Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[@SkitchP]

Getaway sounds like it should be either faster or slower. The pace feels all wrong.
Lightning Bolt is still an awful title, but MAYBE this one might grow on me.
Let the Records Play sounds like the Hokey Pokey
Swallowed Whole is um. ok?

[harmless]

don't adults usually listen to whatever they listened to when they were teenagers?

RM

exactly. that's why I don't buy this MOR AOR stuff. It's not like pearl jam has a fan base that suddenly stopped listening to the music they used to and started listening to the music their parents listen to. It's just that the stuff I listened to becomes the stuff my kids say their parents listen to

and it's just a perfect match when the band you listened to as a teen is still making music 20 years and it happens to sound like what your parents listened to

You must have really cool parents.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Does no one else think eds vocals sound shitty? I enjoy the music, especially on getaway and lightning bolt (until the piano), but the vocals are the weak link for me.

[bada]

Getaway sounds like it should be either faster or slower. The pace feels all wrong.
Lightning Bolt is still an awful title, but MAYBE this one might grow on me.
Let the Records Play sounds like the Hokey Pokey
Swallowed Whole is um. ok?

I thought Getaway should be faster at first too but it settled in nicely for me.

[BobSacremento]

Lightning Bolt kicks ass, the only thing is I would have loved to hear them go for the extended jam like during Wrigley but as a whole the tune is melodic and my favorite of the ones we have heard so far

Getaway is a cool jam, at first I wasn't keen on the vocal melody but now that I am used to it I like it

Let the Records Play is catchy, not amazing but interesting to hear PJ do this style, this is definitely I first for them

Swallowed Whole is probably my second favorite tune from these, just all in all a good tune

[epilogue]

don't adults usually listen to whatever they listened to when they were teenagers?

RM

exactly. that's why I don't buy this MOR AOR stuff. It's not like pearl jam has a fan base that suddenly stopped listening to the music they used to and started listening to the music their parents listen to. It's just that the stuff I listened to becomes the stuff my kids say their parents listen to

and it's just a perfect match when the band you listened to as a teen is still making music 20 years and it happens to sound like what your parents listened to

You must have really cool parents.

My dad wrote an angry letter to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame because they haven't inducted The Moody Blues yet.

[harmless]

don't adults usually listen to whatever they listened to when they were teenagers?

RM

exactly. that's why I don't buy this MOR AOR stuff. It's not like pearl jam has a fan base that suddenly stopped listening to the music they used to and started listening to the music their parents listen to. It's just that the stuff I listened to becomes the stuff my kids say their parents listen to

Yup.

Man, it's been a fucking great day for me. I'm happier than I've been for a long time. I don't mind admitting that I feel like my favourite band is back.

Somebody frame this shit!

Careful... you don't know me, my opinion may be entirely untrustworthy.

[harmless]

don't adults usually listen to whatever they listened to when they were teenagers?

RM

exactly. that's why I don't buy this MOR AOR stuff. It's not like pearl jam has a fan base that suddenly stopped listening to the music they used to and started listening to the music their parents listen to. It's just that the stuff I listened to becomes the stuff my kids say their parents listen to

Yup.

Man, it's been a fucking great day for me. I'm happier than I've been for a long time. I don't mind admitting that I feel like my favourite band is back.

Somebody frame this shit!

Careful... you don't know me, my opinion may be entirely untrustworthy.

[McParadigm]

don't adults usually listen to whatever they listened to when they were teenagers?

RM

exactly. that's why I don't buy this MOR AOR stuff. It's not like pearl jam has a fan base that suddenly stopped listening to the music they used to and started listening to the music their parents listen to. It's just that the stuff I listened to becomes the stuff my kids say their parents listen to

Allow me to bring my mother into this:

A huge Zeppelin and Who fan when she was young, she maintained her love for and connection to those bands all through her life. As a middle aged woman, though, the new music she listened to tended to be Aerosmith's Armageddon song and Sheryl Crowe.

Tada.

its definitely a thing that many people seem to do, and PJ is riding that wave all the way to the bank.

Well, the thing to me is, you can like or not like this stuff. Whatever you wanna do. But I don't see any reason to pretend that the last two records weren't heavy on nonthreatening, middle of the road, nothing too suprising "we're not 30 anymore" rock. That doesn't mean it can't have affected you, or that it might not have done something really well (it certainly has some limiting consequences regarding the impact the record will have in terms of discography, but I doubt anybody was expecting this to be the new sound that people most-strongly connected to the name Pearl Jam by anyway).

does your mom largely listen to whatever happens to be on the radio?

Nope. I'm going with the most recognizable examples, for the sake of clarity.

[Monkey_Driven]

Does no one else think eds vocals sound shitty? I enjoy the music, especially on getaway and lightning bolt (until the piano), but the vocals are the weak link for me.

On Swallowed Whole and Let The Records Play yes. A little on Lightning Bolt. I think he sounds great on Getaway.

[stip]

don't adults usually listen to whatever they listened to when they were teenagers?

