Line Out - Comments on Who Still Cares About Pearl Jam? http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou Something very strange happened the other day: I asked my stable of writers if anybody wanted to review Pearl Jam's new self-titled album. Nobody bit. I know, I was shocked, too. I've never been a fan of Pearl Jam; Eddie... Copyright 2008 Wed, 03 May 2006 11:34:54 -0800 Sat, 06 May 2006 08:21:47 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Fnarf I think you're 100% right on. Your description of his voice and his band's plodding rock is perfect. But then, to be fair, I'm not supposed to like it; I hate rock'n'roll, especially ultra-testosteronized bluesy whoa-whoa rock'n'roll.

]]> Fnarf http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139321 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139321 Wed, 03 May 2006 11:58:13 -0800 Comment by alithea i would like pearl jam a lot more if eddie vedder would just spit out those damn marbles he has in his mouth. SPIT EM OUT, EDDIE.

]]> alithea http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139322 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139322 Wed, 03 May 2006 11:58:44 -0800 Comment by jameyb Agreed. 100%. Pearl Jam hasn't been significant since, well, ever. Vedder's voice is annoying and indecipherable. I've always been amazed at the success of this band over the years, considering their sound and style, which to me becomes more and more outdated every year. While the soundscape organically changes around them in new and interesting ways, they remain the same. No real reason to listen then, as far as I am concerned. Artists that push the envelope and evolve are so much more interesting! That said, I have nothing against the band or their fans... to each their own! And I do also admire their political beliefs and how they've used their fame to support some worthy causes over the years.

]]> jameyb http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139337 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139337 Wed, 03 May 2006 12:11:51 -0800 Comment by B.D. PJ's first album was a breath of fresh air for a moribund rock scene. However, Soundgarden released an album a few months later and I never went back to listening to PJ. The songs I have heard since have not impressed me. While I don't expect a band to retain the same sound over a long period of time, PJ seems to have devolved over the years into exactly what their better grunge contemporaries seemed to deplore - cliche filled stadium rockers, more poseurs than edge.

]]> B.D. http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139358 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139358 Wed, 03 May 2006 12:25:36 -0800 Comment by Matt Corwine Who is this "Pearl Jam"?

]]> Matt Corwine http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139367 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139367 Wed, 03 May 2006 12:39:23 -0800 Comment by jake Pearl Jam is about as relevent as the current Stranger music section...ok, a little more relevent, at least people are listening to them.

]]> jake http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139428 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139428 Wed, 03 May 2006 13:14:01 -0800 Comment by Matt It's funny how The Stranger needs to diss the band on the cover of Seattle Sound this month. A little insecure? I'm not a huge PJ fan but the Sound interview is pretty interesting, and cool a Vera kid did it. Nice to have a fresh voice in Seattle music. Reminds me of when the Stranger had young music writers and made the Rocket irrelevant. Hmmmm.....I see the future, and it's all about the Stranger focusing too much on local politics instead of music and culture, the things that made it great and actually sold ads. I wonder how many advertisers are jumping to get to the 35 plus political wonk audience the Stranger seems so obsessed about.

]]> Matt http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139519 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139519 Wed, 03 May 2006 13:44:59 -0800 Comment by Fuckthestranger I'm not a huge Pearl Jam fan, but I saw them perform World Wide Suicide on SNL, and I thought it fucking rocked. I suppose you think the new Neil Young sucks too? I (and actually every music-listening person that I know) am sick and tired of reading The Stranger's lame-assed headstuckinabutthole faux-hip reviews and excuses for music journalism.

By the way, have you seen the new (excellently put together and intelligently written) Seattle Sound magazine? Notice who was on the cover? Is someone feeling jealous? It’s wonderful to read some un-jaded journalism for once.

Please take your self-serving, lazy, burnt-out coke-addled thoughts, wipe them on some toilet paper, and flush them back to whence they came.

]]> Fuckthestranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139529 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139529 Wed, 03 May 2006 13:46:24 -0800 Comment by Hannah Levin I actually really like what I've heard thus far and their live performances deserve the universal praise they garner. Frankly, I stopped paying attention after Ten, but I'm ready to give the new record a chance. They're an easy target, sure, but they've lasted this long for a reason--and at least they didn't self-destruct they way nearly all their mid-'90s peers have.

]]> Hannah Levin http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139587 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139587 Wed, 03 May 2006 14:08:08 -0800 Comment by Hannah Levin Segal--I think we should just start doing blow at the office, since everyone already thinks we do.

