Highly amusing article on Pearl Jam leaving Epic

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

In which the author describes the death knell of major labels since "the most popular and important American rock band of the ’90s voluntarily reject[ed] the grandest label heritage." Funny stuff!

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Thursday, 5 June 2003 13:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Are you sure this isn't a nice way of saying "We knew it was only a matter of time before we got dropped, so we thought we'd leap first"?

"the most important American rock band of the 90s." ROTFL!

― kate, Thursday, 5 June 2003 13:16 (twenty-two years ago)

the band may no long require the services of a major label.

Most bands that aren't selling shit anymore do.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 5 June 2003 13:32 (twenty-two years ago)

also in the news...uh...[tumbleweeds]...

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 5 June 2003 14:15 (twenty-two years ago)

though this sort of proves my point about music journalism that I was making in various places last month.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 5 June 2003 14:17 (twenty-two years ago)

The last band standing of the volcanic Seattle grunge explosion of the early ’90s that also produced Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and Screaming Trees, Pearl Jam is a rare bridge between the splintered alternative rock, classic rock, and jam band factions

Hilarious stuff indeed.

― Nicole (Nicole), Thursday, 5 June 2003 14:18 (twenty-two years ago)

"jam band"? hunh?

oh OF COURSE they were mixed up with those guys. Like, Ekoostic Hookah TOTALLY looks like Pearl Jam did back then, so naturally they must be connected.

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Thursday, 5 June 2003 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Pearl Jam = "jam bands" cuz "Hey, i voted for Ralph Nader too!"

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 5 June 2003 14:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Uh, but that would require the journalist to be aware of who Ekoostic Hookah or whatever (I think they mean more like the Spin Doctors or something) is! I think it's much more along the lines of: They have the word "Jam" in the name therefore they are a "jam" band! Woo!

(I've mentioned Spin Doctors twice in one day now, this is very worrying)

― kate, Thursday, 5 June 2003 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)

He also makes a reference to the Grateful Dead and Phish at the end.... I just think it's funny that the guy lives in a parallel universe where everything he wrote is obviously and necessarily true.

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Thursday, 5 June 2003 14:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Ah, kinda like the Geiriverse.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 5 June 2003 14:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Haven't read it but

He also makes a reference to the Grateful Dead and Phish at the end....

I'd lump PJ and the GD in the same area.
For their fans and image, if not the music.

― mei (mei), Thursday, 5 June 2003 17:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I like the way he talks like MOST bands get a seven album deal.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 5 June 2003 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

most bands do get a seven album deal, Horace. it's part of the reason so many bands sue to get out of their contracts.

and he's probably referring to the fact that there are so many live bootlegs, and the change-the-set-list-every-night thing, rather than the music itself

― M Matos (M Matos), Thursday, 5 June 2003 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)

also, and please correct me if I'm wrong on this, who was a more popular '90s (American rock) band? I can't think of many--Dave Matthews Band, maybe, but few others are coming to mind. I'm happy to be corrected, and I'll probably think of one later, but for now I'm stumped.

as for "important," hmmm. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss that out of hand, simply for the fact that Vedder's vocal style can still be heard all over the fucking radio in one form or other, usually not his own--Creed, Staind, a few others. I'd say they were and remain extremely influential, so while other bands vie for that title, PJ are certainly a contender.

― M Matos (M Matos), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:01 (twenty-two years ago)

If I form a band, I want to call it The Volcanic Seattle Grunge Explosion. Well, that or The Cunting Buntons.

― Nicole (Nicole), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:03 (twenty-two years ago)

How's R.E.M. doing on that record-breaking, multi-album deal they signed after "New Adventures in Hi-Fi"? It's been a lonnnng six years...

― Sam J. (samjeff), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Matos = totally OTM. I would definitely group Pearl Jam into the GD/Phish category, simply cuz their mainstream exposure mediawise is nil, yet their popularity thrives due to their live shows.

I actually like Pearl Jam's more recent records than their first ones.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:07 (twenty-two years ago)

what I've heard of the recent ones sound really really listless. their "peak" for me = vitalogy, no code.

