Let's Actually Listen to the Album: Pearl Jam

[Jorge]

Listening to "Worldwide Suicide" and I can't imagine how anyone could listen to this and think "yeah, this song sounds good". Regardless of the quality of the song. It just sounds awful.

[McParadigm]

Let's actually attempt to listen to this album past the 6th song.

Most of the strongest writing may take place in the first half of the album, but it's still a shit A-side for me because they tried so hard to pack it up with energetic rockers. It just yells at you for like four or five songs without ever pausing to do anything else. In terms of front halves, give me any one of the records that came before it instead, thanks.

Listening to "Worldwide Suicide" and I can't imagine how anyone could listen to this and think "yeah, this song sounds good". Regardless of the quality of the song. It just sounds awful.

Yup. Brittle, scratching, scraping, thin, needly, dehydrated.....and so on into infinity.

[EJ]

Most of the strongest writing may take place in the first half of the album, but it's still a shit A-side for me because they tried so hard to pack it up with energetic rockers. It just yells at you for like four or five songs without ever pausing to do anything else. In terms of front halves, give me any one of the records that came before it instead, thanks.

I don't have as much of a problem as you do with how the first half of the album sets up, but the ear fatigue I suffer when listening to this album is such a turnoff, that I barely make it through those first 6 songs.

[stip]

You're always saying that there's something wrong
I'm starting to believe it's your plan all along

yup. that's not a good opening lyric. great song though.

[stip]

Listening to "Worldwide Suicide" and I can't imagine how anyone could listen to this and think "yeah, this song sounds good". Regardless of the quality of the song. It just sounds awful.

I have never listened to WWS and found myself thinking that the song sounded different. Maybe if I had something to compare it to it might become obvious, but I'm blind to whatever faults you guys find in this one.

[McParadigm]

You're always saying that there's something wrong
I'm starting to believe it's your plan all along

yup. that's not a good opening lyric. great song though.

It's one of the four or five best lines in the song.

[VinylGuy]

Great album...dont quite like the production ( or the mix), but most of the songs are fucking great.

Life Wasted, WWS, Comatose, Severed Hand, Parachutes, Unemployable, Big Wave, Army Reserve and Inside Job are all amazing songs.

Dont care much for Marker or Gone and Come back is ok.

[stip]

I've seen the home inside your head/all locked doors and unmade beds is a great lyric. So is nothing back there for you to find/was it you you left behind. the rest is fine, but hardly a high water mark. the strength of this song is found elsewhere. A great riff, the cool hanging dead spaces in the song, the fantastic solo, and pretty passionate performances all around.

[harmless]

I mostly enjoy Life Wasted for the pushes and accents, rhythmically.

[McParadigm]

I've seen the home inside your head/all locked doors and unmade beds is a great lyric. So is nothing back there for you to find/was it you you left behind. the rest is fine, but hardly a high water mark. the strength of this song is found elsewhere. A great riff, the cool hanging dead spaces in the song, the fantastic solo, and pretty passionate performances all around.

Right, so that still leaves the opening as potentially being one of the 4 or 5 best lines in the song.

I wish the bass was present, and that they'd just tuned it down a half step. Ed's voice sounds so thin and crispy on some of this song that it threatens to squeak on the chorus. Which, by the way, is probably the lyrical low point of the song.

[harmless]

I've seen the home inside your head/all locked doors and unmade beds is a great lyric. So is nothing back there for you to find/was it you you left behind. the rest is fine, but hardly a high water mark. the strength of this song is found elsewhere. A great riff, the cool hanging dead spaces in the song, the fantastic solo, and pretty passionate performances all around.

Right, so that still leaves the opening as potentially being one of the 4 or 5 best lines in the song.

I wish the bass was present, and that they'd just tuned it down a half step. Ed's voice sounds so thin and crispy on some of this song that it threatens to squeak on the chorus. Which, by the way, is probably the lyrical low point of the song.

Didn't he start downtuning during this album? I'm hoping he doesn't have to do that with the new stuff. Instant turn-off.

[stip]

I've seen the home inside your head/all locked doors and unmade beds is a great lyric. So is nothing back there for you to find/was it you you left behind. the rest is fine, but hardly a high water mark. the strength of this song is found elsewhere. A great riff, the cool hanging dead spaces in the song, the fantastic solo, and pretty passionate performances all around.