]]> Hannah Levin http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139593 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139593 Wed, 03 May 2006 14:11:13 -0800 Comment by David Schmader Um, I like Pearl Jam. But I don't love 'em, which is why I passed up writing about the new record. I like 'em when I like 'em--I have one of the albums (Vitalogy), like a bunch of the songs from over the years, but this band has a ton of passionate fans, and I was sure there was someone in the music stable who was closer to a full-fledged Pearl Jam fan than I. Whoops.

So maybe they don't write songs that make you (or you or you) see God. Pearl Jam is clearly a force for good-- artistically, politically. Hurrah for them for coming up with a record that seems to be connecting with the vast audience the band's last few years of releases (275 different CD bootlegs, Binaural) have befuddled. God knows they'll probably have a better time with humongo-superstardom should it come again...And really, wouldn't you rather have your hard-rock cousins and sister's husband listening to Pearl Jam instead of Nickelback? Particularly if they're giving you a ride to the airport?

]]> David Schmader http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139604 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139604 Wed, 03 May 2006 14:14:23 -0800 Comment by jake it's great to know the Stranger only reviews albums they LOVE. Seems I've read a few negative reviews in the past

]]> jake http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139646 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139646 Wed, 03 May 2006 14:24:23 -0800 Comment by David "Eddie Vedder’s buffalo-in-gastric-distress voice..."

I love that description. I would never have thought of such a comparison!

(I'm still laughing five minutes after reading it.)

]]> David http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139667 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139667 Wed, 03 May 2006 14:29:23 -0800 Comment by segal I haven't seen the new issue of Seattle Sound (it's still in business?), so I didn't know PJ are on the cover. That is irrelevant to me. I'm all about the music, maaan.


]]> segal http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139749 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139749 Wed, 03 May 2006 14:58:59 -0800 Comment by Dissident I've been a Pearl Jam fan for a long time- not die hard mind you, but a fan. So I'm marginally biased when I say this, but not too biased:

When you talk about Pearl Jam as you sit in Seattle you need to acknowledge that they are a big part of why Seattle has a nationally recognizable music scene. I'm not saying they made it, influenced it tremendously, or anything like that- but they were, and perhaps still ARE the most recognizable (household name) Seattle band.

And secondly, they have been making music for over a decade and a half. That's a lot of time, a lot of music. Since then they've released more music (in CD form) than any band I know...do you own any of those double-discs straight off the concert sound board? The ones sold for nearly no profit?

Do you remember a band that took a stand against TicketBastard? It didn't last, but that's more than can be said for anyone else. How many other bands endorse recording at their shows and dismiss MTV? Not many.

Like their music or hate it- they are SEATTLE music, and they are STILL in it for the FANS.

In any era, in any genre, that's a beautiful thing.

]]> Dissident http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139801 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139801 Wed, 03 May 2006 15:13:32 -0800 Comment by lar i dont feel confident writing about the white devil's music yet, which is why i didn't take you up on it. but i still live for the "Ah-yah-yah-yah-yah-yah-yeah!" part in 'Jeremy'.

]]> lar http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139896 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139896 Wed, 03 May 2006 16:49:15 -0800 Comment by abe izmal By the way, have you seen the new (excellently put together and intelligently written) Seattle Sound magazine? Notice who was on the cover? Is someone feeling jealous? It’s wonderful to read some un-jaded journalism for once.

Does your boss at Seattle Sound know you're posting to the enemy's blog on company time?

]]> abe izmal http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139932 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139932 Wed, 03 May 2006 17:41:45 -0800 Comment by kerri harrop i have long been a fan of the band, although not necessarily a fan of all their music.

that said, this new record is a fantastic piece of work, filled with solid rock songs, political commentary, and even a (dare i say) sweet song reminiscent of '60's soul heartbreakers.

it is their best record to date and the stranger is just about the only paper of note to miss the boat on this fact.

pearl jam is still, after sixteen years, an important band. there are very few artists that have continued to use their power for good, rather than evil.

to date, they have quietly donated more than $10 million to a wide variety of charitable organizations. they have battled ticketmaster, they’ve continued to do their part to lessen the ecological impact of touring, they keep their ticket prices as low as possible, they have been outspoken in their support of democratic politicians, and they continue to boldly call the Bush administration to task.

pearl jam has not played a show for profit in seattle for well over a decade, instead earmarking that money for local charities.

this year, as they embark on a worldwide tour, the same theory will be slightly amended and applied to each city they play. for the first time in the band’s history, $2 of each paid ticket in every u.s. city will be donated. one of those dollars will go to organizations within that market, the other buck will go to the band’s Vitalogy Foundation, which supports a number of causes.

check the tour dates and do the math — some of these cities will see an extra $15,000 to $20,000 for nonprofit groups that support the arts, homeless youth, and a wide variety of do-good causes.

to ignore this record is a critical error, especially from a hometown newspaper that has long been a key player in the local music scene.

