Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[harmless]

Someone made a post breaking down the songwriting on each album into percentages, and its interesting because eds binaural percentage was almost as high as his vitalogy one, and this was just after yield the 'democratic' album. I can never get a hold on how much eds doing album to album, either the ed having control thing is overblown, or the band overstate the whole democracy thing.

I don't get it either; why would they continually say that everyone was happy with everything if they really weren't? Kings of Leon had a huge spat and they got angry and said fuck this. By now, if that was going to happen, wouldn't it have happened?

[Thejambi]

Someone made a post breaking down the songwriting on each album into percentages, and its interesting because eds binaural percentage was almost as high as his vitalogy one, and this was just after yield the 'democratic' album. I can never get a hold on how much eds doing album to album, either the ed having control thing is overblown, or the band overstate the whole democracy thing.

The most democratic it gets is probably the band voting on whether or not they want to argue with Ed.

[stupidmop]

Question: stuff like insignificance, cropduster, ghost the binaural/riot act stuff, who would you say they're most influenced by? They're what I think of when I try and think of an entirely pearl jam sounding song. Disclaimer against this potentially stupid question: I'm bad at picking out influences unless they're really obvious, and I don't consider myself someone particularly well versed in a lot of music.

Good question, and instead of answering it at length I will say that the Binaural / Riot Act period *did* represent, for many here (including me), a move into a genuinely "Pearl Jam" sound. There was progression; and more recently, they've reverted to being more what they used to be -- influences on sleeve, and more nakedly. You can either go along for the ride or say that because they've reverted back a little, rather than musically stretching further and further, this really bothers you. I said that about S/T, and I said that about Backspacer, but ultimately I'm at the point where I've had years of complaints and now my expectations are lowered, and I enjoy what I'm hearing musically.

FWIW, though, I do think that throughout Binaural and Riot Act, Neil Young and "muddy" blues and folk-inflected rock was still what was being channelled by Pearl Jam. And there was definitely a nod to U2 in something like "You Are", which I initially baulked at. And "Breakerfall" is just a very good Neil Young cover.

Mmm "Neil Young and "muddy" blues and folk-inflected rock " makes me all tingly. I need to adopt your level of thinking with pearl jam, expect not to like it and be pleasantly suprised if I do.

Someone made a post breaking down the songwriting on each album into percentages, and its interesting because eds binaural percentage was almost as high as his vitalogy one, and this was just after yield the 'democratic' album. I can never get a hold on how much eds doing album to album, either the ed having control thing is overblown, or the band overstate the whole democracy thing.

The most democratic it gets is probably the band voting on whether or not they want to argue with Ed.

[ABNorman]

I think it's a bit pointless to identify a "uniquely Pearl Jam" musical style.

A) Everyone's going to have a different idea of what that is. For me, it's the No Code/Yield sound far more than Binaural/Riot Act, for a lot of people it'll be the Ten/Vs stuff.

B) Pearl Jam have never been hugely unique or experimental, they're just often very good at distilling their influences and shaking off the excess (I feel like Sirens is a fairly good example of this). I don't have a memory for music, but I'm sure somebody who's a bit more of a music buff would be able to point out obvious connections for almost every song in their catalogue.

[ABNorman]

Someone made a post breaking down the songwriting on each album into percentages, and its interesting because eds binaural percentage was almost as high as his vitalogy one, and this was just after yield the 'democratic' album. I can never get a hold on how much eds doing album to album, either the ed having control thing is overblown, or the band overstate the whole democracy thing.

The most democratic it gets is probably the band voting on whether or not they want to argue with Ed.

"Should we include Boom in the album promotion? All those in favour of one photograph where he's kind of hidden in the shadows, raise your hands"

[ABNorman]

"Alright guys - beard or no beard?"

[ABNorman]

"Those in favour of actually rehearsing for this next tour..."

[Mirella]

"Alright guys - beard or no beard?"

off with the beard!

[mastaflatch]

i'm not familiar with their solo output (save for Ed's) but the kind of songs that made it onto the albums both from Jeff and Stone have consitently declined in originality since the Yield-Binaural-Riot Act stretch and those guys often seem relegated to b-side quality material (Big Wave, Olé, Supersonic, LTRP) or to songs that reflect Ed's songwriting (Got Some, Life Wasted, Comatose) - Parachutes and, to an extent Army Reserve are the glaring exceptions. Matt is a wildcard - some of the best stuff on the 2 latest records are his, unless he gets the fixing treatment while Mike doesn't really have a style of his own, yet a pretty good emulator. i'm just wondering here what happens when they get back in the studio for a PJ record; are the 4 other guys sending tapes of most of their new songs and leave it to Ed/BO'B to select which ones fit with the bulk of Ed's stuff or do they suggest a handful of songs that Ed/BO'B will most likely choose? do they have two separate batches of songs i.e. one for PJ and one they keep for their solo stuff?

