Gigaton: Official album thread

General Pearl Jam discussion.

Early Impressions

5 stars
70
26%
4 stars
143
53%
3 stars
32
12%
2 star
16
6%
1 star
7
3%
 
Total votes: 268

liebzz
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by liebzz »

Damnit I enjoy these games too much:

LOVE:

Who Ever Said
Superblood Wolfmoon
Dance of the Clairvoyants
Quick Escape
Seven O’Clock
Never Destination
Take the Long Way
Buckle Up
Retrograde
River Cross

LIKE:
Alright (would have made a cool album opener)
Comes Then Goes (beautiful song whose impact is greatest when heard occasionally)
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VinylGuy
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by VinylGuy »

yeah, i agree with that idea of Comes Then Goes. Its a song i dont need to listen again until i do and then its wow.

I do love Ed's vocals on that one.
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DDWJMUVW
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by DDWJMUVW »

liebzz wrote:Damnit I enjoy these games too much:

LOVE:

Who Ever Said
Superblood Wolfmoon
Dance of the Clairvoyants
Quick Escape
Seven O’Clock
Never Destination
Take the Long Way
Buckle Up
Retrograde
River Cross

LIKE:
Alright (would have made a cool album opener)
Comes Then Goes (beautiful song whose impact is greatest when heard occasionally)

Man - you're a lot more generous to the album in general. it's odd b/c gig, to me, is perhaps the album most inexorably tied to the time period in which it arrived. Covid is all I can think about when I listen to those songs, and not in a bad way. that spring of 2020 was actually a surreal but very good period of my life (luckily). I just can't untie the two. So no when I listen, it's like opening a Time Machine, and while true of all music, for me it's perhaps strongest with THIS record. So....sadly, many of the gig songs have simply not stood the test of time for me, but alas:

Truly GREAT:
DoTC - probably the best piece of music they've written since Yield

Very Good:
WES
Retro (saved by outro, otherwise mediocre)
Alright

Very Avg:
SBWM
QE
7
TTLW

Rare Spins (wouldn't miss them, ever)
River Cross
Never Dest
Buckle Up

All on it's Own:
CTG (b/c it's so specific and is powerful, though I rarely find myself feeling the urge to listen)
"For me, it's all about the time we're having just playing the songs. So if it's kind of a mindless good time, then....."
liebzz
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by liebzz »

It’s tied to the time period for me as well, but I think they finally caught the lightning (see how I did that?) that I think they had been chasing since Avocado, which is a straightforward and accessible album that has something to say and has spaces to genuinely explore. It doesn’t sound like a Pearl Jam album, it is a Pearl Jam album.
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DDWJMUVW
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by DDWJMUVW »

liebzz wrote:It’s tied to the time period for me as well, but I think they finally caught the lightning (see how I did that?) that I think they had been chasing since Avocado, which is a straightforward and accessible album that has something to say and has spaces to genuinely explore. It doesn’t sound like a Pearl Jam album, it is a Pearl Jam album.
That's fair. I will definitely say, the album is stronger than both BS and LB, with the latter to me being completely forgettable.

Gig was a great collection of tracks for that time period (to me). The music just really seemed to marry properly with my experiences at the time, but that match is also what keeps it so compartmentalized for me, unable to grow or apply to new phases of life. I've been able to re-experience a lot of the other material, mostly bc past records had looser associations to time periods in my life.

So while not as many of these songs are in the rotation as I would have guessed would be the case back in say, summer 2020, that's ok.
"For me, it's all about the time we're having just playing the songs. So if it's kind of a mindless good time, then....."
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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LetMeSleep
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by LetMeSleep »

My Gigaton

DotC
QE
Alright
7 OClock
Take The Long Way
Buckle Up
Get It Back
Comes Then Goes
Retrograde
Near (Stone)

And that has filler, I usually kill it at Get It Back.
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stip
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by stip »

i think gigaton is overall one of eddie’s best lyrical outings (i think vitalogy and binaural are his one and two)
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by LetMeSleep »

Ed's songs are the main problem with Gigaton (and BS and LB).
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stip
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by stip »

LetMeSleep wrote:Ed's songs are the main problem with Gigaton (and BS and LB).
Lyrically or musically?
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LetMeSleep
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by LetMeSleep »

stip wrote:
LetMeSleep wrote:Ed's songs are the main problem with Gigaton (and BS and LB).
Lyrically or musically?
Musically and occasionally his mannerisms.

WES is mostly fine until the satisfaction bit. SBWM is a throw away as it Never Desination. Bland rock. River Cross strives for something that isn't there. CtG is too long and up it's own arse.

Again 5 EdVed tracks on a PJ album that are musically boring (possible exception is WES).
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Leatherhead
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by Leatherhead »

stip wrote:i think gigaton is overall one of eddie’s best lyrical outings (i think vitalogy and binaural are his one and two)
I agree. I think the wordiness complaints are really overblown.
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Leatherhead
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by Leatherhead »

5/5
Who Ever Said
Dance of the Clairvoyants
Seven O'Clock
Take the Long Way

4/5
Suberblood Wolfmoon
Quick Escape
Comes Then Goes

3/5
Alright
Never Destination
Buckle Up
Retrograde
River Cross
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by Strat »

Been a long time since i sat and listened to this one. Maybe i could do that.
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by Jorge »

stip wrote:i think gigaton is overall one of eddie’s best lyrical outings
I wish it was not this post that you had typed
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tragabigzanda
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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lecherouslittlestump
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by lecherouslittlestump »

Take The Long Way should be the template for all PJ rockers going forward.
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by Anders »

Kevin Davis wrote:Love:
DOTC
Take the Long Way
Buckle Up

Like, well enough anyway:
Who Ever Said
Superblood Wolfmoon
Quick Escape
Never Destination

Dislike or don’t really care about:
Alright
Seven O’Clock
Comes Then Goes
Retrograde
River Cross
Great love section.
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Kevin Davis
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Re: Gigaton: Official album thread

Post by Kevin Davis »

Thanks, Anders!

LMS mentioned "Get It Back" -- that would be in the 'love' category for me too. Aside from "DOTC," which I think is credited to the whole band, all of my favorite Gigaton session songs were non-EV compositions.

An eight-track album comprising my 'love' and 'like' categories, plus "Get It Back," would be a slam dunk for me.

Who Ever Said
Superblood Wolfmoon
Dance of the Clairvoyants
Quick Escape
Get It Back
Never Destination
Take the Long Way
Buckle Up
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