Let's Actually Listen: Lost Dogs

[darth_vedder]

I know I'm in the minority, but I love Hitchhiker.

[CopperTom]

What was Undone's first release?

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Brett]

I started my LAL later than I should have last time, so my thoughts were a little hurried and sloppy, and I only got halfway through disc one before I had to leave for work. I'm gonna try to better this time.

---

When I mentioned Lost Dogs revealing to me that Pearl Jam was capable of levity and irreverence, one of the foremost examples of that comes in the form of "Black, Red, Yellow." The riff is so loose sounding that I occasionally envision guitars with droopy necks playing it. Ed's vocals are half-spoken, not exactly feeling tossed-off, but certainly sort of stream-of-consciousness. I'm not really sure the song's supposed to be about anything at all. It's all quite fun, and it's always a joy to get to the jam near the end where the guitars start to separate and do their own things while Jack's drums and Jeff's bass hold the center. Then the Rodman sample comes in and the guitars nearly merge back together before jumping back into the riff for the finish.

"U" actually is more 'tossed-off' in comparison to the prior song, if Ed's account is true. It's a neatly structured little pop song, bright and jaunty for much of the duration with darker accents in the opening and closing sections. This particular version emphasizes the 'pop' part, pushing the bass back and the redone vocals up, switching Jack's drums for Matt's more studious and hard-hitting approach. There's little bits that sound like violin lines, but it's probably Ed's e-bow. The whole thing's a nod to REM, yeah?

I'm not a big fan of the next two tracks, though they've got their moments. I've always thought both were surf rock tracks, since "Leavin' Here"'s guitar lines fit that style, but I just learned it's actually an R&B song originally released on Motown. I imagine those backing vocals probably contributed to my misconception due to the lack in any real soul inflection. The trading guitar solos is my favorite bit.

"Gremmie Out of Control" is quite obviously a surf rock tune. I don't think the arrangement is anything particularly special, despite the liner notes calling Brendan O'Brien "the prince of surf guitar." Seems like a hint of Pearl Jam's current attitudes. I do like the vocal parts, though, especially Stone's turns as the Gremmie.

[Brett]

I used to really love "Whale Song" because it hit on the same weird and moody stylistic tendencies that most of my favorite Pearl Jam songs do. I've cooled it on it quite a bit despite still preferring that style of songwriting from the band, though it's a perfectly fine little piece for this compilation thing. I don't mind Jack's vocals, though they're not a patch on Ed's. There are some cool instrumental aspects to the song; the dense bass line, the swirling and psychedlic leads from Mike and subtle drones from Ed's e-bow. Just the whole thing seems to lack a little for some reason.

Prior to Lost Dogs, I had heard two of its three Riot Act-era songs. "Undone" was the one newbie. It's an intriguing little song, upbeat and bouncy like "Down" but somehow more palatable to my tastes. As an Ed-penned tune, it's kind of refreshing to hear Stone and Mike laying their guitar parts down without Eddie adding anything. It contributes a certain breeziness to the song, unladen from an overly dense arrangement. It's also got an excellent bridge transitioning into an excellent outro. Good stuff.

"Hold On" was another early favorite for me, shining light on another piece of the the dramatic style that originally drew me to Pearl Jam, while also having aspects of the more eclectic tendencies that would crop up later. I think that's down to the interplay of the notes in the choruses. I don't know what's going on there, but it's great. Nowadays, the verses don't do as much for me, so it's not so much a favorite as it used to be. Are the vocals new for this? They don't have the same feel as Ten-era Ed. I also still quite like the ending, especially Krusen's drums.

And of course, we all know "Yellow Ledbetter." It's so well known that it kind of seems out of place on this collection of "rarities," but it's the same way on disc two when we get "Last Kiss." Mike's blues riff and solo shredding are iconic in this song, as are Ed's vocal mumbles. It's hard to pull away from all of the associated connotations of the song, and just listen, but I'm trying. There's another kind of untethered weightlessness to this song that probably made it unsuitable for Ten. It sounds exhausted, but relieved, like a happy ending to a strenuous experience. I think that's part of the reason why it was so popular as a show closer. Then there's the odd little defect at the end where the last note is lost. Quality control!

[Kevin Davis]

I used to really love "Whale Song" because it hit on the same weird and moody stylistic tendencies that most of my favorite Pearl Jam songs do. I've cooled it on it quite a bit despite still preferring that style of songwriting from the band, though it's a perfectly fine little piece for this compilation thing. I don't mind Jack's vocals, though they're not a patch on Ed's. There are some cool instrumental aspects to the song; the dense bass line, the swirling and psychedlic leads from Mike and subtle drones from Ed's e-bow. Just the whole thing seems to lack a little for some reason.

