Lets Actually Listen to the Album: Lightning Bolt

[bodysnatcher]

I put it on right after watching that 25 Years of Alive video and was actually digging it quite a bit until the chorus of Infallible hit. Such a buzzkill.

You just reminded me to actually watch that

It's much more enjoyable than Lightning Bolt.

that's like saying getting stabbed is more enjoyable than getting shot

[Rangi Guy]

I put it on right after watching that 25 Years of Alive video and was actually digging it quite a bit until the chorus of Infallible hit. Such a buzzkill.

You just reminded me to actually watch that

It's much more enjoyable than Lightning Bolt.

that's like saying getting stabbed is more enjoyable than getting shot

Meh - I enjoyed both thee album and that vid

[bodysnatcher]

wait what vid?



Lightning Bolt came out 25 years ago??????????

[Rangi Guy]

wait what vid?



Lightning Bolt came out 25 years ago??????????

[evenslow]

Fresh off of listening through Yield, I will now attempt a LAL of Lightning Bolt by the group Pearl Jam for the first time in 3 years. (Probably shouldn't have listened to Yield first):

GETAWAY
Right away compared to Yield this sounds so fucking overprocessed. Oh well. Jeff's bass is fucking killer and I've always loved Ed's energy on this thing. Matt Cam is totally unimaginative on this, which I feel is going to become a theme. Otherwise the rest of the band is alive and kicking. MVP = JA

MIND YOUR MANNERS
Really wish this sounded more "garage" and dirty, but again the word "processed" comes to mind. This song feels tight when it should be lose and almost off the rails. AND THEN MCCREADY COMES IN TO SAVE THE DAY AND MELT ALL OUR FACES WITH AN ABSOLUTELY INSPIRED SOLO. The rest of the song gains momentum from that section and there is some interesting guitar underplay going on for the rest. MVP = MIKE!!

MY FATHER'S SON
This sounds better from the start. I really hate Ed's pronunciation of "Geen-ee-us" though. The sound of the verse is really nice and reminds me of a darker Police track. The chorus doesn't set my world on fire. Reminds me of the score to the Matrix somehow. Love the random clouds parting of the bridge. The song needed it. Ed delivers a really nice verse after the bridge and the guitars are swirling around. Probably the best realized "sound" of the album. MVP = BOB

SIRENS
The track placement of this song is really no bueno but I like how that acoustic sounds. A lot. "Have to take your hand and feel your breath" followed by Stone's swooping soaring guitar accents is a real highlight that flows so nicely into danced with laughter with the ever after part. There are points where I wish the piano wasn't there and it sounds a little too basic, but it builds and absolutely gets me by the heart which is all that matters. Indeed, the fear goes away. One could say it over

Spoiler: show

whelms

MVP = STONE

LIGHTNING BOLT
Too thin. Too reedy. But I can totally see where they were going with this song and when you hear it live it becomes waaaay more apparent. That first mini-solo does cook. I just wish they were all playing this completely unleashed like how they sound in that S/T EPK. As I said before, this needs to sound dirtier with garage rock tendencies. Instead it sounds like a plinky-plinko facsimile. But there is a really nice song here regardless. And hey everyone look someone woke up Matt Cameron at the 3-minute mark and he acted like he was playing in a rock band! MVP = MATTHEW

INFALLIBLE
Really cool riff idea at the heart of this. I'm a broken record though and wish it sounded... dirtier, like it did through the walls of that one leaked live recording we all heard way back when. The whole thing is a little too fresh and has a bubble-gum sheen over it, especially apparent when you get to the chorus. Matt Cam could help this decidedly by remembering any number of his interesting Soundgarden drum takes. Never noticed that the second chorus features background "OOOOOOOOHs". Man BOB really had these guys comin' and goin', huh? MVP = ED (sings the fuck out of this thing)

PENDULUM
This is affecting. Recorded nicely (an outlier on this record). Ed's voice is warm amidst the dystopian sounds of the keyboard/drums. Yeah this is really nice - better than I remembered. It's spare which allows each instrument to have an impact. Jeff's bass reminds me of Master/Slave. Dig the spaghetti western guitar sound. I get a random Tarantino vibe from this track, like it could have scored the snowy mountain landscape of Hateful 8. MVP = JA

