Lets Actually Listen to the Album: Lightning Bolt

[Anders]

I actually think Getaway is a decent enough opener and better than Gonna See My Friend. MYM is the band's worst lead single.

Both 100% true.

[digster]

I really think MYM is the only big winner here. There's live takes that are far preferable, but it's the one song (maybe the only) one that's stuck with me. The Colbert version is pretty strong (the guitars sound appropriately heavy).

[stip]

"Lightning Bolt" has some really great moments, including the big overdubbed toms being whacked during the outro alongside the drums, and that soaring lead melody from Mike; I really wish Ed hadn't gone so high / screechy on it

This is one of the most poorly executed ideas in the entire catalog. Sounds like dogshit and goes nowhere.

I love it. This song always makes me feel like I am standing still and the world is spinning around me

[stip]

I really think MYM is the only big winner here. There's live takes that are far preferable, but it's the one song (maybe the only) one that's stuck with me. The Colbert version is pretty strong (the guitars sound appropriately heavy).

I totally forgot about that performance. I think Eddie sounds amazing on the studio track, but that really does feel heavier

[RockPusher]

That indisputably sounds better

[Ms Harmless]

"Lightning Bolt" has some really great moments, including the big overdubbed toms being whacked during the outro alongside the drums, and that soaring lead melody from Mike; I really wish Ed hadn't gone so high / screechy on it

This is one of the most poorly executed ideas in the entire catalog. Sounds like dogshit and goes nowhere.

where did you want it to "go"? it's percussion lol

[DissidentRival4]

I really liked this album when it came out. Listened to it quite a bit back then. Swallowed Whole and Infallible were (and probably still are) my favs off of it. Was let down by Lightning Bolt on the album - only bc I really loved it when I first heard it when they played it on Fallon before the album came out. No kick ass Mike solo ending it kind of made it a let down for me. Definitely liked the boots that came out for this album - 2013-14 tour, I believe. Really liked Infallible live - hope to hear it at a show I'm at, but not holding my breath. Was lucky enough to get Swallowed Whole, so that made me happy. Definitely don't hate this album, but it is in my bottom two or three of the catalog just because I like the others so much more.

[burl jam]

Usually when a new PJ album comes out I revaluate what came before (I've developed more fondness and repeated listens for Backspacer, while Vs. had little staying power on this go round).

As for Lightning Bolt. I dig the artwork and some of the ideas. Pendulum and MYM are the 'just about stand outs'. However, the whole thing feels forced, and that back half of the album after Pendulum...yeesh.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Ms Harmless]

"Lightning Bolt" has some really great moments, including the big overdubbed toms being whacked during the outro alongside the drums, and that soaring lead melody from Mike; I really wish Ed hadn't gone so high / screechy on it

This is one of the most poorly executed ideas in the entire catalog. Sounds like dogshit and goes nowhere.

where did you want it to "go"? it's percussion lol

The whole ending of the song I mean. Aims for soaring heights but never leaves the ground, weighted down by poor production choices and lackluster songwriting. The song would be infinitely better if they lost the last 90 seconds and repositioned it as a short, spunky garage rock tune.

I really like it, but it fades out, and way too early; so to answer your question technically, that's where it goes

[stip]

"Lightning Bolt" has some really great moments, including the big overdubbed toms being whacked during the outro alongside the drums, and that soaring lead melody from Mike; I really wish Ed hadn't gone so high / screechy on it

This is one of the most poorly executed ideas in the entire catalog. Sounds like dogshit and goes nowhere.

where did you want it to "go"? it's percussion lol

The whole ending of the song I mean. Aims for soaring heights but never leaves the ground, weighted down by poor production choices and lackluster songwriting. The song would be infinitely better if they lost the last 90 seconds and repositioned it as a short, spunky garage rock tune.

insanity! the final verse and outro of lightning bolt is a catalog highlight

[RockPusher]

the final verse and outro of lightning bolt is a catalog highlight

Only live.

[PHATJ]

the final verse and outro of lightning bolt is a catalog highlight

Only live.

It’s pretty great live. The whole album sounds pretty crappy on the record, but the fade out on this song is one of the worst editing decisions they’ve ever made.

[RockPusher]

the final verse and outro of lightning bolt is a catalog highlight

Only live.

It’s pretty great live. The whole album sounds pretty crappy on the record, but the fade out on this song is one of the worst editing decisions they’ve ever made.

