mad world - Strung Out on Pearl Jam

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01/19/2007 7:12 pm

Jeremy's Archive

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So I made a trip to Besy Buy to pick up a copy of "Wario Ware: Smooth Moves", Switchfoot's "Oh!Gravity.," and a Gamecube controller for the Wii. On my way through the CDs to get me some Switchfoot I saw the Pearl Jam section. I thought back on all the fond memories of visiting that section when I used to buy CDs more regularly. Something caught my eye as I passed by. There was a cover I'd never seen before, and even in passing I registered that it did indeed say Pearl Jam on it. I did an about face as panic set in. "I'm not that out of touch that I could let a new album or single slip by me could I?"

I practically pounced on it as I scrambled to figure out what was amiss.

"mad world"
"Strung Out on Pearl Jam"
"A string quartet tribute to Pearl Jam"

In the corner there was a sticker that said "File under Pearl Jam," which was what, it turns out, initially caught my eye. I didn't even contemplate not getting it. How could I not?

Here's the thing with Pearl Jam fans. If you recorded yourself taking a hour long dump and released a CD entitled "I crapped for an hour while listening to Pearl Jam on headphones." someone would buy it. Pearl Jam fans just collect things that say Pearl Jam on them, and the more 'obscure' the better.

I thought I would get a kick out of hearing the songs this way. I laughed the first times I heard each song and refused to look at the track titles opting instead to try to guess what songs they were. Then it grew on me. I don't know if the 'relisten' value is through the roof, but this was clearly not just a group of people ad libbing some Pearl Jam sounding music.

I was actually really surprised a couple times as how close to epic some of the songs sounded, yet disappointed there wasn't a whole orchestra involved. There's actually more instruments involved in the real Pearl Jam then on this cd, not to mention one of the 4 instruments on the CD is filling in for Eddie's voice. Still a couple of the songs (ie 'Betterman' and 'Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town') sound like they were destined to be played in an orchestral setting. For a CD I bought to have as a novelty it's been pretty enjoyable. My only wish was that the songs were filled out just a little more.

I know none of you care about this so just make your "Jimmy Johns" comment and move along.

	Jeremy - Pie Racist 01/19/2007 @ 07:15:51 PM
Also I'm not raving about the Switchfoot album because I've "had it" for a while now and have heard it 100 times. It's still awesome.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - As Seen On The Internet 01/19/2007 @ 07:35:10 PM
Although since I brought it up this is the first time I've heard the 3 bonus songs you get for buying Switchfoot's cd at Best Buy. The acoustic "american dream" was a wash. It's "raw" but I like that. The acoustic version of "Burn out Bright" makes me wonder why it isn't the "default" version and the "C'mon C'mon" remix was excellent. (And a tad U2ish) Go buy this CD.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - How do you use these things? 01/19/2007 @ 08:28:25 PM
Gravity Is working against me And gravity Wants to bring me down Gravity Stay the hell away from me Gravity Has taken better women than me Now how can that be?		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - 1.21 Gigawatts!?!? 01/19/2007 @ 08:32:50 PM
Gravity has taken better MEN than him.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 01/20/2007 @ 09:41:59 AM
Gravity is a wussy force compared to other known forces. There's a theory called M-Theory, which is an extension of string theory that has 11 dimensions instead of 10, which postulates that membranes or branes make up the universe. String theory suggests that gravity exists in particles called gravitons. These gravitons are closed strings and can therefore move from membrane to membrane. So the weakness of gravity may be caused by its ability to exit out of the membrane we exist on. Apparently some scientists also think that gravitons entering our membrane may provide an explanation for dark matter. Props to the science channel where I first heard about this, minus half for their website search being too lame for me to find the name of the program in 3 minutes or less. Cambrige on M-Theory Wikipedia on M-Theory Wikipedia on gravitons Jimmy Johns		Rate this comment Yours: Total: Rated 1 times.
Alex edited this at 01/20/2007 9:42:53 am

	Jeremy - Super Chocolate Bear 01/20/2007 @ 09:48:59 AM
Bad Alex!		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jon - 3443 Posts 01/20/2007 @ 08:11:58 PM
Rock and orchestra actually seem to mix well, although maybe that's because if it doesn't mix well I don't hear it because it has a shorter lifespan, if you will. November Rain is a great example.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.