Song of the Moment: Lightning Bolt

[harmless]

The cheesy melody line (keyboards?) on the end of this song kind of make it sound like Born in the USA.

the production at the end of the song bothers me. the keys would be fine if they were just a compliment to the guitars (you know, the instruments that the guys who are in pearl jam play?), but there are no guitars to be found.

it sounds way too empty coming out of the last verse.

I don't know, I agree there could be more guitars and a more climactic end after that great final verse, but the guitars are there. BO'B is too prominent on a lot of this new stuff; I might call it classic PJ if not for that. As it is, it's just pretty good later Pearl Jam.

[Mike]

Still really liking this song but it's the one where the production of Ed's voice annoys me the most. He's so loud and somehow "sits" on the music instead of "being in it". The music and Eddie are strangely distant from eachother. Doesn't feel as much as a band as I want it to.

[harmless]

Still really liking this song but it's the one where the production of Ed's voice annoys me the most. He's so loud and somehow "sits" on the music instead of "being in it". The music and Eddie are strangely distant from eachother. Doesn't feel as much as a band as I want it to.

Agreed, especially on the first verse.

[Mike]

Were the older albums recorded live? This sounds like every instrument was recorded separately. I remember a video of Ed recording vocals alone so it probably was done that way.

[stupidmop]

Still really liking this song but it's the one where the production of Ed's voice annoys me the most. He's so loud and somehow "sits" on the music instead of "being in it". The music and Eddie are strangely distant from eachother. Doesn't feel as much as a band as I want it to.

Yesss fucking brenden. Yes he has a great voice but it sounds even better when its enveloped in and working with the music rather than pasted on top. I hate it, makes it sound amateur or unfinished to me. Here especially, if the version we have turns out to somehow not be the final version I wouldn't be surprised.

Y'know pendulum has piano on it too, apparently. Everyone cross all your appendages and will it to sound good.

[dprival78]

The cheesy melody line (keyboards?) on the end of this song kind of make it sound like Born in the USA.

the production at the end of the song bothers me. the keys would be fine if they were just a compliment to the guitars (you know, the instruments that the guys who are in pearl jam play?), but there are no guitars to be found.

it sounds way too empty coming out of the last verse.

I don't know, I agree there could be more guitars and a more climactic end after that great final verse, but the guitars are there. BO'B is too prominent on a lot of this new stuff; I might call it classic PJ if not for that. As it is, it's just pretty good later Pearl Jam.

i do really like the song, and the guitars will be more prominent in the live setting, where this song was built to exist anyway.

[harmless]

The cheesy melody line (keyboards?) on the end of this song kind of make it sound like Born in the USA.

the production at the end of the song bothers me. the keys would be fine if they were just a compliment to the guitars (you know, the instruments that the guys who are in pearl jam play?), but there are no guitars to be found.

it sounds way too empty coming out of the last verse.

I don't know, I agree there could be more guitars and a more climactic end after that great final verse, but the guitars are there. BO'B is too prominent on a lot of this new stuff; I might call it classic PJ if not for that. As it is, it's just pretty good later Pearl Jam.

i do really like the song, and the guitars will be more prominent in the live setting, where this song was built to exist anyway.

I agree, even if I really don't think it was road-ready at Wrigley.

[harmless]

Still really liking this song but it's the one where the production of Ed's voice annoys me the most. He's so loud and somehow "sits" on the music instead of "being in it". The music and Eddie are strangely distant from eachother. Doesn't feel as much as a band as I want it to.

Yesss fucking brenden. Yes he has a great voice but it sounds even better when its enveloped in and working with the music rather than pasted on top. I hate it, makes it sound amateur or unfinished to me. Here especially, if the version we have turns out to somehow not be the final version I wouldn't be surprised.

Y'know pendulum has piano on it too, apparently. Everyone cross all your appendages and will it to sound good.

What are the chances that we don't have the final versions, really?

[pappas]

i think this would be a better song if they punched up the guitars a bit more on the chorus, and gave them more gain/distortion. Having said that i still love the studio version

[stupidmop]

Still really liking this song but it's the one where the production of Ed's voice annoys me the most. He's so loud and somehow "sits" on the music instead of "being in it". The music and Eddie are strangely distant from eachother. Doesn't feel as much as a band as I want it to.

