Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

[Thurman Murman]

Number of songs that I love on a pearl jam album (4 stars or above)


Ten: 9/11
Vs: 5/12
Vitalogy: 10/10
No Code: 5/13 (but present tense is in danger of slipping into like territory)
Yield: 4/12
Binaural: 5/13
Riot Act: 3/15
S/T: 5/13
Backspacer: 8/11
Lightning Bolt: 7/12

So you're basically saying there are at least 8 songs on Backspacer that you prefer to Present Tense?!?!

[lefty]

Since it's what all the cool PJ kids are doing these days, I'll do some ranking, too.

Songs on LB
1. Pendulum
2. Getaway
3. Infallible
4. Yellow Moon
5. My Father's Son
6. Lightning Bolt
7. Swallowed Whole
8. Mind Your Manners
9. Sleeping By Myself
10. Future Days
11. Sirens
12. Let The Records Play

Albums (w/ # of 4 star songs)
1. Yield - 10/13
2. Vitalogy - 9/14
3. Ten - 7/11
4. Vs - 7/12
5. Binaural - 8/13
6. No Code - 6/13
7. Pearl Jam - 4/13
8. Lightning Bolt - 4/12
9. Riot Act - 4/15
10. Backspacer - 1/11

[Thurman Murman]

As of this morning...

1. Vitalogy
2. Ten
3. No Code
4. Vs.
5. Yield
6. Binaural
7. Lightning Bolt
8. Pearl Jam
9. Riot Act
10. Backspacer

Top 3 will likely never change. Vs/Yield may flip flop in those 4-5 spots. Binaural solidly in 6, LB solidly in 7, Pearl Jam/Riot Act could switch, Backspacer solidly in last place.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

At this point I really love only 3 songs and like another 3. Most of the rest I don't really mind, but don't particularly feel like listening to anymore.

Still way better than BS.

what are the 3 you love and 3 you like?

Getaway - like
Mind Your Manners - fine
My Father's Son - like
Sirens - eh
Lightning Bolt - meh
Infallible - love
Pendulum - love
Swallowed Whole - fine
Let the Records Play - no
Sleeping By Myself - love
Yellow Moon - like
Future Days

not too bad

[harmless]

I've already ranked the tracks in the relevant thread, but just for fun:

Getaway - really like
MYM - like
My Father's Son - love
Sirens - love
Lightning Bolt - like
Infallible - like
Pendulum - love
Swallowed Whole - really like
LTRP - wish I liked, but struggling
SBM - love
Yellow Moon - love
FD - wish I liked, but struggling

So all in all...

[McParadigm]

Star the lyrics to Infallible.

Keep - 4 stars. I'm a stickler for opening a song with a command!
on - 2 stars. Rubbish.
locking - 3 stars.
your - 2 1/2.
doors - 2 stars.
Keep - 4 stars. Back to getting it right!
on - 2 stars. Why would you go back to this sorry motif??
just - 2 1/2 stars.
as - 3 stars.
before - 3 stars.
Pay - 4 stars.
disasters - 5 stars! Peak moment!
no - 4 stars.
mind - 2 stars.
Didn't - 3 stars. Every time I hear it I get a little moment of false hope. And then...
get - 1 star. Ugh!
you - 2 stars.
this - 2 1/2.
time - 5 stars. Tom Waits reference!
No - 4 stars.
friends - 1 star.
left - 3 stars.
at - 3 1/2 stars. I like this playful callback to the word "as." Very conceptual.
the - 2 stars.
crime - 5 stars!
Our - 2 stars.
ship's - 3 stars.
come - 4 stars. Some unexpected sensuality here.
in - 5 stars. Even more subtle filth! Unusual for a Pearl Jam song.
and - 2 stars.
it's - 5 stars. Excellent choice to not repeat the word "ship." Singular neuter pronoun...very classy stuff, Ed!
sinking - 5 stars. I'll have to study the lyrics a little longer, but I think this might be about the ship. Evidence of a concept album?

More later!!!

[McParadigm]

Overall the first verse averages 3.156 stars, which might make it the strongest run of words on any song since Riot Act. I'll keep you posted.

[Noonie]

yeah the buildup to this album was way more fun.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

Getaway - like
MYM - love
MFS - love
Sirens - Love
Lightning Bolt - working its way to like
Infallible - love
Pendulum - love
Swallowed Whole - like/love
LTRP - like
SBM - like but not sure for how long
Yellow Moon - love
Future Days - like

[Mike]

Listening to No Code made me realize again what makes the last three albums different to everything before for me. I enjoy Avocado, Backspacer and Lightning Bolt but I enjoy all three in a superficial way. They're all a lot of "fun" but the songs don't manage to have a deeper impact on me, there's probably not a single song that I have a real connection to like I have to songs like Hail, Hail, Smile, In My Tree, Red Mosquito or Present Tense (just taking No Code songs as an example). Not feeling the soul here and I'm not sure why. Might be the songs, might be the production, might be the band itself.
These albums are like going to a party and having a great time and the older albums are more like spending time with a truly loved one. Or something like that.
Having said that, I enjoy the party that Lightning Bolt is giving me very much, it just won't mean a lot to me.

