Aye Davanita were interestesting. All three tracks served a purpose.

What I meant by filler was that God'S Dice, Evacuation and Breakerfall were just no up to par with PJ's songs from earlier albums. They just aren't great songs. They are average.

God's Dice has pretentious lyrics that doesn't hook, Evacuation is very Backspacer-like in its simplicity.

But what makes Breakerfall worse than Brain of J or Whipping?

bootlegger10 wrote:

Peaked at Yield. Binaural was the first album for me to include filler (God's Dice, Evacuation, Breakerfall).

Now if Sad and Fatal made that record I would have to change my mind.

thats exactly how i feel. i remember listening to yield for the first time, halfway through i said to myself "these guys can do no wrong." they were literally 5 for 5 for me, i loved just about every song on every album from ten through yield. binaural was the first one that had "filler" as you say. i literally cannot listen to binaural anymore because of those first 3 songs. yea they had filler on vitalogy and yield but those were experimental songs, not real songs. thats why i dont get the love for binaural and riot act that some have, the quality of those songs simply dont approach the first 5 albums. breakerfall, gods dice, evacuation, rival, cropduster, ghost, help help,....compared to once, go, animal, tremor christ, hail hail, in my tree, in hiding.....no comparison.

90s were their peak

Spiritual_Chaos wrote:

God's Dice has pretentious lyrics that doesn't hook, Evacuation is very Backspacer-like in its simplicity.

But what makes Breakerfall worse than Brain of J or Whipping?

Personal opinion I guess. I think Brain of J is an amazing song. One of my favorites. I think the music and lyrics go together well. I don't like the lyrics of Breakerfall I guess. It didn't really have any hooks in it that I was drawn to. I'll give you Whipping. It isn't a song I really love.

Caveeze wrote:

Nah.. the rollercoaster is is still ratcheting it's way up the big hill..

Exactly

Cinnamon Girl wrote:

Makes me sad that I didn't get "on board" till 2006.

Always liked them...since Ten...but once I saw them live in 2006 I was hooked.

I missed the peak!?!?

Spiritual_Chaos wrote:

Cinnamon Girl wrote:

Makes me sad that I didn't get "on board" till 2006.

Always liked them...since Ten...but once I saw them live in 2006 I was hooked.

I missed the peak!?!?

you should be.