Agree with this for sure. Other than the 98 tour, Matt has been inconsistently inspired when it comes to PJ. Quick Escape is a great example of him really bringing it - unfortunately it's few and far between as the years go by.

For the record, I think Matt killed it on Binaural and Riot Act, and about half of ST and BS; I couldn’t imagine another drummer on certain songs. Then there are others where he just feels wrong, despite his prowess.

I think Matt is super awesome on Binaural, RA, ST and Gigaton. Most of best stuff on Backspacer is because of him.

Its only LB were he sounds bored. and the production of the drums is horrible.

In an alternate universe where Pearl Jam, I don't know, went on extended hiatus while Jack recuperated in 1998, I certainly expect their subsequent records would have been quite different.

Jack's way of playing would presumably have helped some ideas develop into full songs which just wouldn't have worked with Matt, and vice versa.

This song is pretty weird. I love it.

except for the Dance outro, I think the final minute of SBWM (from the leaked segment to the end) is my favorite minute on the album

I want to make a mashup of this instrumental with "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks vocals, but I have neither the software nor the knowledge

Nah, fuck this. Pearl Jam's best stuff is with Matt Cameron.

???

Matt was GREAT on Binaural, but I agree he's not the best fit for them. Listening to him in Soundgarden vs Pearl Jam is like hearing two different drummers.

Except for Gigaton since it came out, probably 80% of my PJ listening is stuff from the Binaural and Riot Act years.

If No Code and Yield sucked, everybody would say Jack Irons didn't fit well with Pearl Jam.

The whole drummer debate isnt going to be over but im truly happy with Matt. Binaural, RA and ST are way up there with their best and Gigaton might be a three spot album for me.

I said that until Matt came along; to be honest I get less and less happy with their drummer the further away we get from Dave A

edit: that doesn't take away from every drummer's strengths and best moments, I just think there's a ceiling as far as how much I'm gonna enjoy the rhythm section of a song since he left

I love those early PJ records -- they're a formative part of my life, to be honest.

That said, Dave A's drumming (to my ears) sounds very dated and very 90s. I get why people prefer him to Matt, but MC's drumming sounds a lot more timeless to me.

It's "timeless" because it's bland

(MC is capable of great things and I love his songwriting but he's often so metronomical and straightforward with PJ)

That said, my favorite PJ drummer is Jack, so what do I know

I don't disagree with your last point, but I find Dave A pretty one-dimensional. The bashing the cymbals and all...

nah, Dave A just has a groove metal heart; if he'd been raised in today's scene he'd be playing djent

yup

I know we don't agree on favourite drummers (I think your favourite is Jack, right?) but we can agree that both Dave A and Jack both had distinctive *character*; you could tell a Dave A or Jack song in 3 seconds; I can tell a Matt song quickly too, but only because my first thought is "he's not DOING enough"