The friends and family opinions thread

[stip]

I am taking one of my best friends and former roomate to the philly show. He last saw pearl jam at a show I took him to in 98. We lived together 97-98 and 2000-2001 so he's been exposed to a lot of pre-riot act pearl jam, but not in a while. He is skipping Ten but diving in the catalog to relearn the band prior to the show. I'm going to share his thoughts in this thread. But use it to share opinions and insights from the folks in your life outside the diehard communtiy.

[stip]

He started with Vitalogy

1-10 scales.
MI: Main idea
Mu: Music
Ly: Lyrics
Em: Emotional response to song

Last exit
MI Suicide
Mu 4
Ly 8
Em sound mix is annoying, deliberate dissonance. Understandable but obnoxious

Spin the black circle
MI music is inspiring
Mu 3
Ly 2
Em music is great...and?

Not for you
MI here comes the new boss?
Mu 7
Ly 5
Em 6 fun beat, tempo, vocals have great impact

Tremor christ
MI small lies can add up to bite you
Mu 3
Ly 2
Em boring, not sure wtf his point is

Nothingman
MI some emotional wounds can't heal
Mu 8
Ly 9
Em 10, we've all been there. Easy to identify with. Perhaps #1 on the album for me. Sets a mood immediately and very different, softer, from the rest of the album.

Whipping
MI resist oppression, especially if it hurts
Mu 4
Ly 5
Em 5 ok. A bit shallow and repetitive musically

Corduroy
MI don't compromise your principles
Mu 7
Ly 8
Em so very catchy. Great tune. Still burnt out on this one from 90s radio overplay, though.

Bugs
MI the bugs win in the end
Mu 10 (is it even a song?)
Ly 10
Em this song(?) is funny as hell. I love it. It's like they're doing a dead milkmen cover at a coffee shop open mike.

Satan's bed
MI temptation is hard to resist
Mu 5
Ly 6
Em extra points for grotesque imagery. Fun song. Funny imagery.

Better man (first 2/3)
MI how to say its over?
Mu 8
Ly 7
Em moving, touching, sympathy for the devil in a few well-chosen words.

Better man (last 1/3)
MI i'm going to slam the meaning of the song in your face now and end the song big and generically.
Mu 1
Ly 1
Em way to fumble at the goal line

Immortality
MI the lure of addiction?
Mu 9
Ly 8
Em moving imagery. This one caught me off guard. Maybe my favorite on the album. Neck and neck with nothingman.

[stip]

Dave's thoughts on Vs:

Vs. feels less polished than Vitalogy. I can see the progression and appreciate the quality of the lyrics in the later album, as well as the more cohesive feel to the whole thing.

Go
a relationship with a suddenly inverted power dynamic
Mu 6 energetic, angry bass, fun
Ly 4 a bit obtuse
I can't decide if this song annoys me or not. It feels very dated, very 'of its time'. It never really grabbed me, but I appreciate the effort. And it feels like a lot of effort.

Animal
Another power imbalance. Gang rape? A street brawl? Both?
Mu 5 fun, if a bit boring
Ly 3 really sub par here, especially knowing what the band is capable of
I enjoy this song like a small candy bar. Not much to it. Empty calories.

Daughter
Again with the power imbalances. I sense a theme. An abusive parent/child relationship.
Mu 6 sweet, simple, unchallenging
Ly 8 beautiful and efficient. Catchy without being trite. She holds the hand that holds her down. Oof. Right in the chest with that one.
Obviously I love this song. It's intense and emotional. It's a ballad, which is where I think eddie's voice really should live.

Glorified G
"It's hard to be a man when there's a gun in your hand"
Mu 4 less than adequate. They can do better. Uninspired solos. Dull.
Ly 1 just so boring. Preachy. Barf.
This sentiment has been better expressed elsewhere. One nitpick: the refrain sounds like someone who LOVES guns complaining that another person's gun is too puny. I don't think they were aiming for that. If I never hear this song again it'll be too soon.

Dissident
Breaking up is hard to do.
Mu 9 a lot of subtlety going on with the guitar
Ly 7 captures the complexity
This is a breath of fresh air after its predecessor. The lyrics and the rhythm really come together to create just the appropriate tension. Second best track on the album.

