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Why the dislike for Jeff Ament?

#101
PillO said:
I would say that he accomplished his mission. 24 years later, you are still talking about the day he came in.
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Actually, I never spoke about it until now when the OP asked 'why the dislike.' I think it's valid - past bad behavior and crappy impressions do not simply 'wear off.' They happened. He acted like a jerk and was clearly proud of it. As is his right. For all I know he may be a good bassist. I have no comment there.
 
#102
RickyWoo said:
Well of course record sales alone don't reflect on the quality of the product. In fairness, my quote was paraphrased. How about the omitted mentioning of selling out shows around the world for the past 25 years straight part? Not to mention, the fans have been fans for just as long without much wavering. Does that not convey that they have a (unfathomable) following who give them merit of "quality"? Again, not a huge fan. They're just not a "terrible band". Nobody sounded like Pearl Jam when they first came out. Nobody. The appeal and success was ALL their own making. They aren't "the machine". They aren't Justin "the child star" Beiber, whom has no concept of a dive bar. They're a band who made it. They played the bars and paid their dues.

If we're talking things we don't understand, I don't understand why people (generally speaking) in a bass community, who are looking for advice on how to better their playing, better their gear, their performance and on and on, take the advice to their own benefit, but when the tables turn and it comes to a successful band, they don't approve of their success and accomplishments.
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I agree and I'd take it one step further and side with the biebs. Stay with me for a second! Things like record sales and tour sellouts are one indication of quality. Not the only possible indication, but one. Certainly there are amazing musicians everywhere playing in a bar to 10 people. As far as Bieber, if viewed from the perspective of the person the product was made for, it's actually of very high quality. Semi bad boy attitude-check. Hook laden songs about teen love-check. Cool hair and awesome dance moves-check and check. To the average Bieber fan, a band like Dream Theater is likely unlistenable. Bieber isn't a musician at the level of Thelonious Monk, but he probably never had that goal in the first place. Don't get me wrong, as a musician bieber is not good, but as far as giving a certain fan base exactly what they want and being successful at it, he's better than almost anyone.
 
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#103
Here would be an interesting exercise. Directed at no one in particular.

Think of a band you would describe as "not good." Pearl Jam even, if that's how you feel.

Now explain why you feel that they are not good. And you have to do it objectively - any time you bring your opinion into it, you're no longer describing why the band is not good; you're describing why you don't like it, which is a different thing.

For example. It's speculated that the 80s hair-metal band Warrant did not play on their own albums. The music on Warrant albums was performed with very apparent precision and musical exactitude, at a time when such things could not be created artificially in the recording process. To attend a live Warrant concert, on the other hand, was to see a band perform extremely sloppy music with what seemed to be very little musical or technical ability. Which isn't a bad thing on its face, if you're at a Sex Pistols show. But Warrant were either poseurs or were so stoned as to not be able to deliver their product live at nearly the level of quality that their recordings promised. Either way, that's bad.

***

^See? That's an analysis where I can make a legitimate claim that Warrant was bad. Even though they sold quite a few albums for a couple of years. I didn't say whether I liked them (I didn't).
 
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#111
A. D. Fairhurst said:
OK, I've managed to dig up two of the threads, although the first one is utterly stupid as half the names in the list are wrong.
samrichardson: 10 worst bassists | Sputnikmusic
Worst bass players
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Utter silliness, some guys on other forums spewing their opinions. I'm sure they are an authoritative voice of bass players all over the world.

I'd never knock Nikki Sixx, he's wrote the bulk of Motley's music and sold millions of albums. Whether it's all been top notch or not is debatable.

Let's be honest Pete Wentz has brought being a Bass player to new heights.:thumbsup:

I will have to say this Duff Lanegan guy is probably deserving of the list, he's basically copped everything Duff McKagan has ever done!
 
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#112
To move things away from Duff Lanegan: I can think of a few live recordings where Jeff is playing fretless when his intonation has made me cringe, but overall he has been a huge inspiration to me and I'm sure many others. Incredibly versatile player IMHO (I mean, within the scope of rock music, I'm not kidding myself that he's Jaco or anything.)
 
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#116
organworthyplayer337 said:
Some people here hate guitar players with a burning passion. They even have a derogatory name for that the mods have since banned.
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Seriously? They hate guitar players that much? What would they think of me, as I play both guitar and bass? I would guess that the majority of bassists can play guitar since the instruments are so similar.

As for Jeff Ament, he's a fine bass player. He's a good songwriter too. Pearl Jam is one of the great bands of my generation.
 
#118
Jeff's playing in Mother Love Bone is excellent. He was also in Temple of the Dog and Green River.

As far as his current band, I always thought Pearl Jam's music got better after the first two albums. No Code, an album that was crucified when it came out is one of my favorites. They really came into their own after Vs.
 
#120
In regards to whether or not Jeff Ament has technical prowess on the bass, you can’t really form an argument stating that he is not a great bass player. Clearly, he’s doing something right. Whether or not he fits into your idea of a “great” bass player is completely subjective. To me, a great bass player plays within the song, not on top of it. A “great” bass player curbs the urge to noodle and stand out from the mix for the benefit of the song and shines when it’s appropriate.

Extreme technical prowess doesn’t always mean good. This is what often pigeon holes great bassists into niche bands/sounds that only bassists like. I’m not saying that this is a bad thing. However, just because someone exercises concern for the overall health of the music and chooses to thoughtfully curate the notes and blend in with the song doesn’t make them any less of a bassist.

TLDR;
Blaise Pascal once penned a letter to a friend in which, at the end, he wrote: "If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter."

The simple thing can often be the hardest thing and it takes the most time to develop. Most of us can shred, it’s the easiest path to being “good”
 
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