― James Blount (James Blount), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:15 (twenty-two years ago)

no code's prolly my fave as well.

i never owned ten. i might be the only d00d in my demographic not to.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:20 (twenty-two years ago)

I never owned but I sure heard it alot. "Black" was this close to being my senior prom theme.

― James Blount (James Blount), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:22 (twenty-two years ago)

oh i heard it shitloads too... my senior prom theme: "end of the road." yeah, boyyyyyzzzzzz!

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

There was this girl I had a huge crush on that ALWAYS caught me holding an acoustic guitar at parties and ALWAYS asked me to play/sing her "Black", and I ALWAYS obliged, and ALWAYS thought it was gonna get me laid, yet it NEVER did. And that's why I killed Eddie Vedder's cat.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)

a couple of classes ahead of me: "under the sea"

nickalicious are you lili taylor?

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)

(and I think "End of the Road" was like The Industry Standard for senior prom themes...it was the theme at mine too)

(and I'm not lili taylor, but I was like totally obsessed with her between the ages of 17 and 21...TOTALLY)

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I owned Ten, and it did seem really different from what pop radio had been playing me at the time. I never got the next one, though I did buy Vitalogy. At that point, it was pretty clear I was headed in a different direction. Now you know.

― dleone (dleone), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:38 (twenty-two years ago)

while pearl jam may have had any number of reasons for leaving sony, it's hard to ignore that sony has also lost ozzy osbourne, jermaine dupri and wyclef jean, for starters, since tommy mottola left the company. is it possible that this has nothing to do with the future of major labels and volcanic seattle jamband explosions, and instead has everything to do with a lot of major artists' personal relationships with tommy mottola? me, i have no idea if eddie vedder has ever even met tommy mottola, but i'm just wondering.

― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:38 (twenty-two years ago)

my grandmother bought me vs. when it came out, cuz she had heard the kids loved them. that shows their cultural stature at the time...

fcc: if that's the case, then why haven't they been leaping to mottola's imprint?

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:40 (twenty-two years ago)

michael jackson to thread!

― James Blount (James Blount), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:41 (twenty-two years ago)

According to Rolling Stone, Mottola "oversaw the career" of Pearl Jam.

― dleone (dleone), Thursday, 5 June 2003 18:43 (twenty-two years ago)

fcc: if that's the case, then why haven't they been leaping to mottola's imprint?

what imprint? he doesn't have one yet, does he?

but even if he did, it's possible that the artists who were loyal to him would use the opportunity to just get the hell out and reassess where they're at and what they can do. it would be an obvious time for a change. maybe some will wind up with him somewhere down the road, maybe they won't.

― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 5 June 2003 19:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I had heard that he was getting a Sony imprint. I don't think the deal is done yet, but that was the rumor.

The Motolla angle I hadn't considered, but it's worth thinking about. Still, losing Ozzy (whose backcatalogue's really the most valuable thing -- his last record did not sell all that well) and Wyclef isn't that big of a deal...

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 5 June 2003 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, I'm guessing that the root of Ozzy's departure might have something to do with the realization that despite The Osbournes, his new records ain't gonna be heatseakers. And considering how Sharon negotiated season two with MTV (hot coals come to mind), he might've been looking for a megadeal that Sony couldn't deliver, especially considering the Mariah fuckup.

(fcc, r u ssa?)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 5 June 2003 19:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, unlike Mariah, its not like Ozzy is gonna have some kind of mental problem....
(hold on, I'll finish this post when I'm done gut-laughing.)

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Thursday, 5 June 2003 19:35 (twenty-two years ago)

(what's an ssa???)

i believe the root of ozzy's departure is in sony's less-than-great treatment of his daughter's budding career. or so i have read.

but even if all the individual reasons are different, i find it intereresting and not coincidental that a bunch of A-listers are walking away from one, and only one, company at this exact moment.

― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 5 June 2003 19:38 (twenty-two years ago)

ssa's a person who i thought you might be. disregard...

yeah, kelly was part of the ozzy deal, but i suspect that she might've been some sort of pork (apologies to kelly) tossed into a new contract for her pops.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 5 June 2003 19:41 (twenty-two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.