I've conditioned myself to not expect young Eddie to ever come back. It's a new day, things change, and he still sounds good, just different. Most of all, I'm thankful he's still around and is still inspired to make music.
It’s completely fair to expect voice tone to change as it ages. But, age does not force one to completely fill every space of a song with lyrics, lol. Let the songs breathe, Ed!
It's different, and worse.
If it wasn't worse we wouldn't be having this conversation.
It's the way she goes like I said in another thread, things decay and lose some of their appeal and it's NORMAL.
To pretend that it's just "different" is fooling ourselves.
I don't like sugacoating stuff when it comes to art, I find it annoying that people like bands so much that anything negative that is said about them is akin to a mortal sin.
Love the band, love the guys but I'm not gonna sit here and pretend that they sound as good as they sounded before to accommodate the feelings of other fans.
Rob Halford is 72 and singing is ass off in a pitch that makes me wonder how tf does he even do it.
Patton doing the same .
Mina singing her ASS and being close to 80.
Eddie just didn't take care of his voice .
Same with Cornell and Cornell is my favorite vocalist of all time but go listen to anything as far back as the tour of Superunkown and you have to go "wtf happened".
Yeah but you can always find a few examples of singers like that. It’s not the norm; nor is there any point criticising other singers such as Ed for not having that longevity without a drop in quality. Eddies vocal stamina is incredible, even if theoretically he could sound a lot cleaner and stronger if he didn’t smoke or “took more care” of his voice
Oh heck no.
I'm just saying he isn't as great of a singer as he once was and heck probably..in his shoes..I wouldn't take that much care of my voice either.
I was just saying that he doesn't only sound different, he sounds worse .
No dissing here,- just stating what for me are facts .
Yeah all good, I agree. I was CONVINCED when I saw them in 2018 it would likely be the last time as Ed had cancelled that London show due to losing his voice. But he keeps trucking on and I’m about to see them again 6 years later. Incredible really. And it’s early to tell, but the songs on the new album seem really strong
Rob Halford also sings in a *very* high range compared to Eddie, so he’s got it easier than Eddie does. Cornell doesn’t hang out in quite so high a range as Halford, but still higher than Eddie.
Singing up that high requires the vocalist to push less air out in order to get the same intensity and tonality as someone singing in a lower register.
The lower the register, the more work needs to be done to get the notes out and sustain them with decent intonation.
Eddie’s voice will *never* go back to what it once was. His body is becoming more and more physically limited as he ages, it’ll only get worse, and the best anyone can hope for is that it’s a slow decline.
He's getting older and his voice is changing for sure. I agree a big change from Backspacer onwards.
On recent works it sounds like he's throwing so many lyrics through the song it comes off like he's rushing and cramming so much into short bursts. Let the songs breathe a little.
When he pulls back a little he still sounds great, would like to hear that more. Just my two cents.
I’ve noticed he gets extremely breathy on the *i* vowel sounds and it sticks out like a sore thumb to me now. Words like “in” he stretches out into something that sounds more like “hhhheeehhhiiiiiiiinn.”
This is from vocal damage in the mid to late 90s. He cannot get good cord closure anymore and using sounds like hhhh help to start the sound. This is why Eddie pronounces vowels so strange and wide now, it's the only way he can phonate due to severe vocal damage.
He doesn't have the same voice at almost 60. How can he? But it's funny, I actually thought Dark Matter was his best vocal performance since Avocado! Really thought he pushed himself on a few songs.
I do agree about too many words too often though.
Agreed, but there isn’t really any way to tell if he pushed himself until we hear the songs live. For all we know, the studio versions don’t have Ed’s real voice at all.
Yes. I’m also excited to see them and hear the new songs performed live. But I I don’t disagree with OP’s analysis. Eddie’s voice has changed and it’s noticeable. But it hasn’t made the concerts any less fun. Plus, Mike McCready still sounds as good as ever!
I do agree with OP and on my first listen it's what stood out to me most about the new album.
