Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[epilogue]

What is it that people hate so passionately about Ole? I get that these aren't Eddie's deepest lyrics by any stretch, but for a one-off tune, it's pretty fun and has pretty decent production.

I think there is a certain brand of PJ fan that doesn't like when they go full light-weight. A lot o fans related to the angst and complexity of songs like Alive and Even Flow and Jeremy and Animal and Rearview Mirror. And so when PJ flexes there other muscles they get weird about it. That's not everyone, certainly. But it does reflect some fans.

Songs like Black Red Yellow, Dirty Frank, Hitchhiker, Happy When I'm Crying, Push Me, Pull Me, etc... represent a color of Pearl Jam that I adore. And it's been there from the very beginning. I love that success allowed them to mine that stuff even more over the years. To me, Ole is the heir apparent to that particular line.

It's got funk and groove and a looseness that I think is indicative of what I like most about the band as a live act. But I totally understand why that kind of thing is uninteresting or off-putting or uninteresting to fans that gravitate to other colors of the band's extensive palate.

I am definitely in that camp you reference. I've gotten better about it over time, but it's there. Part of it is that he often approaches them a certain way vocally that doesn't click for me - not sure which is the chicken and which is the egg.

I think that makes a lot of sense, actually -- what you say about how they vocally turn you off. I obviously don't agree but it makes sense as an argument. Vocals -- especially for people like you and me -- can be hard to overcome when they don't work for our respective ears.

[Ms Harmless]

I love "Push Me Pull Me" because that humour is balanced with a dark heaviness, and I think that juxtaposition is there on every "fun" PJ song I enjoy; I haven't got a problem with music that does nothing but pure fun, I just don't think PJ is very good at it; I go to other bands for that

[stip]

I love "Push Me Pull Me" because that humour is balanced with a dark heaviness, and I think that juxtaposition is there on every "fun" PJ song I enjoy; I haven't got a problem with music that does nothing but pure fun, I just don't think PJ is very good at it; I go to other bands for that

Same.

[epilogue]

I love "Push Me Pull Me" because that humour is balanced with a dark heaviness, and I think that juxtaposition is there on every "fun" PJ song I enjoy; I haven't got a problem with music that does nothing but pure fun, I just don't think PJ is very good at it; I go to other bands for that

Oh totally fair! I think if it's all PJ did, I'd be more off-put by it. They certainly wouldn't have become my favorite band of all time. But as a shade of what they do, I really appreciate it. And I think Ole really hits the sweet spot. It has more in common with Push Me, Pull Me and Big Wave and Hitchhiker than it does Olympic Platinum or Gremmie Out of Control, etc. It's not a heavy song by any means but there is some weight to it. "I still can't help but wonder why / I'm feeling laughed at by the sky" for example. Great line that carries something a tad heavier in implication on its breeziness.

[Ms Harmless]

I love "Push Me Pull Me" because that humour is balanced with a dark heaviness, and I think that juxtaposition is there on every "fun" PJ song I enjoy; I haven't got a problem with music that does nothing but pure fun, I just don't think PJ is very good at it; I go to other bands for that

Oh totally fair! I think if it's all PJ did, I'd be more off-put by it. They certainly wouldn't have become my favorite band of all time. But as a shade of what they do, I really appreciate it. And I think Ole really hits the sweet spot. It has more in common with Push Me, Pull Me and Big Wave and Hitchhiker than it does Olympic Platinum or Gremmie Out of Control, etc. It's not a heavy song by any means but there is some weight to it. "I still can't help but wonder why / I'm feeling laughed at by the sky" for example. Great line that carries something a tad heavier in implication on its breeziness.

I totally agree with those thoughts about Olé and what makes it work for me is that you just know "Olé" is like a *bleep* / nonsense word for something like "fuck it!"

of the songs you listed, I don't like "Big Wave" much but I love Gremmie and Hitchhiker; there's not much darkness in Gremmie but there *is* history; it's the most faithfully "surf rock" song in their catalogue so as a genre experiment and what we know of Ed it's a stunner, and I am stunned

[epilogue]

I love "Push Me Pull Me" because that humour is balanced with a dark heaviness, and I think that juxtaposition is there on every "fun" PJ song I enjoy; I haven't got a problem with music that does nothing but pure fun, I just don't think PJ is very good at it; I go to other bands for that

Oh totally fair! I think if it's all PJ did, I'd be more off-put by it. They certainly wouldn't have become my favorite band of all time. But as a shade of what they do, I really appreciate it. And I think Ole really hits the sweet spot. It has more in common with Push Me, Pull Me and Big Wave and Hitchhiker than it does Olympic Platinum or Gremmie Out of Control, etc. It's not a heavy song by any means but there is some weight to it. "I still can't help but wonder why / I'm feeling laughed at by the sky" for example. Great line that carries something a tad heavier in implication on its breeziness.

I totally agree with those thoughts about Olé and what makes it work for me is that you just know "Olé" is like a *bleep* / nonsense word for something like "fuck it!"

of the songs you listed, I don't like "Big Wave" much but I love Gremmie and Hitchhiker; there's not much darkness in Gremmie but there *is* history; it's the most faithfully "surf rock" song in their catalogue so as a genre experiment and what we know of Ed it's a stunner, and I am stunned

Yes! Well said.