W.M.A.
Police reinforce existing social hierarchies
Mu 7 the drums are really effective
Ly 3 preachy but aimless
I don't think they can do protest songs. Leave this to RATM. Eddie sounds uncommitted.

Blood
His work is bleeding him dry
Mu 5 very heavy and repetitive
Ly 6 it's a hardcore song...?
What is a hardcore song doing on a pearl jam album? It's kinda fun. Really fails to mesh with the rest of the album. Probably should have been cut. Good energy.

Rearviewmirror
Escape from an abusive relationship
Mu 8 builds and supports the lyrics well, could have done without the final solo.
Ly 8 vivid, harsh
This does a great job of planting you into someone's mind in a single, pivotal moment. It feels true. Third best on the album.

Rats
Humans are the REAL rats. Oh no!
Mu 3 this rhythm annoys me.
Ly 3 preachy
This song is weird. Doesn't feel like PJ at all. Off-putting. Maybe jesus jones sang it better.

Elderly woman behind the counter in a small town
Everything changes. Sometimes for the better, often not.
Mu 8 some fun improvisation, unique percussion
Ly 10 just transcendent. It should come off as awkward and blatant but then you get lines like "memories like fingerprints are slowly raising" and you're just knocked off center and lost in the song. Tragic. Beautiful. Catchy. My favorite of the album.

Leash
The kids are alright
Mu 5 doing what it needs to
Ly 7 some good stuff there
I just don't like PJ when they get all angry/screamy. It's got a youth energy thing going on, but the song on the whole feels shallow. It feels insincere somehow. Maybe 21 year old me would have been on board. It's like pseudo wannabe punk.

Indifference
Do our lives have a lasting impact? And do we really have license to do as we please?
Mu 6 i love that organ
Ly 5 good concept but not a lot of creativity going on here. Adequate.
I like the questions posed and the mood set. Contemplative, morose.

Hold on
What love could have been....
Mu 1 borrrrring
Ly 4 some good turns of phrase
Oof. Tough to get through. Dull. Dull. Better than glorified g, though.

Crazy Mary
All humans have value
Mu 5 nothing special
Ly 7 good talking song. Weird backing vocals
Another ballad. Can't miss with a Vedder ballad. Take a bottle... he hits that rhythm with a special twang.

[stip]

Dave on No Code (he sat with this for a while)

This album feels more mellow and contemplative right from the start. It's really quite a departure musically from vitalogy, although I thought the opposite at first. I could see its embryonic strains in vitalogy's more introspective tunes, but they seriously changed their focus here. It's a lot of navel gazing, and that's not necessarily bad. We might be a little too far up eddie's butt here, though.

I really love what is happening musically. Eddie really doesn't "wail" well. Some people can blow out their range and still carry the tune, but his voice is so smooth and charming at a lower register that it feels like torture to hear him get screamy.

None of these songs have the emotional impact of what I enjoyed from Vs. but I find this speaking to me much more directly than vitalogy. So far this is my favorite album as a whole, because this seems like the most complete album thematically. Even Mankind doesn't queer the vibe too much.

Sometimes
Seems like a profession of faith, anxiety
Music is minimalistic, restrained. 4
Lyrics 4 some strong cliches
Objectively mediocre but its vulnerability carries it. Sets the tone for the album. More of an overture than a track.

Hail Hail
Uncertainty within a marriage
Music 5 strong driving guitar and back beat, nothing special, predictable
Lyrics 6 powerful emotions conveyed succinctly
This is the only single I remember from the album. The lyrics make me uncomfortable, which is good. It's fun but never really seems to get where it's trying to go.

Who you are
Try to keep the big picture in mind
Music 8 i love the beat and ths sitar(?). Meshes well with the lyrics. Sets the tone easily.
Lyrics 5 a little fortune cookie for my taste.
I love the mood set by this song. It's less about the words and more about the feeling. It's relaxing.

In my tree
Escape - from fame, from responsibility, safety
Music 9 great build, rhythm
Lyrics 6 lovely imagery, not really saying much
This song stuck in my head for days after I first heard it. Very, very catchy. It was at first my favorite song on the album. The eddie-focused lyrics took it down a notch. I still love it.

Smile
Lament for the dead or departed
Music 7 cheesy, jamm-y, the harmonica is working for me
Lyrics 6 because of the delivery. Simple and heartfelt.
The song conveys a powerful sadness. It's basic, predictable, and effective. I'm a sucker for this romantic bs.

