Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[harmless]

Down-time / leisure / time away is essential to the writing process, especially if you're experiencing a creative lull, and I think it's obvious to all and sundry that they have been.

Almost posted yesterday (but didn't) that I feel like Jeff is at a creative peak the past couple of years. I mean, just look at the guy's output. Whether you like his songs or not, dude is creating his ass off. One could say both Ed and Stone have been creating the past few years too with their solo work, and obviously Matt with Soundgarden. I wouldn't say they're all in creative lulls, maybe just in a Pearl Jam lull

Yeah I think so. They're looking for a new dynamic, creatively and functionally, and haven't found one yet, which is possibly why they're responding to BO'B's very managerial approach at the moment. It's got to be good for figuring out what you do and don't want. It's been a great move getting Jeff so involved with stuff this time.

I don't think that can be said for certain without hearing the record. For cripes sake, GIVE IT A CHANCE!

There's a lot of evidence to go on, based on Backspacer and subsequent comments from band and producer in articles, interviews, you name it. The evidence has stacked up. I'm not just guessing based on the non-existent new album. I'm actually expecting the music itself to be pretty cool, and great in a few places.

[Birds in Hell]

The band might, for all we've heard from them on it.

Looks that way so far.

I miss spenno. He would have told me to go to bed hours ago.

Where the hell is that guy?

He fucking hates everything about this board. Mostly this thread though....

Yes, it's mostly this thread. The board is fine.

Apart from being really busy lately, I have no interest talking about something I haven't heard. The nervousness and hysteria in this thread about an album we'll all hear soon enough really bums me out, I'd prefer just to steer well clear for a while.

I'm sure I'll have things to say about the album once I've heard it. Until then, what else worthwhile is there to say?

[Sgt. Crackpot]

Down-time / leisure / time away is essential to the writing process, especially if you're experiencing a creative lull, and I think it's obvious to all and sundry that they have been.

Almost posted yesterday (but didn't) that I feel like Jeff is at a creative peak the past couple of years. I mean, just look at the guy's output. Whether you like his songs or not, dude is creating his ass off. One could say both Ed and Stone have been creating the past few years too with their solo work, and obviously Matt with Soundgarden. I wouldn't say they're all in creative lulls, maybe just in a Pearl Jam lull

Yeah I think so. They're looking for a new dynamic, creatively and functionally, and haven't found one yet, which is possibly why they're responding to BO'B's very managerial approach at the moment. It's got to be good for figuring out what you do and don't want. It's been a great move getting Jeff so involved with stuff this time.

I don't think that can be said for certain without hearing the record. For cripes sake, GIVE IT A CHANCE!

[harmless]

Someone should overdub the 'Evacuation' chorus with 'SPECULAAAAATION'.

[Django Butterworth]

To do that, I would have to listen to that song. And I'm afraid I can't do that.

[harmless]

Well then your opinion counts for nothing in my eyes, friend.

[Django Butterworth]

Why? It's not my fault that song sucks.

[harmless]

It's your fault you're wrong, though.

[Birds in Hell]

[Django Butterworth]

I guess I am, if a plodding tempo killer is what you want right after Breakerfall and God's Dice.

You put ANY of the 3 outtakes in that spot and you've got a MUCH better record.

[Jorge]

I guess I am, if a plodding tempo killer is what you want right after Breakerfall and God's Dice.

You put ANY of the 3 outtakes in that spot and you've got a MUCH better record.

No, sorry

[harmless]

The lack of the (admittedly great) out-takes is another conversation. I wouldn't describe Evacuation as a plodding anything, let alone a tempo-killer. BUT HEY this is the Internet so your opinion is in fact perfectly valid and OK with me.

[Cleverman]

I guess I am, if a plodding tempo killer is what you want right after Breakerfall and God's Dice.

You put ANY of the 3 outtakes in that spot and you've got a MUCH better record.

Wait, so Fatal wouldn't kill the momentum? I mean, if that's your beef with the song..

[Sgt. Crackpot]

[Django Butterworth]

The lack of the (admittedly great) out-takes is another conversation. I wouldn't describe Evacuation as a plodding anything, let alone a tempo-killer. BUT HEY this is the Internet so your opinion is in fact perfectly valid and OK with me.

YOU CRAFTY SOB. YOU FORCE ME TO RESPECT YOUR RESPECT OF MY OPINION AND THEREFORE HAVE NO MORE TO SAY ON THE TOPIC.

