Okay....Here's a topic

I'm hung-over and feeling a little frisky

There seems to be a great divide among Pearl Jam fans; those who favor the "Classic Period" over the "Modern Period" or visa versa.

For me the "Classic Period" ended with No Code and the "Modern Period" began with Yield.

No Code was the transition album, It marked a change of direction; one that the band would embark on for the next ten years. Yield was that manifesto put into place.

Mind you, Neither of these periods have anything to with whom was playing the drums; just music, and musical quality. So let's not get into another exhausting discussion over the "Dave A period" vs.. the "Matt Cameron Period" vs.. the "Jack Irons Period" ...it's boring...and besides... no one ever mentions the "Matt Chamberlain Period".

Anyways....

Here are my favorite songs from the "Modern Period" The songs marked in bold are the songs that I feel are the standouts; ones that could stand head to head with the best songs of the "Classical Period" and ones that best define the "Modern Period".


Yield
1) Brain of J
2) Faithful
3) No Way
4) Given to Fly
5) Do the Evolution
6) MFC
7) In Hiding

Binaural

1) Nothing As It Seems
2) Light Years
3) Grievance
4) Rival
5) Sleight of Hand
6) Parting Ways

Riot Act

1) Love Boat Captain
2) I am Mine
3) Thumbing My Way
4) You Are
5) 1/2 Full
6) All or None

Pearl Jam

1) Life Wasted
2) World Wide Suicide
3) Comatose
4) Marker in the Sand
5) Parachutes
6) Army Reserve
7) Comeback

No opinions...Oh well


I guess I'll just talk to myself

Anyways.... I forgot to list the best of the B-Sides

1) Fatal
2) Man of the Hour
3) Sad
4) Driftin
5) Strangest Tribe
6) Leatherman

I was about to agree with you, but then I saw Life Wasted in your list

The classic period wrecks the fuck out of the moern period.

The greatest recording sessions the band ever had was for Ten and it's respective b-sides and such.

well said--although I tend to stick no code into the modern period as well.

the only modern songs I feel that really can stand up to the best of the early period

Red Mosquito
Present Tense
DTE
Given To Fly
Brain of J
Sad
Grievance
I Am Mine
Down
Undone
World Wide Suicide
Comatose

lots of other really good stuff, but it'll always be night and day for me

the rest of that list lot a lot of credibiltiy becuase of this

Ha Ha

I like Leatherman.

It's certainly not Hard to Imagine or anything...but to me, it is a pretty notable and popular b-side of the modern era.

We're definitely in era 2 of Pearl Jam right now, and I think the turning point was when they stopped being mainstream cultural icons and just started being a band. It's hard to hear something from the first 2 albums and not tie it to the environment it was written in, but just in terms of personal taste, I've got nothing against the new era. Ed's more consistent lyrically now, and they've still got a LOT more energy than you'd expect from guys their age. All that's missing is their youth and an environment where they could be what really mattered culturally.

That's just my opinion. If we mark No Code as the beginning of era 2, I don't think I can say one is better than the other. Every album is so good in its own way, I love them all. Except Riot Act, the Meg Griffin of Pearl Jam albums.

I cannot... stop... laughing.

The great divide started with No Code and I find myself on it's continent, along with Yield, self-titled, and the rest of the post '93 or was it '94. I connect strongly with much of the themes and music in the modern Pearl Jam age.

Yeah...If I had to choose

I'd say i'm on the "Modern" side of the fence as well.

Thing is, this wouldn't even be a question if the Self-Titled hadn't kicked all forms of ass. Maybe this is the start of era 3. We'll have to see where they go from here.

Binaural

I prefer the following terms:

Young, Dumb and Full of Cum Period
Ten
Vs.

Can't Cope With Fame/Vedder's Creative Overload Period
Vitalogy

Rebirth Period
No Code
Yield

Cameron's Grossly Uneven Period
Binaural
Riot Act

Avocado Regeneration/Hello General Public Period
Pearl Jam

Could very well be the start of Era 3

I don't think Yield and Pearl Jam sound too far off from the earlier records. There's evolution in there for sure, but those are two pretty straight-forward, and excellent rock albums. No Code, Binaural, and at least half of Riot Act are pretty experimental by Pearl Jam standards, and to me don't compare to the other 5 albums. That's not to say they aren't great records though. I just mean they're more "mood albums" to me. I've grown to love Binaural over the years since it's release, and Riot Act is an album that on certain days sounds incredible to me, just not all the time. I absolutely hated No Code when it was released, and probably for another 3 or 4 years afterwards. I've grown to like it more -- Hail, Hail, Red Mosquito, Smile, and Present Tense are all awesome, and In My Tree is awesome live -- both versions. It'll probably always rank last in my opinion though.

The two "eras" are different, but it's all Pearl Jam. I've got more emotional attachment to the older stuff, especially Vitalogy, so if I had to choose it'd be the earlier stuff, but I could easily listen to Yield and Pearl Jam everyday.

Damn, I really hate using italics.

I love both periods a lot myself. Sometimes I am in the mood for one over the other though.

I would break the pj eras down by every three albums, since that is like every 5 years...


Ten, Vs, Vitalogy - Classic

No Code, Yield, Binaural - I think this is my favorite period, thanks to No Code.

Riot Act, Avocado - Ughh, what happened?!?! Maybe the third record from this era will save some face.

depends on what i feel like hearing, but id prob take classic if i had to choose

I think I agree with the distinction the original post is trying to make. The "classic" period was really the first three albums which were accompanyed by commercial success and visibility.

The transition period would have been 1995 when the band played a grand total of 20 shows in the US (mostly all west coast) and were less visible. This was followed by a 9 month break, and then an unbelievably small tour of 10 US cities to support an album that sounded very different from any of their previous work. So yeah, I would say 1996/No Code started the "modern era".

For many reasons my preference is 96-2006. These are among the songs I think constitute the "classics" from that point on. These are not necessarily my favorites but what I consider to be really strong songwriting with broad appeal:

Long Road/I Got Shit (I know its 95 but they are still "modern era"

In My Tree
Off He Goes
Present Tense
Given To Fly
Light Years
I am Mine
Marker In The Sand
Parachutes
Come Back
Inside Job