SWALLOWED WHOLE
They had the right idea with the fun energy of this following Pendulum but those guitars are (AGAIN) reedy and thin for fuck's sake. 1min 20sec in things really start to cook and now we're talking. The forward movement of this song helps you forget the production. The bridge is super Into the Wild. Then the solo kicks in and they sound like a FUCKING BAND again. Because of that the post-solo section is the best moment on the record. They're playing with abandon, the lack thereof is the problem with the rest of the record. MVP = ED (an Ed track through-and-through)

LET THE RECORDS PLAY
That opening is really fucking nice. I remember hearing this the first time and being like WTF IS THIS. It's funny how such a simple blues track can be taken as anathema to PJ but it is. "Needin' the feelin" is kind of annoying. But the verses are really nice. Like trag said in another thread, this song could really benefit by playing off of some of the songs on Backspacer, b/c there's a lightness to the touch of this track that is similar to some of BS. It's funny how the most blues-rock guy in the band (Mike) underwhelms with his solos on this. He's better when he has to find a way to fit into the song like MYM. MVP = STONE (for that opening lick)

SLEEPING BY MYSELF
I don't think I'll ever get over them putting an Ed Ved cover on a PJ album, but there's no denying this does sound really fantastic. It sounds like they're all playing in one room, which is a tallest midget compliment but here we are. Matt plays it just right on this with a light touch. Pretty amazing these guys can execute a song like this and a song like My Father's Son all on the same album. MVP = MATT

YELLOW MOON
Starts off promising with the Neil Young acoustic. My biggest problem is that it just doesn't ever really go anywhere. The verse seems like it's going to take you on a mysterious journey... and then you get to the chorus and it runs in place. Sorry this just never takes off for me. MVP = BOOM (I guess? For the organ flourishes)

FUTURE DAYS
Oh boy. Why does BOB sound like he outsourced his piano duties to a 5-year old? I don't know man. I really don't like the arrangement here at all. This would have really benefited from a Tunnel of Love approach. Even though it sounds spare there's really way too much going on here with the background vocals, the synth, the fiddle, the acoustic exactly mirroring the vocal, the piano, Ed's track pushed up way too much to the front. If they did it with just synth and quiet acoustic (no background vox) this could have been really cool. MVP = THE FADEOUT

I'm probably being a little harsh on this album, and a lot of that simply has to do with the sound and production and arrangements. There is still a lot of good here buried by BOB and the band's laziness. I feel like they have to work harder at this, especially this late in the game. Maybe they're taking so long to release a new one b/c they know they have to bring the goods next time out. Here's hoping. But the real highlight for me during this LAL was definitely Pendulum/Swallowed Whole. Good shit.

[PHATJ]

Fresh off of listening through Yield, I will now attempt a LAL of Lightning Bolt by the group Pearl Jam for the first time in 3 years. (Probably shouldn't have listened to Yield first):

GETAWAY
Right away compared to Yield this sounds so fucking overprocessed. Oh well. Jeff's bass is fucking killer and I've always loved Ed's energy on this thing. Matt Cam is totally unimaginative on this, which I feel is going to become a theme. Otherwise the rest of the band is alive and kicking. MVP = JA

MIND YOUR MANNERS
Really wish this sounded more "garage" and dirty, but again the word "processed" comes to mind. This song feels tight when it should be lose and almost off the rails. AND THEN MCCREADY COMES IN TO SAVE THE DAY AND MELT ALL OUR FACES WITH AN ABSOLUTELY INSPIRED SOLO. The rest of the song gains momentum from that section and there is some interesting guitar underplay going on for the rest. MVP = MIKE!!

MY FATHER'S SON
This sounds better from the start. I really hate Ed's pronunciation of "Geen-ee-us" though. The sound of the verse is really nice and reminds me of a darker Police track. The chorus doesn't set my world on fire. Reminds me of the score to the Matrix somehow. Love the random clouds parting of the bridge. The song needed it. Ed delivers a really nice verse after the bridge and the guitars are swirling around. Probably the best realized "sound" of the album. MVP = BOB

SIRENS
The track placement of this song is really no bueno but I like how that acoustic sounds. A lot. "Have to take your hand and feel your breath" followed by Stone's swooping soaring guitar accents is a real highlight that flows so nicely into danced with laughter with the ever after part. There are points where I wish the piano wasn't there and it sounds a little too basic, but it builds and absolutely gets me by the heart which is all that matters. Indeed, the fear goes away. One could say it over

