Rank the Albums Again. This Time Weighted! #1: Vitalogy

[Norah]

The airy, experimental, new age fuck-it attitude embodied by I'm Open is one of the (many) things that makes No Code so interesting. The fact that they felt free enough (partially thanks to Jack, who co-wrote) to include a track like that speaks directly to their headspace as a band at the time. That headspace allowed for a certain relaxation, which one could say was needed after Ten-Vs-Vitalogy.

It's a shame the song is just really bad high school poetry.

[Jorge]

"I'm Open" has admittedly dumb lyrics (lyrics?) over very pretty music. It's not half as bad as Chud is making it out to be.

No Code is unequivocally my favorite Pearl Jam album.

[Norah]

"I'm Open" has admittedly dumb lyrics (lyrics?) over very pretty music. It's not half as bad as Chud is making it out to be.

No Code is unequivocally my favorite Pearl Jam album.

It's the only song from the middle records that I skip.

[evenslow]

I'm kind of surprised to see that Yield's most common position was 5.

Yield has always been a tale of two albums for me (just like S/T actually). A handful of songs that are among my all time favorites, and a lot of stuff that is decent, and I don't mind hearing, but never really seek out.

It was also the pearl jam record where you really started to see the massive migration of the Ten-Vitalogy fans. The ones who didn't like No Code but were ready to give them one more chance. Definitely a record that, at the time, I felt like I had to defend. By the time Binaural comes out pearl jam was definitely in that space where they didn't really matter much, but hadn't put in enough time to make the transition to old guard standard bearers.

And I think that scenario -- coupled with the state of the music industry then -- created an outlet for some really great, challenging music. They had their committed fan base, but didn't need to worry about attracting new listeners, because Sony was still footing the bill for touring and promotion. Whatever faults may exist with Binaural and Riot Act, those are two albums completely devoid of any commercial aspirations.

I had a slightly different experience with that run of albums. Many of my friends actually started to become alienated when Vitalogy came out, mostly because they're idiots, and also they didn't like some of the harsher songs mixed with experiments like Pry To. They liked Corduroy and Betterman, and that was it.

Then No Code officially sealed the deal. Who You Are being the first single made them jump off the train completely. The book was closed on Pearl Jam, as far as they were concerned. I was an oddity - "You still listen to those guys!?"

Yield was actually semi-successful in bringing many people I knew back into the fold. Given to Fly as lead single, anthems like Faithfull and In Hiding, and I don't know anyone who didn't immediately connect with Do The Evolution.

Then Binaural and Riot Act came out and they may as well have been the Spin Doctors to most people.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Kevin Davis]

The non-spoken-word section of "I'm Open" is stop-you-in-your-tracks stunning, and I suppose redemptive for me -- somewhere in the realm of theoretical greatness there exists a version of this song that couples the portion of the song used for the live version with the production of the studio take, and it's glorious.

"Soon Forget" has some stupid lyrics but it's really a pretty good song -- a sophisticated melody that goes hand in hand with smart, jazzy chord changes, characteristic of Ed's writing on the uke at this time.

Both have some aesthetic no-nos, but I dig 'em.

[McParadigm]

The airy, experimental, new age fuck-it attitude embodied by I'm Open is one of the (many) things that makes No Code so interesting. The fact that they felt free enough (partially thanks to Jack, who co-wrote) to include a track like that speaks directly to their headspace as a band at the time. That headspace allowed for a certain relaxation, which one could say was needed after Ten-Vs-Vitalogy.

It's a shame the song is just really bad high school poetry.

And written by a genie-yuss who is his fah-hather's souhhuon, no less.

[McParadigm]

I'm Open is built out of the same musical ether that informs Dead Man, and I wish we had an album of just these kinds of tracks, plus some stuff like Around the Bend and Black Red Yellow on it.

[Norah]

Just remove I'm Open and find a spot for All Night and No Code becomes damned near perfect.

Ugh, I'm doing to No Code what I hate people doing to Binaural.

[bada]

I like the I'm Open music and the little part where he sings....I have no idea...."cum on me" or whatever....I don't like spoken word though.

[evenslow]

I'm kind of surprised to see that Yield's most common position was 5.