Yesss fucking brenden. Yes he has a great voice but it sounds even better when its enveloped in and working with the music rather than pasted on top. I hate it, makes it sound amateur or unfinished to me. Here especially, if the version we have turns out to somehow not be the final version I wouldn't be surprised.

Y'know pendulum has piano on it too, apparently. Everyone cross all your appendages and will it to sound good.

What are the chances that we don't have the final versions, really?

Zero to none.

[stip]

Were the older albums recorded live? This sounds like every instrument was recorded separately. I remember a video of Ed recording vocals alone so it probably was done that way.

I think ed was always recorded separately--at least on the BoB records. I know I read descriptions of eddie in the recording booth doing RVM

[Mike]

Were the older albums recorded live? This sounds like every instrument was recorded separately. I remember a video of Ed recording vocals alone so it probably was done that way.

I think ed was always recorded separately--at least on the BoB records. I know I read descriptions of eddie in the recording booth doing RVM

Was is a description of him doing the main vocal line? There's always the overdubbing that needs to be done for things like the end of RVM.

If everything was always recorded separately I guess I just liked how it was done back then better.

[stip]

I think the main vocal line but I couldn't say with certainty. The lyric specifically referenced was 'once you were in my rearview mirror'--I think BoB was saying that the booth was shaking or some cool shit like that.

[Juvenal]

I think the main vocal line but I couldn't say with certainty. The lyric specifically referenced was 'once you were in my rearview mirror'--I think BoB was saying that the booth was shaking or some cool shit like that.

I think - though could be wrong - it was Cameron Crowe who wrote that a drum started to vibrate (again, could be wrong and similar enough anyway)

[stip]

oh, you're right. it was CC

[Juvenal]

Either way it's pretty cool. Ed's voice was so powerful

[stip]

that's why I don't think those first 3 records will ever be topped for me. No amount of improvements in craft, songwriting, technique, will be able to make up what was, for me, the most elementally powerful voice I've ever heard. They can come close. But not all the way there. Even by No Code it had already changed too much. i blame the 95 tour, in part.

[Juvenal]

that's why I don't think those first 3 records will ever be topped for me. No amount of improvements in craft, songwriting, technique, will be able to make up what was, for me, the most elementally powerful voice I've ever heard. They can come close. But not all the way there. Even by No Code it had already changed too much. i blame the 95 tour, in part.

Yeah wtf did do during that tour? Self-destructive ain't the half of it.

[stupidmop]

Ed sounds so rough to me on this compared to getaway. I like this song from the second verse till the 'always something never nothing' verse/bridge ( i actually kinda like whatever the pianos doing there) it's sandwiched with stuff i hate on either side though, thereby making it way too long for me.

The jyeah yeah yeah's after the great northwest line sounds so bizzare to me, i was convinced it was a skip in the song cutting out a word first, now it just sounds autotuned to me i dont know why. They're also sound awkward as hell, as do all the hilarious things ed is shouting at the end, she's true? 'uncontrollable like you' or whatever. I feel like they would have worked alot better if they were more buried in thr music like whatevers going on in the LTRP outro. The 'no repair in sight' verse just sounds like ed messily screaming over drums with no groove to me.

Meh, I tried Stip! Just don't feel it.

that's why I don't think those first 3 records will ever be topped for me. No amount of improvements in craft, songwriting, technique, will be able to make up what was, for me, the most elementally powerful voice I've ever heard. They can come close. But not all the way there. Even by No Code it had already changed too much. i blame the 95 tour, in part.

Yeah wtf did do during that tour? Self-destructive ain't the half of it.

I think the chain smoking came out in full force that tour.

[harmless]

I feel like all of the screaming you describe at the end of the song, stupidmop, is far more buried under the music than the stuff at the beginning. Maybe it depends on your speakers / headphones? I think it all sounds way better than it did in Wrigley, anyway. I don't mind the yeah yeah yeah on the end of a line, it's when it's a prominent part of the chorus that it annoys me.