[jimmy mac]

Just had my first listen while following along with the lyrics. The only songs I think were weak lyrically were LB, which I don't mind because I like how he sings and the progression of the song, and Pendulum which I love nonetheless. I tried to see what sucks so bad about LTRP and I can't figure it out. I like the lyrics on it too. My favorite thing on the album might be the vocals on Yellow Moon. FD is the low point for me, fits into a Vedder solo show more than on this album. Don't hate it though. Stick me in the camp that really likes this thing. I love being a curmudgeon and complaining, but I feel in all honestly like any complaints from me would be nitpicking. Haven't liked a new release this much off the bat since Yield.

i still havent listened while reading through the lyrics, i might do that tonight, but im not really a lyric person, if they are so bad that they stand out to me then that means they are just awful because i usually just hear singers as another instrument in the band. i do always listen a few times through with lyrics for PJ though so i hopefully wont be singing the wrong words when singing along

I am the same thinking the vocals are more of another instrument in the band, the lyrics don't do much one way or the other for me. It's all in the way the singer sounds. I like the way EV sounds on this, aside from a few parts (Lightning Bolt chorus, the verses in MFS) They will elevate a song for me if they are really good. When I read the lyrics for LTRP it made me like it more. Until I read the lyrics I had no clue what 75% of the lyrics on the album were, and I'd listened to is 6x before reading along.

[jimmy mac]

Your stars made us stones

[dimejinky99]

A lot of you will agree with this and it will give everyone else rage.
PJ albums ranked worst to best
http://www.uproxx.com/music/2013/10/ran ... t-to-best/

[McParadigm]

A lot of you will agree with this and it will give everyone else rage.
PJ albums ranked worst to best
http://www.uproxx.com/music/2013/10/ran ... t-to-best/

“Hey, you wanna listen to some Pearl Jam?” “Sure!” “Which one?” “Gotta go with Backspacer, bro.” That conversation has never, ever happened.

[Mike]

A lot of you will agree with this and it will give everyone else rage.
PJ albums ranked worst to best
http://www.uproxx.com/music/2013/10/ran ... t-to-best/

I'm conflicted. They put Vitalogy on top, thats good. They put No Code and Binaural last behind Lightning Bolt and even further behind Backspacer, that's as bad as Hitler. I think I'm totally angry now.

[warehouse]

Star the lyrics to Infallible.

Keep - 4 stars. I'm a stickler for opening a song with a command!
on - 2 stars. Rubbish.
locking - 3 stars.
your - 2 1/2.
doors - 2 stars.
Keep - 4 stars. Back to getting it right!
on - 2 stars. Why would you go back to this sorry motif??
just - 2 1/2 stars.
as - 3 stars.
before - 3 stars.
Pay - 4 stars.
disasters - 5 stars! Peak moment!
no - 4 stars.
mind - 2 stars.
Didn't - 3 stars. Every time I hear it I get a little moment of false hope. And then...
get - 1 star. Ugh!
you - 2 stars.
this - 2 1/2.
time - 5 stars. Tom Waits reference!
No - 4 stars.
friends - 1 star.
left - 3 stars.
at - 3 1/2 stars. I like this playful callback to the word "as." Very conceptual.
the - 2 stars.
crime - 5 stars!
Our - 2 stars.
ship's - 3 stars.
come - 4 stars. Some unexpected sensuality here.
in - 5 stars. Even more subtle filth! Unusual for a Pearl Jam song.
and - 2 stars.
it's - 5 stars. Excellent choice to not repeat the word "ship." Singular neuter pronoun...very classy stuff, Ed!
sinking - 5 stars. I'll have to study the lyrics a little longer, but I think this might be about the ship. Evidence of a concept album?

More later!!!

this seems like an awful amount of time spent on one trolling post

[harmless]

A lot of you will agree with this and it will give everyone else rage.
PJ albums ranked worst to best
http://www.uproxx.com/music/2013/10/ran ... t-to-best/

So Riot Act is bland and forgettable, but rubbish, and Backspacer is bland and forgettable, but awesome?

[McParadigm]

this seems like an awful amount of time spent on one trolling post

God, I just know there's a Dave Matthews joke here waiting to happen!

I must need my morning coffee.

[nomorecrackpipes]

I become a super fan in late 95, so of the PJ albums post super fan:

1 No Code
2 Yield
3 Riot Act
4 Binaural
5 Backspacer
6 Lightning Bolt
7 Avocado

#6 could overtake #5, but #5 is the ceiling for the bottom three. The last five years I find myself listening to #3 & #5 most often.

[warehouse]

this seems like an awful amount of time spent on one trolling post

God, I just know there's a Dave Matthews joke here waiting to happen!

I must need my morning coffee.

there usually is, they are just boring, unfunny and bland.

also, do u mean whiskey?