Yield has always been a tale of two albums for me (just like S/T actually). A handful of songs that are among my all time favorites, and a lot of stuff that is decent, and I don't mind hearing, but never really seek out.

It was also the pearl jam record where you really started to see the massive migration of the Ten-Vitalogy fans. The ones who didn't like No Code but were ready to give them one more chance. Definitely a record that, at the time, I felt like I had to defend. By the time Binaural comes out pearl jam was definitely in that space where they didn't really matter much, but hadn't put in enough time to make the transition to old guard standard bearers.

And I think that scenario -- coupled with the state of the music industry then -- created an outlet for some really great, challenging music. They had their committed fan base, but didn't need to worry about attracting new listeners, because Sony was still footing the bill for touring and promotion. Whatever faults may exist with Binaural and Riot Act, those are two albums completely devoid of any commercial aspirations.

I had a slightly different experience with that run of albums. Many of my friends actually started to become alienated when Vitalogy came out, mostly because they're idiots, and also they didn't like some of the harsher songs mixed with experiments like Pry To. They liked Corduroy and Betterman, and that was it.

Then No Code officially sealed the deal. Who You Are being the first single made them jump off the train completely. The book was closed on Pearl Jam, as far as they were concerned. I was an oddity - "You still listen to those guys!?"

Yield was actually semi-successful in bringing many people I knew back into the fold. Given to Fly as lead single, anthems like Faithfull and In Hiding, and I don't know anyone who didn't immediately connect with Do The Evolution.

Then Binaural and Riot Act came out and they may as well have been the Spin Doctors to most people.

My pre-Binaural experience was pretty much the same. But although they did fall out of popular favor when Binaural came out, I don't think that mattered to Sony -- they still had a huge, dedicated fan base. Sony could count on tours selling out, on profitable merch sales, and could funnel those profits into the development new artists patterned after N*Sync and The White Stripes.

I wrote a big, bloated think piece on this a few years back:

http://www.trustmeimascientist.com/2012 ... op-charts/

great article that made me sad/nostalgic

[evenslow]

The airy, experimental, new age fuck-it attitude embodied by I'm Open is one of the (many) things that makes No Code so interesting. The fact that they felt free enough (partially thanks to Jack, who co-wrote) to include a track like that speaks directly to their headspace as a band at the time. That headspace allowed for a certain relaxation, which one could say was needed after Ten-Vs-Vitalogy.

It's a shame the song is just really bad high school poetry.

And written by a genie-yuss who is his fah-hather's souhhuon, no less.

Oh look it's McParadigm again with his dick out, pissing indiscriminately.

[McParadigm]

Just remove I'm Open and find a spot for All Night and No Code becomes damned near perfect.

Ugh, I'm doing to No Code what I hate people doing to Binaural.

We're really just a few tracks from being able to make a great weird album from the best No Code/Yield leftovers. If some more stuff on a level with Happy When and Sunburn would leak, it would probably be my favorite PJ album.

[Norah]

Just remove I'm Open and find a spot for All Night and No Code becomes damned near perfect.

Ugh, I'm doing to No Code what I hate people doing to Binaural.

We're really just a few tracks from being able to make a great weird album from the best No Code/Yield leftovers. If some more stuff on a level with Happy When and Sunburn would leak, it would probably be my favorite PJ album.

for real

[4/5]

2.


No Code is our #2 ranked album, with a mean score of 15.2 points.

Mean: 15.2
Median: 15
Mode: 16

27% of participants ranked it #1, the second highest percentage for any album

12% of participants ranked it lower than 5th.

It was included in the top 3 by 61% of the respondents.

It was most commonly ranked #1, followed by 4th.

It was ranked 8th by one user.

9% of participants gave it less than 10 points.

The highest score it received was 30 points, by a pair of users, followed by two more scores in the mid-twenties.

The majority of scores are between 13 and 18.

[Jorge]

I love you No Code

[Norah]

Yield 19
Binaural 18
No Code 16
??????????????
Riot Act 11
VS 10
Ten 9
Self Titled 2
Backspacer 0
Lightning Bolt 0

[stip]

I'm kind of surprised to see that Yield's most common position was 5.

Yield has always been a tale of two albums for me (just like S/T actually). A handful of songs that are among my all time favorites, and a lot of stuff that is decent, and I don't mind hearing, but never really seek out.