[harmless]

Mmm "Neil Young and "muddy" blues and folk-inflected rock " makes me all tingly. I need to adopt your level of thinking with pearl jam, expect not to like it and be pleasantly suprised if I do.

I get tingly with that stuff too. But yeah, that's my attitude; I'll like it if I like it, but I have no idea where PJ are coming from, album to album. I used to but I don't anymore.

[Blenheim Augustine]

I think it's a bit pointless to identify a "uniquely Pearl Jam" musical style.

A) Everyone's going to have a different idea of what that is. For me, it's the No Code/Yield sound far more than Binaural/Riot Act, for a lot of people it'll be the Ten/Vs stuff.

B) Pearl Jam have never been hugely unique or experimental, they're just often very good at distilling their influences and shaking off the excess (I feel like Sirens is a fairly good example of this). I don't have a memory for music, but I'm sure somebody who's a bit more of a music buff would be able to point out obvious connections for almost every song in their catalogue.

Yeah I don't really understand those comments. When I first heard Daughter I did think 'cool they did an acoustic song', I didn't think 'this is nothing like Pearl Jam'. I had the same reactions with Sirens.

I still don't like much of Backspacer, but something like Amongst the Waves makes sense as a precursor to Sirens in the way that Who You Are was to Given to Fly.

[Oh, Jimmy]

FWIW, though, I do think that throughout Binaural and Riot Act, Neil Young and "muddy" blues and folk-inflected rock was still what was being channelled by Pearl Jam. And there was definitely a nod to U2 in something like "You Are", which I initially baulked at. And "Breakerfall" is just a very good Neil Young cover.

Dude, you need a history lesson...first Pink Floyd is cheesy and overproduced and now Breakerfall sounds like Neil Young? It literally lifts chords from I Can See For Miles. There may not be a more Who-inspired track in their catalog.

[Thejambi]

FWIW, though, I do think that throughout Binaural and Riot Act, Neil Young and "muddy" blues and folk-inflected rock was still what was being channelled by Pearl Jam. And there was definitely a nod to U2 in something like "You Are", which I initially baulked at. And "Breakerfall" is just a very good Neil Young cover.

Dude, you need a history lesson...first Pink Floyd is cheesy and overproduced and now Breakerfall sounds like Neil Young? It literally lifts chords from I Can See For Miles. There may not be a more Who-inspired track in their catalog.

Bite your tongue foul sir!

[Birds in Hell]

FWIW, though, I do think that throughout Binaural and Riot Act, Neil Young and "muddy" blues and folk-inflected rock was still what was being channelled by Pearl Jam. And there was definitely a nod to U2 in something like "You Are", which I initially baulked at. And "Breakerfall" is just a very good Neil Young cover.

Dude, you need a history lesson...first Pink Floyd is cheesy and overproduced and now Breakerfall sounds like Neil Young? It literally lifts chords from I Can See For Miles. There may not be a more Who-inspired track in their catalog.

Yeah, agreed: Breakerfall is probably the most explicity Who-influenced song they've released.

You're clearly venturing into unfamiliar territory here, Harmless.

[stupidmop]

i'm not familiar with their solo output (save for Ed's) but the kind of songs that made it onto the albums both from Jeff and Stone have consitently declined in originality since the Yield-Binaural-Riot Act stretch and those guys often seem relegated to b-side quality material (Big Wave, Olé, Supersonic, LTRP) or to songs that reflect Ed's songwriting (Got Some, Life Wasted, Comatose) - Parachutes and, to an extent Army Reserve are the glaring exceptions. Matt is a wildcard - some of the best stuff on the 2 latest records are his, unless he gets the fixing treatment while Mike doesn't really have a style of his own, yet a pretty good emulator. i'm just wondering here what happens when they get back in the studio for a PJ record; are the 4 other guys sending tapes of most of their new songs and leave it to Ed/BO'B to select which ones fit with the bulk of Ed's stuff or do they suggest a handful of songs that Ed/BO'B will most likely choose? do they have two separate batches of songs i.e. one for PJ and one they keep for their solo stuff?

