Pearl Jam albums are really frontloaded

[chewm]

Riot Act does fit it, except the falloff is dramatically quick, the first 3 tracks are the best on the album, and then everything is bland until All Or None.

The 4th track is the best one.

[LoathedVermin72]

Riot Act does fit it, except the falloff is dramatically quick, the first 3 tracks are the best on the album, and then everything is bland until All Or None.

The 4th track is the best one.

And the 5th.

[Kevin Davis]

"Oceans," "Garden," and "Deep" are probably my three favorite songs on Ten.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Riot Act does fit it, except the falloff is dramatically quick, the first 3 tracks are the best on the album, and then everything is bland until All Or None.

What Riot Act are you listening to?!?!

[ABNorman]

Riot Act is great, if you skip everything until All or None.

[LoathedVermin72]

Riot Act is great, if you skip everything until All or None.

what. the. fuck.

[Jorge]

Hey Abby... go fuck yourself

[tommymtcom]

Deep is the shit.

[LoathedVermin72]

Deep is the shit.

bodysnatcher post

[Kaius]

Deep is the shit.

Agreed. I like the early, deranged stuff.

[Brett]

How could anybody think the back half of Ten is better than the front half? Release and Porch are awesome, but Oceans, Garden, Deep feel like filler after the stellar first half which is untouchable.

But you also said Vitalogy spaces its highlights evenly throughout which is equally ridiculous. Yes, Corduroy, Better Man, Immortality are amazing tracks but they are surrounded by ridiculous nonsense like Bugs and Aye Davenita, as well as filler tracks like Satan's Bed and Whipping. Last Exit, STBC, Not For You, Tremor Christ, NothingMan is an incredible run of songs in a row, and then there are 3 more meaningful tracks across 9 more songs on the album

LV and Ruddo beat me to the punch, but I simply enjoy the run from "Jeremy" to "Deep" more than songs like "Once," "Even Flow," and "Alive."

"Song I don't like = filler" is hardly a well-thought-out argument.

Yes, there's a lot of sound experiments and half-formed thoughts on Vitalogy's second half, but they strengthen the conceptual flow of the album, and build it into a conversational stream with peaks and valleys, rather than an endless torrent. I view "Satan's Bed" and "Whipping" in the same light as "Last Exit" and "STBC"; they're all lean and snappy songs that aren't at the titanic level of "Not For You," "Tremor Christ" and "Corduroy" (though "Last Exit" is admittedly pretty damn close).

[mikejasond]

They're fillery because they're fairly inconsequential. Not much of interest happens in these songs. From a lyrical standpoint, from a musical standpoint, its fairly bland. They arent bad songs but they dont have as much substance as the meat of the album. I think people liking the second half more is due to being tired of hearing the hits over and over again. I don't know how somebody would think "Garden" is a better song than "Even Flow". Its a good song but its just more of the same, and not as substantial.

Whipping and Satan's Bed, are similarly inconsequential songs. They don't feel as worked on as the others. They feel less complete, or like they have less to actually say musically, lyricaly, whatever.

[LoathedVermin72]

They're fillery because they're fairly inconsequential. Not much of interest happens in these songs. From a lyrical standpoint, from a musical standpoint, its fairly bland. They arent bad songs but they dont have as much substance as the meat of the album. I think people liking the second half more is due to being tired of hearing the hits over and over again. I don't know how somebody would think "Garden" is a better song than "Even Flow". Its a good song but its just more of the same, and not as substantial.

Whipping and Satan's Bed, are similarly inconsequential songs. They don't feel as worked on as the others. They feel less complete, or like they have less to actually say musically, lyricaly, whatever.

Those are all completely subjective opinions based on "feelings," not substance. And I disagree with all of them.

[mikejasond]

Its just that Whipping is a generic rock song, and Satan's Bed is a fun little ditty with lyrics that are either pleasantly cheeky or ridiculously cringe-worthy depending on your outlook, but I just don't see it as comparable to Last Exit, or STBC

[mikejasond]

As for "Garden" and "Deep" there's a reason those are the two songs from Ten that Pearl Jam rarely plays.

[mikejasond]

Oceans is a pretty nice interlude.

[Brett]

I don't know how somebody would think "Garden" is a better song than "Even Flow". Its a good song but its just more of the same, and not as substantial.

Wanna know something really mind-blowing? I've never really been a big fan of the massive songs like "Even Flow" or "Alive." Even early on, I was more drawn to "Black," "Jeremy," and "Oceans" than the megahits (although "Jeremy" at least fits that category, too, but there's always seemed to be something off-kilter about it that attracted me).

[KurtLeon]

what the fuck is a pearl jam?

[mikejasond]

I don't know how somebody would think "Garden" is a better song than "Even Flow". Its a good song but its just more of the same, and not as substantial.

Wanna know something really mind-blowing? I've never really been a big fan of the massive songs like "Even Flow" or "Alive." Even early on, I was more drawn to "Black," "Jeremy," and "Oceans" than the megahits (although "Jeremy" at least fits that category, too, but there's always seemed to be something off-kilter about it that attracted me).

Sure, I can see those, but why Garden? what is so special about Garden?

[PHATJ]

mikejasond, you clearly have no freaking idea what a "filler" track is. I mean, Oceans, Garden, and Deep are "fillers" in your book...? Whipping and Satan's Bed too? What in the total fuck are you talking about?!? I could entertain a conversation about the relative strengths and weaknesses of both halves of PJ albums, but your arguments are nothing more than "These songs are clearly better because I like them more, the rest are just fillers". This shit is getting retarded.