Spoiler: show

whelms

MVP = STONE

LIGHTNING BOLT
Too thin. Too reedy. But I can totally see where they were going with this song and when you hear it live it becomes waaaay more apparent. That first mini-solo does cook. I just wish they were all playing this completely unleashed like how they sound in that S/T EPK. As I said before, this needs to sound dirtier with garage rock tendencies. Instead it sounds like a plinky-plinko facsimile. But there is a really nice song here regardless. And hey everyone look someone woke up Matt Cameron at the 3-minute mark and he acted like he was playing in a rock band! MVP = MATTHEW

INFALLIBLE
Really cool riff idea at the heart of this. I'm a broken record though and wish it sounded... dirtier, like it did through the walls of that one leaked live recording we all heard way back when. The whole thing is a little too fresh and has a bubble-gum sheen over it, especially apparent when you get to the chorus. Matt Cam could help this decidedly by remembering any number of his interesting Soundgarden drum takes. Never noticed that the second chorus features background "OOOOOOOOHs". Man BOB really had these guys comin' and goin', huh? MVP = ED (sings the fuck out of this thing)

PENDULUM
This is affecting. Recorded nicely (an outlier on this record). Ed's voice is warm amidst the dystopian sounds of the keyboard/drums. Yeah this is really nice - better than I remembered. It's spare which allows each instrument to have an impact. Jeff's bass reminds me of Master/Slave. Dig the spaghetti western guitar sound. I get a random Tarantino vibe from this track, like it could have scored the snowy mountain landscape of Hateful 8. MVP = JA

SWALLOWED WHOLE
They had the right idea with the fun energy of this following Pendulum but those guitars are (AGAIN) reedy and thin for fuck's sake. 1min 20sec in things really start to cook and now we're talking. The forward movement of this song helps you forget the production. The bridge is super Into the Wild. Then the solo kicks in and they sound like a FUCKING BAND again. Because of that the post-solo section is the best moment on the record. They're playing with abandon, the lack thereof is the problem with the rest of the record. MVP = ED (an Ed track through-and-through)

LET THE RECORDS PLAY
That opening is really fucking nice. I remember hearing this the first time and being like WTF IS THIS. It's funny how such a simple blues track can be taken as anathema to PJ but it is. "Needin' the feelin" is kind of annoying. But the verses are really nice. Like trag said in another thread, this song could really benefit by playing off of some of the songs on Backspacer, b/c there's a lightness to the touch of this track that is similar to some of BS. It's funny how the most blues-rock guy in the band (Mike) underwhelms with his solos on this. He's better when he has to find a way to fit into the song like MYM. MVP = STONE (for that opening lick)

SLEEPING BY MYSELF
I don't think I'll ever get over them putting an Ed Ved cover on a PJ album, but there's no denying this does sound really fantastic. It sounds like they're all playing in one room, which is a tallest midget compliment but here we are. Matt plays it just right on this with a light touch. Pretty amazing these guys can execute a song like this and a song like My Father's Son all on the same album. MVP = MATT

YELLOW MOON
Starts off promising with the Neil Young acoustic. My biggest problem is that it just doesn't ever really go anywhere. The verse seems like it's going to take you on a mysterious journey... and then you get to the chorus and it runs in place. Sorry this just never takes off for me. MVP = BOOM (I guess? For the organ flourishes)

FUTURE DAYS
Oh boy. Why does BOB sound like he outsourced his piano duties to a 5-year old? I don't know man. I really don't like the arrangement here at all. This would have really benefited from a Tunnel of Love approach. Even though it sounds spare there's really way too much going on here with the background vocals, the synth, the fiddle, the acoustic exactly mirroring the vocal, the piano, Ed's track pushed up way too much to the front. If they did it with just synth and quiet acoustic (no background vox) this could have been really cool. MVP = THE FADEOUT

I'm probably being a little harsh on this album, and a lot of that simply has to do with the sound and production and arrangements. There is still a lot of good here buried by BOB and the band's laziness. I feel like they have to work harder at this, especially this late in the game. Maybe they're taking so long to release a new one b/c they know they have to bring the goods next time out. Here's hoping. But the real highlight for me during this LAL was definitely Pendulum/Swallowed Whole. Good shit.

Great post, evenslow. Fair assessment, I'd say. I disagree on some particulars, but not nearly as much as I agree with the overall sentiment. LB had the potential to be pretty great. The skeleton is there. It's just like they missed the mark on all the important details. Mix/production being the biggest (but far from only) misfire.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[stip]

As one of this albums more vocal proponents this is fair - even where I might disagree I see where you are coming from

[Got Some]

MIND YOUR MANNERS
Really wish this sounded more "garage" and dirty, but again the word "processed" comes to mind. This song feels tight when it should be lose and almost off the rails. AND THEN MCCREADY COMES IN TO SAVE THE DAY AND MELT ALL OUR FACES WITH AN ABSOLUTELY INSPIRED SOLO. The rest of the song gains momentum from that section and there is some interesting guitar underplay going on for the rest. MVP = MIKE!!

