Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[solace]

i dig all 4 of these, but Swallowed Whole is definitely an Ed solo song turned into a PJ song too. killer bridge + solo though.

Getaway is my jam, and the studio version of Lightning Bolt is infinitely better than it was at Wrigley. I like it quite a bit, despite stealing a lot of it's melody from Unthought Known.

Let The Records Play is a fun swamp blues song, but man is that vocal melody/chorus ever super SUPER cheesy. great guitar work tho.

based on these 5 I already like this album more than Backspacer, which was all i was hoping for

Swallowed Whole is how Ed solo songs should be translated in Pearl Jam.

yeah, i'm worried about the rehashed one they chose to include on this album... as long as they sound more like this and less like Just Breathe or Thumbing My Way, i don't mind them.

[Norah]

Had a chance to listen to all of them twice through on my ride home and I'm pretty disappointed, team.

It would be easier to swallow if all of them just straight up sucked. I mean, for the most part, they do, but in each song they find a few seconds to do a few interesting things. But those moments are fleeting, and as soon as you start to appreciate them the songs devolve into predictable Pearl Jam mediocrity.

And while these performances aren't the most glaring examples of Ed's modern style that I can't stand, it's definitely there, and is there enough that I think he's detracting more than he's adding.

Poor show, Pearl Jam.

[Revelator]

Shit I was hoping for my first listen to be the whole album but not sure I can hold out and wait till then!! Fuck!

[harmless]

PJ has been lacking shakers / tambourines / hand-drums etc. on records for ages and I didn't even realise it.

[Thejambi]

"for GOD's sake, mine is mine and yours wont take its place"
Is a great moment.

[Norah]

We'll always have Moonlander.

[Monkey_Driven]

Getaway is by far my favorite so far.

[Hypnos]

Where´s the fucking solo at the end of Lightning Bolt? Fuckin´ fade outs. The song is neutered.

[ccanad]

Getaway is by far my favorite so far.

To me, this is not even close...

[Norah]

The fadeouts are awful too.

[everything]

so, why these 4 and not sirens? i thought that is supposed to be "one of the best" pj songs ever... (according to twat BoB)

[harmless]

Ed mentions they like how they like to write songs they can play live. He then proceeds to sing the bridge/outro of Lightning Bolt in a way that he will never be able to reproduce live.

He sounded exactly like he did live to me on the outro. A mess.

Diff'rent strokes i guess.

There's no way he shits on the outro like he did live. Are you even listening to the same thing?

Sorry actually i mixed up the outro with the last verse. The bit i'm talking about is 'with no repair in ssiiakfdhgjdfgjfgfjt no god with such miiiieeeggghhhhhhh' and so on. I feel tired listening to him try and belt that out.

I can understand that but I don't really agree. He pulls it off here and he pulled it off at Wrigley, even if the AC/DC screeching at the end ruined it. That loud verse is my favourite part of the song, as well as the "Is it something..." bridge.

[everything]

Getaway is by far my favorite so far.

To me, this is not even close...

truth.

[Jaeti]

Where´s the fucking solo at the end of Lightning Bolt? Fuckin´ fade outs. The song is neutered.

Yeah, I think this song needs to be a bit longer. I don't mind the fadeouts as much as some people do, provided they're not too hasty.

[dimejinky99]

I like these more on the first listen than I did most of Backspacer.

Me too. Cause for concern?

did you get to hear the whole thing, Dime?

No. Got to hear lots and lots of serge gainsbourg and some jazz.
Felt a bit stiffed but I can wait.

[stip]

The fadeouts are awful too.

we'll always have this

[jforte20]

I dont feel like any of these will be setlist killers either.

[stupidmop]

Ed mentions they like how they like to write songs they can play live. He then proceeds to sing the bridge/outro of Lightning Bolt in a way that he will never be able to reproduce live.

He sounded exactly like he did live to me on the outro. A mess.

Diff'rent strokes i guess.

There's no way he shits on the outro like he did live. Are you even listening to the same thing?

Sorry actually i mixed up the outro with the last verse. The bit i'm talking about is 'with no repair in ssiiakfdhgjdfgjfgfjt no god with such miiiieeeggghhhhhhh' and so on. I feel tired listening to him try and belt that out.

I can understand that but I don't really agree. He pulls it off here and he pulled it off at Wrigley, even if the AC/DC screeching at the end ruined it. That loud verse is my favourite part of the song, as well as the "Is it something..." bridge.

That's cool, i don't really like the song at all so im just picking at the pieces. I'm glad you like it though.

[wilkins]

I dunno if it's the "no new PJ for so long" phenomenon, or the "like most everything PJ put out" phenomenon, or the "like everything at first" phenomenon, but I am really liking these.

Getaway- instant like.
Lightning Bolt- growing on me, definitely better than Wrigley.
Let The Records Play- kinda cool, bunch of things going on, will probably stay just above mediocre.
Swallowed Whole- growing on me very fast the more I listen, and it's stuck in me head.

[harmless]

The fadeouts are awful too.

The fadeouts are bad and they happen too quickly, especially if you listen carefully. The cut-off points are too abrupt.

Just a question though: you mention that the interesting things begin to happen, but then swiftly change back to standard PJ, so there's not enough time given to the original parts. Do you not feel like that about a lot of PJ? They're always keen to remind us they're just a rock band, even in their most interesting songs, imo.