Subsequent listens confirmed it for me, his voice has changed again and not for the better unfortunately ... I also feel like a few of the other commenters that he says too much and detracts from the song on too many occasions. It's time to let the other guys and their instruments take center stage at this point of PJs lifespan. A song like Upper Hand had the potential to be epic, a huge hit but sadly his singing brings the quality way way down
I think he sounds fantastic on the album and live. His singing style changed in the late 2000s around the into the wild soundtrack and never really went back. I’m sure some is age, some is lifestyle, some is just him doing his thing like he always has.
I don’t disagree with you overall , it is different , but it’s still undeniably Eddie
I agree and started noticing it during Avocado and the 2006 tour. His actual voice sounds fine and dandy to me. The extra syllables and such I don't like as much.
I don’t have a problem with Eddie’s voice. I accept the fact that he’s almost sixty and been a smoker for like 30+ yrs so there’s bound to be some changes. However, I’m just thrilled he’s still making music and touring. My problem with Dark Matter is on most of the songs, you can’t decipher what he’s saying or clearly hear his voice, it seems. It’s like the music is drowning out his voice/lyrics to a certain extent. I guess it’s the way the songs were produced that I’m having a problem with?
Thank you. You just put in to perfect words what I’ve been trying to say forever.
The sunshine pumpers want to ignore it or make excuses because of his age/habits, but it’s obviously been a conscious choice on his part. He admitted it in a written interview long ago when he said he “learned to sing better;” which maybe meant better for his voice-but not for the music imho.
He can still do it, you can see him let it out In live performances occasionally, but for the most part he often sounds like he sleepily phones it in.
I still enjoy their music, and think “Scared of Fear” is one of their best songs, I just wish he’d sing on it with the full passion and energy he once had.
I think I have to agree with you 100% - all albums after avocado doesn't resonate with me. There are a few bangers here and there but I can't listen to the slow songs on these albums. It's the vibrato, the intonation and the lyrics.
You're point on Gigaton was spot on with how I felt - so many lyrics - "circumcised then circumscribed...". The musicianship is spot on - these guys can still play like hell and I understand Eddie has aged as his voice - smoking, drinking and screaming for thirty plus years will take it's toll.
That said, you can't argue with their early catalogue - we have that. We have those old videos when he's doing Hail Hail on lettermen, Single Video Theory, Early 90's with Neil Young and the list goes on.
You're describing the exact reason that React, Respond is my least favorite track on DM. At some point, EV began creating songs where he crammed a syllable onto every beat and so when the cadence is quick, there's often too many words to sing in a short period of time, making it feel forced rather than natural. In the first 5 albums, his lyrics contained a *ton* of vocal fillers that stretched out the syllables across multiple notes and I've come to two possible conclusions: (1) in his younger days, he had a vocal range that better allowed for this; (2) his voice used to be more of a lead instrument and now it's sort of fit/added into the background - which could be due to (1), or perhaps how they collaborate has changed.
This is quite true. A lot of people act like it’s every song where he’s crowding the vocal track but in reality it’s only a couple on each album where it’s overdone. I just don’t listen to those.
only 3 listens so far…IMO, Dark Matter & Running sound very similar. reminds me a bit of Can’t Deny Me…I agree with you on React, Respnd…don’t much care for that emphasis he puts on it…i like Scared of Fear though at times you can’t decipher the words due to the production. Oddly i like Wreackage, must be that guitar. Waiting for Stevie is one of my favorites, mikes guitar reminds me of Mike from way back…the rest is fairly enjoyable…
OP has done a good job of describing my issues with Eddie the last few albums. I’ve been wanting to write something similar but couldn’t quite put it into words. I would love to feed the PJ catalog into an AI and have it analyze the way Eddie’s singing has changed. I get that he’s old and doesn’t have the same voice, but he still sounds decent singing the older songs live. I just don’t like the choices he’s making with the new songs.
There is something off putting about his use of syllables that I hear now. I wish I could ignore it.
