Billy Corgan says Smashing Pumpkins still better than Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Pearl Jam is the Nickelback of the 90s.

Also I rescind my previous comment, Tool fans are the neckbeards of the 90s.

I hope you are just having fun. I'm starting to wonder.

I'm a huge Pearl Jam fan (they are not my favorite band), but my musical interests do not begin or end with them. I can be a music snob too sometimes.

[PsYcNeT]

In the sense that they seems to have some kind of inexplicable success while being aggressively mediocre, and there are a bunch of middle-aged weirdos ready to go to bat for them at the drop of a hat.

[macker]

Originally Posted by Igottago

If Ten was all they ever did of any quality, they'd be struggling to play Deerfoot Casino, let alone still selling out arenas world wide. You don't experience that type of success without an entire catalogue of music that people love.

Ten through Yield are all great albums, with later albums have some quality work as well. I think only in the last 3 or so albums they've started hitting a bit of a wall (as always happens with age). Just because Pearl Jam took themselves out of the limelight doesn't mean they stopped making great music.

You want to know why people have loved Pearl Jam for twenty plus years? They didn't keep making Ten. They shy'd away from the spotlight and instead of chasing fame, the way Corgan seems to often do, they just focused on the music, and the music has always been deeply personal and real. That's what stays with people. Not to mention they actually seem like good guys that people can connect with.

Ask 5 different Pearl Jam fans what their favourite album is, and you'll get 5 different answers (and I'd bet few of them say Ten). Mark of a great band.

The CJAY 92 notion that Ten was their only good album is a farce.

Made me think of Mike McCready joining Tuatara for a guest appearance. That is waaaaay more interesting than anything he has done with Pearl Jam in the last 10-15 years. Would much rather listen to that than even Ten. I have no desire to hear Ten or any of the songs from it ever again Also the song "Daughter"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNq8S8fHv0M

I would sooner listen to any of the old Tragically Hip albums from this era. Whenever I hear a song from Ten I always wonder why I loved that album for a good 1-2 years. Such a stale sound.

[Erick Estrada]

Speaking of the Tragically Hip man were they ever huge in Canada in the 90's. Huge. I wore out Up to Here, Road Apples, and Fully Completely but then each album after that they lost me in succession. Not sure what happened there but they were a pretty good live act.

[Imported_Aussie]

Of that era, I would put Soundgarden above those 3 - Chris Cornell has the best rock and roll voice of his generation, better than Eddie Vedder IMO. Issue is longevity.
Smashing Pumpkins have so much stuff I like - Mellon Collie is one of my favourite albums, but they self-destructed whereas Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters kept rolling.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Speaking of the Tragically Hip man were they ever huge in Canada in the 90's. Huge. I wore out Up to Here, Road Apples, and Fully Completely but then each album after that they lost me in succession. Not sure what happened there but they were a pretty good live act.

They still are in the right venue.

I worked the concert last year up in Red Deer, arena is around 7000.

They ripped the roof of that place.

I remember seeing them play the Westward Club year and years ago.

Also, Fully Completely was the sound track to a crazy time in my life.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by macker

Made me think of Mike McCready joining Tuatara for a guest appearance. That is waaaaay more interesting than anything he has done with Pearl Jam in the last 10-15 years. Would much rather listen to that than even Ten. I have no desire to hear Ten or any of the songs from it ever again Also the song "Daughter"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNq8S8fHv0M

I would sooner listen to any of the old Tragically Hip albums from this era. Whenever I hear a song from Ten I always wonder why I loved that album for a good 1-2 years. Such a stale sound.

You can correct me if I've got you wrong, but over the last couple of years I have noticed that you use the bag on head for ANYTHING that isn't brand new. Do you really look down on older music/acts to that degree that you find it embarassing to have liked it or are embarassed for others that do like it?

I'll never forget when Mumford and Sons released Babel and you posted that you had already decided not to buy it before it had even come out. I hadn't even heard of them before Babel (I know, I know) and after I heard Babel I thought, wow Sigh No More must be incredible. Turns out, Babel is twice the record (IMO of course).

I read these music threads and really value the contributions that you and troutman make, especially, because of the volume of music you guys seem to digest. Your take just seem so hipsterish though. I'm just curious if you really are all in only on new stuff?

BTW...Daughter is about my least favorite Pearl Jam song and the early Tragically Hip albums (everything before Phantom Power) are timeless.

[ernie]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Better Man isn't even the best song on the album. I guess it was a Top 40 hit so there you go.

Corduroy, Not For You and Immortality are great songs.

Agreed. Betterman to me is the worst of the songs on that album but it isn't a terrible song (ignoring the obvious not really songs songs).

Corduroy and Not For You top my list as well.

The Hip...saw them at the Silver Dollar way way back. I think Road Apples may have just been released but it was before they exploded. Recent albums are hit and miss but I still find 3 or 4 solid tracks every album. Honestly, The Depression Suite on We Are the Same may be my favourite song of theirs at the moment (even though it is pretentious and indulgent etc etc. No idea why I like it really). In Violet Light easily my least favourite album.

[ranchlandsselling]

Yeah, nothing like trying to support an argument as to who's better when there's very little other than personal tastes to differentiate.

