šŸŽµ How Good Are They Really šŸŽµ Pearl Jam

Yeah, of the albums Iā€™ve heard since vitalogy, No Code is by a long way the best.

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Iā€™ll give them a 5. Ten came out when I was 14. Was one of the albums that changed my outlook on what music should be. First 3 albums are all amazing, some of the later ones are fine. I think the reason so many dislike Vedderā€™s voice is that everyone copied him. Ten is still in my top 10 of all time. Also brilliant live.

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Yeah, thatā€™s fair enough, guess itā€™s kind of unfair to pass that judgement on their oldest (if most acclaimed) material, but I think the voice is marmite and is really going to be a sticking point for me. Might psyche myself for listening to a few highlights people post here later, but donā€™t hold out much hope.

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I hate them so much. Boring dad rock that somehow got lauded as the second coming for a while.
Vedderā€™s influence on the post grunge bands and rock in general is a musical low light for mankind.

I donā€™t have the words to describe how I can hate something so dull.

Although fair play to them for fighting against ticket master.

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always liked this as a Vedder oddity (good, if patchy, album too).

The video got Jeremy proper scared me when I was a kid and saw it on Kerrang

Itā€™s strange, I just canā€™t get into them and I listen to almost all of their contemporaries. Seen 'em a couple of times as well as my friendā€™s are massive fans, but to me itā€™s just ā€œmehā€

Really dislike them. Always have. Sound like Nickleback. 1.

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Made two good albums in Vs. and Vitalogy but they always had a bit of a stink about them. Liked Ten when I was 15 but itā€™s unlistenable now. Later stuff is dull as dishwater.

3/5

Oh actually Yield is decent too

This is what I was (unknowingly) thinking - itā€™s as if they were much more classic rock informed whereas most other grunge was clearly punk-inspired.

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Think itā€™s quite a mix tbh.

Nirvana and mudhoney clearly the most punk influenced. Soundgarden and Alice in Chains were also heavily classic rock influenced, but metal (particularly black sabbath) too. Pearl Jam - just straight up classic/blues rock in sound really.

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Fucking love them. If I have a few hours to listen to music on my own, Iā€™ll alway pop on some PJ, because plasticmike hates them.

I think I bought Ten on a whim, must have been 15-16, so ~2000ish. Instantly loved it, and bought the rest of their stuff. Was into everything up to Riot Act, which is a bit shit really isnā€™t it. At one point I watched the DVD of Live On Two Legs on a daily basis, and I still prefer their songs live to the records (though Iā€™ve never actually seen them live). I was big into minidsics at the time, so did a lot of bootleg trades, and tried to get as many of those brown cardboard official live CDs as possible.

4/5 because I have no intention to listen to anything post Riot Act, but everything before then occupies a really special place in my heart.

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Never really clicked for me, I think because, as has been said upthread, they lack that little bit of punk or metal grit that their contemporaries who I like more had. There are some absolute bangers scattered through the catalogue (State Of Love And Trust, Spin The Black Circle off the top of my head), but I find even the Greatest Hits bit of a slog. 2/5 maybe?

Yep, Iā€™d agree. Kim Thayil has also said that PJ were the only band from that scene which didnā€™t use the signature ā€˜drop dā€™ tuning.

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A key reason why I didnā€™t learn how to play any pearl jam songsā€¦

Having said, that Soundgarden having a different tuning on ALMOST EVERY FUCKING SONG on superunknown did my head in. Must have snapped at least 100 strings trying to switch between My wave and 4th of July.

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First heard them at the age of 17 whilst on a road trip down the east coast of America. I picked up Ten and loved it, and the next few albums.

Completely lost interest around Yield, and havenā€™t listened to much since.

I then went to see them with my dad at Hyde Park in 2010. It was a proper arms around each other, swaying badly, and singing along at the top of our voices night. Happy memories.

Iā€™ve a bit of a soft spot for them, but can see why theyā€™d rub people up the wrong way.

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Iā€™d say Incesticide was plenty punk.

Vitalogy could claim it, too, I reckon.

Both being their respective best albums.

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really donā€™t like the first era - too cheesy
really donā€™t like the later era - too blandcore
really like the No Code - Yield - Live on Two Legs era, i.e. when they started doing digipak CDs

I hope @Severed799 will be along shortly to set us right on the olympia scene vs the seattle scene and how grunge never existed

(this sounds confrontational - itā€™s not. I mostly agree with him!)

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Theyā€™re a bit like Weezer for me. I have never been mega into them, but thereā€™s plenty Iā€™ve enjoyed amongst the ever-growing back catalogue, and Iā€™ve no gripe overall, but Vitalogy aside, thereā€™s payback always going to be something from someone else that fits my mood that Iā€™ll listen to instead.

Had tickets to see them at Milton Keynes a few years ago but was unable to go in the end.

For two or three years in a row I went to see a Glasgow cover band that did an annual charity gig which was also a call for PJ to come to Scotland to play. And they were a lot of fun - good cover band.