mastaflatch wrote:Vitalogy - masterpiece. that album has been very important for me.
No Code - patchy as hell but i guess it's a deliberate mess. so much greater than the sum of its parts.
Yield - some kind of culmination of the band's "spiritual" period. their peak in the studio.
Pearl Jam - the first half of it is a high point in their output. maybe my judgement is blurred by the close ties it has with my life. i've never been that bothered with the way it sounds.
Vs - patchy but with a palpable sense of urgency. many great songs, a few duds...transitionnal.
Binaurual - some of its parts are greater than the sum of them, if that makes sense. compromises. many interresting songs and bits but in the end, i have a hard time figuring out where the fuck this album wants to take me.
Backspacer - some good songs, some not so good...there's hardly a peak on this record. GSMF is the one for me, no contest. it seems obvious to me that someone, or the whole band decided to cash in on Eddie's new folky successes. i prefer when the band lets loose.
Riot Act - again, this one peaks early with the opener. the rest is a mess with occasionnal glimpses of what i like in this band. weird album. some of their poorest songwriting on this one. worst Eddie's vocals too, deliberate or not.
mastaflatch wrote:Vitalogy - masterpiece. that album has been very important for me.
No Code - patchy as hell but i guess it's a deliberate mess. so much greater than the sum of its parts.
Yield - some kind of culmination of the band's "spiritual" period. their peak in the studio. Ten - an early masterpiece, i can agree on that but it doesn't connect with me as much as the ones above. still, some badass riffing going on and Eddie at his most annoying/great/young. i appreciate the fact that the band decided to go on and move on afterwards.
Pearl Jam - the first half of it is a high point in their output. maybe my judgement is blurred by the close ties it has with my life. i've never been that bothered with the way it sounds.
Vs - patchy but with a palpable sense of urgency. many great songs, a few duds...transitionnal.
Binaurual - some of its parts are greater than the sum of them, if that makes sense. compromises. many interresting songs and bits but in the end, i have a hard time figuring out where the fuck this album wants to take me.
Backspacer - some good songs, some not so good...there's hardly a peak on this record. GSMF is the one for me, no contest. it seems obvious to me that someone, or the whole band decided to cash in on Eddie's new folky successes. i prefer when the band lets loose.
Riot Act - again, this one peaks early with the opener. the rest is a mess with occasionnal glimpses of what i like in this band. weird album. some of their poorest songwriting on this one. worst Eddie's vocals too, deliberate or not.
1. Yield -- the perfect combination of everything I like about this band, '90's rock, and music in general. Inquisitive without being experimental and positive without being preachy, everything this band does well is documented in some undiluted form on this record--fiery garage rock, FM-friendly riffing, rootsy songwriting-oriented folk, affably quirky pop, moderately adventurous formal experiments. Also Ed's best voice and the group's best album art. The album that has mattered most to me in my life thus far.
2. Riot Act -- rock album as brainstorming session, strange mixture of mid-tempo rockers, ideas in varying stages of development, fireside ballads, and Matt Cameron songs. I would compare it to a stained-glass mosaic, where each piece has its own clearly defined color and shape but also coheres into a larger, solid, equally recognizable whole. In my opinion, their most wrongly dismissed record.
3. No Code -- similarly assembled, only instead of a mosaic this more closely resembles some dirty hippie's patchwork quilt--it shifts shape with more fluidity, such that it leaves an almost accidental overall impression which is unlike any one of its individual songs. An album which literally took me multiple years to understand and which genuinely changed the way I listened to music.
4. Binaural -- I prefer the tracklist the way it is, but I think the numerous and endless attempts to retrack this album signify just how important its outtakes are to its total experience. Largely this is because Binaural is a record of vision, of process, and of great ambition, even if what was driving it all was the lack thereof. Some truly creative songs that are illuminated when heard in live versions, even if you ultimately end up favoring the studio takes.