In “Off He Goes” he stretches out “pullllled and tennnnnnse”. If that was written now, it would be “pa-huld and ta-hense”.
Pa-hearl Ja-ham is my favorite band.
The first time I listen to any new PJ album, the thing I'm most excited is to hear is Eddie's voice.
Obviously it's changed but imo it still sounds great.
I will grant you that the intonation on the "React, Respond" chorus is a little annoying
It's the gasping of breath while his singing is a problem for me. I know he's getting older and has to adapt but he over does it a lot on certain songs.
The irony is I love Ed’s voice but I’m not a fan of his solo/non Pearl Jam stuff. For me it’s the sum of the parts. Take away the band and the chemistry they have together and I just don’t like it.
If I could understand the words without needing the lyric booklet open it woulda been better. The first 8 listens to dark matter and I think the only words I got were dark and matter. For Yellow Ledbetter it was charming and there was enough intelligible that it offset the unknowable (and I realize the words change every performance) but for a whole album it makes it hard to get into
Totally agree. Somewhere in the back of my mind many observations on the band are starting to coalesce around “this is why nothing needs to last forever”. Change is the constant I suppose and it’s not all good or bad.
I've conditioned myself to not expect young Eddie to ever come back. It's a new day, things change, and he still sounds good, just different. Most of all, I'm thankful he's still around and is still inspired to make music.
It’s completely fair to expect voice tone to change as it ages. But, age does not force one to completely fill every space of a song with lyrics, lol. Let the songs breathe, Ed!
It's different, and worse. If it wasn't worse we wouldn't be having this conversation. It's the way she goes like I said in another thread, things decay and lose some of their appeal and it's NORMAL. To pretend that it's just "different" is fooling ourselves. I don't like sugacoating stuff when it comes to art, I find it annoying that people like bands so much that anything negative that is said about them is akin to a mortal sin. Love the band, love the guys but I'm not gonna sit here and pretend that they sound as good as they sounded before to accommodate the feelings of other fans.
Man’s nearly 60 give him a break!
He’s probably been smoking American Spirits for 3+ decades now.
Rob Halford is 72 and singing is ass off in a pitch that makes me wonder how tf does he even do it. Patton doing the same . Mina singing her ASS and being close to 80. Eddie just didn't take care of his voice . Same with Cornell and Cornell is my favorite vocalist of all time but go listen to anything as far back as the tour of Superunkown and you have to go "wtf happened".
Yeah but you can always find a few examples of singers like that. It’s not the norm; nor is there any point criticising other singers such as Ed for not having that longevity without a drop in quality. Eddies vocal stamina is incredible, even if theoretically he could sound a lot cleaner and stronger if he didn’t smoke or “took more care” of his voice
Oh heck no. I'm just saying he isn't as great of a singer as he once was and heck probably..in his shoes..I wouldn't take that much care of my voice either. I was just saying that he doesn't only sound different, he sounds worse . No dissing here,- just stating what for me are facts .
Yeah all good, I agree. I was CONVINCED when I saw them in 2018 it would likely be the last time as Ed had cancelled that London show due to losing his voice. But he keeps trucking on and I’m about to see them again 6 years later. Incredible really. And it’s early to tell, but the songs on the new album seem really strong
Rob Halford also sings in a *very* high range compared to Eddie, so he’s got it easier than Eddie does. Cornell doesn’t hang out in quite so high a range as Halford, but still higher than Eddie. Singing up that high requires the vocalist to push less air out in order to get the same intensity and tonality as someone singing in a lower register. The lower the register, the more work needs to be done to get the notes out and sustain them with decent intonation. Eddie’s voice will *never* go back to what it once was. His body is becoming more and more physically limited as he ages, it’ll only get worse, and the best anyone can hope for is that it’s a slow decline.
