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What does "PRAMG" even mean? Judging by your lists, it seems to be the self-titled 8th album, but what does "PRAMG" stand for?
"Post-Riot Act Money Grab" is the jokey name RM has given to the very real shift in how the band presented itself after leaving Epic and releasing their 2006 self-titled album; not only did the music take a sharp turn away from the darker, murkier, more introspective territory they were exploring at the time in favor of snappier, catchier, more immediate rock music, but they also went back to releasing music videos, doing a lot of press, more television appearances, etc. They also signed an exclusive distribution deal with a big-box retailer which included a garish television commercial, performed at corporate events, released a self-aggrandizing hagiography, increased the amount of frivolous merch items they pumped out, and generally felt more comfortable embracing their status as a nostalgia act. The fact that this all coincided with a sharp decline in the frequency and (to many of our ears) quality of their recorded output just amplifies the effect. All of this might be attributable to a number of different factors but "PRAMG" is our flippantly humorous way to tie it all together.
I feel like I want to comment on each of these things and where I stood on all of it, as I'm not a frequenter of this board.
-Sharp turn in music - I was okay with the move from Riot Act to Avocado. Some of the "snappier" stuff I actually liked on Avocado. Backspacer on the other hand, not so much.
-Releasing music videos - I'm all for music videos when they're artistic. I think the Do the Evolution video (and song of course) are the single best thing this band has ever done. The Fixer music video (and song of course), on the other hand, are not artistic and are the single worst thing this band has ever done.
-TV Appearances - I like when they perform on Letterman or the like.
-Exclusive distribution deal - Yeah that Target thing was pretty weird. I chalked it up as, with the changing times due to streaming, maybe taking a new route was a good idea.
-Performed at corporate events - I remember Eddie, at the 1998 MSG show, suggesting corporate cock-suckers "leave songs like these along" referring to a shitty cover of Baba O'Riley that Third Eye Blind had done on a TV show. Hypocritical now in hindsight. Though Third Eye Blind was fucking awful. My high school girlfriend loved them.
-Self-aggrandizing hagiography - I'm not sure what this means.
-Frivolous merch items - I've never bought PJ merchandise outside of recordings and a stray t-shirt here or there so I can't really comment.
-Nostalgia act - I'm not so sure I agree here only because I heard Jeff say in an interview that the reason they stopped doing big reissues after Vs/Vitalogy box is so they wouldn't turn in to a nostalgia act.
Frequency of their output - An obvious decline
Quality of their output - Yeah, I'm with you. Backspacer was the first record where I couldn't really be bothered to try and like it. Got Some is up my ally. I like Johnny Guitar though I get it if someone else thinks it sucks. But the rest is all kinda cheesy. And with Lightning Bolt, I like four or five songs, but that's it. And even those four and five songs will never be a part of my DNA like everything (whether I like the tune or not) pre-PRAMG is.
_________________ "The fatal flaw of all revolutionaries is that they know how to tear things down but don't have a f**king clue about how to build anything."
List your top 10 PJ songs you wish didn’t exist - worst Pearl Jam songs (any album) Ten Worst Pre-PRAMG PJ Songs - worst pre-PRAMG songs (Riot Act and older) PRAMG Top 10 - best PRAMG (post Riot Act)
I frequent other non-Pearl Jam music forums, and you would all be surprised by how many people think Pearl Jam didn't get good until after Riot Act, and only listen to bootlegs from post-2006. The stupidity is unfathomable, but it's a popular sentiment, which is probably why PJ are able to get away with it.
Joined: Wed January 02, 2013 2:02 am Posts: 15145 Location: Gigatown
Wendy Carlos's Twin wrote:
I frequent other non-Pearl Jam music forums, and you would all be surprised by how many people think Pearl Jam didn't get good until after Riot Act, and only listen to bootlegs from post-2006. The stupidity is unfathomable, but it's a popular sentiment, which is probably why PJ are able to get away with it.
I frequent other non-Pearl Jam music forums, and you would all be surprised by how many people think Pearl Jam didn't get good until after Riot Act, and only listen to bootlegs from post-2006. The stupidity is unfathomable, but it's a popular sentiment, which is probably why PJ are able to get away with it.
YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS
Oh sure. I actually have people arguing with me that the "song writing was abysmal" on No Code/Yield/Binaural, and with Avocado they "finally found their muse again". I don't get these people at all, but keep in mind that they are relatively "new" fans who ignored them since "Vitalogy", and probably spent all that time listening to 3 Doors Down.
I frequent other non-Pearl Jam music forums, and you would all be surprised by how many people think Pearl Jam didn't get good until after Riot Act, and only listen to bootlegs from post-2006. The stupidity is unfathomable, but it's a popular sentiment, which is probably why PJ are able to get away with it.
YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS
Oh sure. I actually have people arguing with me that the "song writing was abysmal" on No Code/Yield/Binaural, and with Avocado they "finally found their muse again". I don't get these people at all, but keep in mind that they are relatively "new" fans who ignored them since "Vitalogy", and probably spent all that time listening to 3 Doors Down.
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