LIGHTNING BOLT
Too thin. Too reedy. But I can totally see where they were going with this song and when you hear it live it becomes waaaay more apparent. That first mini-solo does cook. I just wish they were all playing this completely unleashed like how they sound in that S/T EPK. As I said before, this needs to sound dirtier with garage rock tendencies. Instead it sounds like a plinky-plinko facsimile. But there is a really nice song here regardless. And hey everyone look someone woke up Matt Cameron at the 3-minute mark and he acted like he was playing in a rock band! MVP = MATTHEW

Well said. Especially MYM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[VinylGuy]

I was listening to MFS in the train, and fuck thats a pretty great song. Ed sound amazing...and it might be Matt´s finest performance in the album.

[dimejinky99]

Great post eslow

[TremorJam]

Fresh off of listening through Yield, I will now attempt a LAL of Lightning Bolt by the group Pearl Jam for the first time in 3 years. (Probably shouldn't have listened to Yield first):

GETAWAY
Right away compared to Yield this sounds so fucking overprocessed. Oh well. Jeff's bass is fucking killer and I've always loved Ed's energy on this thing. Matt Cam is totally unimaginative on this, which I feel is going to become a theme. Otherwise the rest of the band is alive and kicking. MVP = JA

MIND YOUR MANNERS
Really wish this sounded more "garage" and dirty, but again the word "processed" comes to mind. This song feels tight when it should be lose and almost off the rails. AND THEN MCCREADY COMES IN TO SAVE THE DAY AND MELT ALL OUR FACES WITH AN ABSOLUTELY INSPIRED SOLO. The rest of the song gains momentum from that section and there is some interesting guitar underplay going on for the rest. MVP = MIKE!!

MY FATHER'S SON
This sounds better from the start. I really hate Ed's pronunciation of "Geen-ee-us" though. The sound of the verse is really nice and reminds me of a darker Police track. The chorus doesn't set my world on fire. Reminds me of the score to the Matrix somehow. Love the random clouds parting of the bridge. The song needed it. Ed delivers a really nice verse after the bridge and the guitars are swirling around. Probably the best realized "sound" of the album. MVP = BOB

SIRENS
The track placement of this song is really no bueno but I like how that acoustic sounds. A lot. "Have to take your hand and feel your breath" followed by Stone's swooping soaring guitar accents is a real highlight that flows so nicely into danced with laughter with the ever after part. There are points where I wish the piano wasn't there and it sounds a little too basic, but it builds and absolutely gets me by the heart which is all that matters. Indeed, the fear goes away. One could say it over

Spoiler: show

whelms

MVP = STONE

LIGHTNING BOLT
Too thin. Too reedy. But I can totally see where they were going with this song and when you hear it live it becomes waaaay more apparent. That first mini-solo does cook. I just wish they were all playing this completely unleashed like how they sound in that S/T EPK. As I said before, this needs to sound dirtier with garage rock tendencies. Instead it sounds like a plinky-plinko facsimile. But there is a really nice song here regardless. And hey everyone look someone woke up Matt Cameron at the 3-minute mark and he acted like he was playing in a rock band! MVP = MATTHEW

INFALLIBLE
Really cool riff idea at the heart of this. I'm a broken record though and wish it sounded... dirtier, like it did through the walls of that one leaked live recording we all heard way back when. The whole thing is a little too fresh and has a bubble-gum sheen over it, especially apparent when you get to the chorus. Matt Cam could help this decidedly by remembering any number of his interesting Soundgarden drum takes. Never noticed that the second chorus features background "OOOOOOOOHs". Man BOB really had these guys comin' and goin', huh? MVP = ED (sings the fuck out of this thing)

PENDULUM
This is affecting. Recorded nicely (an outlier on this record). Ed's voice is warm amidst the dystopian sounds of the keyboard/drums. Yeah this is really nice - better than I remembered. It's spare which allows each instrument to have an impact. Jeff's bass reminds me of Master/Slave. Dig the spaghetti western guitar sound. I get a random Tarantino vibe from this track, like it could have scored the snowy mountain landscape of Hateful 8. MVP = JA

