Gigaton: Official album thread

[Ms Harmless]

hot take: Josh Evans did great work but the back 2/3 of the album is not playable live

doesn't define a good album

[Ms Harmless]

I find it so hilarious that people still define "good Pearl Jam" by "what's good live" when that was Ed's M.O for Backspacer

[Ms Harmless]

which is not to say I hate BS (I don't), just that "what's good live" doesn't matter a fig to me anymore and Gigaton left me hungry for more PJ that sounds good when I play it at home

[Coach]

Maybe poster is saying that the back half of the album aren't good songs and therefore we don't want to hear those songs live or in a show?

[Ms Harmless]

maybe, how different is that though?

[Coach]

Like I think Take the Long Way is horrible and I imagine it's horrible live, too.

[liebzz]

Like I think Take the Long Way is horrible and I imagine it's horrible live, too.

My recollection was that it was good live, at least from Asbury Park.

[Leatherhead]

TTLW is a highlight.

[Coach]

Buckle Up is so boring. Imagine the same is true for live.

[96583UP]

hot take: Josh Evans did great work but the back 2/3 of the album is not playable live

doesn't define a good album

agree

[96583UP]

Maybe poster is saying that the back half of the album aren't good songs and therefore we don't want to hear those songs live or in a show?

was more a comment on Josh Evans' album work making the songs sound good, but perhaps too good, because the band can't do them that way live

[Farmer John]

The bass part in Take the Long Way is definitely not playable live.

[96583UP]

The bass part in Take the Long Way is definitely not playable live.

john cage can do it

[Coach]

Maybe poster is saying that the back half of the album aren't good songs and therefore we don't want to hear those songs live or in a show?

was more a comment on Josh Evans' album work making the songs sound good, but perhaps too good, because the band can't do them that way live

oh gotcha

[Jaeti]

I will continue to seize just about every chance I have to see this band live, especially knowing that those opportunities are dwindling. But at this point I don't care one bit about new studio stuff translating well to a live setting. The days of the epic 3+ hours shows are mostly, if not entirely, gone. Ed's voice can't do what it used to do, and those shortcomings are most apparent at a show.

Gigaton is a studio-based treasure, and if they can somehow crank out another one of similar quality, I would take it in a heartbeat even if exactly zero of the songs held up on stage.

[96583UP]

Maybe poster is saying that the back half of the album aren't good songs and therefore we don't want to hear those songs live or in a show?

was more a comment on Josh Evans' album work making the songs sound good, but perhaps too good, because the band can't do them that way live

oh gotcha

but i also don't want to hear them live

only the first 4 are canon

the rest are irrelevant

[Ms Harmless]

I will continue to seize just about every chance I have to see this band live, especially knowing that those opportunities are dwindling. But at this point I don't care one bit about new studio stuff translating well to a live setting. The days of the epic 3+ hours shows are mostly, if not entirely, gone. Ed's voice can't do what it used to do, and those shortcomings are most apparent at a show.

Gigaton is a studio-based treasure, and if they can somehow crank out another one of similar quality, I would take it in a heartbeat even if exactly zero of the songs held up on stage.

yep

and I just think that they don't play *any* of their material live as well as they did when they were younger, so why not go to town in studio? a different producer might have saved Lightning Bolt

[epilogue]

Pearl Jam has always been a studio band for me. Because it was so difficult to see them for that first decade. The live stuff is amazing and I'll see them as long as they want to tour. I won't take it for granted. But to me, it's all about the studio work. On that score, Gigaton is a gem.

I saw them this past September and they didn't even play Dance and I was totally okay with it. They played QE, WES, and 7OC. All great versions. But not at all the point of the show, if you know what I mean.

[epilogue]

I should really listen to this album front to back again.

It's been too long.

[Ms Harmless]

Pearl Jam has always been a studio band for me.

this is why their low points were so low for me, the bar was raised so high at one point and I couldn't just be like "oh well I'm seeing them 37 times this August" or whatever