It was also the pearl jam record where you really started to see the massive migration of the Ten-Vitalogy fans. The ones who didn't like No Code but were ready to give them one more chance. Definitely a record that, at the time, I felt like I had to defend. By the time Binaural comes out pearl jam was definitely in that space where they didn't really matter much, but hadn't put in enough time to make the transition to old guard standard bearers.

And I think that scenario -- coupled with the state of the music industry then -- created an outlet for some really great, challenging music. They had their committed fan base, but didn't need to worry about attracting new listeners, because Sony was still footing the bill for touring and promotion. Whatever faults may exist with Binaural and Riot Act, those are two albums completely devoid of any commercial aspirations.

I had a slightly different experience with that run of albums. Many of my friends actually started to become alienated when Vitalogy came out, mostly because they're idiots, and also they didn't like some of the harsher songs mixed with experiments like Pry To. They liked Corduroy and Betterman, and that was it.

Then No Code officially sealed the deal. Who You Are being the first single made them jump off the train completely. The book was closed on Pearl Jam, as far as they were concerned. I was an oddity - "You still listen to those guys!?"

Yield was actually semi-successful in bringing many people I knew back into the fold. Given to Fly as lead single, anthems like Faithfull and In Hiding, and I don't know anyone who didn't immediately connect with Do The Evolution.

Then Binaural and Riot Act came out and they may as well have been the Spin Doctors to most people.

My pre-Binaural experience was pretty much the same. But although they did fall out of popular favor when Binaural came out, I don't think that mattered to Sony -- they still had a huge, dedicated fan base. Sony could count on tours selling out, on profitable merch sales, and could funnel those profits into the development new artists patterned after N*Sync and The White Stripes.

I wrote a big, bloated think piece on this a few years back:

http://www.trustmeimascientist.com/2012 ... op-charts/

great piece. What other writing have you done?

[stip]

I'm kind of surprised to see that Yield's most common position was 5.

Yield has always been a tale of two albums for me (just like S/T actually). A handful of songs that are among my all time favorites, and a lot of stuff that is decent, and I don't mind hearing, but never really seek out.

It was also the pearl jam record where you really started to see the massive migration of the Ten-Vitalogy fans. The ones who didn't like No Code but were ready to give them one more chance. Definitely a record that, at the time, I felt like I had to defend. By the time Binaural comes out pearl jam was definitely in that space where they didn't really matter much, but hadn't put in enough time to make the transition to old guard standard bearers.

And I think that scenario -- coupled with the state of the music industry then -- created an outlet for some really great, challenging music. They had their committed fan base, but didn't need to worry about attracting new listeners, because Sony was still footing the bill for touring and promotion. Whatever faults may exist with Binaural and Riot Act, those are two albums completely devoid of any commercial aspirations.

I had a slightly different experience with that run of albums. Many of my friends actually started to become alienated when Vitalogy came out, mostly because they're idiots, and also they didn't like some of the harsher songs mixed with experiments like Pry To. They liked Corduroy and Betterman, and that was it.

Then No Code officially sealed the deal. Who You Are being the first single made them jump off the train completely. The book was closed on Pearl Jam, as far as they were concerned. I was an oddity - "You still listen to those guys!?"

Yield was actually semi-successful in bringing many people I knew back into the fold. Given to Fly as lead single, anthems like Faithfull and In Hiding, and I don't know anyone who didn't immediately connect with Do The Evolution.

Then Binaural and Riot Act came out and they may as well have been the Spin Doctors to most people.

My pre-Binaural experience was pretty much the same. But although they did fall out of popular favor when Binaural came out, I don't think that mattered to Sony -- they still had a huge, dedicated fan base. Sony could count on tours selling out, on profitable merch sales, and could funnel those profits into the development new artists patterned after N*Sync and The White Stripes.

I wrote a big, bloated think piece on this a few years back:

http://www.trustmeimascientist.com/2012 ... op-charts/

great piece. What other writing have you done?

[PHATJ]

1. Vitalogy 20
2. Binaural 15
3. Yield 14
4. Ten 13
5. Vs. 11
6. No Code 10
7. Lightning Bolt 6
8. Pearl Jam 6
9. Riot Act 5
10. Backspacer 0