Is it because he wasn't touring as a solo artist at the time of releasing all those songs?

I think Ed's "solo career" is a vastly overstated concept, insofar as it constitutes an overarching body of work with a singular identity -- it's basically a collection of half-songs for a film soundtrack, an album of songs written and performed on ukulele, and some scattered oddities, spread out over 10+ years. The impossibly broad characteristic of being composed and performed on an acoustic guitar aside, I don't really think there is anything in that body of work that really resembles "The End" or "Future Days."

I think the genesis of this comparison is the fact that Eddie essentially and very obviously recycled the throwaway snippet "Tuolumne" from Into the Wild into the foundation of "Just Breathe," which seems like his prerogative and certainly not something which is without precedent in the music world. Ever since then, there's been this air of suspicion that any time Eddie submits an acoustic-based song that could feasibly be performed solo he is somehow scandalizing the PJ catalog by shoehorning his solo material into it. It's fair to not like those songs, but they're not necessarily out of place on PJ records.

Like I said, I think that's part of it. Before "Eddie Vedder" was perceived as his own entity releasing his own solo albums separate from Pearl Jam, it made sense that everything he recorded was released under the "Pearl Jam" banner. Even if those songs were just him and a single instrument, like "Dead Man" or "Soon Forget". But when he goes and releases two solo albums consisting largely of folky acoustic ballads, and then the next couple of Pearl Jam albums also include some folky acoustic ballads that also feature no other members of Pearl Jam, it makes sense to me that people would question if those songs wouldn't have been a better fit for an Ed solo album. I don't necessarily agree -- I think if a song was intended for a Pearl Jam album, then that's where it belongs. But it's not a crazy concept, and I understand why the same critique isn't aimed at "Small Town" and the like.

This song really is fantastic.

Small Town features more of the band than The End. Thats for sure. The end is pretty much just ed with a guitar...Even Dead Man has i think jeff or stone on it.

Future Days is a solo ed song produced by Brendan. Even the strings were an idea of both.

Yeah.

"Merkinball" was basically Ed's first solo release

Not really. Yeah, they were ed songs, but the sound is PJ at its finest. Sounds like Vitalogy and No Code. And Neil is there too.

oh i know – but technically, it was only Ed and Jack from PJ on both songs, with Jeff only on Long Road

sonically, its PJ at its finest.

can't argue that

and it has B'OB on bass!

bring back Brett Eliason

The Ed solo song vs. Ed PJ song argument is interesting and seemingly intricate. and then there are songs like Can't Keep and Sleeping By Myself that make the line that much more blurry.

those are are great examples on the band owing a ed solo composition. They grab an eddie solo tune and make it their own.

Not blurry at all.

Yes to the former; very hard no to the latter.

Only three members of pearl jam played on that tho. So is it even pearl jam?

Of course it is.

Mike and Matt played on a Jeff solo song

PEARL JAM!

Mike played on a Brad song.

I can only wish it was. I actually hope they play it live.

maybe PJ should do an album with Neil Young again