Anyway, great blog, keep up the great work. I have bookmarked your blog and I plan to check it again. Your PJ post has solidified your credentials as knowing great music.

Thank you so much for this post! I am a member of the Ten Club and was equally as excited to receive this long anticipated single just last Monday. The only problem is my 45 player is broken How did you get this in a digital format? I would greatly appreciate it to know because they sound absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much!

-Matt

Well, to be more specific: about the future of pop and rock radio, yes, I totally agree, but I feel that with the occasional exception, that’s been a foregone conclusion for awhile now.

But then, there’s an ebb and flow to these things. Soon, maybe indie music will have become the new alternative and stake a claim for radio play.

Anyway, it seems like we can lay this to rest, but then someone else may well come along and find a reason to stoke the fire.

I don’t place much hope for the future. As we seem to be very much in a cultural void, as witness by the substance-less tripe that gets churned out now-a-days.

The point I made about ticket sales was merely to suggest that their audiences are still more voracious when it comes to pursuing their band, and are willing to shell out more and more money each year that the band is around. The fact that Pearl Jam is an exception to that point in a monetary sense is utterly irrelevant. The point, as I discussed later, was that Pearl Jam has long since reached a point in their career that anything they release instantly becomes gold (or at least, purchase-worthy, listenable, digestible and debatable) in the eyes of most of their fanbase. It isn’t a slight to you all, clearly you all are trying to stay with it, judge it on its faults and strengths, etc.

But if you think U2’s No Line On The Horizon is (so far) the #1 selling album of 2009 because it’s one of the BEST albums of 2009, you’re mistaken. Ultimately, what it boils down to, is that I think people generally aren’t as discerning as they believe themselves to be. I’m trying to argue that what gives a band the right to be on a ‘best of’ list at the end of the year is their cultural relevance, not their cultural popularity.

Concerning their Ticketmaster war and such, well, that’s great – I truly appreciate their efforts, but that’s really more an appreciation of Eddie Vedder the altruist and philanthropist, not Eddie Vedder the singer/songwriter, isn’t it? Does it have any appreciable effect on the merit of their music? Of course not – they’re the same band, whether it was them or STP or Wilco or Radiohead that took up arms. Only they probably got paid less, and went to court a lot more.

Regarding this: “…so don’t think that I don’t have loads of context.” I’m sorry to have thrown you a curveball with a double-negative, but if you read carefully you’ll see that I am saying I have plenty of context with which to properly assess the band.

I think what I had hoped you’d come away with (and indeed, what I posted several times here) is that I respect the other opinions here, but wholeheartedly disagree. If we’re not capable of holding an adult coversation here without resorting to name-calling, then it isn’t really worth anybody’s time.

Dave, I could list a lot of bands here that I enjoy listening to, but I’ll say this: I hold The Beatles to be the canonized gospel of rock music, and don’t consider anything else to have surpassed them in consistency or quality. That being said, I listen to a ton of other great music. My favorites are in my blogger profile: http://www.blogger.com/profile/18376009518877459737

Fire away!

What’s funny is that there are plenty of other blogs out there, and even plenty of other posts on this website not having to do with Pearl Jam. And yet, you chose to read this one and express your utterly lame opinion(s), of which you even state you’re not entitled to express, based on not having “loads of context.” You’re a worthless piece of shit. Keep your PJ opinions to yourself, or go post on pitchfork loser.

Heather…thanks for putting up those songs. I realized that I should join Tenc after trying in vain 2 acquire Eddie solo. I need a fighting chance with presale tix. Why has the internet allowed for the rampant spread of scalping…Is that not illegal still?

At the vey least, you admit to being biased as far as not ever being a fan. As well as to be blanketing a general statement on all musicians as just cashing it in, if they have any career longevity.
A band that defied constraints and labels and became a completely original band despite possibly alienating legions of fans. Which on top of continually changing and experimenting…lead the charge on the advancement of new musical acts, your rights and life in a cleaner, violence free world. So i find it strange that what you spoke of has always been the antithesis of what pearl jam have been about. I assure you…your foolishness continues:) By the way, what do you listen to?

So, how ’bout them Nuggets?! (gratuitous change-subject)….