Pearl Jam is one of my favorites of all time. That said, I'm cognizant enough of my bias to not be so ignorant to then suggest the others are crappy in comparison. Music is very interesting for that reason on its own and through that we end up with an interesting thread. It’s easy to forget (at least this is the case for me), how my musical tastes are influenced majorly by what I was doing at the time. Pearl Jam brings back feelings of high school, wicked parties, girlfriends, underage drinking, my first CD was Vs. I remember getting the Ten cassette for my birthday and listening to it over and over again. Looking back that’s what has shaped my like for most Pearl Jam music and why I enjoy it so much. I wasn’t exposed to smashing pumpkins the same way although a few of their songs have a similar emotional impact. But to say Pearl Jam is crap compared to some other band for any reason is unsupportable because there’s too much bias involved. Do your emotions to music mean more than mine, or carry more weight? Or are you that much more sophisticated in the understanding of music and lyric writing that you can critique so much better than me? I mean we’re not talking about one of these bands vs. the pussycat dolls.

[V]

I have never really liked PJ, although I do think that Alive has one of the best outros I've heard.

[Magnum PEI]

I like Pearl Jam, and the Foo Fighters have some decent songs, but I think Corgan has a depth and talent for songwriting that that PJ or Grohl just cant reach. I'm totally biased though, Adore is probably my favourite album of the 90s.

Originally Posted by rubecube

Trent Reznor, Ben Folds, Jack White, and that's just off the top of my head.

Beck and George Michael are two more.

[PsYcNeT]

Can I also say I love all the

"Pff look at this plebe casual, liking Better Man *smug smug* Dude probly doesn't listen to all the deep tracks about Stone Gossards battle with gout."

It's hilarious. Great thread 5/5 would post again.

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

Beck and George Michael are two more.

Prince and Sufjan Stevens too.

[bradster57]

I love this thread because I still listen to all of these bands. I like the debate too. Love me some grunge and 90s alternative.

I don't have much to add but when I hear Hozier's Take Me to Church or that Alt-J song that sounds like Adam Sandler on the alt rock stations, it makes me appreciate how good the 90s were. It also makes me feel old.

[Magnum PEI]

^
That Hozier song blatantly rips off Have a Cigar by ink Floyd

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by habernac

Vitalogy and VS are garbage

fyp.

[dubc80]

Originally Posted by bradster57

I love this thread because I still listen to all of these bands. I like the debate too. Love me some grunge and 90s alternative.

I don't have much to add but when I hear Hozier's Take Me to Church or that Alt-J song that sounds like Adam Sandler on the alt rock stations, it makes me appreciate how good the 90s were. It also makes me feel old.

Agree. Loved following this thread today. Big fan of lots of the bands mentioned.

Usually I haven't heard of any of the bands that people talk about on here. And don't even get me started on EDM and it's rise in popularity with the kids these days.

[Table 5]

I was never the biggest Pearl Jam fan back in the 90s (I was more of a Britpop kind of guy), but I've grown to appreciate them much more over time to the point where they've probably become my favorite of the grunge bands. I can also really appreciate the fact that these guys really know their instruments...that guitar solo on Alive is still one of my favorites. I tend to prefer some of their slower songs though, like Yellow Leadbetter and Man of the Hour..and yes, even Better Man. Not liking them is fine, but comparing them to Nickelback is troll worthy.

I think Dave Grohl is a great guy, but outside of the first two Foo Fighter albums, I find their music pretty bland and generic.

[PsYcNeT]

So I went back and listened to Pearl Jam's Grammy Award™-winning masterpiece "Spin the Black Circle" for the first time in like 15 years and it's hilariously bad.

It's like what some corporate head would write if he was pretending to be a grunge band in a commercial for Crystal Pepsi or something.

[badradio]

My favourite band of all time is Pearl Jam, even my username 'badradio' is from Eddie Vedder's first band. Saying one band is better than another is nonsensical and childish. It seems that Corgan's attitude has "evolved" as much as his music. Even saying "this band sucks" or "this band is the best" has no merit. It all comes down to personal preference and until people realize that - debating about it is just a waste of time. I love 90s music/bands, it's pretty much all I still listen too.. even SP... It's about that personal connection and relations and not everyone will have it towards some bands.

P.S. quit trolling Psycnet... we get it... you don't like Pearl Jam... no one cares...

[macker]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

You can correct me if I've got you wrong, but over the last couple of years I have noticed that you use the bag on head for ANYTHING that isn't brand new. Do you really look down on older music/acts to that degree that you find it embarassing to have liked it or are embarassed for others that do like it?

I'll never forget when Mumford and Sons released Babel and you posted that you had already decided not to buy it before it had even come out. I hadn't even heard of them before Babel (I know, I know) and after I heard Babel I thought, wow Sigh No More must be incredible. Turns out, Babel is twice the record (IMO of course).

I read these music threads and really value the contributions that you and troutman make, especially, because of the volume of music you guys seem to digest. Your take just seem so hipsterish though. I'm just curious if you really are all in only on new stuff?

BTW...Daughter is about my least favorite Pearl Jam song and the early Tragically Hip albums (everything before Phantom Power) are timeless.

Not at all. Over the past few years I have listened to all kinds of 60's/70's/80's classic country music so have all kinds of respect for older music/acts. Am I embarrassed by this music or my musical taste? Not at all! Some of it sounds timeless and I can put it on and listen to it for hours. The music we are talking about here has the opposite effect and it hasn't aged as well for me. If that is the way it comes across that is fine but it also offers a varied opinion. Some of the "new stuff" is actually old stuff and that is why I really enjoyed Sturgill Simpson this year. On the other hand if a brand new band comes out next year and models their sound/style after 90's grunge I wouldn't feel the same way.