PJ...my take

So yes...my feelings on PJ are accurate as portrayed by Brian. There's really nothing I can add to this.

I loved ten...its still one of my favorite albums ever. After that there was a steady decline until I think it was no code where I just washed my hands of Pearl Jam and gave up any hope that I would ever again hear music from them that didn't sound like either a drunken pirate song or scream therapy.


In the 9 major albums released since 1991, even by allmusic's ratings, only ten received a 5/5. Did I enjoy the radio singles...of course I did. Even the vs. singles "daughter" and "feminine septuagenarian in back of a horizontal surface in an unfamiliar suburban setting," or something like that. But even with my quick procurement of the new album (at the time), I knew from go...both figuratively and literally (as go is the 1st track) that I wouldn't love it the way I did ten. Are there valid excuses...sure. It doesn't make me like PJ any more because of it.

Ah...and then there was Vitalogy. From the first listen to the album, I liked both tracks with "man" in the title...and not much else. I mean really...spin the black circle?!? how about, "play it on vinyl because it sounds better, or at least it sounds better to say that it does because I'm not that drunk, where's my surfboard, and by surfboard, I mean vodka?" I was losing hope, and the sheep listening to their radios at home kept loving it all because that's what the radio stations told them to do...and the indie fight against ticketmaster, maaaaaaaaannn. All the self-righteous kids at home found the perfect rebellion of sticking it to big business and giving money back to the band...(mind you, this was before napster when the winds of change blew the other way, yet again).

Then came no code. I looked at the track listing for this album for 15 minutes and could not remember how any of the songs went. The vocals sounded like he was holding a vibrator to his throat or his jaw was just wired shut. It was at this point that I had to just cut my losses and give up on their future for me.

If you like them, hey that's great, but don't you dare tell me they were the most prophetic band of our time, or the best band since '90. I honestly believe I enjoy more of Britney's catalog than Pearl Jam's.

...but like I said...I f-ing LOVE ten.