Prior to Lost Dogs, I had heard two of its three Riot Act-era songs. "Undone" was the one newbie. It's an intriguing little song, upbeat and bouncy like "Down" but somehow more palatable to my tastes. As an Ed-penned tune, it's kind of refreshing to hear Stone and Mike laying their guitar parts down without Eddie adding anything. It contributes a certain breeziness to the song, unladen from an overly dense arrangement. It's also got an excellent bridge transitioning into an excellent outro. Good stuff.

"Hold On" was another early favorite for me, shining light on another piece of the the dramatic style that originally drew me to Pearl Jam, while also having aspects of the more eclectic tendencies that would crop up later. I think that's down to the interplay of the notes in the choruses. I don't know what's going on there, but it's great. Nowadays, the verses don't do as much for me, so it's not so much a favorite as it used to be. Are the vocals new for this? They don't have the same feel as Ten-era Ed. I also still quite like the ending, especially Krusen's drums.

And of course, we all know "Yellow Ledbetter." It's so well known that it kind of seems out of place on this collection of "rarities," but it's the same way on disc two when we get "Last Kiss." Mike's blues riff and solo shredding are iconic in this song, as are Ed's vocal mumbles. It's hard to pull away from all of the associated connotations of the song, and just listen, but I'm trying. There's another kind of untethered weightlessness to this song that probably made it unsuitable for Ten. It sounds exhausted, but relieved, like a happy ending to a strenuous experience. I think that's part of the reason why it was so popular as a show closer. Then there's the odd little defect at the end where the last note is lost. Quality control!

Love this description of "YL," Brett -- it's definitely a song that transcends its simple, derivative compositional qualities, and this gets to the heart of the matter nicely.

[darth_vedder]

Someone once pointed out the Sonic Youth-like breakdown in "Hitchhiker" and it made me realize that there's a bit more to the tune than the surface appearance. The main body of the song has a kind of surf rock vibe going on, while Eddie obviously rants about moochers. Then we get to that part where everything turns all trippy: Matt's drums go into "Interstellar Overdrive" mode, the guitar parts stretch out and begin to break up under static interference. It's the best part of the song, I think, and elevates it above pure novelty.

[bodysnatcher]

What was Undone's first release?

B-side to the AUS and UK versions of the I Am Mine single.

Wait I had no idea that Undone and BRY were different on Lost Dogs. What's the difference?

[Strat]

What was Undone's first release?

B-side to the AUS and UK versions of the I Am Mine single.

Wait I had no idea that Undone and BRY were different on Lost Dogs. What's the difference?

ur mom

[Birds in Hell]

From memory, BRY is quite similar, the Lost Dogs version is just longer - the original b-side version is edited.

Undone is noticeably different, they re-recorded lots of the guitar parts for the Lost Dogs version. I much prefer the original.

[bodysnatcher]

What was Undone's first release?

B-side to the AUS and UK versions of the I Am Mine single.

Wait I had no idea that Undone and BRY were different on Lost Dogs. What's the difference?

ur mom

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[joostone]

There's a difference between a re-recording (parts) or remixing using another take or solo.

Lost Dogs has some of both:

Re-recording song:

You: Completely different recording. Unknown era.
Wash: Different recording. Same era as original released song.

Re-recording parts:

Alone: Not the VS recording as released on the GO single, but TEN era recording with 2003 era vocals.
Footsteps: Harmonica added to original recording.
Driftin': This version has a different vocal recording than the fan club Christmas single version, sung an octave higher.
Brother: 1991 recording but 2003 added guitar tracks.


Remix or edit:

Black, Red, Yellow: Just a longer edit than the original B-side. Same recording.
Undone: Same recording. Edit on guitar solo which is different than original B-side.
Dirty Frank: Same recording. Just slightly longer and some mixing differences.

[Birds in Hell]

Without checking I can't 100% confirm I still stand by this, but I recall carefully analysing both versions of U and coming to the conclusion that they're actually the same basic track, just with new vocals (and maybe a few other additions).

[VinylGuy]

I love what ed did with the vocals of U. Its the same song, and the b side from Yield its a love song, and here its basically a hate song.

Its brilliant.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Without checking I can't 100% confirm I still stand by this, but I recall carefully analysing both versions of U and coming to the conclusion that they're actually the same basic track, just with new vocals (and maybe a few other additions).

Without checking I can 100% confirm that both versions of U suck.

[rick malone]

The original version of U is a fun song. The remade vocals on Lost Dogs are just not good. Probably was drunk when he did them.

[Kevin Davis]

Doesn't "Hold On" have re-recorded vocals too? And isn't "Hard to Imagine" different from the soundtrack version?

The instrumental "Brother" is in hot contention for the most pointless thing PJ ever did.

[chewm]

U is a pretty good song, I like it

The instrumental "Brother" is in hot contention for the most pointless thing PJ ever did.

I agree

[stip]

Doesn't "Hold On" have re-recorded vocals too? And isn't "Hard to Imagine" different from the soundtrack version?

The instrumental "Brother" is in hot contention for the most pointless thing PJ ever did.

Hold on does have re-recorded vocals