]]> kerri harrop http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139989 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c139989 Wed, 03 May 2006 18:23:06 -0800 Comment by Kathy Damn. I didn't know Hovercraft had broken up.

]]> Kathy http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c140086 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c140086 Wed, 03 May 2006 19:24:42 -0800 Comment by Rubberband "Does your boss at Seattle Sound know you're posting to the enemy's blog on company time?"

Why is Seattle Sound the enemy? Seems like they are just supporting local music. Do we really need another battle of the print publications? Seems to me that the only people that would see it that way would be The Stranger.

]]> Rubberband http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c140111 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c140111 Wed, 03 May 2006 19:51:36 -0800 Comment by guzzler Why is Seattle Sound the enemy? Seems like they are just supporting local music. Do we really need another battle of the print publications? Seems to me that the only people that would see it that way would be The Stranger.

You missed Abe's point: He's saying The Stranger is the enemy.

]]> guzzler http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c140163 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c140163 Wed, 03 May 2006 20:50:37 -0800 Comment by PearlJamforever I find this review sad and I find the comments even sadder. What made me laugh while reading this is that most of the comments come from Stranger staff. Were you nervous no one else would read your writing so you have to support each other? It's like a group of friends in high school who knew no one will sign their yearbooks except their exclusive group of 4 lame-ass friends.
I have been a Pearl Jam fan since their inception(even before as I love Mother Love Bone). I have seen them almost 80 times, I have every one of their CDs and am a fan club member. You get the point!
Pearl Jam's steadfastness is what is always impressive. They do things their way and they always do them great. They are not out to impress the critics, make a bunch of money, sleep with the corporate hags. They just want to make good music and they do so extremely well. I have grown up with Pearl Jam. I have loved watching and moreso listening to their growth and maturity both in music and in themselves. A group of talented guys making good music, still. Cheers to them for another 15 years of great music and memories.
And to all you Stranger staff and whoever else who commented negatively- why don't you take your wanna-be "EMO" asses to the local hip venue to hear the KEXP band du jour. Continue to try hard to fit into to your little worlds of superficial, fake music while those of us with good taste will continue to enjoy the brilliant sounds of PJ. And to the people who compared to Ed's voice to singing with marbles get real! I would imagine you to be one of the biggest fans then of the horrible sounding "Clap your hands and say Yeah" band. That dude sounds like he is dying....Ed's voice is like golden butter! Truly gorgeous to hear!
Ciao!

]]> PearlJamforever http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c140966 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c140966 Thu, 04 May 2006 07:32:43 -0800 Comment by Richard Jensen Give the Jammy-Jam a stadium, maybe the Key Arena if the Sonics leave. Let'em co-host an all ages Mega-Vera like twice a month during the summer and a couple times in the winter. They seem ripe for a public-private partnership like human Space Needles. Or howabout an afterschool peewee Jam league of neighborhood music teams meeting in supermarket parking lots for banging mash-ups? They could number themselves like athletes and let the kids make copies of their jerseys.

If I'd been 11 in '93 they probably would have been my favorite band. (At least 'til '95 or so. Eleven year olds are fickle.) They show great respect to their fans and that is quite admirable. But all these notions are about their liberality as lords of public attention and not about connecting us to other worlds which is the real job of music.

Maybe they could restart the Monorail and run the agency right this time? Or maybe they could take Jim McDermott's seat as perpetually do-gooding representatives in Congress. They seem to offer a more roundly human mainstream than the TV newscast mainstream Seattle is subject to. I'd be all for seeing them in public more, telling people what to do. And sure, plug-in, rock out, have fun, whatever, it's fun. But fifty years from now Heart and the N-band have more tracks on the immortal iPod than the Jammies do.


. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . .

Seattle Sound magazine. Catchy name. I have to say I dug seeing the piece on Karl Blau, though he's about as Seattle as, well, Anacortes or Olympia or Austin or Chicago, Brighton or Glasgow or Botswana. Wonder how many Seattle Sound magazines will get distributed in Portland where the contemporary young soul is actually exploding. See audio dregs, E*rock's visuals and sounds, State's Rights records, Fryk Beat, Marriage Recs, urbanhonking. . . . . . . .