[guitar_davey]

I love "Push Me Pull Me" because that humour is balanced with a dark heaviness, and I think that juxtaposition is there on every "fun" PJ song I enjoy; I haven't got a problem with music that does nothing but pure fun, I just don't think PJ is very good at it; I go to other bands for that

Oh totally fair! I think if it's all PJ did, I'd be more off-put by it. They certainly wouldn't have become my favorite band of all time. But as a shade of what they do, I really appreciate it. And I think Ole really hits the sweet spot. It has more in common with Push Me, Pull Me and Big Wave and Hitchhiker than it does Olympic Platinum or Gremmie Out of Control, etc. It's not a heavy song by any means but there is some weight to it. "I still can't help but wonder why / I'm feeling laughed at by the sky" for example. Great line that carries something a tad heavier in implication on its breeziness.

I totally agree with those thoughts about Olé and what makes it work for me is that you just know "Olé" is like a *bleep* / nonsense word for something like "fuck it!"

of the songs you listed, I don't like "Big Wave" much but I love Gremmie and Hitchhiker; there's not much darkness in Gremmie but there *is* history; it's the most faithfully "surf rock" song in their catalogue so as a genre experiment and what we know of Ed it's a stunner, and I am stunned

I was pretty indifferent to Big Wave until I caught it live a few years ago. For a rarely played track, they really nailed it.

[Tj]

I love "Push Me Pull Me" because that humour is balanced with a dark heaviness, and I think that juxtaposition is there on every "fun" PJ song I enjoy; I haven't got a problem with music that does nothing but pure fun, I just don't think PJ is very good at it; I go to other bands for that

Oh totally fair! I think if it's all PJ did, I'd be more off-put by it. They certainly wouldn't have become my favorite band of all time. But as a shade of what they do, I really appreciate it. And I think Ole really hits the sweet spot. It has more in common with Push Me, Pull Me and Big Wave and Hitchhiker than it does Olympic Platinum or Gremmie Out of Control, etc. It's not a heavy song by any means but there is some weight to it. "I still can't help but wonder why / I'm feeling laughed at by the sky" for example. Great line that carries something a tad heavier in implication on its breeziness.

I totally agree with those thoughts about Olé and what makes it work for me is that you just know "Olé" is like a *bleep* / nonsense word for something like "fuck it!"

of the songs you listed, I don't like "Big Wave" much but I love Gremmie and Hitchhiker; there's not much darkness in Gremmie but there *is* history; it's the most faithfully "surf rock" song in their catalogue so as a genre experiment and what we know of Ed it's a stunner, and I am stunned

I was pretty indifferent to Big Wave until I caught it live a few years ago. For a rarely played track, they really nailed it.

Some of their best guitar work

[Bammer]

Why does this poll only have 8 options?

[stip]

It was probably from the leak. Should be an album poll anyway

[guitar_davey]

I love "Push Me Pull Me" because that humour is balanced with a dark heaviness, and I think that juxtaposition is there on every "fun" PJ song I enjoy; I haven't got a problem with music that does nothing but pure fun, I just don't think PJ is very good at it; I go to other bands for that

Oh totally fair! I think if it's all PJ did, I'd be more off-put by it. They certainly wouldn't have become my favorite band of all time. But as a shade of what they do, I really appreciate it. And I think Ole really hits the sweet spot. It has more in common with Push Me, Pull Me and Big Wave and Hitchhiker than it does Olympic Platinum or Gremmie Out of Control, etc. It's not a heavy song by any means but there is some weight to it. "I still can't help but wonder why / I'm feeling laughed at by the sky" for example. Great line that carries something a tad heavier in implication on its breeziness.

I totally agree with those thoughts about Olé and what makes it work for me is that you just know "Olé" is like a *bleep* / nonsense word for something like "fuck it!"

of the songs you listed, I don't like "Big Wave" much but I love Gremmie and Hitchhiker; there's not much darkness in Gremmie but there *is* history; it's the most faithfully "surf rock" song in their catalogue so as a genre experiment and what we know of Ed it's a stunner, and I am stunned

I was pretty indifferent to Big Wave until I caught it live a few years ago. For a rarely played track, they really nailed it.

Some of their best guitar work

[lecherouslittlestump]

Looks like Future Days is going to be appearing quite prominently in The Last Of Us 2: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-l ... 0-6478211/

[stip]

unexpected development

[VinylGuy]

jesus christ, all those poor people.

[guitar_davey]

unexpected development

Stip, I think I'm with you - it's a really nice Ed song that's undone by some fluffy production (that piano *cough cough*).

[stip]

just did a quick run through my L-bolt favorites

Mind Your Manners
Sirens
Lightning Bolt
Pendulum
Sleeping By Myself
Yellow Moon

and good times were had by all. the atmosphere is leached from the recordings but Eddie sounds great

[Ms Harmless]

if this album was remixed, I am quite confident in 2021 that it would be a good Pearl Jam album

[stip]

[stip]

i threw future days on for good measure. a nice hit of schmaltz for a Friday morning

[E.H. Ruddock]

For what it is worth, I think this album is infinitely better than Backspacer. I know a lot of fans lump the two together, and while LB is second from the bottom for me, it at least has about 4 songs I really enjoy. Can't come close to that with Backspacer.

Songs I like from this album/era:

Pendulum
Pendulumorphosis
Yellow Moon
Infallible

I've also come to like Lightning Bolt live. I still skip the studio version, though.