5. Vitalogy -- a major infusion of melody on this record, compared to its predecessors, and the point at which our heroes pretty consistently come to grips with the more traditional disciplines of songform. A tour de force of material, to be sure, but to me it's a notch below the four records above, simply for the spectrum of sounds and styles they cover that this does not. Brownie points for being my first Pearl Jam record, meaning pretty much the record that made me a music lover.
6. Backspacer -- minor record of honest, well-meaning pop-rock that has been unjustly asked to shoulder the weight of four years of creative drought. It should have been the type of record that was immediately followed within 12-18 months by a larger, more ambitious project--or, perhaps better, as an afterthought to the larger, more ambitious project. But that's the band's fault, not the record's, and I still like this for what it is, and more or less identify with Eddie's frame of mind on it. Shame the songs never took off live.
7. Pearl Jam -- badly sequenced record of good songs that got way better after they'd been carted around Europe and Australia for a few months. In an alternate universe free of official bootlegs, where the demand for live Pearl Jam still outweighs the supply, this should have been their "Time Fades Away." Probably the Pearl Jam album I had the least personal connection to at the time of release.
8. Ten -- document of inexperienced songwriters fusing workmanlike radio-rock riffery with distinctly unworkmanlike lyricism and inadvertently creating a work of art that changed the lives of probably 97% of the people on this board. I prefer almost all of the songs in mid-period live versions, where their various dramas and grievances against relatives take on a more reflective, less primal quality, but that might just be overexposure's fault.
9. Vs. -- uneven record characterized by instances of commendable growth set against instances of frustrating regression. It is carried by its urgency, but too many times the urgency drops it into pits--some of the songs are pretty underwritten and the youth-affirming, blood-curdling screams of "Leash" and "Blood" are just not the kinds of things I find myself zeroing in on these days.. This album probably has fewer songs that I specifically seek out than any other Pearl Jam record, and it's rare for me to want to seek them all out at once.
1. No Code
2. Versus
3. Yield
4. Riot Act
5. Binaural
6. Vitalogy
7. Ten
8. Backspacer
9. Self Titled
Ten should probably be higher, but I am just so burned out on it. Self titled IMO is the only bad album they have made, but it has a couple of moments.
I think you and I are the only posters thus far to rank both Vs and No Code in their top 2, C4lukin. You're clearly a man of discerning and sophisticated tastes.
Birds in Hell wrote:I think you and I are the only posters thus far to rank both Vs and No Code in their top 2, C4lukin. You're clearly a man of discerning and sophisticated tastes.
he cares enough to spell out the name. If you really loved that album you wouldn't take the abbreviation shortcut
I like the justifications people are adding after their choices--makes for more interesting reading.
The top two:
1. Vitalogy: My favorite album of all time. the height of eddie's skills as a lyricist, and some of the most raw, ferocious, wounded music they ever made, without ever feeling bombastic. Almost 20 years later and this still feels fresh every time I listen to it. In terms of the sheer volume of top flight songs only Ten comes close, and there is nothing on here that feels like you need to apologize for it. For the same record to contain Last Exit, Not For You, Tremor Christ, Nothingman, Corduroy, Betterman (which I still think is maybe the best pop song of the 90s), and Immortality is remarkable.
2. Ten: It was really Nevermind that changed the way I listened to music, but this was the album that made me a fan for life. I've always wanted to like arena rock more than I do--I like big sweeping statements and grand gestures and this album has them in spades and doesn't make me feel stupid for getting swept up in them. Eddie sounds absolutely amazing, and musically this is a nearly untouchable collection of monstrous riffs, solos, and extended outros that extend seemingly every song to 5 minutes but you never care. There are few moments in the catalog that touch the catharsis of the chorus of release, the final solo of Alive, the frenetic conclusion of porch. An album where a song like Jeremy or Even Flow has trouble cracking the top 5 does something right. Vitalogy just barely edges it out because there is a bit more depth and nuance to it.