Right, so that still leaves the opening as potentially being one of the 4 or 5 best lines in the song.

I wish the bass was present, and that they'd just tuned it down a half step. Ed's voice sounds so thin and crispy on some of this song that it threatens to squeak on the chorus. Which, by the way, is probably the lyrical low point of the song.

I think the chorus is fine, personally.

[McParadigm]

I've seen the home inside your head/all locked doors and unmade beds is a great lyric. So is nothing back there for you to find/was it you you left behind. the rest is fine, but hardly a high water mark. the strength of this song is found elsewhere. A great riff, the cool hanging dead spaces in the song, the fantastic solo, and pretty passionate performances all around.

Right, so that still leaves the opening as potentially being one of the 4 or 5 best lines in the song.

I wish the bass was present, and that they'd just tuned it down a half step. Ed's voice sounds so thin and crispy on some of this song that it threatens to squeak on the chorus. Which, by the way, is probably the lyrical low point of the song.

I think the chorus is fine, personally.

"I have faced it etc" and "when something's lost I wanna fight to get it back again" are pretty similar sentiments, and they've both been followed by a whole lot of semi-retirement. Better hope the new album doesn't have a chorus like that.

[Lament]

"I have faced it etc" and "when something's lost I wanna fight to get it back again" are pretty similar sentiments, and they've both been followed by a whole lot of semi-retirement. Better hope the new album doesn't have a chorus like that.

Maybe Yellow Moon has some lines like

"Gonna take my time/Take it really easy/Let's slow life down/No need to do anything for a few years/Sit back and relax..."

[harmless]

"I have faced it etc" and "when something's lost I wanna fight to get it back again" are pretty similar sentiments, and they've both been followed by a whole lot of semi-retirement. Better hope the new album doesn't have a chorus like that.

Maybe Yellow Moon has some lines like

"Gonna take my time/Take it really easy/Let's slow life down/No need to do anything for a few years/Sit back and relax..."

"Honey, make me a sssaaaaaaaaammich!"

[McParadigm]

"I have faced it etc" and "when something's lost I wanna fight to get it back again" are pretty similar sentiments, and they've both been followed by a whole lot of semi-retirement. Better hope the new album doesn't have a chorus like that.

Maybe Yellow Moon has some lines like

"Gonna take my time/Take it really easy/Let's slow life down/No need to do anything for a few years/Sit back and relax..."

Rust Never Sleeps (But I Could Sure Use a Nap)

[stupidmop]

I've seen the home inside your head/all locked doors and unmade beds is a great lyric. So is nothing back there for you to find/was it you you left behind. the rest is fine, but hardly a high water mark. the strength of this song is found elsewhere. A great riff, the cool hanging dead spaces in the song, the fantastic solo, and pretty passionate performances all around.

Right, so that still leaves the opening as potentially being one of the 4 or 5 best lines in the song.

I wish the bass was present, and that they'd just tuned it down a half step. Ed's voice sounds so thin and crispy on some of this song that it threatens to squeak on the chorus. Which, by the way, is probably the lyrical low point of the song.

I think the chorus is fine, personally.

"I have faced it etc" and "when something's lost I wanna fight to get it back again" are pretty similar sentiments, and they've both been followed by a whole lot of semi-retirement. Better hope the new album doesn't have a chorus like that.

Maybe he faced a life of excitement, work and uh doing stuff and is now fighting to get that butt groove on the sofa back again, and the....waves.

Can't hate, that's basically what I dedicate my life to The butt groove, not the waves.

[harmless]

I'm pretty sure that the song means that he lived the crazy life and could've killed himself at any point but now he's just surfing and having fun with a family and kids and he's never going back to being a young crazy fool. That's what every Ed song is about, it's pretty consistent with his big livin' yanno?

[EJ]

I'm pretty sure that the song means that he lived the crazy life and could've killed himself at any point but now he's just surfing and having fun with a family and kids and he's never going back to being a young crazy fool. That's what every Ed song is about, it's pretty consistent with his big livin' yanno?

Good way to live.

[harmless]

It's working for me.