Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[Iowaska_Experience]

I think each member of PJ is heavily invested in the band, even though it appears apathetic at times. They are a bunch of 50 year olds and have been writing music for at least 30 years each, maybe it takes longer to scratch an itch. They also have to wait for Ed to be ready.

As documented before, the band all works on the songs, but it's Ed who generally determines what's on the album ... cutting (Down) or adding (Stupid Mop) to the final list. When he's stumped, he goes to the band (Yellow Moon) or BoB (Gods' Dice). So Ed really determines what the PJ "sound" is and its presentation. BoB has clearly been his consultant and, sadly, he's gaining influence.

Did BoB push for God's Dice?

It didn't make the initial list of songs floating around, then BoB came in and helped with the mixing on some. Conjecture on my part that he thought the record was too moody and it needed a rocker to balance. The rumor is that it was a bone thrown to Jeff for a little extra royalties.

I've literally never heard any of that.

See, that's the beauty of 900+ pages. You can always learn something new!

[stip]

True story: I already prefer lightning bolt to riot act

[liebzz]

True story: I already prefer lightning bolt to riot act

[ABNorman]

True story: I already prefer lightning bolt to riot act

[stip]

And there is a high probability my two favorite songs are yet to come. I am anticipating 4 to 6 songs I love and 5 to 6 songs I like. One or two question marks (fd and mas)

[Thejambi]

True story: I already prefer lightning bolt to riot act

[ABNorman]

True story: I already prefer lightning bolt to riot act

[AllNiteThing]

And there is a high probability my two favorite songs are yet to come. I am anticipating 4 to 6 songs I love and 5 to 6 songs I like. One or two question marks (fd and mas)

My Aunt's Son?

[ABNorman]

And there is a high probability my two favorite songs are yet to come. I am anticipating 4 to 6 songs I love and 5 to 6 songs I like. One or two question marks (fd and mas)

My Aunt's Son?

My Anal Salve.

[Jaeti]

True story: I already prefer lightning bolt to riot act

Yeah, I think I'm getting there, too. There's some stuff I love on Riot Act, and I just listened to it with headphone last week and found myself appreciating some things I generally hadn't in the past. I like its mood, and I like what it's trying to do. But too many of the songs that are supposed to anchor it come up short for me. LBC and I Am Mine have lyrics that bother me, as does Bu$hleaguer. With those three songs unable to carry their weight, I end up feeling torn as to how much I really like the record as a whole. LB definitely has a chance to avoid that for me.

[epilogue]

Listen, I'm super open minded about this thing. I HOPE I like LB more than Riot Act. But, guys, I fucking LOVE Riot Act. This is going to have to a very special album if it's gonna crack my top four.

[digster]

There's some songs on Riot Act (certainly Can't Keep, I Am Mine, All or None, a few others) that I don't think anything on this record thus far has come close to.

[harmless]

Listen, I'm super open minded about this thing. I HOPE I like LB more than Riot Act. But, guys, I fucking LOVE Riot Act. This is going to have to a very special album if it's gonna crack my top four.

Thanks, durden. There's no way it'll do that for me. This album will most likely be the best of the post-Riot Act run, but that's it.

[WaitingForBluey]

Riot Act holds a special place in my heart but it's still a little hard to figure out at times...

From an individual song perspective, RA represents some of my absolute favorite qualities about PJ... Can't Keep, Cropduster, You Are, Green Disease, 1/2 Full, and All or None are all 5 star songs for me and probably all in my top 20 of PJ songs.

From an album perspective though, it's really hard to figure out. I find myself not enjoying my listening experience as much as I should. Usually when I'm listening to a PJ album, I'm completely tuned in to the listening experience from beginning to end. But with RA, I get distracted in a way that doesn't happen with other albums, except for maybe Backspacer. Maybe there are just too many songs... or at least, too much inconsistency. I still think Undone would've sounded perfect following You Are.

I'm still trying to figure it out but that's also partly why it holds so much sway for me, because I find it very challenging to digest as a whole.

[Thurman Murman]

For what its worth, Q magazine is giving Lightning Bolt 4 stars (out of 5) with the key tracks being Getaway, My Father's Son, Lightning Bolt, Pendulum and Yellow Moon.

[liebzz]

There's some songs on Riot Act (certainly Can't Keep, I Am Mine, All or None, a few others) that I don't think anything on this record thus far has come close to.

The issue with Riot Act isn't this as much as for every Can't Keep there's a Cropduster, which is my definition of Pearl Jam by-the-numbers.

[ABNorman]

There's some songs on Riot Act (certainly Can't Keep, I Am Mine, All or None, a few others) that I don't think anything on this record thus far has come close to.

These 3 songs (and in the right mood, You Are and LBC) are the only songs I find any pleasure in from Riot Act, but already a couple of the new songs have overtaken them for me.

[mray10]

Riot Act holds a special place in my heart but it's still a little hard to figure out at times...

From an individual song perspective, RA represents some of my absolute favorite qualities about PJ... Can't Keep, Cropduster, You Are, Green Disease, 1/2 Full, and All or None are all 5 star songs for me and probably all in my top 20 of PJ songs.

From an album perspective though, it's really hard to figure out. I find myself not enjoying my listening experience as much as I should. Usually when I'm listening to a PJ album, I'm completely tuned in to the listening experience from beginning to end. But with RA, I get distracted in a way that doesn't happen with other albums, except for maybe Backspacer. Maybe there are just too many songs... or at least, too much inconsistency. I still think Undone would've sounded perfect following You Are.

I'm still trying to figure it out but that's also partly why it holds so much sway for me, because I find it very challenging to digest as a whole.

I sort of feel that way, too, and yet I really like the album.

It's just ... long. By the time I hit You Are I feel like it should be just about hitting the home stretch and then the songs just keep coming. Even though I like almost all of them in that back half, it just gets labored.

And 54 minutes is not really that long, but I think the album is also heavy. It doesn't completely lack dynamics, but even the "up" is generally heavy or made heavier by Ed's delivery. I wouldn't call it a dirge, but I think the overall weight of the album makes it feel longer.

[Iowaska_Experience]

For what its worth, Q magazine is giving Lightning Bolt 4 stars (out of 5) with the key tracks being Getaway, My Father's Son, Lightning Bolt, Pendulum and Yellow Moon.

[EJ]

There's some songs on Riot Act (certainly Can't Keep, I Am Mine, All or None, a few others) that I don't think anything on this record thus far has come close to.

The issue with Riot Act isn't this as much as for every Can't Keep there's a Cropduster, which is my definition of Pearl Jam by-the-numbers.

Wow, that's a first. I can't compare Cropduster to any other song in their catalog. I can understand not liking it, but it really sounds like nothing they'd done before.