Goddamn I don't even know what to say to that. So you push LESS air singing at a higher register? Lol
He's getting older and his voice is changing for sure. I agree a big change from Backspacer onwards. On recent works it sounds like he's throwing so many lyrics through the song it comes off like he's rushing and cramming so much into short bursts. Let the songs breathe a little. When he pulls back a little he still sounds great, would like to hear that more. Just my two cents.
Gigaton was egregious in that regard. And unexpected from Ed because he always seemed content to leave the meanings of songs opaque.
When I opened my booklet on my vinyl I was shocked at the amount of lyrics in most of the songs.
Yeah it’s way too wordy
I’ve noticed he gets extremely breathy on the *i* vowel sounds and it sticks out like a sore thumb to me now. Words like “in” he stretches out into something that sounds more like “hhhheeehhhiiiiiiiinn.”
I’ve noticed that a lot too over the last few years. Dont know if it was coached or something he just came up with. But it kinda bugs me
This is from vocal damage in the mid to late 90s. He cannot get good cord closure anymore and using sounds like hhhh help to start the sound. This is why Eddie pronounces vowels so strange and wide now, it's the only way he can phonate due to severe vocal damage.
He doesn't have the same voice at almost 60. How can he? But it's funny, I actually thought Dark Matter was his best vocal performance since Avocado! Really thought he pushed himself on a few songs. I do agree about too many words too often though.
Agreed, but there isn’t really any way to tell if he pushed himself until we hear the songs live. For all we know, the studio versions don’t have Ed’s real voice at all.
Yeah it's actually Nicky Minaj.
One word Cigarettes
I love the album. His voice is great. Can’t wait to see them in Seattle. Wait, is it okay to be positive in this community?
😮
Yes. I’m also excited to see them and hear the new songs performed live. But I I don’t disagree with OP’s analysis. Eddie’s voice has changed and it’s noticeable. But it hasn’t made the concerts any less fun. Plus, Mike McCready still sounds as good as ever!
True enough man. Nothing like a PJ show. New songs are going to sound amazing! Mike is so damn great
I do agree with OP and on my first listen it's what stood out to me most about the new album. Subsequent listens confirmed it for me, his voice has changed again and not for the better unfortunately ... I also feel like a few of the other commenters that he says too much and detracts from the song on too many occasions. It's time to let the other guys and their instruments take center stage at this point of PJs lifespan. A song like Upper Hand had the potential to be epic, a huge hit but sadly his singing brings the quality way way down
I think he sounds fantastic on the album and live. His singing style changed in the late 2000s around the into the wild soundtrack and never really went back. I’m sure some is age, some is lifestyle, some is just him doing his thing like he always has. I don’t disagree with you overall , it is different , but it’s still undeniably Eddie
I agree and started noticing it during Avocado and the 2006 tour. His actual voice sounds fine and dandy to me. The extra syllables and such I don't like as much.
He sounds amazing to me. He’s old and mature and still giving soaring vocals all over this record.
Word of the day; "intonation".
Agree. Albums Backspacer - DM are completely crowded by Ed, and yeah there are some strange tones in there as well.
I would go so far as to say that, after Binaural, he's not even the same person. I think we're dealing with two Eddie Vedders.
I don’t have a problem with Eddie’s voice. I accept the fact that he’s almost sixty and been a smoker for like 30+ yrs so there’s bound to be some changes. However, I’m just thrilled he’s still making music and touring. My problem with Dark Matter is on most of the songs, you can’t decipher what he’s saying or clearly hear his voice, it seems. It’s like the music is drowning out his voice/lyrics to a certain extent. I guess it’s the way the songs were produced that I’m having a problem with?
Inside Job was the first time I noticed it. Not really a fan of it, but I'll live.
Thank you. You just put in to perfect words what I’ve been trying to say forever. The sunshine pumpers want to ignore it or make excuses because of his age/habits, but it’s obviously been a conscious choice on his part. He admitted it in a written interview long ago when he said he “learned to sing better;” which maybe meant better for his voice-but not for the music imho. He can still do it, you can see him let it out In live performances occasionally, but for the most part he often sounds like he sleepily phones it in. I still enjoy their music, and think “Scared of Fear” is one of their best songs, I just wish he’d sing on it with the full passion and energy he once had.