Off he goes
Hero worship? Self-destructive behavior?
Music 6 i like the guitar work
Lyrics 7 tension, angst, well-conveyed
I'm resolved to still love this song, despit now knowing it is him singing to himself. Even from that somewhat conceited perapective, the sentiments expressed are beautiful.

Habit
Addiction and hubris
Music 4 almost adequate
Lyrics 2 please don't verb habit again
This is one of those songs that makes eddie sound like shit. This style doesn't suit his range or tone. This is the first song I skip now.

Red Mosquito
I have no idea what this is about. Drugs? Artistic inspiration?
Music 9 lovely guitar work, a solo that complements the song.
Lyrics 7 evocative yet confusing
Great song. Maybe my favorite on the album now. First impression wasn't great but it grew on me. Feels almost like it could have been on ten.

Lukin
A stalker? Why is he going to lukin's?
Music 5 not terrible
Lyrics 1 what are you on about?
Stop screaming, eddie. Stop it. Skip this one, too.

Present Tense
Cut yourself some slack. Life is hard.
Music 10 i'm a sucker for the dulcet tones subverted by distortion. Nice outro.
Lyrics 7 simple and effective
Almost a gospel feel to this. Peaceful and affirmative. Highly satisfying. This song does everything I want it to. Tied with red mosquito.

Mankind
There's some superficial shit going on
Music 5 catchy
Lyrics 1 complete gobbledegook
Speaking of superficial bullshit...
But i don't skip this one.

I'm open
A lovely poem about lost faith
Music 1 no. Nonono. No.
Lyrics 5 nice imagery, turns of phrase
Why? Skippable

Around the bend
A lullaby! For the dead?
Music 8 sweet and gentle guitar/piano combo
Lyrics 7 full love, hope, and melancholy
This is great. I want more PJ lullaby tunes that might really be laments for the dead. Feels like a western tune. Dig that peaceful rhythm.

[Kevin Davis]

I could read these all day. Can't wait for the rest. Thanks Dave!

[stip]

Me too. I love hearing from folks outside the bubble. How does Tremor Christ sound to the non-initiated.

I'm really looking forward to him getting past Binaural

He has heard Dark Matter a few times and said he likes it so far, but I'm also really interested to hear how it lands after having toured the catalog

[Leatherhead]

I pretty much hate talking to friends and family about Pearl Jam.

[stip]

he took this on himself. not going to pass this up!

[digster]

Off he goes
Hero worship? Self-destructive behavior?
Music 6 i like the guitar work
Lyrics 7 tension, angst, well-conveyed
I'm resolved to still love this song, despit now knowing it is him singing to himself. Even from that somewhat conceited perapective, the sentiments expressed are beautiful.

I like that No Code is his favorite despite stip trying to work the refs.

[stip]

im happy with where he ended vitalogy. ill accept this outcome

[Monkey_Driven]

Tremor Christ is boring?! WTF, Dave

[96583UP]

this is eerily interesting

wonder what happens when we get to the hair loss era

[Ms Harmless]

I stopped reading at his WMA comment

[96583UP]

indeed that was sacrilege

[stip]

also an interesting bubble observation- my daughter has been hearing a lot of dark matter on the way to school, which is fair after months of taylor swift. running came on. and then she commented that he should have sang all of running like the end because its a rock song. so I put on blood

how old is this song?
How old was the singer then?
How old is he now?
Wow, he still sounds the same

[warehouse]

that's excellent parenting, stip!

almost all of my friends and family love pearl jam. i have no idea why lol

[oftheearth]

I am taking one of my best friends and former roomate to the philly show. He last saw pearl jam at a show I took him to in 98. We lived together 97-98 and 2000-2001 so he's been exposed to a lot of pre-riot act pearl jam, but not in a while. He is skipping Ten but diving in the catalog to relearn the band prior to the show. I'm going to share his thoughts in this thread. But use it to share opinions and insights from the folks in your life outside the diehard communtiy.

So far, I will be at night 1 in Philly! Are you going to both nights stip?

[stip]

No I am the 9th. Is that 1 or 2?

[96583UP]

9th is night 2

7th is night 1

[warehouse]

if for any reason you can't go....