Well BoB said he disliked the band doing side projects cause he wanted them to keep thier best songs for pj, but we know they all did anyway. Didn't soundgarden do a song that matt originally wrote for pj?

I think they usually do a buch of stuff without ed or eds songs and then throw eds in and see what happens. I think mike said in that last interview that they vetoed a whole lot of songs while recording, I don't know if they veto songs themselves cause they know the rest of the band/ ed won't like em.

[harmless]

FWIW, though, I do think that throughout Binaural and Riot Act, Neil Young and "muddy" blues and folk-inflected rock was still what was being channelled by Pearl Jam. And there was definitely a nod to U2 in something like "You Are", which I initially baulked at. And "Breakerfall" is just a very good Neil Young cover.

Dude, you need a history lesson...first Pink Floyd is cheesy and overproduced and now Breakerfall sounds like Neil Young? It literally lifts chords from I Can See For Miles. There may not be a more Who-inspired track in their catalog.

Is this post telling me that the comparisons I hear are not the same comparisons you hear, and therefore they're wrong?

I did actually mean The Who, by the way; it would've been good for you to correct my tiredness-induced mistake without being a dick about it.

[Birds in Hell]

FWIW, though, I do think that throughout Binaural and Riot Act, Neil Young and "muddy" blues and folk-inflected rock was still what was being channelled by Pearl Jam. And there was definitely a nod to U2 in something like "You Are", which I initially baulked at. And "Breakerfall" is just a very good Neil Young cover.

Dude, you need a history lesson...first Pink Floyd is cheesy and overproduced and now Breakerfall sounds like Neil Young? It literally lifts chords from I Can See For Miles. There may not be a more Who-inspired track in their catalog.

Is this post telling me that the comparisons I hear are not the same comparisons you hear, and therefore they're wrong?

I did actually mean The Who, by the way; it would've been good for you to correct my tiredness-induced mistake without being a dick about it.

I don't think he's being that much of a dick.

[Thejambi]

FWIW, though, I do think that throughout Binaural and Riot Act, Neil Young and "muddy" blues and folk-inflected rock was still what was being channelled by Pearl Jam. And there was definitely a nod to U2 in something like "You Are", which I initially baulked at. And "Breakerfall" is just a very good Neil Young cover.

Dude, you need a history lesson...first Pink Floyd is cheesy and overproduced and now Breakerfall sounds like Neil Young? It literally lifts chords from I Can See For Miles. There may not be a more Who-inspired track in their catalog.

Is this post telling me that the comparisons I hear are not the same comparisons you hear, and therefore they're wrong?

I did actually mean The Who, by the way; it would've been good for you to correct my tiredness-induced mistake without being a dick about it.

I don't think he's being that much of a dick.

There is at least some fore-skin in that post.

[harmless]

FWIW, though, I do think that throughout Binaural and Riot Act, Neil Young and "muddy" blues and folk-inflected rock was still what was being channelled by Pearl Jam. And there was definitely a nod to U2 in something like "You Are", which I initially baulked at. And "Breakerfall" is just a very good Neil Young cover.

Dude, you need a history lesson...first Pink Floyd is cheesy and overproduced and now Breakerfall sounds like Neil Young? It literally lifts chords from I Can See For Miles. There may not be a more Who-inspired track in their catalog.

Is this post telling me that the comparisons I hear are not the same comparisons you hear, and therefore they're wrong?

I did actually mean The Who, by the way; it would've been good for you to correct my tiredness-induced mistake without being a dick about it.

I don't think he's being that much of a dick.

I didn't specify length or girth. He's being a micropenis by suggesting I "need a history lesson, dude", when I merely wrote down one band twice instead of two bands. Typo.

[Birds in Hell]

FWIW, though, I do think that throughout Binaural and Riot Act, Neil Young and "muddy" blues and folk-inflected rock was still what was being channelled by Pearl Jam. And there was definitely a nod to U2 in something like "You Are", which I initially baulked at. And "Breakerfall" is just a very good Neil Young cover.

Dude, you need a history lesson...first Pink Floyd is cheesy and overproduced and now Breakerfall sounds like Neil Young? It literally lifts chords from I Can See For Miles. There may not be a more Who-inspired track in their catalog.

Is this post telling me that the comparisons I hear are not the same comparisons you hear, and therefore they're wrong?

I did actually mean The Who, by the way; it would've been good for you to correct my tiredness-induced mistake without being a dick about it.

I don't think he's being that much of a dick.

There is at least some fore-skin in that post.

There wasn't any way for the guy to know it was, as Harmless now says, a mistake.