Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[BurtReynolds]

I think Riot Act is worse than all the albums before it, and better than all the albums after. But its mostly good.

[harmless]

Pretty fucking amazing how I went from an excited anticipation to a sarcastic one with a pinch of disgust thanks to the leaked songs and the new single

Yeah I am disappoint, son. It's not your fault though.

[liebzz]

I didn't mean to start a fight. I was just more or less putting it out there that some may be trying to ascribe some sort of apathy in the band where to me, they sound just as passionate in these songs as they have generally been. It's just a different vibe because they are in a different place now than they were when Riot Act or Yield or Ten or Vitalogy came out. I am not sure it's fair to simply brush it off as secondary in their eyes because you feel it's secondary in your eyes. From the songs themselves, I think Pearl Jam is at least just as invested in the recordings as they were for Riot Act. And if you ask me now, what we've heard so far, to my ears, sounds more interesting than a lot of what was on Riot Act - which has a whole ton of by-the-numbers Pearl Jam going on.

[PJMosquito]

If it doesn't suck, but it isn't like Riot Act-level work, it'll be like every song on this album in my opinion.

Is Riot Act popular around here? It's probably my least favorite PJ album...by a margin.

Yes. But it seems that with Lightning Bolt coming up, the people who are most excited are generally the people who think Binaural and Riot Act sucks. Not me. If liking Lightning Bolt is always going to be talked about in the context of "I'm so glad they're not making dreary Riot Acts anymore", then I'm not playing.

No way! I love LB because it's new PJ. Not because I hate other PJ and this sounds different. Although, I have been enjoying these new songs more than I think I've enjoyed new PJ in awhile...probably since Binaural (which I love).

[Lounge Lizard]

I think Riot Act is worse than all the albums before it, and better than all the albums after. But its mostly good.

Some excellent songs on it but too much filler material.
Like a literature teacher once said about my early attempts at writing, 'It's like a pile of cow droppings with a few gold coins in it. Luckily I'm not so poor as to go scoop them out'.

[harmless]

If it doesn't suck, but it isn't like Riot Act-level work, it'll be like every song on this album in my opinion.

Is Riot Act popular around here? It's probably my least favorite PJ album...by a margin.

Yes. But it seems that with Lightning Bolt coming up, the people who are most excited are generally the people who think Binaural and Riot Act sucks. Not me. If liking Lightning Bolt is always going to be talked about in the context of "I'm so glad they're not making dreary Riot Acts anymore", then I'm not playing.

No way! I love LB because it's new PJ. Not because I hate other PJ and this sounds different. Although, I have been enjoying these new songs more than I think I've enjoyed new PJ in awhile...probably since Binaural (which I love).

Fair enough. It's nice to not be the only one.

[warehouse]

some of this stuff is certainly a different direction for pearl jam, im not sure anyone can argue that. its just not really the direction i want them to go in...but i wanna hear banjos and shit so what do i know

[harmless]

some of this stuff is certainly a different direction for pearl jam, im not sure anyone can argue that. its just not really the direction i want them to go in...but i wanna hear banjos and shit so what do i know

You have SBM to come yet!

[liebzz]

some of this stuff is certainly a different direction for pearl jam, im not sure anyone can argue that. its just not really the direction i want them to go in...but i wanna hear banjos and shit so what do i know

This is a good point. I do really like the new stuff, and love every one of their albums...this is not the direction I expected Pearl Jam to take, but I am very pleased with what I've heard so far. I just think there may be a feeling out there that because Pearl Jam didn't make a different album in the exact way that particular one fan wanted/expected, that Pearl Jam themselves aren't happy with the result.

[harmless]

some of this stuff is certainly a different direction for pearl jam, im not sure anyone can argue that. its just not really the direction i want them to go in...but i wanna hear banjos and shit so what do i know

This is a good point. I do really like the new stuff, and love every one of their albums...this is not the direction I expected Pearl Jam to take, but I am very pleased with what I've heard so far. I just think there may be a feeling out there that because Pearl Jam didn't make a different album in the exact way that particular one fan wanted/expected, that Pearl Jam themselves aren't happy with the result.

Yeah that's probably very true.

