Let's face it everyone, aside from a few tracks (worldwide suicide, gone, unemployable, parachutes, come back), Pearl Jam's most recent album was really lame and uninspired. The band has hit it's peak. If you ask me, their best years were the run of Vitalogy>No Code>Yield>Binaural (1994-2000). Ten and Versus weren't bad albums by any standard, but with those four albums I just named following them, they just aren't as creative. Some people like straightforward rock or ballads like Even Flow or Yellow Ledbetter (I do too), but that's not what made pearl jam great. It was the slightly exotic Given to Fly that was more in line with why I loved Pearl Jam so much. Now that I think about it, 2003's Riot Act wasn't a bad album either. So, final answer, Pearl Jam was GREAT between 1994 and 2003.

That being said, they best tracks on their mediocre latest album were all written (or co-written) by eddie vedder. EV also just recently released his first solo album, the Into the Wild soundtrack. The music on there is very different than pearl jam, but if you really pay attention to all of the EV written songs in their career, the album should not come as a shock at all. It's pure vedder. Folksy, spiritual music about a quest for freedom and the real meaning of life. I've come to the conclusion that Eddie Vedder hasn't lost a step since his heyday. It's about time that Pearl Jam breaks up before they make a really embarrassing album and tarnish their legacy, and Eddie Vedder should just go solo. Or start recording with different musicians. Nothing against the other four, but it's just not a guitar solo scene anymore.

Of course we'd lose the wonderful live shows, but in the words of George Harrison "All Things Must Pass". Thank god there are 8 trillion bootlegs available out there.

I thought S/T was their best record since vitalogy. I still do. I think pearl jam's problem (post vitalogy, really) is inconsistnecy. They make bad choices on what songs to include, or make poor production choices, or what have you. It is almost like the band either takes success for granted, or is afraid of success. Both seem plausible. But given how good into the wild was, the signs of life on S/T (the most energetic record they've done in a decade), and how great the live shows are it doesn't seem time to me.

i don't see them ever experimenting that much again. there will never be another binaural or no code, unfortunately...

I really think all of the solo projects bode well for the next PJ album.

no

i really love every album, and i'd say gone is in the bottom tier from the last album

haha...you wish

Well I think I disagree with you significantly there. On Avocado, Life Wasted, WWS, Comatose, Severed Hand, Marker In The Sand, Army Reserve and Come Back were for the most part top notch songs for me. Meanwhile I seem to be in the minority in the fan community that Binaural was easily my least favorite overall album.

Well, I'll join your club - I think Binaural is the band's worst record by a country mile, followed closely by S/T.

It's hard, I really didn't like the last album very much and the songs that I think were its strongest aren't the ones everyone else loves - I'm still really excited by Unemployable, Big Wave and Life Wasted but I think Severed Hand and World Wide Suicide are just turgid, boring dirges.

I can't write the band off just yet as I thought Riot Act was such a hugely superior album to Binaural and I hope they can pull that off again and make a record on a Yield/No Code-level once more.

Most of all, I'd really love to see the band branch out into more trippy, lengthy Floyd-esque territory - and I'd love Ed to turn his lyrical attention inwards again, to write more songs about the world in his head than the world outside.

I still hope it'll happen, but I'm not certain it will.

i really hope you're wrong though
i want them to do something different with this next album, something fresh and original. the beginning of a new pearl jam era maybe? a reason to continue for another 10 years?

please pearl jam, experiment with this new album, make the album an experience like binaural.

I agree with practically everything you said. The 1994-2000 period is magic. And if you want, include Riot Act as well. Love it as well. I'll even go further and say:



Avocado is that one for me personally.

what I saw in 2006 and 2007 (even more so) was pure magic too. No reason to quit.

groetjes,
Mirella

I'm with the Belgian

We're getting another Yield. And I can't fucking wait.

Hoping for another Yield is like hoping for that feeling after you did it for the first time. Ain't happening.

I disagree, I don't think the last record was that bad, I didn't like the production that much but the songs rocked live and added much to their live catalogue.

But I agree with you on the eddie part. I have the feeling that PJ has become another vehicle for him, apart from the now started solo carreer. It is my hope that eddie will release more solo records with either his folky side or his punky/pop side. I also don't agree that eddie writes the best tunes on PJ records, but it seems he does decide what tracks will be on the record. And he's not the best at that, I just don't understand why 'Sad' and 'fatal' are not on binaural. Same in live setting, I just don't understand why they keep playing 'come back' and 'parachutes' has become one of the rarities. (or 'All or None' or 'No Way' etc)

I was listening to 'harmony' the other day, it's one of those touring band instrumentals, and it rocks so hard! I just can't understand why they didn't made into a full song. It has all the Stone melodies we all loved on Ten/VS, but probably eddie didn't felt 'it' ? And Stone agreed on that who knows, maybe the other guys should raise their voice more often?? My favorite PJ songs are still ones with musical bed by the band and added lyrics by eddie.

I also think they can still experiment, they played with horns at te who honours show and Stone is making good country tunes now. Who knows what happens when those country tunes will get a mikey solo and a eddie scream. And did I hear some horns???
So far every record has been different from the last one, why not this time around? Seriously I have no clue what their next record will sound like. Whereas with S/T I expected a more open rockier record which it has become.

euhhm so no! they should not quit!

Don't get me wrong, I had a blast in 2006 & 2007. But I was pretty bored every time they played [insert any avocado song except Marker & Inside Job @ Dublin]. If they're going to continue like that, release another bad album and focus their shows even more on Avocado, the new album and Ten / Vs., then I don't think I would go to see them more than 100km away from my house.

So you're saying that apart from 5 songs on the last album and then a period of 12 years before that they have lost it...most band's can't even manage 2 good songs nowadays but anyhoo...Eddie Vedder hasn't lost it...so obviously it's Stone's fault...it's so not a guitar solo scene anymore, just listen to Metallica's new album...

Anyway thanks for letting me know that EV just released a solo album, I better pick that one up...pure Vedder, but not like pearl jam...I'll go back and listen to all the songs he wrote outside of PJ...like Crossroads...to compare it to...obviously not like the exotic given to fly...does using toms make a song exotic?

That's such a ridiculous, close-minded statement.

one of the things that into the wild made me think is that pj should maybe start leaving their solo slow songs (at least eddie's solo) off the record. His arrangements are very simple, and honestly are a waste of the bands time since they aren't really needed for them. Eddie can release those himself

You just wait and see.