What is Each Album's Major Flaw?: No Code

[Kaius]

He would've fu*ked it up.

[Got Some]

Leaving All Night out of the final track list

[Iprefertheiroldstuff]

People don't consider Present Tense to be a top tier PJ song? That's fucked up.

[VinylGuy]

People don't consider Present Tense to be a top tier PJ song? That's fucked up.

Oh thats just Stip. dont worry.

[Austen 3:16]

As alluded to many times in this thread, No Code is a complete mess. But it's an organized mess. I think it was intended to be a mess.
For probably the first time in his career up to that point, Ed wrote a collection of stripped down, vulnerable, almost "simple" songs lyrically. Smile, Around the Bend, Present Tense, Sometimes. These songs make you feel like you're listening to Eddie tell you stories from his own point of view, as opposed to the earlier stuff, when he was constantly picking a position to fight against, and almost speaking through a separate entity. Vitalogy was lashing out at what he'd become. No Code was mournfully accepting his unwanted position, but with glimmers of hope.
I'll never forget the impact "I'm Open" had on me the first time I heard it. It's not even a particularly good song, or good poem, or whatever. It's just pure emotion. I've had several moments in scouring through the PJ catalog where I really stopped and said "holy fuck, it's like the song is talking directly to me." And even though it's largely an anecdote to the actual songs with structure around them on No Code, that tune always gets a raw reaction out of me.
And that transitions me into how I feel about No Code as an overall body of work; an excellent collection of weird songs that seem completely out of place. To me, it's literally challenging the listener to critique it. It's like "yeah, this is a Pearl Jam album, and there's no Alive or Daughter or Better Man, and there's not even good flow from song to song. Yeah, some of the lyrics are incredibly simple, and yeah, some of them are complete pyscho-babble bullshit. But we fucking dare you not to like it. Because there's some extremely cool, ballsy art shit going on, and real music fans will recognize that."
I just can't judge any song on this record negatively. I just can't. I respect No Code too much for that. All of the songs have their specific place and intended impact, and I think it's exactly what they we're trying to achieve at the time artistically.

[YessCode2]

I agree with most.

The pacing is all over the place. I'd prefer the album to end at Present Tense and rearrange the up and down and up and down pacing of the middle of the record.

I will say, "If I only knew now would I know then," was like the coolest thing my angsty 14-year-old ears heard up until that point.

[stip]

i listened to this the other day. The transition from Hail Hail to Who You Are is another low point.

[Jorge]

i listened to this the other day. The transition from Hail Hail to Who You Are is another low point.

UGH.

[stip]

I know, right. It's not good. Which is a shame because those are two of the best songs on the album.

Who you Are into In My Tree was fine, though

[mikejasond]

Mankind -> Im Open -> Around the Bend feels like a very bizarre epilogue.

Present Tense could have closed even though I enjoy Im open and Around the Bend.

[LoathedVermin72]

Mankind -> Im Open -> Around the Bend feels like a very bizarre epilogue.

Present Tense could have closed even though I enjoy Im open and Around the Bend.

it's a perfect way to close the album. it's not an epilogue. goddammit.

[mikejasond]

Mankind -> Im Open -> Around the Bend feels like a very bizarre epilogue.

Present Tense could have closed even though I enjoy Im open and Around the Bend.

it's a perfect way to close the album. it's not an epilogue. goddammit.

Its just you have this amazing Present Tense with this fadeout. Its just a very epic song, that sounds very conclusive. And then you go into Mankind which is such a nothing song, its like "I thought this album ended already. We're still going? Ok I guess...." These 3 songs feel like...I dont know. I cant even call it filler because it closes the album. But it feels like they got tacked on the album by mistake.

[LoathedVermin72]

Mankind >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Present Tense

[LoathedVermin72]

And hell, "Mankind" is way more grandiose thematically.

[Strat]

And hell, "Mankind" is way more grandiose thematically.

wut

[LoathedVermin72]

And hell, "Mankind" is way more grandiose thematically.

wut

It's literally about mankind

[McParadigm]

Ending an album with a featherweight lecture about the importance of appreciating the here and now is a move modern Pearl Jam would definitely pull, which is just one measure of what a truly terrible idea it would be.

[mikejasond]

And hell, "Mankind" is way more grandiose thematically.

wut

It's literally about mankind

I thought it was about listerine

[mikejasond]

Ending an album with a featherweight lecture about the importance of appreciating the here and now is a move modern Pearl Jam would definitely pull, which is just one measure of what a truly terrible idea it would be.

There's nothing featherweight about the music of Present Tense no matter how bad the lyrics may be. And Around the Bend is no less featherweight.

[LoathedVermin72]

Oh fuck, I am so excited for a McP/mjd debate