. . . . how did I get here?

Loving Seattle is like listening to Pearl Jam, loving Starbucks, the 'soft, Boeing's, the bigness, and trade with China. It's not a love really, it's like a soft talent for embracing the classical sublime, the dreadful awesome of titanic scale. But we are passing through, and while we are here, anything familiar can become a pet.

]]> Richard Jensen http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c142345 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c142345 Thu, 04 May 2006 22:36:27 -0800 Comment by James Kirchmer I happened to catch PJ on Letterman last night, and I must admit that they definitely rocked. In a classic rock sorta way. That said, the music lacked any sorta innovation, went in one ear and right out the other, and certainly won't stand the test of time. BUT that don't change the fact that they definitely rocked (relatively speaking, of course - I'm not using a Motorhead measuring stick here). And classic-rocking, these days, may not be a lost art form - but it certainly ain't being heard much on commercial radio. PJ ain't up against too many bands in this respect, and it is this lack of mainstream competition that bodes well for the success of this record, methinks. The joe-blow masses are hungry for "new" classic rock-derived stuff. Combined with lots of beer, it shall entertain and warm their insides, and cause them to yell "WOOOOOOOO". :-)

]]> James Kirchmer http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c144322 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c144322 Fri, 05 May 2006 14:44:42 -0800 Comment by SeaFan_1962 Why is anybody surprised that the Stranger had no interest in reviewing the new Pearl Jam album. I wouldn't have expected anything less. Nice to see they didn't disappoint me by breaking their too hip stereotype. There really isn't much to discuss here. It's a simple formula...not cool..don't review.


Obviously, the Stranger's dismissal of the new album is their way of saying that Pearl Jam is a waste of time, both musically and to this city. Not worth the time. Nobody cares. Irrelevant. Not cool.


The Stranger must also think that Pearl Jam's hard work for local charities like the Vera Project, Youth Cares, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, Chicken Soup Brigade and the Northwest School is irrelevant.


The fact that Pearl Jam have been a great ambassador for the city of Seattle is also irrelevant to them. They've sold out cities I never thought there would be Pearl Jam fans...Nagoya, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Spodek....I ran into a guy near Seattle Center who traveled from Mexico with his father to visit Seattle because Pearl Jam was his favorite band. I thought that was kind of cool. Oh, you don't?


The Stranger is too cool for Pearl Jam, but not for bands like Mudhoney, Sleater Kinney, the Fastbacks, Visqueen, Sparta, the Buzzcocks, Supergrass, Wellwater Conspiracy, Sonic Youth, Neil Young, etc. who continue to agree to tour and perform on stage with Pearl Jam. Yeah, go ahead and scratch Sleater Kinney off your list.


True, Pearl Jam is not as innovative as bands such as The Arcade Fire, Ladytron or Sufjan Stevens...but they are still a great local band. Like it or not, they are a Seattle institution who promote our fair city and have always remained intensely loyal to it. It's sad that a local arts and entertainment magazine can't even see that by at least reviewing their new album whether they like it or not. Well, maybe it's not such a bad thing.


Hey, even Pitchfork wasn't too cool for the new Pearl Jam album. Yeah, they gave it a 5.5, but at least they didn't think it was a waste of time to review the new album.

]]> SeaFan_1962 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c144936 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c144936 Fri, 05 May 2006 22:24:32 -0800 Comment by Severed Hand I can't wait to see this same discussion.....15 years down the road......about Panic at the Disco. I wonder how relevant they will be in 2021.

:p

]]> Severed Hand http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c144966 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c144966 Fri, 05 May 2006 22:57:57 -0800 Comment by LOL_2006 The Stranger music review staff is so predictable...they haven't really changed since 1999.They must have some sort of an "IN/OUT" list they pass around the office.

Currently IN:
----------------------------
Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah
Angels and Airwaves
Destoyer
Elf Power

Currently OUT:
----------------------------
Neko Case
Smoosh
Pinback
Sleater Kinney

Way OUT:
----------------------------
Pearl Jam (don't review album, but if you see Eddie at Easy Street, be cordial. Get autograph for sister.)


]]> LOL_2006 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c145767 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/05/who_still_cares_abou#c145767 Sat, 06 May 2006 08:21:47 -0800