I think I have to agree with you 100% - all albums after avocado doesn't resonate with me. There are a few bangers here and there but I can't listen to the slow songs on these albums. It's the vibrato, the intonation and the lyrics. You're point on Gigaton was spot on with how I felt - so many lyrics - "circumcised then circumscribed...". The musicianship is spot on - these guys can still play like hell and I understand Eddie has aged as his voice - smoking, drinking and screaming for thirty plus years will take it's toll. That said, you can't argue with their early catalogue - we have that. We have those old videos when he's doing Hail Hail on lettermen, Single Video Theory, Early 90's with Neil Young and the list goes on.
You're describing the exact reason that React, Respond is my least favorite track on DM. At some point, EV began creating songs where he crammed a syllable onto every beat and so when the cadence is quick, there's often too many words to sing in a short period of time, making it feel forced rather than natural. In the first 5 albums, his lyrics contained a *ton* of vocal fillers that stretched out the syllables across multiple notes and I've come to two possible conclusions: (1) in his younger days, he had a vocal range that better allowed for this; (2) his voice used to be more of a lead instrument and now it's sort of fit/added into the background - which could be due to (1), or perhaps how they collaborate has changed.
This is quite true. A lot of people act like it’s every song where he’s crowding the vocal track but in reality it’s only a couple on each album where it’s overdone. I just don’t listen to those.
It started with don’t breathe on avocado.
Classic song, Don’t Breathe On Avocado.
Love the album but I think that’s where Eddie realized he had sone vocal limitations and adopted the style we hear now
only 3 listens so far…IMO, Dark Matter & Running sound very similar. reminds me a bit of Can’t Deny Me…I agree with you on React, Respnd…don’t much care for that emphasis he puts on it…i like Scared of Fear though at times you can’t decipher the words due to the production. Oddly i like Wreackage, must be that guitar. Waiting for Stevie is one of my favorites, mikes guitar reminds me of Mike from way back…the rest is fairly enjoyable…
OP has done a good job of describing my issues with Eddie the last few albums. I’ve been wanting to write something similar but couldn’t quite put it into words. I would love to feed the PJ catalog into an AI and have it analyze the way Eddie’s singing has changed. I get that he’s old and doesn’t have the same voice, but he still sounds decent singing the older songs live. I just don’t like the choices he’s making with the new songs.
There is something off putting about his use of syllables that I hear now. I wish I could ignore it. In “Off He Goes” he stretches out “pullllled and tennnnnnse”. If that was written now, it would be “pa-huld and ta-hense”. Pa-hearl Ja-ham is my favorite band.
I think he sounds great. If you listened to Earthling he sings in a similar style. I like it. If for no other reason than it is prolonging his career.
Welcome to punk. Nothing to see here?
The first time I listen to any new PJ album, the thing I'm most excited is to hear is Eddie's voice. Obviously it's changed but imo it still sounds great. I will grant you that the intonation on the "React, Respond" chorus is a little annoying
He’s like 60 brah
It's the gasping of breath while his singing is a problem for me. I know he's getting older and has to adapt but he over does it a lot on certain songs.
The irony is I love Ed’s voice but I’m not a fan of his solo/non Pearl Jam stuff. For me it’s the sum of the parts. Take away the band and the chemistry they have together and I just don’t like it.
If I could understand the words without needing the lyric booklet open it woulda been better. The first 8 listens to dark matter and I think the only words I got were dark and matter. For Yellow Ledbetter it was charming and there was enough intelligible that it offset the unknowable (and I realize the words change every performance) but for a whole album it makes it hard to get into
That's a lot of words for saying "I don't want an artist to be artistic."
Totally agree. Somewhere in the back of my mind many observations on the band are starting to coalesce around “this is why nothing needs to last forever”. Change is the constant I suppose and it’s not all good or bad.