Predict where Lightning Bolt will rank on RM

[Mike]

I have a hypothesis about the quality of Pearl Jam's albums. It's a wave. A sine wave. It started strong, peaked with Vitalogy and No Code and then dropped a little bit with each album but always remained on the strong side. The long wait for Avocado caused the huge step in the wave and the quality is now on the negative side. Lightning Bolt, our album number 10, is the first entry in a row of albums that will rise in quality with each new album. Eddie planned this all along. At the end of their career (Probably album 13) he will surf the wave and jump of it into heaven. A human being that was given to fly.

Very nice. Seems to fit actually

He's been planning it since he surfed his first wave. Yep.

While the theory is sound, did a 2 year old annotate that sine wave?

I was lazy and did it with paint and a mouse. Problem with my beautiful mouse writing?

Really, I'm impressed. It's a special type of brain to turn numbers and opinions into a geometric pattern. And it does seem like LIghtning Bolt is going to follow the curve up.

Oh, and it does provide full explanation for why Backspacer is clearly the bottom of the PJ album barrel. No further explanation needed. The cause has been uncovered.

Good, we can stop all ranking now.

[Birds in Hell]

I'm guessing it'll either be last or second to last for me.

I can't see it being anything other than this.

I think it's certainly possible that I'll like it a little more than Backspacer.

[evenslow]

Rank the prospective rankings!

[stip]

I'm guessing it'll either be last or second to last for me.

I can't see it being anything other than this.

I think it's certainly possible that I'll like it a little more than Backspacer.

Didn't you like the first two songs you heard

[Birds in Hell]

I'm guessing it'll either be last or second to last for me.

I can't see it being anything other than this.

I think it's certainly possible that I'll like it a little more than Backspacer.

Didn't you like the first two songs you heard

Sure, though I've cooled a little on Mind Your Manners and almost entirely on Sirens.

[harmless]

"Shit is warm central heating."

[Release_Me]

Based on the sort of reviews I've read for Infallible, Pendulum, Yellow Moon and MFS, I'd say no. 4 if those songs turn out as good as I expect. No. 5 if they are underwhelming. Not sure about how FD and SBM will affect the album's ranking because I already have an idea of both songs and they don't sway me either way.

[harmless]

Ed playing FD on the Clinch film sounded really nice, so I'm hoping that song is way better on the record.

[stip]

I'm guessing it'll either be last or second to last for me.

I can't see it being anything other than this.

I think it's certainly possible that I'll like it a little more than Backspacer.

Didn't you like the first two songs you heard

Sure, though I've cooled a little on Mind Your Manners and almost entirely on Sirens.

based on what we've heard so far I predict you will like getaway and let the records play, but possibly not lightning bolt or swallowed whole.

[Release_Me]

Yes, it's possible FD and also SBM actually sound quite good on the record. I don't hate them as is either.

I don't know why but I wish Pendulum was longer than it is. I think I saw the track length as 3:44 on the CD Ed was holding. I just wanted it to be an epic over 5 minutes long. Infallible is 5:23 so that's good. But hearing descriptions of how Pendulum sounds and how Ed sounds on it, I think I'll be complaining about why it's so short Same with Yellow Moon but probably to a lesser extent.

[harmless]

Yeah, I've had exactly the same thought. I wouldn't want a truly experimental moment to be cut short. I guess I'm glad it's there at all, though; beggars can't be choosers in 2013.

[Release_Me]

Yeah, I've had exactly the same thought. I wouldn't want a truly experimental moment to be cut short. I guess I'm glad it's there at all, though; beggars can't be choosers in 2013.

True. It's just that when I've heard them do the type of song I think this is going to be (Indifference, Immortality, Cold Confession), the standard length has been 5 minutes or so. Imagining that this one is 3:44 is kind of disheartening. Maybe they want to leave us begging for more. Or maybe I'm totally wrong in thinking of those songs to compare it with.

[harmless]

Yeah, I've had exactly the same thought. I wouldn't want a truly experimental moment to be cut short. I guess I'm glad it's there at all, though; beggars can't be choosers in 2013.

True. It's just that when I've heard them do the type of song I think this is going to be (Indifference, Immortality, Cold Confession), the standard length has been 5 minutes or so. Imagining that this one is 3:44 is kind of disheartening. Maybe they want to leave us begging for more. Or maybe I'm totally wrong in thinking of those songs to compare it with.

We don't know until we hear it. But I guess they might extend it live if they play it live. I hope that when we listen to the whole record, it'll make sense that we have slightly deeper stuff mixed with more commercial moments.

[Mike]

Whenever I'm worried about the length of tracks I'll just think about all the wonderful songs that are just as short. There's a fast song under 3 minutes? As long as Last Exit. This epic sounding song should be like 7 minutes long! Well, even Immortality is "only" 5 minutes long. The song described slow, atmospheric and haunting is only 3 minutes long? So is Fatal.

[Release_Me]

Yes, we don't really know anything yet. Damn! This thing needs to leak in order for me to keep my sanity

[harmless]

I put this at an 8, just above Backspacer and S/T. But I hope it'll be a high 8, pushing the last two further down and LB in the group with the first 7.

[Mike]

I put this at an 8, just above Backspacer and S/T. But I hope it'll be a high 8, pushing the last two further down and LB in the group with the first 7.

That's what might happen for me if the four songs are really good and the didn't fuck up SBM. If FD has a beautiful arrangement that would be even better.

[harmless]

I put this at an 8, just above Backspacer and S/T. But I hope it'll be a high 8, pushing the last two further down and LB in the group with the first 7.

That's what might happen for me if the four songs are really good and the didn't fuck up SBM. If FD has a beautiful arrangement that would be even better.

[liebzz]

Based on what I heard so far, I am expecting something like 5 or 6 on my list. My list, granted, is strikingly different in some ways than some of the more vocal individuals here...but my order so far is (1) No Code, (2) Vitalogy, (3) Ten, (4) Vs., (5) Yield, (6) Pearl Jam, (7) Binaural, (8) Riot Act, (9) Backspacer...and none of this is hard line, since my "rankings" change every few months...really love and enjoy all their albums.

Also, if I were to throw Lost Dogs in there, it would be after Riot Act; if I threw Mirrorball in as a Pearl Jam release, it would be after or just before the s/t, and if I threw in Temple of the Dog, it would be after Yield probably...but since I haven't really thought about that exercise much, I'd have to listen...ultimately, I pretty much live for all this stuff and the rankings are just silly but I do them anyway.

[dimejinky99]

Without even thinking about it, I know it's gonna rank higher than S/T, Riot Act and possibly Binaural, in this house at least.