RANK THE ALBUMS

[Monkey_Driven]

1. Binaural
2. Vitalogy
3. Yield
4. Riot Act
5. No Code
6. Vs
7. Ten
8. Gigaton
9. S/T
10. Lightning Bolt
11. Backspacer

This seems about right to me right now

[Tj]

no code
Yield
Backspacer
Ten
Vitalogy
Binaural
Vs
S/T
Lightning Bolt
Riot Act
Gigaton

Ten climbing as of late. Top 3 songs on Gigaton could move it up 3 or 4 spots.

[liebzz]

It’s been a little while but not sure how much it has changed. After seeing the songs Live finally, Gigaton is sure to move up on my list a bit.

[Monkey_Driven]

no code
Yield
Backspacer
Ten
Vitalogy
Binaural
Vs
S/T
Lightning Bolt
Riot Act
Gigaton

Ten climbing as of late. Top 3 songs on Gigaton could move it up 3 or 4 spots.

Backspacer at #3?!

[VinylGuy]

more surprising is to see LB so high

[epilogue]

1. Binaural
2. Vitalogy
3. Yield
4. Riot Act
5. No Code
6. Vs
7. Ten
8. Gigaton
9. S/T
10. Lightning Bolt
11. Backspacer

This seems about right to me right now

Whatever our differences, we have the same #10 and #11. And that makes my heart sing.

[dad]

Yield
Vitalogy
No code
Vs
Binaural
Riot Act
Ten
Gigaton
Pearl Jam
Backspacer
*X-Mas singles
Lightning bolt

Riot Act bumped to the sixth spot over Ten.

[Monkey_Driven]

1. Binaural
2. Vitalogy
3. Yield
4. Riot Act
5. No Code
6. Vs
7. Ten
8. Gigaton
9. S/T
10. Lightning Bolt
11. Backspacer

This seems about right to me right now

Whatever our differences, we have the same #10 and #11. And that makes my heart sing.

Our tiers are pretty similar if I remember correctly. This exact ranking is always so tricky.

[Chris_H_2]

While Yield will always hold a special place in my heart (to me, it's the perfect transition album), nothing will top Vitalogy. It's got everything I love about the band - weirdness, loud, interstitial fillers, hits, etc.

1. Vitalogy
2. Yield
3. No Code
4. VS
5. S/T
6. Ten
7. Gigatron
8. Backspacer
9. Binaural
10. Riot Act
11. Lightning Bolt

[epilogue]

1. Binaural
2. Vitalogy
3. Yield
4. Riot Act
5. No Code
6. Vs
7. Ten
8. Gigaton
9. S/T
10. Lightning Bolt
11. Backspacer

This seems about right to me right now

Whatever our differences, we have the same #10 and #11. And that makes my heart sing.

Our tiers are pretty similar if I remember correctly. This exact ranking is always so tricky.

Totally. I just like seeing LB above BS. Don't see that on enough lists.

[Monkey_Driven]

1. Binaural
2. Vitalogy
3. Yield
4. Riot Act
5. No Code
6. Vs
7. Ten
8. Gigaton
9. S/T
10. Lightning Bolt
11. Backspacer

This seems about right to me right now

Whatever our differences, we have the same #10 and #11. And that makes my heart sing.

Our tiers are pretty similar if I remember correctly. This exact ranking is always so tricky.

Totally. I just like seeing LB above BS. Don't see that on enough lists.

Backspacer has more songs I really like, but also has some all-time stinkers. Lightning Bolt is more consistent in its mediocrity.

[liebzz]

1. Binaural
2. Vitalogy
3. Yield
4. Riot Act
5. No Code
6. Vs
7. Ten
8. Gigaton
9. S/T
10. Lightning Bolt
11. Backspacer

This seems about right to me right now

Whatever our differences, we have the same #10 and #11. And that makes my heart sing.

Our tiers are pretty similar if I remember correctly. This exact ranking is always so tricky.

Totally. I just like seeing LB above BS. Don't see that on enough lists.

Backspacer has more songs I really like, but also has some all-time stinkers. Lightning Bolt is more consistent in its mediocrity.

That is legitimately the debate I have when I think about those 2 albums. LB leaves me more listless, and Backspacer more frustrated. I mean, I like both albums overall, but when juxtaposed with the other 9 Pearl Jam albums, that is the feeling I am left with.

[stip]

God I love both of those albums.

[digster]

That is legitimately the debate I have when I think about those 2 albums. LB leaves me more listless, and Backspacer more frustrated. I mean, I like both albums overall, but when juxtaposed with the other 9 Pearl Jam albums, that is the feeling I am left with.

It's been a while since I've revisited them, but I recall that I felt there were missed opportunities on LB, with some solid songwriting (or opportunities for good songwriting that just didn't get followed through on). There's definitely some outliers to that, but I think I came away from LB with the feeling that I didn't actively dislike it, but I didn't really feel much need to hear it again. Backspacer was a bit different where I just think half of the songs on that record are not good. PJ's later career albums (and some might argue their whole career) have always been a bit top-heavy, but I feel like Backspacer loses the plot around Johnny Guitar/Just Breathe and never really finds it again.

