Red Mosquito

Monkey_Driven wrote:

epilogue wrote:

liebzz wrote:Maybe once Trump (and possibly even more so the movement that’s grown around him and remains centered on him) loses daily political significance they may change the line, but I think it stays because the name now conjures the image, automatically, or where he’s going with this.

Yeah to me the use of Trump is specific and goes beyond what a like like "we" would mean. Both appropriate to the overall themes of the song, to be sure. But I don't think that's what Ed's getting at there. He's talking about something far more specific in that line.

The use of Trump pushes the responsibility of the fucked up world onto someone else, which provides a "valid" reason to escape. It's not until the person is away do they realize they were a part of both the good and the bad parts of the human experience on Earth. Escape is the easy path. The song provides a framework for the activism and agency on the rest of the album.

Excellent observation.

Jaeti wrote:

guitar_davey wrote:Still probably the Pearl Jam album I will listen to the most from this point forward. I wouldn't change a thing.

Agree, I think.

guitar_davey wrote:Is Alright an absolute all-time top tier PJ tune? Probably not, but it works perfectly in that spot on the album.

Agree, it's perfect where it is. I also think it's now finally had time to stand on its own merits a bit, too. Right out of the gate it had the Covid context propping it up a bit, while still being perfect for that slot on the album. Then the Covid context faded some, and it was clear how it wasn't on the level of the rest of tracks 1–6. But, now, I've found myself liking it more than I ever did before. It's still a fine sentiment, no matter what's going on in the world. And I've always been on board with the music itself.

guitar_davey wrote:Does the record basically end with three straight closers? Yes, but again I wouldn't take any of them out.

Agree.

guitar_davey wrote:Oh, and I love Never Destination. Seems to be the one that a lot of folks here are ready to discard or replace, but I absolutely love it.

Do not love, but probably would not replace.

guitar_davey wrote:Also, Quick Escape is as Pearl Jam as it gets. I don't get any of the hate for it.

Endorse.

Ms Harmless wrote:I think "Alright" is the song that I would soonest put alongside their greatest ballads from Riot Act and before; come to think of it, I'd say that about every ballad here: Comes Then Goes, River Cross, they're unmatched by any ballad on ST, Backspacer or Lightning Bolt

It has that magic that earlier PJ ballads always had -- there's a mysterious, spiritual, ethereal vibe to it that's been lacking in recent years. It's what made PJ ballads less hokey and saccharine than other bands from the mid-to-late 90s and beyond. It fits well alongside songs like Nothingman, Off He Goes, or Lowlight. Future Days and Just Breathe do not, although I am a fan of JB.

Leatherhead wrote:Trump's a dick. I'm fine with that being immortalized in the song.

This

VinylGuy wrote:Quick Escape is awesome.

Yes, my favorite Pearl Jam rock the fuckin arena moment of the last 15 years at least (I'm imagining, as my promised concert has yet to happen)

guitar_davey wrote:

Ms Harmless wrote:I think "Alright" is the song that I would soonest put alongside their greatest ballads from Riot Act and before; come to think of it, I'd say that about every ballad here: Comes Then Goes, River Cross, they're unmatched by any ballad on ST, Backspacer or Lightning Bolt

It has that magic that earlier PJ ballads always had -- there's a mysterious, spiritual, ethereal vibe to it that's been lacking in recent years. It's what made PJ ballads less hokey and saccharine than other bands from the mid-to-late 90s and beyond. It fits well alongside songs like Nothingman, Off He Goes, or Lowlight. Future Days and Just Breathe do not, although I am a fan of JB.

I can't think about Alright without also thinking of Pendulum, but I do agree.

RockPusher wrote:

guitar_davey wrote:

Ms Harmless wrote:I think "Alright" is the song that I would soonest put alongside their greatest ballads from Riot Act and before; come to think of it, I'd say that about every ballad here: Comes Then Goes, River Cross, they're unmatched by any ballad on ST, Backspacer or Lightning Bolt

It has that magic that earlier PJ ballads always had -- there's a mysterious, spiritual, ethereal vibe to it that's been lacking in recent years. It's what made PJ ballads less hokey and saccharine than other bands from the mid-to-late 90s and beyond. It fits well alongside songs like Nothingman, Off He Goes, or Lowlight. Future Days and Just Breathe do not, although I am a fan of JB.

I can't think about Alright without also thinking of Pendulum, but I do agree.

Pendulum is actually one that they got right, in my opinion. Definitely see the link between these two. Good call.

guitar_davey wrote:It has that magic that earlier PJ ballads always had -- there's a mysterious, spiritual, ethereal vibe to it that's been lacking in recent years. It's what made PJ ballads less hokey and saccharine than other bands from the mid-to-late 90s and beyond. It fits well alongside songs like Nothingman, Off He Goes, or Lowlight.

Absolutely.

It’s true - it starts to disappear with riot act - still plenty of those songs I love but they don’t necessarily have the lushness the earlier ones did. Thin air is the last?

stip wrote:It’s true - it starts to disappear with riot act - still plenty of those songs I love but they don’t necessarily have the lushness the earlier ones did. Thin air is the last?

maybe can’t keep?

can't keep is too rhythm-driven to really qualify as the type of ballad I meant, tbh

I'm very partial to Can't Keep. How it evolved from that early Ed Solo show recording to the full-band version that announced Riot Act (once I had the full album to listen to). Much like River Cross evolved somewhat publicly.

That said, I really like this whole album, start to finish. It's been since Riot Act that I felt this way. And I hope Ed keeps his sappy/cheesy stuff to his solo projects and brings Giga-vocals/writing to Pearl Jam from here on out (however long they want to keep this ship sailing). Maybe Josh Evans can continue to pull these types of ideas out of these guys and splice them together as he did for this album.

I feel the need to say (again) that it's not the meaning of the Trump line in QE that I have an issue with (politically, I'm further left-leaning than Ed - obviously Trump sucks); my only issue is the clunkiness of fitting "Trump" into that tiny gap in the sentence; the power it might have had is somewhat lost as the word is squashed; but imo, "we" would have usefully expanded on the Trump point already made in 7 O'Clock (to, for example, the problem isn't *just* Trump -- the problem doesn't just exist *over there* and it isn't just someone else's fault; we're all responsible in some way for creating a country which is a breeding ground for these fascist losers)

but really I just think "we" could have been sung much clearer, "Trump" just sounds a bit silly in there; it's nbd, it doesn't ruin the song or anything

Team "we"

I do like that Trump line since it doesn't belabor the point. Having said that, it is more artfully done in 7 oclock and it may end up feeling more dated in 10 years than 'we' would have, which is also just a better lyric

i like em both. I do appreciate Ed just mentions him by name in that song only. But in the context of the story he is telling in QE, i love it.

I love that Ed takes risks. He believes in his unique style. That's really important and separates him from a lot of popular artists. Sometimes it means a little too much of the "Mrs. Mee-els" here and there for my liking, or too many words for him to remember, or word choices that seem weird to us. But all in all, I'd rather have all of that than him inhibiting himself to sound some manner of proper.

Just don't do Future Days again.

Listening to this for the first time in a long while. Still really good.

Take The Long Way - Buckle Up - Comes Then Goes

The most underrated part of the album.