I'm sure we've all been in the situation before...after an overload of PJ (sparked by new album and tour hype), a necessary break needs to be taken in order to not personally "play them out." After some months of avoiding PJ in favor of other music, it has always fascinated me how I can go back to this band and remember why I was so drawn to them in the first place. The classics sound so much better after you've been away for a while and you really start to appreciate how great the band is. I've always said (with an admitted amount of bias) that PJ is, without question, the greatest american rock band and one of the most important bands of the 90s. I don't doubt for a second that some 20 years from now, they will be perceieved as a great classic rock band.

So are they really that good or do I just have a boner for them? I have a very large and diverse music collection and, in a weird way, sometimes I question if PJ is really better than all of the other stuff I listen to from the same time period. They're often criticized for taking a limited amount of chances outside of the grunge/arena rock sound that made them popular.

Of all the music I listened to today, I think I listened to PJ for maybe 15 minutes. In those moments, I realized that this band really is something else. They've done more "experimenting" then they will ever get credit for and have made some truly engaging music. To all those (obviously not the forum users here) who swear that PJ is a washed-up grunge band with a gimmicky frontman, I give you a liste of 10 great PJ songs you will never hear. Why won't they be heard? Likely because they will never be given a fair chance.

Indifference
Whenever I hear this song, I feel like I'm witnessing PJ perform it in a stadium where I am the only listener. Indifference creates one of the most interesting atmospheres of any PJ song.

Sometimes
One of PJ's most terrifiyng tracks with eery production that'll make Trent Reznor grin. The closing is quiet, yet very loud for some reason. It's as if you can feel the troubled narrator screaming at the top of his lungs underneath his cool demeanor.

In My Tree
A beautifully crafted piece of music. Verse 1-drum and vocals. Verse 2-drum, vocals and guitar. Verse 3-drum, vocals, and two guitars. The song becomes more intense and compelling as it progresses to the powerful final chorus that'll turn your jog into a sprint.

I'm Open
What a perfect title for this song. Through spoken-vocals and wandering guitar effects, the band opens all windows and doors for the listener and the isolated character.

Soon Forget
Ed recognizes his surf roots with the creative use of the ukelele and subtle lyrics. An instant of relief throughout a very dark record.

Sleight of Hand
Very grainy production on this one. You feel as dirty as the track's main character. The "see you on the other side" lyric at the end provokes thought and makes the listener reconsider any interpretations they had.

Can't Keep
PJ's best album opener. This song sounds very angry to me. I think it is the drums that give it that effect. A brilliant use of multiple guitars that make for an entertainingly layered listen.

Arc
The song uses one instrument (Ed's voice) and gives the illusion that there are dozens of people chanting. A very brief and passionate moment.

Come Back
Ed Vedder sings the blues? Fuck yeah! A James Brownesque tune that is simple, but still contains enough bluesy riffs and strong vocals to make you sway back and forth.

I concur.

(All or None could of replaced Indifference..., Indifference is not too unknown)

i was expecting some b-sides, like Fatal or Alone

Nice write up, man.

No no...that's too obvious

Fatal. You have never been more right in your life.

I love, worship and adore Fatal!! Its on my top 3!

Breath

Low Light

alone, hold on, hard to imagine, sad, immortality

i like that list, a lot.

Where is Thumbing My Way?

I agree Thumbing My Way , also Hold On, Parting Ways and Sad.

I'd replace I'm Open with Light Years and Soon Forget with Parting Ways.

I think Long Road is their most powerfully emotional song, and really, nobody who's unaware of their live shows knows it. I think that song by itself could change the way people think of the band.

Great list though, esp. Indifference, In My Tree, Sleight of Hand. There's a contradiction in Sleight of Hand... how can you be so insightful about a total lack of insight? I love the lyrics.

I was going to suggest this song as well, but it was played live on national TV during the Tribute to Heroes special after 9/11.

great selection. I'd say that the merkinbal songs are some of the most unique and almost certain to be forgotten as the studio recordings are relatively difficult to locate. Live performances are great and can offer different things but the recording is the document of the composition and contains the real atmosphere of the song and captures the time during which the band was creating the song.

Sometimes is tops on my list of under-rated songs around these parts. No Code is certain to be "the lost record" which is really great if you think about how someone someday down the line who has gotten into this band will have gone through all of the major stuff and dipped into the more obscure stuff but for some reason never picked up that "no code" record because they'd heard so little about it. What a surprise they'll be for.

I think that basically people know Black, Alive and Jeremy, so there are A LOT of great songs they'll probably never know about (Present Tense, Immortality... we could go on for pages)

Great post, man! I'd say Yellow Ledbetter as well. Although there was a snippet of it on the last episode of Friends, I don't thnk too many actually know what song it was, or that it was a PJ song...

good job

no need to change any