I'm not sure how much weight I'd put behind this, but let me advance this.

Both Riot Act and S/T are records that are a response to a particular historical moment in time, moreso than any other record other than perhaps vitalogy. No Code and Yield, for instance are very personal records that reflect the state of mind that the band (or eddie) was in at that time, but they are not bound to the late 90s in that respect. They could have been written at any time since the head space they address could have happened at any time

Riot Act, as per the cover art, is about the collapse of certainty in the aftermath of 9-11. The record probalby began addressing similar themes via Rosklide in a personal way, but 9-11 really expanded the scope of the record. It's an album about the way in which the world is seemingly falling apart, and the sense of powerelessness so many of us felt--the inabilty to get our minds around the enormity of the collapse, let alone figure out what to do about it. This is bigger than 9-11 narrowly understood, and reflects as much what Bush did in its aftermath. it may be one of the reasons why the lyrics in Bushleauger are so weak--the target was too huge to really talk about.

This is not a uniquely American experience. Given the global power, reach, and influence the US possesed at the time, our mental trauma was everyone's mental trauma. In fact, that sense of dislocation might have been felt even more strongly by people outside of the US since it wasn't even your country doing these things--you were twice removed from any sense of control

(none of this gets to whether or not the songs are any good--just what they were trying to do).

S/T is an ANGRY record, a record about fighting back, about second chances, about coming to terms with loss, and finding that sense of solid ground needed to begin to push back. It's a record inspired by both the cracks in the bush administration and the beginings of being able to get a handle on what's happened to our country, who is at fault, and why we should be so angry. Many of the core songs on the record (WWS, Comatose, Marker, Gone, Unemployable, Army Reserve) are clearly (I think) written about Americans, and possibly for Americans. I wonder if it is more difficult in that regard for people outside of the US to get into the headspace needed to appreciate many of these songs, written (unintentionally I think) for perhaps a narrower audience than usual

(again this doesn't address whether or not the songs themselves are any good--but it may address WHY many people don't feel any connection to the record)

Interesting idea, stip - I'll be curious to see what responses it generates.

Personally, it doesn't ring true for me. I don't feel I have any great problem relating to the material and any issues I have with the album are more attributable to the musical, rather than lyrical, content. There's some songs on here I really, really enjoy - Life Wasted, Comatose, Unemployable, Gone, Big Wave - but the rest do little for me. The lyrics aren't an issue (with the exception of Inside Job), I actually think Ed's lyrics for World Wide Suicide and Severed Hand are great but the music in both cases is what stops me actually developing more of an appreciation of those songs, I just haven't been able to get past it.

I'm open to the possibility of this changing over time, so many times in my life a song has finally "hit" me many years after I first heard it and it's like hearing it for the first time. I'd really like this to happen with this record, I know there's great stuff in there but it just hasn't grabbed me as a whole yet. It might never happen and my feelings will remain the same, but I'm not ruling it out.

Though i find a lot of the lyrical content questionable as well, my disconnect with this record has mostly to do with the music rather than the lyrics. i understand and agree with most of what they're trying to get across, i just don't like the way they packaged the message.

I think S/T is a record about Pearl Jam trying to sell more records.

I think the ideas behind that record are applicable to anywhere in the world really, but if your not a student of history, you may not 'get it' being from another country. americans are usually the first people to forget history though.

i disagree only becuase this implies we learned it in the first place

Well, Americans pay to see wrestling games and Nascar, so yeah I think you have to be American to like this record.


But more seriously: what cono said.

I did kind of notice a lot of RMers who hate s/t are European/non-Americans. I think you might be onto something stip.

he is onto something, they have questionable taste in music. just look at all of thier "top 10 lists", oasis is ahead of radiohead in everyone. they are a strange breed on the other side of the pond.

this was is dedicated to brett myers

Mike Richards>Brett Myers.

I don't like Oasis or Radiohead, do I win a prize or something?

Primarily? i wanna echo Conilais..the artwork was SHITY and it did affect my feeling for it....
who says platypi are extcinct for a reason?
i agree..it sounds like a buncha 40 year olds tryna be 17 year olds instead of fulfilling the promise they always gave us which was to follow Uncle Neil and just 'be cool' and get mellow and carry on making beautiful worthwhile valuable music onwards along their own road....looking back gets nobody nowhere...

leave the 'Old guys tryna be young guys' bit to U2 and make great records exploring your road...

retrograde, backwards steps like S/T? doing this Pearl jam are simply masturbating..and the worst kind of masturbation..'cos it's masturbation for the people watching (voyeurs)..not for them nor their real fans enjoyment.

'Is S/T an album you need to be an American to really get?'

Well, if by that you mean only low brow Pj fans in the States who love 'TEN' get it and also why their best record 'No Code' completely tanked there and they realised they hadta go back and follow the vein Ten was leading them on?

well then yes...it's a piss poor weak record that only yanktastics will get...

i'm flame proof so shoot now...

ps-watch S/T disappear from their sets in the coming years...No Code? will always be there
enjoy!!

have u ever seen a pearl jam set? no code is the least played, maybe 2nd to riot act at this point, but its historically been the least played album. i think severed hand is already a staple

I've seen Pj 21 times & ok, apart from the 11 date tour i did with their support band on the Riot Act tour, the nearest amount to that was the No Code tour, but as far's I'm aware No Code was played more than ST on the last 'tour' this summer...I'm open to being corrected, but for me? No Code simply has better songs on there...NOTHING on ST beats Present Tense/Hail Hail/In my Tree.....and I mean NOTHING. It's a better record..let's all hope they find they're 'good song writing shoes' again.

But i really like the record. Ten is my least favorite, never listen to it. No Code and Binaural are probably my top two.

Self titled is by no means an artistic statement of any kind, i know this, but i like the record. its a fun rock record that gets me movin. Sorry!

I'm witcha..Binaural is a kick fuckin ass great record.......

I like the record, personally. I was living in another country when it came out so my perspective was as an Australian living in the UK and still i thought it resonated. Whether you're watching BBC News or SBS [an Australian channel] News in the US is news in the world, especially during the time when "we" were following the US to war the issues that are mentioned on this record seemed relevant no matter where you lived...

i think that makes sense

I agree!
And no they won't because that was Eddie being an asshole and Jeff was nearly leaving the band over it and it was so bad that Stone really wanted to improve his songwriting after it and blah blah blah, see where I'm going?

Back on topic, s/t did very well in Europe, as far as i know it sold more than it did in the USA, and the tour for it did great too. It's a great rock record. It may be missing the really brilliant songs but it has plenty that are close to that.
Some people don't like it, big deal!