RM

exactly. that's why I don't buy this MOR AOR stuff. It's not like pearl jam has a fan base that suddenly stopped listening to the music they used to and started listening to the music their parents listen to. It's just that the stuff I listened to becomes the stuff my kids say their parents listen to

Allow me to bring my mother into this:

A huge Zeppelin and Who fan when she was young, she maintained her love for and connection to those bands all through her life. As a middle aged woman, though, the new music she listened to tended to be Aerosmith's Armageddon song and Sheryl Crowe.

Tada.

its definitely a thing that many people seem to do, and PJ is riding that wave all the way to the bank.

it's true that a song like just breathe will appeal to a wider base of people (so did last kiss, after all),but do you really think that the deep album cuts are being written to self-consciously pander to that market?

I also don't think these are MOR/AOR songs. I think this is just a shorthand people use to be dismissive of other people's tastes.

[Mart1n]

Please do not make requests for leaked material on the board

[harmless]

Does no one else think eds vocals sound shitty? I enjoy the music, especially on getaway and lightning bolt (until the piano), but the vocals are the weak link for me.

Actually no. They sound strong to me. But they sound more ITW Ed than PJ Ed. If that makes sense. He sounds older.

[BurtReynolds]

don't adults usually listen to whatever they listened to when they were teenagers?

RM

exactly. that's why I don't buy this MOR AOR stuff. It's not like pearl jam has a fan base that suddenly stopped listening to the music they used to and started listening to the music their parents listen to. It's just that the stuff I listened to becomes the stuff my kids say their parents listen to

and it's just a perfect match when the band you listened to as a teen is still making music 20 years and it happens to sound like what your parents listened to

this.

You must have really cool parents.

That would describe precisely the opposite of cool, but hey, these days geeks are cool, right? Maybe its so uncool its cool.

[stip]

don't adults usually listen to whatever they listened to when they were teenagers?

RM

exactly. that's why I don't buy this MOR AOR stuff. It's not like pearl jam has a fan base that suddenly stopped listening to the music they used to and started listening to the music their parents listen to. It's just that the stuff I listened to becomes the stuff my kids say their parents listen to

and it's just a perfect match when the band you listened to as a teen is still making music 20 years and it happens to sound like what your parents listened to

yes, a band steeped in the classic rock tradition making classic rock sounding songs is not surprising to me.

[jdopj]

Getaway is fucking awesome.
LTRP is pretty great too, very different than anything they have done.
SW is going to grow on me.
LB......I like the chorus from Wrigley better, more gritty, but the end of this song rules.

[stupidmop]

Does no one else think eds vocals sound shitty? I enjoy the music, especially on getaway and lightning bolt (until the piano), but the vocals are the weak link for me.

I think he sounds rough as hell, especially on LB and swallowed whole. I did wonder if these were final versions. He sounds better on MYM from what I recall.

[its_not_1974]

Does no one else think eds vocals sound shitty? I enjoy the music, especially on getaway and lightning bolt (until the piano), but the vocals are the weak link for me.

Actually no. They sound strong to me. But they sound more ITW Ed than PJ Ed. If that makes sense. He sounds older.

Yeah, his voice sounds very good.

[stip]

don't adults usually listen to whatever they listened to when they were teenagers?

RM

exactly. that's why I don't buy this MOR AOR stuff. It's not like pearl jam has a fan base that suddenly stopped listening to the music they used to and started listening to the music their parents listen to. It's just that the stuff I listened to becomes the stuff my kids say their parents listen to

Allow me to bring my mother into this:

A huge Zeppelin and Who fan when she was young, she maintained her love for and connection to those bands all through her life. As a middle aged woman, though, the new music she listened to tended to be Aerosmith's Armageddon song and Sheryl Crowe.

Tada.

its definitely a thing that many people seem to do, and PJ is riding that wave all the way to the bank.

Well, the thing to me is, you can like or not like this stuff. Whatever you wanna do. But I don't see any reason to pretend that the last two records weren't heavy on nonthreatening, middle of the road, nothing too suprising "we're not 30 anymore" rock. That doesn't mean it can't have affected you, or that it might not have done something really well (it certainly has some limiting consequences regarding the impact the record will have in terms of discography, but I doubt anybody was expecting this to be the new sound that people most-strongly connected to the name Pearl Jam by anyway).

does your mom largely listen to whatever happens to be on the radio?

Nope. I'm going with the most recognizable examples, for the sake of clarity.

if half of the complaints about the last few records were 'they are trying too hard to be safe/we're not 30 anymore rock' and the other half are 'they're trying to hard to sound like young rockers' I wonder if both sets miss the mark

[Heathen]

don't adults usually listen to whatever they listened to when they were teenagers?

RM

exactly. that's why I don't buy this MOR AOR stuff. It's not like pearl jam has a fan base that suddenly stopped listening to the music they used to and started listening to the music their parents listen to. It's just that the stuff I listened to becomes the stuff my kids say their parents listen to

and it's just a perfect match when the band you listened to as a teen is still making music 20 years and it happens to sound like what your parents listened to

yes, a band steeped in the classic rock tradition making classic rock sounding songs is not surprising to me.

there's classic rock and then there's KISS and Shania Twain (I haven't heard these songs, just going by the descriptions)