SWALLOWED WHOLE
They had the right idea with the fun energy of this following Pendulum but those guitars are (AGAIN) reedy and thin for fuck's sake. 1min 20sec in things really start to cook and now we're talking. The forward movement of this song helps you forget the production. The bridge is super Into the Wild. Then the solo kicks in and they sound like a FUCKING BAND again. Because of that the post-solo section is the best moment on the record. They're playing with abandon, the lack thereof is the problem with the rest of the record. MVP = ED (an Ed track through-and-through)

LET THE RECORDS PLAY
That opening is really fucking nice. I remember hearing this the first time and being like WTF IS THIS. It's funny how such a simple blues track can be taken as anathema to PJ but it is. "Needin' the feelin" is kind of annoying. But the verses are really nice. Like trag said in another thread, this song could really benefit by playing off of some of the songs on Backspacer, b/c there's a lightness to the touch of this track that is similar to some of BS. It's funny how the most blues-rock guy in the band (Mike) underwhelms with his solos on this. He's better when he has to find a way to fit into the song like MYM. MVP = STONE (for that opening lick)

SLEEPING BY MYSELF
I don't think I'll ever get over them putting an Ed Ved cover on a PJ album, but there's no denying this does sound really fantastic. It sounds like they're all playing in one room, which is a tallest midget compliment but here we are. Matt plays it just right on this with a light touch. Pretty amazing these guys can execute a song like this and a song like My Father's Son all on the same album. MVP = MATT

YELLOW MOON
Starts off promising with the Neil Young acoustic. My biggest problem is that it just doesn't ever really go anywhere. The verse seems like it's going to take you on a mysterious journey... and then you get to the chorus and it runs in place. Sorry this just never takes off for me. MVP = BOOM (I guess? For the organ flourishes)

FUTURE DAYS
Oh boy. Why does BOB sound like he outsourced his piano duties to a 5-year old? I don't know man. I really don't like the arrangement here at all. This would have really benefited from a Tunnel of Love approach. Even though it sounds spare there's really way too much going on here with the background vocals, the synth, the fiddle, the acoustic exactly mirroring the vocal, the piano, Ed's track pushed up way too much to the front. If they did it with just synth and quiet acoustic (no background vox) this could have been really cool. MVP = THE FADEOUT

I'm probably being a little harsh on this album, and a lot of that simply has to do with the sound and production and arrangements. There is still a lot of good here buried by BOB and the band's laziness. I feel like they have to work harder at this, especially this late in the game. Maybe they're taking so long to release a new one b/c they know they have to bring the goods next time out. Here's hoping. But the real highlight for me during this LAL was definitely Pendulum/Swallowed Whole. Good shit.

Great post, evenslow. Fair assessment, I'd say. I disagree on some particulars, but not nearly as much as I agree with the overall sentiment. LB had the potential to be pretty great. The skeleton is there. It's just like they missed the mark on all the important details. Mix/production being the biggest (but far from only) misfire.

Yes, this is what I love about this forum! I couldn't agree more with both of these posts. Had they recorded this album a little more raw and sequenced it a little differently, it would've been a much better album. Pendulum and Yellow Moon have become 2 of my recent favorites. Listening to a lot of shows from this Tour recently, when they're on, these songs soar live. What befuddles me most about the record, aside from the 3 acoustic songs to finish it, is how they recorded the song LB. It has moments, but pales in comparison to its' live performances.

[bodysnatcher]

MY FATHER'S SON
I really hate Ed's pronunciation of "Geen-ee-us" though.

I thought it was

"I came from a genie, as I am my father's son"

[evenslow]

thanks bros

[PHATJ]

thanks bros

Bro cred.

[evenslow]

thanks bros

Bro cred.

I'm with ya Brocready.

[bodysnatcher]

Kinda surprised PJ bros aren't called "BROthers"

[evenslow]

Kinda surprised PJ bros aren't called "BROthers"

Proud to be a member of the Bromily.

[bodysnatcher]

Even Bro

[96583UP]

GETAWAY
sucks

MIND YOUR MANNERS
sucks

MY FATHER'S SON
sucks

SIRENS
sucks

LIGHTNING BOLT
sucks

INFALLIBLE
sucks

PENDULUM
sucks

SWALLOWED WHOLE
sucks

LET THE RECORDS PLAY
sucks

SLEEPING BY MYSELF
sucks

YELLOW MOON
sucks

FUTURE DAYS
canon