These two records are very nearly perfect. Just about every other pearl jam album has moments that touch these two, but is either held back up misfires or just has too many average moments
Mid Tier
3. Vs. : For a long time I would have ranked this ahead of Ten. The top tier of songs is incredible--almost a distillation of everything that was good about Ten, sans excess. Go, Animal, Daughter, RVM, Small Town (one of the most underrated songs in the catalog simply because I don’t get how this is not one of everyone’s top 20 songs), Indifference. That’s an incredible run of songs. The rest of the record doesn’t necessarily feel disjointed to me (they are all coming from the same snarling combative place), but there are too many songs that are pretty good, but don’t have enough going on to sustain my consistent interest anymore. Vs. is the record that has most shown its age.
4. Backspacer: Although I defend this album to death as being challenging (at least in terms of challenging expectations of what a PJ record is) I mostly agree with KD. It is a minor record (although the significance behind it being a minor record is important, given the 3 that preceded it) full of bright, fun, well meaning songs that was not well suited to sustain the longest drought between albums. But having said that, there is a very welcome place for an album like that in the catalog. Backspacer can’t shoulder the weight of pearl jam, but it is a really nice accent. Other than supersonic it is easily my favorite album, song for song, since Vitalogy. One or two more major songs and I might rank it ahead of Vs. GSMF, Got Some, Fixer, Johnny Guitar, Just Breathe, Force of Nature (criminally underappreciated), and The End are a strong collection of songs, and Unthought Known, Amongst the Waves, and Speed of Sound have enough things going on that I like that they’ll rarely be skipped. An album of 11 songs, 10 of which I’ll always listen to. It had been a long time since pearl jam produced something like that. There are no 5 star songs here (every now and then I want to say Force of Nature), which holds it back, but it is a consistently enjoyable listen
5. S/T: Like Yield, this is a tale of two records. Some of my very favorite moments in the catalog surrounded by songs I could care less about. S/T gets the nod because I NEEDED a loud, aggressive, hard hitting record from Pearl Jam at this time and they delivered. Life Wasted, WWS, and Comatose are top 20 songs for me (both WWS and Comatose have been top 10, even top 5, at points). Parachutes is wonderful, I like come back quite a bit, and severed hand and marker are both strong songs that are hurt primarily from the ways in which the sound of S/T holds them back. This is one of the very strongest A-sides in the catalog. I can’t rank it higher because the back half is disappointing, especially given how good the front half is. With the exception of come back there aren’t any songs there I’d really say are better than average, and a few are worse.
6. Yield: Like S/T this is a tale of two records. Some of my all time favorite pearl jam songs (Given To Fly, Do the Evolution, Wishlist, Brain of J), surrounded by too many songs I just can’t bring myself to care about anymore (although I like ATY more now than I used to). It is a wonderful sounding record--warm and rich, but too many potentially interesting songs are hurt by lyrics I don’t like, or the simple fact that the No Code--Binaural block (really no code and Yield, though) is maybe the period of Eddie I like least in terms of vocals--there is a slightly nasal quality that turns me off compared to what came before. Plus S/T came at a time when it was exactly the record I needed PJ to make, for all its warts. Yield gets held back because it was part of the long decline. Ten, Vitalogy, and Vs. were at the time probably my first, second, and fourth favorite albums by anyone. No Code was a huge disappointment in that context and while Yield was better, it was still a reminder to me that the Pearl Jam that was utterly untouchable had fallen to earth. Since then my expectations for every album have been that there will be some songs I adore and become part of the background music of my life, nestled among songs I’ll listen to on occasion but don’t really care that much about. It’s a question of how many of each type I get
Bottom Tier:
I still like all these records, by the way, but they are clearly at the bottom of the catalog. They move back and forth but none of these albums have cracked my mid tier in a long time
7. No Code: For years No Code had to carry the weight of pearl jam’s imperfections. I’m over that now though. I have a greater appreciation for some of these songs now (Hail Hail, Who You Are, recently around the Bend), and In my tree, present tense, and Red mosquito have always been favorites (although the later two have faded a bit in recent years). But the album feels disjoined to me, and there just aren’t enough great songs (and the best songs are a notch below the highlights of basically every other album) for it to crack the top. Every song on here has something going for it except maybe mankind and I’m open, but most don’t have nearly enough.