[Lounge Lizard]

I just think there may be a feeling out there that because Pearl Jam didn't make a different album in the exact way that particular one fan wanted/expected, that Pearl Jam themselves aren't happy with the result.

there's a legion

[warehouse]

some of this stuff is certainly a different direction for pearl jam, im not sure anyone can argue that. its just not really the direction i want them to go in...but i wanna hear banjos and shit so what do i know

This is a good point. I do really like the new stuff, and love every one of their albums...this is not the direction I expected Pearl Jam to take, but I am very pleased with what I've heard so far. I just think there may be a feeling out there that because Pearl Jam didn't make a different album in the exact way that particular one fan wanted/expected, that Pearl Jam themselves aren't happy with the result.

im sure mike is crushed he wasnt able to show off his banjo skills he's been honing for years.

[epilogue]

I think Riot Act is worse than all the albums before it, and better than all the albums after. But its mostly good.

Some excellent songs on it but too much filler material.
Like a literature teacher once said about my early attempts at writing, 'It's like a pile of cow droppings with a few gold coins in it. Luckily I'm not so poor as to go scoop them out'.

I don't know guys. I think Riot Act is at least their third best album.

[HardTI]

I find it funny how everyone assumes some member got fleeced on the decisions on this album. Maybe they all agreed on what should be on the album, and they are all happy with the final result. And maybe, after 23 years in the biz, they are not so naive as to blindly follow the producers every recommendation.

Ladies and gentlemen, no matter how you feel about these songs, this is Pearl Jam.

I agree with this...investment in a band doesn't begin and end with the songwriting you put into it. With Stone as an example, Moonlander shows he continues to write. Perhaps he just doesn't write as many things anymore that fit PJ, or that the rest of the band gravitate towards. That doesn't mean you can't still be interested in the band as a creative endeavor.

Yea exactly. Case in point, listen to what Stone contributes on guitar to Sirens. If he was like "Oh well, that's Mike's song. I guess no one wants to use my ideas. I'll just play the chords - F, Am, blah blah". Hell no, he totally makes that song awesome with what he adds to it. Any musician can get just as much of a kick out of that kind of thing, compared to "Oh look at me, I wrote this. Yea, give me credit for this!"

Fucking finally someone is giving Stone some props for his work on Sirens! HE makes that song for me.

[Lounge Lizard]

Fucking finally someone is giving Stone some props for his work on Sirens! HE makes that song for me.

Well that hurt!
As much as I dislike 'Sirens', I believe I was the first to mention that Ed and Stone make 'Sirens', even though Mike wrote it

[HardTI]

Fucking finally someone is giving Stone some props for his work on Sirens! HE makes that song for me.

Well that hurt!
As much as I dislike 'Sirens', I believe I was the first to mention that Ed and Stone make 'Sirens', even though Mike wrote it

Well I love you equally for it too!

[stupidmop]

some of this stuff is certainly a different direction for pearl jam, im not sure anyone can argue that. its just not really the direction i want them to go in...but i wanna hear banjos and shit so what do i know

Sirens is the only one I can't see on a different album and that's cause, well its sirens. And getaway maaaaybe.

[Lounge Lizard]

Fucking finally someone is giving Stone some props for his work on Sirens! HE makes that song for me.

Well that hurt!
As much as I dislike 'Sirens', I believe I was the first to mention that Ed and Stone make 'Sirens', even though Mike wrote it

Well I love you equally for it too!

OK, but I get to be on top

[Evolution6579]

"Ghost" is one of my favourite PJ songs ever and Riot Act one of my favourite albums. I've argued to death why I regard it so highly so I won't here, but I do.

I like it as well.

Just off topic for a minute: It was also the vinyl that I most wanted. August 2008 brought a trip to Cuyahoga Falls to see Radiohead. That morning, in the FYE, inside the Rock N Roll HOF, I found my Riot Act vinyl...at the cost of $14.99, no less.

[HardTI]

Fucking finally someone is giving Stone some props for his work on Sirens! HE makes that song for me.

Well that hurt!
As much as I dislike 'Sirens', I believe I was the first to mention that Ed and Stone make 'Sirens', even though Mike wrote it

Well I love you equally for it too!

OK, but I get to be on top

Sweet. I'm Brennan!