This is one of the reasons I absolutely adore Quick Escape with its two buildups and its delivering the goods on both. We needed that!

[Jaeti]

the final verse and outro of lightning bolt is a catalog highlight

Only live.

Definitely live, but also pretty much on the record, too.

[RockPusher]

the final verse and outro of lightning bolt is a catalog highlight

Only live.

Definitely live, but also pretty much on the record, too.

Literally every time I listen to the studio version I am just completely hanged by the fact that Mike is essentially starting a solo at the last part of the fade.

[PHATJ]

Thinking about how this album shits the bed really grinds my gears.

I remember being cautiously optimistic for the release of Lightning Bolt. I thought there was no way it could be worse than Backspacer, which up to that point was the only PJ album that had really disappointed me, with only 2-3 songs I cared much for.

MYM, the lead single, should have caused me pause, but I was excited and optimistic, and was looking for things to be excited about. I kinda thought the intro sounded like Soundgarden, which was cool, and I thought it could be promising coming off of Backspacer, but I wasn’t loving it... it was too... similarly uninspired. And Ed’s “anger” sounds so manufactured and inauthentic. It’s off-putting.

Soon thereafter Lightning Bolt was played on a Late Nite TV show (can’t remember which show) and I was once again excited. Ed completely fucked up the lyrics and it was sloppy in spots, but it had that killer outro solo, and I thought this sounded like the best pure “classic rock” sounding PJ song they’d made in a long time. I remember posting with Stip about this song and both of us being fired up. I thought we might be cooking with fire. Then I heard the album version... and everything that could’ve been exciting was muted, and cut, and faded out, and butchered. Fuck you, BOB.

Next I heard Let the Records Play. I thought the short intro was pretty sweet, and Stone’s guitar tone was cool, I was excited for 10 seconds...that was the last time I was excited about this song. It’s hokey and completely underwhelming, if not mildly embarrassing.

Then Sirens. Sirens has always reminded me of a poor man’s Collective Soul. Take that for what it’s worth.

Then came Pendulum, which is a cool-ish sounding, mellow dramatic, mood song with bad production and underdeveloped ideas, and some-fucking-how it’s one of the better songs on the album.

Every song that followed got worse.

Infallible is a cool idea destroyed by poor artistic decisions and more bad production.

Getaway is maybe the most forgettable PJ opener (but not the worst, that honor goes to GSMF). It’s passable musically, with terrible lyrics, and a completely bland and forgettable melody.

MFS is trying way too hard, and I have zero interest.

Swallowed Whole is in the wrong tempo, and key, and sounds like shit, but the inkling of a good song might exist in here somewhere. This sounds like a shitty REM wannabe. Maybe they could re-work it into a somewhat less annoying REM wannabe. (Retrograde is the significantly superior version of the better ideas in Swallowed Whole.)

Yellow Moon is completely boring and uninspired and this is a stereotypical type of song that PJ should do so well. Yellow Moon acts like it’s embarrassed to be apart of such a mishmash of nonsense surrounding it, and just doesn’t even want to be there. Incredibly, this is an album highlight.

Future Days might be an ok song (definitely not a standout, but a better solo-Ed effort than something like The End) if BOB hadn’t just sprayed the fucker with diarrhea.

And finally, Sleeping By Myself. I fucking hate that this song was put on this album. This song is exactly why Pearl Jam had a Holiday Single program. Ed already did it better on Uke Songs, and releasing it here instead of any other shit they had at the time (Ole, or Of The Earth, or whatever-the-fucking-ever) is an embarrassment. I’ll never view it any other way.

So needless to say, coming off of what I thought had to be Pearl Jam’s low point in Backspacer, and excited and optimistic for new music from my favorite band, I was less than enthused when Pearl Jam plopped out this obnoxiously polished turd jungle.

Then they toured it for 3/4 of a damn decade.

That’s just not cool, PJ. Apologize.

F U Lightning Bolt.

[warehouse]

Infallible is underrated

[burl jam]

I'm gonna listen to a bootleg from this era. I've rarely listened to any latter day PJ live bootlegs, even the gigs I was at, so it'll be interesting to see what works and what doesn't from LB.

[VinylGuy]

I'm gonna listen to a bootleg from this era. I've rarely listened to any latter day PJ live bootlegs, even the gigs I was at, so it'll be interesting to see what works and what doesn't from LB.

there are lots of cool shows from this tour.