Lets Actually Listen to the Album: Lightning Bolt

[Heathen]

I still don't give a shit it.

[Got Some]

Let the records play: "when the kingdom comes he puts his records on and with his blistered thumb hits play" love that line. The chorus is ok and I like the bridge. mccready and Ed sound great. Fuxking fade out!!! I've always liked this one 4 stars

Sleeping By Myself : nice version like when the uke comes in but its not a lightning bolt song. Lightning bolt is dark and this song isn't !!! Should of been a bside/backspacer song. The song 3 stars, being on lightning bolt 1 star.

Yellow Moon: This is a good song that's recorded well!!rare for this album. Ed and mike are the stars on this one. The bridge is the shining light kind of wish it went longer. 4 stars.

Future Days: nice Ed ballad. I quite like this one!!! Although it does feel like a Springsteen cover. Think they could of done more with it 3 stars.


Good album part from the production/ridiculous fade outs and Matts drums in the most part sounding like they weren't recorded in the same room. BOBs worst performance as a producer on a PJ album.

Getaway pendulum infallible lightning bolt (live) are my highlights.


Overall 4 stars.

[96583UP]

[Heathen]

Ed and mike are the stars on this one. 4 stars.

doesn't add up

[vedder316]

I still love this album

This

[Got Some]

What about a track listing of

Mind Your Manners
Getaway
My Fathers Son
Lightning Bolt
Sirens
Swallowed Hole
Infallible
Pendulum
Of The Earth
Yellow Moon
Future Days

[darth_vedder]

Listened to this thing about two weeks ago for the first time this year. Meh. I like about 1/2 of it, and that's better than Backspacer, but that's not saying a lot. I'm really at an all time low for my love / enthusiasm for this band. These last 3 albums are pretty much akin to my thoughts on the Star Wars prequels.

[mac]

Listened to this thing about two weeks ago for the first time this year. Meh. I like about 1/2 of it, and that's better than Backspacer, but that's not saying a lot. I'm really at an all time low for my love / enthusiasm for this band. These last 3 albums are pretty much akin to my thoughts on the Star Wars prequels.

I know what you mean. The last song they put out that I truly loved was man of the hour. That's a longtime ago. I look at it like this - on the first 6 records, although there were songs I wasn't so hot on, I didn't actually full on hate any of them. I really, really just hate a lot of the new tracks - future days and sirens are just inexcusable, supersonic is arguably the worst rock song I have ever heard. I don't think you can come back from that level of shitness. They make me cringe. It's such a shame, but this band is dead creatively - these songs aren't just bad, they are the pits. That said, how many bands managed 6 great albums and 1 ok record in a straight run? A handful at best. Pearl jam is one of them, and stand in rarefied company.

[VinylGuy]

I was reading the Mirroball bit in the PJ20 book...with Jack stepping for Dave and inmediatly having to play live and record with them....
And after that ...No Code. Those guys were on a very tight run, and even in the ST sessions there seems to be a lot of more music than we know...but yeah, this last couple of years, with no b sides, with only two studio albums, it seems they dont have that need to make music in the PJ world as they used to.

[darth_vedder]

Listened to this thing about two weeks ago for the first time this year. Meh. I like about 1/2 of it, and that's better than Backspacer, but that's not saying a lot. I'm really at an all time low for my love / enthusiasm for this band. These last 3 albums are pretty much akin to my thoughts on the Star Wars prequels.

I know what you mean. The last song they put out that I truly loved was man of the hour. That's a longtime ago. I look at it like this - on the first 6 records, although there were songs I wasn't so hot on, I didn't actually full on hate any of them. I really, really just hate a lot of the new tracks - future days and sirens are just inexcusable, supersonic is arguably the worst rock song I have ever heard. I don't think you can come back from that level of shitness. They make me cringe. It's such a shame, but this band is dead creatively - these songs aren't just bad, they are the pits. That said, how many bands managed 6 great albums and 1 ok record in a straight run? A handful at best. Pearl jam is one of them, and stand in rarefied company.

Yeah, PJ had an incredible run, and their first 7 albums are all pretty great. I put PJ's best stretch (Vs., Vitalogy, [Mirror Ball], No Code, Yield, and Binaural) up there with the great Stones run of Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main Street. Prior to Beggars, they also had the very overlooked / under-appreciated Between The Buttons.

I also agree that some of the new songs (by PJ) are just embarrassing. One of my non PJ fan friends asked me to put together a mix of the last 3 albums, and I really struggled. S/T was the most represented, followed by LB, then BS. For BS, I really struggled. "Got Some" was a no brainer for me, but I really had a hard time choosing more songs. I know this guy, and he'll hate pretty much everything on BS. I played MYM for him, and he liked it, a lot, so I tried to stay on the heavier side of things. Anyway, I remembered he doesn't have Riot Act, so I added a few of those and was finally able to put together a solid compilation for him. With the inclusion of RA songs, the mix is largely RA and S/T with a bit of LB and a lesser bit of BS.

[Got Some]

Sounds like some posters on this website are having a "I HATE PEARL JAM MORE THAN YOU" contest.

I only like half the album

I only Like 3 songs

I hate everything they have done in ten years!!!!

[darth_vedder]

Sounds like some posters on this website are having a "I HATE PEARL JAM MORE THAN YOU" contest.

I only like half the album

I only Like 3 songs

I hate everything they have done in ten years!!!!

Yep, that pretty much sums it up; /RM

[hlniv]

I've made this point before, but it seems appropriate to reiterate it here.

