A lot of people who have enjoyed Pearl Jam in their lives have, for whatever reason, decided to no longer follow them. I remember talking to this guy I worked with about music and for the most part all he listens to is rap and r&b. I asked him if he liked any rock music and his response was "You know who I used to like until they fell off?...Pearl Jam."

So my question is...if you surveyed the music listening public and asked them "what was Pearl Jam's last good album?"...what do you think the most common response response would be?
Pearl Jam sucks?
Pearl Jam has never had a bad album?

I don't think those responses would be as frequent as:
Vitalogy
Yield

I've mentioned this before, but I've only been a die-hard fan since after Binaural came out. I remember in about 2001 or 2002, I was at my buddy's house and he had every Pearl Jam CD from Ten to Yield and I was kind of wondering why he didn't pick up Binaural. I remember telling him it was pretty cool and he was like "really?" This leads me to believe he didn't enjoy Yield very much.

So...let's consider the fact that not everyone loves Pearl Jam as much as RM users, and discuss the point in time you think most people would say they "fell off" and the possible reasons why early fans would say so.

In a few weeks it will be 'Pearl Jam'

EDit : As in the answer to their question what was their last great album.

I don't think they have 'fallen off'. Whatever that means. Unless you count that one time in 05 when Matt fell off his drum stool

The thread isn't supposed to be about whether or not you think they fell off. It is about when and why you think others would say they fell off.

So why pose a question if you dont want answers? I don't think they have fallen off, so why would I think others have thought they have fallen off

You could say people listened to Ten and Vs, and then gave up on PJ. But where they ever onboard to fall off?

I don't think you understand the point of this thread. Obviously, most people on this forum don't think Pearl Jam stopped making good music, so it is pointless to come into the thread and say "I dont think they stopped making good music." For the most part, their fan base (being those who will unquestionably continue to buy their future albums) has dwindled to practically all die-hards (which Pearl Jam has a shit-load of). I'm asking when you think the major amount of fans decided to turn away from them and why they had done so.

If they liked Ten and Vs how were they not on board?

I think they're still awesome, however general discussion with friends leading up to the release of this album leads me to believe that Binaural didn't live up to many peoples expectations and Riot Act cemented that.

That said, i haven't encountered anyone who's not interested in hearing the new album...

The most common thing you hear is when they stopped making video's or at least after Vitalogy came out.

I think it's a pointless thread. Why should I or anyone else care if someone stopped listening to Pearl Jam? It doesn't affect me. My enjoyment of the music doesn't change because some guy in Alaska stopped listening to the band. His loss.

People get older, move on, evolve, get married, listen to other music, whatever. I did a lot of things when I was 14 that I don't do anymore. Stopping listening to Pearl Jam was not one of them. But for many people it was. Big deal

It doesn't affect me either. It's a curiousity thing. It's not like I'm sitting here saying "Damn all of those who don't follow Pearl Jam! We should all feel very sorry for them." You keep mentioning how you enjoy Pearl jam and like I said...that's not what this thread is about. Obviously you still like Pearl Jam. You are posting on a fan created message board.

The discussion is about what the consensus is on when the "downfall" of PJ occurred. If you don't like the thread or you still don't understand the topic (which it apperas to me that you do not) then don't post in it.

You're right. If you don't think the quality of their music has declined then how on earth could others think it has?...

Yeah buddy, roll your eyes. Good response. Look, its a discussion board, people express opinions. People have different opinions. You don't like mine, fine.

Never said I didn't like your opinion. I actually agree with you. I think Pearl Jam still rocks hard and they continue to release material that is just as good as anything they have done. I just don't want this thread to be flooded with people saying "They never fell off. What're you talking about?"

From my original post:

Okay, heres another opinion for you. This will also stir up a hornets nest. Looking back now for us older guys, or for younger guys getting into the band and buying the back catalogue, Vitalogy seems to stand out.

However, I think for a lot of people, this killed off their interest at the time it was released. I only listened to Vitalogy last month for the first time since the year it was released. I think after Ten and Vs, there was sufficient filler tracks on Vitalogy to put people off. On top of that, something like STBC, which I think was a single from the album, was quite a departure from the earlier material. I flat out didn't like the album at the time, and this remains my opinion. I appreciate it now for the good songs on it that I like to hear live.

So, blame Vitalogy I think. If you survived Vitalogy, lived through it and came out the other side, I think you were a PJ lifer. If not, I think you'd be turned off the band for good.

last good album was Yield. That was a good album.
Vitalogy was a great album. That was their last great album.

most of my friends lost interest after yield.

their last great album was vitalogy. yield and binaural came close but there were various things holding them back. but, as clint said, soon to be "Pearl Jam" as their last great album.

I reckon ppl would probably respond with Vitalogy or Yield.
Vitalogy: since I think No Code onwards have quite a different sound to Ten, Vs & Vitalogy, so early fans might not like the later stuff.

Yield: 'cos I have a feeling that in both the PJ fan community, and the general music-listening public, NoCode & Yield are much more highly regarded than Binaural or Riot Act.

Personally I think the albums from No Code onwards are slightly inferior to Ten, Vs or Vitalogy, but even their worst one (riot act) is still quite a good album.
So my answer? Pearl Jam has never had a bad album, they never "fell off", and never stopped making good music!

Vitalogy made a lot of people nervous but it still spawned a few big time radio hits--betterman, corduroy, sometimes nothingman, not for you, and STBC. No Code was still an EVENT. But many fans wanted to wait after hearing vitalogy. The terrible choice of who you are as a single (terrible if you wanted to drum up interest in your new record) only confirmed that, as did reviews that this was an 'experimental album'. Experimental is not a word most people (myself included) really want to hear in conjunction with Pearl Jam. REM, U2, even the Pumpkins can experiment and pull if off. PJ is an anthematic rock band to the core (I think the best of alltime) and rarely sound entirely comfortable deviating from that.

So who you are and those reviews made many people nervous. I think no code sold a fifth of the copies Vitalogy did. Every album since has been hailed before it came out as a return to classic, anthematic PJ. And no album has lived up to that hype. Yield was a big rock album but if you are a partisan of the early records Yield is missing some of the bite of those early numbers. After two comparative disapointment with No code and yield only the die hards were left. Rinse and repeat with riot act and binaural