8. Binaural: Like all these records it is a question of the strong song/weak song ratio. Rival, Grievance, Insignificance, NAIS, and Parting Ways are all very good songs. Grievance might even crack my top tier. And there are other songs like Sleight of Hand that I respect, without actually really enjoying. But I can’t get lost in of the girl, Light Years is too crooked to be the song it wants to be, soon forget is kind of embarrassing, and the album starts with what is easily the weakest block of songs in the catalog (although I like breaker fall). Obviously this could have been a better record, but I don’t judge Binaural on the basis of what could have been on there. We have the album that we do.
Binaural and No Code go back and forth with each other. They are basically tied
9. Riot Act: Despite the fact that this is maybe mike’s best record since Ten, this is overlong, and too many songs either feel incomplete or Eddie just doesn’t give them the commitment they need to work. Can’t Keep, Save You, and I am Mine are all top notch. Almost every other song here has something about it I like, but can’t sustain it throughout the whole song. If the album was shorter this would be less of an issue, but it’s not and so it is.
for every album have been that there will be some songs I adore and become part of the background music of my life, nestled among songs I’ll listen to on occasion but don’t really care that much about
I find it interesting that this is something one would use to describe one's all-time favorite band; I would probably say this about 90% or more of the bands in my collection. Probably a testament to how strongly those first three records affected you that you managed to stick it out so long with such large chunks of their catalog meaning so little to you
for every album have been that there will be some songs I adore and become part of the background music of my life, nestled among songs I’ll listen to on occasion but don’t really care that much about
I find it interesting that this is a description one would use to describe one's all-time favorite band; I would probably say this about 90% or more of the bands in my collection. Probably a testament to how strongly those first three records affected you that you managed to stick it out so long with such large chunks of their catalog meaning so little to you
the long decline
Pearl Jam's highs are still beyond those of any other band for me, and I tend to be a pretty hard sell. Really Pearl Jam, REM, and Mark Lanegan (usually) are the only artists where I think I'm likely to like albums in their entirety.
And when I say don't care that much about I basically like almost all of Pearl Jam's catalog. If You Are, for instance, came on shuffle and I hadn't heard it for a while I would listen and I would enjoy it. But my music listening tends to be cherry picking my favorite songs from an album and focusing mostly on them. My wife is not a huge fan of my music (and doesn't really like it on as background in the house) so my listening usually takes place in the car or walking the dog. it's not as conducive to full album listens as it used to be,
stip wrote:my listening usually takes place in the car or walking the dog. it's not as conducive to full album listens as it used to be,
Yeah, same here mostly. Yet I still buy new CD's like they're candy.
Part of the reason I don't explore new music the way I used to is that I prefer full albums. And, much like Stip, I find the time I have to devote to full albums gets a little less and less each year. I don't like listening to singles. I don't like listening to songs on YouTube.
When I listen, I want to listen to the whole thing. Last night, for example, I put on S/T while walking home from work. The walk was really only 25 minutes, but I took the long way to listen to the whole album. I didn't want to stop.
I do this when I write, too. I don't put on mixes or Pandora or Spotify. I put on full albums.
tommymctom wrote:1 - Vitalogy
2 - Binaural
3 - Riot Act
4 - Yield
5 - No Code
6 - Ten
7 - Vs
8 - Backspacer
9 - Avacado
I just listened to Backspacer and Avacado and I liked Backspacer quite a bit more than last time I listened to it. It still has some clunkers (speed of sound, supersonic) and I feel like the more rocking songs lack a little lyrically, but I'd like to amend my list -
1 - Vitalogy
2 - Binaural
3 - Riot Act
4 - Yield
5 - No Code
6 - Ten
7 - Backspacer
8 - Vs
9 - Avacado