WELL PLAYED, SIR.

[harmless]

It's half past midnight and I have a doctor's appointment at 10 in the morning but I'm compelled to stay on the internet. I probably need more professional help than I'm getting.

[Django Butterworth]

PANDA WATCH.

[LikeLukin]

The lack of the (admittedly great) out-takes is another conversation. I wouldn't describe Evacuation as a plodding anything, let alone a tempo-killer. BUT HEY this is the Internet so your opinion is in fact perfectly valid and OK with me.

YOU CRAFTY SOB. YOU FORCE ME TO RESPECT YOUR RESPECT OF MY OPINION AND THEREFORE HAVE NO MORE TO SAY ON THE TOPIC.

WELL PLAYED, SIR.

i love it

[harmless]

The lack of the (admittedly great) out-takes is another conversation. I wouldn't describe Evacuation as a plodding anything, let alone a tempo-killer. BUT HEY this is the Internet so your opinion is in fact perfectly valid and OK with me.

YOU CRAFTY SOB. YOU FORCE ME TO RESPECT YOUR RESPECT OF MY OPINION AND THEREFORE HAVE NO MORE TO SAY ON THE TOPIC.

WELL PLAYED, SIR.

I've had a lot of internet practice, see.

[stupidmop]

Buckle your seatbelts

ontinuing with their upcoming tenth, Lightning Bolt. Ahead of Lightning Bolt’s release on October 14, O’Brien was in London recently to talk about his relationship with the band.

Brendan, you’ve worked with Pearl Jam over a period of 20 years now. What are the pros and cons of having such a well-established relationship with a band?
I think the first cons of making four albums together was that they got tired of being told what to do, which happens to all good artists. Some time after we did Yield, I just think they wanted to do it themselves for a while. The pros are, when they’re ready to do something a little more outgoing, significant – whatever you want to call it, that’s what I call it, I can’t help myself! – they call me again.

And when they arrive in the studio, do they know what the songs are going to sound like, or is there a lot of sitting around thinking?
There’s very little sitting around thinking, I can promise you that. Because you can’t pre-determine what you’re doing. Except that if you do a record with Pearl Jam, you’d better have Eddie [Vedder] good and loud! And a groove going. If I do anything I’ve got to get that right. Most songs we still start by recording live, in the room, with everybody playing at once, even though we don’t keep as much of that stuff as we used to.

You’ve said that some Pearl Jam records are more difficult to make than others. How would you place this one on that spectrum?
The difficulty for me was trying to get them back into the studio. I think that’s probably my value to them, I’m going: “Let’s keep going on, let’s stop fucking around, let’s go.” Thinking of some of their earlier records, Vs. was hard for me to make because I didn’t know any of the guys really. Especially Eddie, and Eddie was very stand-offish in those days. He was just very protective. He would tell me: “You’re Stone and Jeff’s friend” [laughs], when we would get into discussion. That was his defence mechanism. “Alright, man, whatever…”

Sleeping By Myself was used first on Eddie’s Ukulele Songs solo album, and I understand using it again on Lightning Bolt was your idea?
Eddie sent me his record before it came out to see if I liked it. I said: “There’s one song on here that we’re gonna steal, because it’s a Pearl Jam song as far as I’m concerned. And there are gonna be the fans who know that record. I don’t know that the rest of the world’s gonna know that song that much.” His record actually ended up doing much better than I thought it would… but I just thought a lyric like that with him singing it is so unusual, and it’s such a sweet, direct, straightforward song that I felt like we needed it very much.

Where did you record the album?
Henson Recording in Los Angeles, which is the old A&M Studios – the We Are The World studios. We wanted a We Are The World vibe, man! There’s still something about going into a studio, not into a house, not into someone’s fucking garage, that makes people feel like they’re going to work and going to do something significant. I do like that submarine mentality, and everybody going into the ship together. It’s only worked well once for me, recording in houses. That was Blood Sugar Sex Magik. I engineered that, and had the time of my life.

You’ve known Pearl Jam for a long time. How have they changed as people, and as a band?
They’re all pretty much the same guys. They all have families now, so they’ve moved on a little bit. I mean, shit, we’re all 20 years older than we were. I think Eddie has changed quite a bit – not at the core – but in that he’s accepted his role. When I first met those guys, he couldn’t go anywhere, it was crazy. He still can’t go places sometimes. But I think he’s much more grounded in life in general. It’s easier.

http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/feat ... -and-loud/