[digster]

But I think Gigaton's finally settled for me...

Yield
No Code
Vitalogy
Binaural
Ten
Vs.
Riot Act
Gigaton
S/T
Lightning Bolt
Backspacer

It's a little hard for me to see Gigaton scraping past their pre-S/T work, but that's not really a knock against it. It's an extremely solid album for a band 30 years into their career, with some truly great stuff on it. There's bands that have that many decades behind them putting out great material, but I don't think it's a long list.

[stip]

That is legitimately the debate I have when I think about those 2 albums. LB leaves me more listless, and Backspacer more frustrated. I mean, I like both albums overall, but when juxtaposed with the other 9 Pearl Jam albums, that is the feeling I am left with.

It's been a while since I've revisited them, but I recall that I felt there were missed opportunities on LB, with some solid songwriting (or opportunities for good songwriting that just didn't get followed through on). There's definitely some outliers to that, but I think I came away from LB with the feeling that I didn't actively dislike it, but I didn't really feel much need to hear it again. Backspacer was a bit different where I just think half of the songs on that record are not good. PJ's later career albums (and some might argue their whole career) have always been a bit top-heavy, but I feel like Backspacer loses the plot around Johnny Guitar/Just Breathe and never really finds it again.

I have argued and will continue to argue that Lightning Bolt is a strong set of songs presented in as unfavorable a light as possible. The production is airless and sucks the character and authenticity out of many of the songs.

I love Backspacer, but the writing on there is a bit slighter (by design for better or worse)

[Thurman Murman]

I certainly agree with those that have Backspacer and Lightning Bolt as the bands bottom ranked albums, but man alive listening to these two back to back i will take Backspacer any day of the week.

For me at least LB is in a class of its own at the bottom.

1. Vitalogy
2. Ten
3. No Code
4. Vs.

5. Yield

6. Binaural
7. Gigaton

8. Pearl Jam
9. Riot Act

10. Backspacer

11. Lightning Bolt

[Leatherhead]

PJ's later career albums (and some might argue their whole career) have always been a bit top-heavy, but I feel like Backspacer loses the plot around Johnny Guitar/Just Breathe and never really finds it again.

Definitely feel this way about Backspacer. 1-4 are a great, and I think it's what they ultimately wanted to do for the album, but either they didn't have enough material or BoB fucked it up. Just Breathe takes itself too seriously, I heard BoB really messed with that one, so that's probably his fault. Amongst The Waves is reaching too far. Unthought Known is too cheesy. Supersonic is actually alright for what they were going for. Speed of Sound is good. Force of Nature is alright after the intro, lyrics could be better, Eddie's voice stands out too much. The End doesn't really fit that well on an album
with Johnny Guitar.

[liebzz]

PJ's later career albums (and some might argue their whole career) have always been a bit top-heavy, but I feel like Backspacer loses the plot around Johnny Guitar/Just Breathe and never really finds it again.

Definitely feel this way about Backspacer. 1-4 are a great, and I think it's what they ultimately wanted to do for the album, but either they didn't have enough material or BoB fucked it up. Just Breathe takes itself too seriously, I heard BoB really messed with that one, so that's probably his fault. Amongst The Waves is reaching too far. Unthought Known is too cheesy. Supersonic is actually alright for what they were going for. Speed of Sound is good. Force of Nature is alright after the intro, lyrics could be better, Eddie's voice stands out too much. The End doesn't really fit that well on an album
with Johnny Guitar.

I think walking in Pearl Jam, or at least Eddie, envisioned a sort of Re-Ac-Tor style album that whatever sort of came out came out, and instead they ended up with an album half off the cuff and half highly contrived. Just Breathe is a little much and it doesn’t help that it’s musically just a retread of Tolumne with words. Amongst the Waves sells itself as a modern day Alive, but instead comes off as a waxy copy, as if someone cocking back for 30 seconds to throw a slow motion punch you can see it coming from a mile away. I actually like the rest of the songs on the album save for the frustration of Eddie’s voice sounding like a cold and the production sucking the air out of the room in terms of the slickness of it all. Super polished shiny item Pearl Jam I don’t think makes a great record when compared to the rawness of Vitalogy’s sound or the warmth of No Code, or the airy brightness of Yield. And then top it all off with being the shortest Pearl Jam album at a time when we had waited the longest to get album (at the time).

Lightning Bolt is a separate beast. It’s problem is treading water with songs not strong enough on their own to tread with. Every song on Lightning Bolt can be broken down to sounding like another Pearl Jam song but watered down.

[VinylGuy]

I might agree that the main problem with LB is the production. Is horrible...those drums? its embarrassing. Then, you have some good songs, some half baked could be good songs and some really embarrassing moments ( Future Days being the worst )