Just because someone talks negatively about the last 8-10 year output of this band, please don't confuse that sentiment with whether or not that person remains a huge fan. I don't like what they have become over the last 8 years or so, I don't like nearly as many songs, and I think they've lost the urgency and purpose that drove me to become such a big fan in the first place. But, I certainly don't hate them - in fact, I am arguably more engaged with them now than I have been in 15 years, but that's do to rediscovering past material, not because of the new material. You can still love a band and adore their career output, even if you don't like their current output.

[matt reeder]

I also agree that some of the new songs (by PJ) are just embarrassing. One of my non PJ fan friends asked me to put together a mix of the last 3 albums, and I really struggled. S/T was the most represented, followed by LB, then BS. For BS, I really struggled. "Got Some" was a no brainer for me, but I really had a hard time choosing more songs. I know this guy, and he'll hate pretty much everything on BS. I played MYM for him, and he liked it, a lot, so I tried to stay on the heavier side of things. Anyway, I remembered he doesn't have Riot Act, so I added a few of those and was finally able to put together a solid compilation for him. With the inclusion of RA songs, the mix is largely RA and S/T with a bit of LB and a lesser bit of BS.

1. Getaway
2. Mind Your Manners
3. Comatose
4. Johnny Guitar
5. Marker in the Sand
6. Parachutes
7. Unemployable
8. Lightning Bolt
9. Infallible
10. Army Reserve
11. Force of Nature
12. Yellow Moon
13. The End

Was it something like that?

[Whale and Wasp]

Lightning Bolt rocks, it's got six or seven standout great tracks that make up any PJ disc and a few that only a few will enjoy:

Lightning Bolt
Yellow Moon
Swallowed Whole
Pendulum
Infallible
Mind Your Manners

There are always doubters, even when Vitalogy and No Code came out if you believe it! This is a band thats doing what they have always done so well, support them for the love of Pete!!

[darth_vedder]

I also agree that some of the new songs (by PJ) are just embarrassing. One of my non PJ fan friends asked me to put together a mix of the last 3 albums, and I really struggled. S/T was the most represented, followed by LB, then BS. For BS, I really struggled. "Got Some" was a no brainer for me, but I really had a hard time choosing more songs. I know this guy, and he'll hate pretty much everything on BS. I played MYM for him, and he liked it, a lot, so I tried to stay on the heavier side of things. Anyway, I remembered he doesn't have Riot Act, so I added a few of those and was finally able to put together a solid compilation for him. With the inclusion of RA songs, the mix is largely RA and S/T with a bit of LB and a lesser bit of BS.

1. Getaway
2. Mind Your Manners
3. Comatose
4. Johnny Guitar
5. Marker in the Sand
6. Parachutes
7. Unemployable
8. Lightning Bolt
9. Infallible
10. Army Reserve
11. Force of Nature
12. Yellow Moon
13. The End

Was it something like that?

Not really. I was able to fit 19 songs on an 80min disc, and as of now, it looks like this (I may edit / re-order):

01. Can't Keep
02. Save You
03. Got Some
04. Mind Your Manners
05. Big Wave
06. Green Disease
07. Severed Hand
08. Marker In The Sand
09. Lightning Bolt
10. Life Wasted
11. Get Right
12. Pendulum
13. Parachutes
14. Cropduster
15. Help Help
16. My Father's Son
17. Ghost
18. Wasted Reprise
19. All Or None

[aurynsdad]

I also agree that some of the new songs (by PJ) are just embarrassing. One of my non PJ fan friends asked me to put together a mix of the last 3 albums, and I really struggled. S/T was the most represented, followed by LB, then BS. For BS, I really struggled. "Got Some" was a no brainer for me, but I really had a hard time choosing more songs. I know this guy, and he'll hate pretty much everything on BS. I played MYM for him, and he liked it, a lot, so I tried to stay on the heavier side of things. Anyway, I remembered he doesn't have Riot Act, so I added a few of those and was finally able to put together a solid compilation for him. With the inclusion of RA songs, the mix is largely RA and S/T with a bit of LB and a lesser bit of BS.

1. Getaway
2. Mind Your Manners
3. Comatose
4. Johnny Guitar
5. Marker in the Sand
6. Parachutes
7. Unemployable
8. Lightning Bolt
9. Infallible
10. Army Reserve
11. Force of Nature
12. Yellow Moon
13. The End

Was it something like that?

Not really. I was able to fit 19 songs on an 80min disc, and as of now, it looks like this (I may edit / re-order):

01. Can't Keep
02. Save You
03. Got Some
04. Mind Your Manners
05. Big Wave
06. Green Disease
07. Severed Hand
08. Marker In The Sand
09. Lightning Bolt
10. Life Wasted
11. Get Right
12. Pendulum
13. Parachutes
14. Cropduster
15. Help Help
16. My Father's Son
17. Ghost
18. Wasted Reprise
19. All Or None

Riot Act smokin' the competition.

[darth_vedder]

Riot Act smokin' the competition.

Yep. Once I remembered he didn't have RA (I'm pretty sure he has Binaural), I filled the mix up largely with RA songs (best of the last 4 for me). For good measure, I may mix a few Lost Dogs tracks for another mix. Still, I'm pretty happy with the mix, but LB and BS are not very well represented. Now that I'm thinking more about it, I may scrap this mix, stick to my original idea and just do the last 3 albums, then separately mix RA and some Lost Dogs.

[Alex]

are we retrospectively deeming riot act a respectable album now that the last three records sucked so much? i'm not ready to do that.

[pnjguy]

Listen to the way Ed sung on Indifference, and listen to the way Ed sung on Getaway. BOB said that "Ed really sung the hell out of this album." For me, that was the main problem. Ed needs to be more subdued in his singing. His voice should just be another instrument in the band.